I actually started planning this trip when we were in Las Vegas last summer.  I told Joe that I didn't mind the thought of my upcoming 40th birthday, but I really wanted to celebrate it somewhere fun.  He had a great comeback ... "Well, book a trip."  I didn't have to be asked twice.  Since the big day was going to be in February, we wanted a warm destination.  Considering details such as time available, port location, and babysitting, we decided on a three night Bahamas cruise out of Port Canaveral.  We have cruised with Royal Caribbean previously, and we were happy with the service.  All that was left was a little time on their site, and I was ready to book it.

I booked the trip in September using RCCL's toll free number.  The person on the line was very helpful.  She gave me another number to call to find our Crown & Anchor account numbers.  I took care of this before I finalized my reservation.  This is a club for previous cruisers, and it did have some advantages ... More on that later.  We were going to sail on Sovereign of the Seas, and I picked cabin 6558 on the Tween deck because of it's location.  I used RCCL's site to study the ship's layout.  Our original booking price was $788 total without trip insurance.  I found out on a cruise board that if they lower the price of a cruise before you make your final payment, they will honor the lower price.  I checked the price on their web site once a week, and the price came down twice before our final payment was due.  All it took was a couple of quick calls.  We ended up paying $586.90 total for an ocean view cabin with trip insurance.  I know that most people prefer to book cruises with travel agents (and I'm sure that there are advantages that I'm not even aware of), but searching for good travel deals is a sport to me.  I just love it when I finalize vacation plans, and I feel like I've gotten a good deal!

We left around 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon and got to Coco Beach around 10:00.  We picked up a discount coupon book at a gas station, but we never did find the hotel we were looking for.  We stayed at Fawlty Towers (named for the British sitcom).  The room was around $50, and it was pretty decent.  It's an older hotel that is next to Ron Jon's Surf Shop.  It has been remodeled, and it has a really cool pool area ... lots of big palms ... tiki hut ... you get the picture.  That night we went to this little place called the Tip-a-Few Saloon.  Lots of character ... We'll leave it at that.  The next morning we had a GREAT breakfast at the Sunrise Diner on Route 520.  The Grecian omelet was THE BEST omelet I have ever had!

Okay ... Enough of Coco Beach ... On to the port!  We arrived at the entrance to the parking lot near the RCCL's terminal at 10:30.  The parking lot was still clearing out from the previous cruise, and we were not allowed to park.  The first of many very friendly staff members directed us to a free parking lot near the Disney ship to wait.  We took the opportunity to walk around a bit and take some pictures.  We could see the entrance to the parking lot from where we were parked, and we headed over as soon as we saw them letting people in.  It was a few minutes before 11:00.  Parking costs $8 per day, and you have to prepay.

Since we were among the first people to check in, it only took about 20 minutes.  We had our documents ready, and in a few moments we had the charge account set up & the room keys in our hands.  If you have never cruised, just a note about your cruise card.  You use this to charge all the extras to your room ... alcoholic drinks ... purchases in the gift shops ... pictures ... any extras.  You also need this card every time you get on or off the ship.  On the last night you are given a record of all your onboard purchases.  If there are any problems, you need to settle them with the Purser's desk. 

We were then sent to a waiting area upstairs.  At 11:30 we were allowed to board.  We had our Welcome Aboard picture taken and went through the last stage of security.  You insert your cruise card in a machine, and they imprint your picture on it.  I got a peek at my mug shot once, and it was ghastly!  Anyhoo ... We were the 4th & 5th people aboard.  Time to have some FUN!!!

Getting onboard earlier gives you a chance to check out where everything is before it gets crowded, and that is just what we did.  We ended up walking a good bit to get our bearings, and all that walking made us hungry!  It wasn't long before we found our way to the Windjammer Cafe for the lunch buffet.  The lines weren't long, and the food was really good.  I really liked the seafood salad.  It didn't have the same old, same old usually ingredients in it.  Very yummy!  It was good enough to return for another nibble later - more seafood salad for me & more cheesecake for Joe.  The lines were still not very long.

Our room was ready by 12:30, and we found it small but serviceable.  The room we had reminded me of a room in a motorhome ... without the kitchenette.  Small ... but very thoughtfully planned out.  It was very clean, and remained that way throughout our entire trip thanks to our cabin steward, Kendrick.  He also made the cutest towel animals (that sported my sunglasses) when he turned down our bed at night.  Our bags were delivered by 2:30 complete with a small cooler and some beer that was stowed away in one of them.  Kendrick did a great good of keeping the cooler stocked with ice.  The sun, my guy, a casino just a floor away, and a few cold brews ... all the ingredients for a great trip!

