We Sailed the Atlantic to The Bahamas.

I’ve always been most comfortable with things that move on water; except Jet Ski’s, haven’t gotten the hang of those yet. I’m not sure if it’s that I feel safer on water, or if it’s just a preference.

Once I had the opportunity to see the point where the Atlantic and Carribean oceans meet in Puerto Rico. There were different hues of blue from each ocean, and they touched without mixing. Or that’s what it looked like. Navy blue + turquoise waves… it was a stunning sight.

In Puerto Rico, my friend Mofi and I had a boat to ourselves which Mofi had to navigate. But a year earlier, someone else did the navigating on Norwegian’s 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. I was turning 22 and decided to celebrate with a few days away from graduate school.I had been on a cruise before but this time was different. For starters, the food on Norwegian was abundant and inclusive in the price, there was enough entertainment onboard to keep you away from your room, and we stopped in two locations in the Bahamas, both of which we had 7 hours in.

We (my boyfriend and I) were so shocked by the fact that we didn’t have to spend extra money on food that we had to reconfirm that it was free. Whether we were at the buffet or some of the restaurants, we ate and left and that was it.

Not all the restaurants were inclusive though. Some charged an extra fee for finer dining like the French place we ate at called Le Bistro. Since the ship would be docking in Miami on my birthday, we celebrated early onboard and I was surprised with an ice cream cake and a bottle of red wine. For dinner, we had a three-course meal with amazing French dishes like duck confit. All for $20 per person. To get this fixed price, we included the ultimate dinner package in our booking. The included restaurants and buffets are worth the visit too so you don’t have to purchase the dining package to have a good culinary experience. 

Because we saved on food, we decided to put a significant amount of funds towards one activity: visiting Atlantis Paradise Island. It’s a huge resort with a waterpark in Nassau. There are all sorts of water rides for both the adventurous and not so adventurous. We fall into the former category. The most thrilling and terrifying ride for me was one where I slid into a completely dark free-fall for an unknown amount of seconds before seeing an opening with light at the end. I heard several screams before it was my turn which nearly made me chicken out. We did go on the popular ride where we slid from an unreasonable height into a tube surrounded by water and sharks on each side, but I barely remember it. I felt like it was over in 2 seconds, and tried to keep my eyes closed through the ride. I might have seen the fin of a shark. Might have.

Post water-park, we walked around the resort, bought too many Tortuga rum cakes from a telephone booth-sized store crammed with people, and made it back to the ship in time for departure.Exhausted, we slept until late into the night when most of the onboard entertainment was over. Our next stop was Norwegian’s private island: Great Stirrup Cay. They want you to relax here. Spend your money on overpriced Bacardi cocktails, sure, but relax too. The shore is filled almost completely with beach chairs and umbrellas, palm trees, and little blue cabanas for shade from the sun.In the crystal clear water, I could see my feet when I looked down.Back on board, we hung out on the deck and played ping pong with some other guests. Well my boyfriend did, I just watched. I’m not great with things that require my hands and eyes to work in synchrony. Later, we enjoyed cocktails and live music in the bar before calling it a night.

By the time we woke up the next morning, the ship had docked in the Port of Miami. I wanted to take my sweet time getting off of it. 

∗∗∗

I’ve heard people go on cruises that last up to 7 days. I could see myself thriving on one of those. The next time I go on a cruise, I’d like it to be transatlantic, maybe across Europe? I’d probably just eat too much. Have you been on a cruise with Norwegian or any other cruise liner? Where did you go?? Let me know in the comments section!

To read about my other trip to the Bahamas, click here

As always, 

thank you for reading!

All photos shot on iPhone 6 & edited on iPhone 8+

Same footprints, Different Sands