We had everything unpacked and settled in time for the muster drill.  This is a mandatory safety drill to let you know what to do in case of an emergency.  You are instructed where to report with your life jacket ready.  Everyone on the ship has to report to deck 7.  Since there are so many people on board, some are sent to Finian's Rainbow Lounge to hear the details.  One thing that I thought was interesting is that we were NEVER told which way to go in an emergency or where our lifeboat was located.  We were instructed on how to put on our lifejackets and all about their safety features, but no one ever mentioned where we go to get on a lifeboat!  Good thing we had a smooth sailing!!!

After the drill it was time to drop off the life jackets and head upstairs to the Bon Voyage party.  Just a side note about the elevators ... The only time that I thought they were too crowded and the wait too long was at times like these when everyone was trying to move around at the same time.  But ... We finally made it up to the pool area, and it was GREAT!  The band was playing, the drinks were flowing, and the trip was full of promise.  I had a so much fun line dancing, and waving to the folks on the shore who were seeing us off. 

We got cleaned up for dinner and headed to the casino.  We left the port at 5:00, and the casino opened at 6:00.  Just enough time to check things out before the Welcome Aboard Show ... or so we thought!  We were having a little too much fun at the roulette wheel ... time "rolled" by, and we missed the show.  We were careful not to be late for dinner, though.

We had the late seating, and our table number was 173 in the Kismet dining room.  It wasn't actually in the back corner, but close enough.  Just not the best location.  I wonder if our table assignment was the price we had to pay for the cheap deal we got on the cruise.  We sailed on the Nordic Empress a few years ago, and I thought the dining room on that ship was much nicer.  The balcony upstairs gave the whole dining room an open airy feeling.  This dining room had a cramped closed-in feeling.  Our waitress was Elizabeta from Romania, and she was a real sweetie.  Service was great, as was the food.  Joe went with the manager's suggestions most of the time, but I usually stuck with the fish and seafood items.  The only thing that either of us had the entire trip that we didn't care for was a burger Joe had for lunch.  He said it was really dry, and it looked it. 

Okay ... Back to the fun.  We left dinner and headed back to the casino.  Surprised? ... I didn't think you'd be. ;)  The slots were pretty tight, but I did turn a $20 into $40 on a pinball slot machine.  The casino was a little bigger than I expected.  There was one craps table (which never seemed too crowded), about 4 card tables, and two roulette wheels.  There was plenty of VP (with lousy pay scales) and a wide variety of quarter, dollar, and five dollar slots.  There were about a dozen multi-line nickel slots.

I had a BIG time at the roulette wheel on our first night.  Chips were a dollar, and the minimum was $1 on the inside and $5 on the outside bets.  I played my five fav numbers, and they started hitting.  Especially when Tony started working his magic on the wheel.  This guy was REALLY funny, and we had a good time.  I usually only place one chip on each number, but I decided to double my bet when I got ahead.  By the time we called it a night, I was up $350!  Thanks Tony!  The best man in the Caribbean (just ask him ... he'll tell ya')!

The next morning we were due to arrive in Nassau around lunch time.  We ate breakfast at the Windjammer and wandered around the ship a bit.  At the back of the ship there are some decks with lounge chairs and steps connecting them.  We enjoyed sitting out there a while.  It is kind of a quiet spot.  We noticed the ship slowing down and headed up front as we pulled into the port.  Once the ship gets into port it has to go through a customs inspection, so don't expect to hop off right away.  We had lunch in the dining room, and by the time we finished,  there was no line waiting to leave the ship. 

On our last cruise we booked the Yellow Bird shore excursion.  It was a lot of fun, but we decided to head out on our own this time.  The plan was to take a water taxi over to the Atlantis ... Play a while ... Take a cab back.  The water taxi is really fun, but we encountered two problems that will make us just take a cab next time.  To begin with, we just missed a boat.  That meant that we had some prime seats on the next one, and we got to enjoy them almost 30 minutes before we ever took off.  Oh, the weather was great, the Music Man came by to entertain us (for a small donation), we took a few pictures, BUT jeez ... I was ready to go!  The other problem was the walk!  Once you get over to Paradise Island you get to walk a good distance before you get to the casino.  Waiting and walking just weren't on my "to do" list that day.

Back to the good stuff ... VegasJules finally made it to the Atlantis!  I have really been looking forward to this.  Let me start off by saying that this place is BEAUTIFUL!  There was someone from security checking to see if you had a wristband to enter the beach and pool area, so we didn't get to check it all out, but you can see plenty from the walkway that is around the back.  VERY nice!  The casino is smaller than I thought it would be, but also very pretty.  There are two casino service areas that have wonderful glass statues above them.  One is of the moon, and the other is of the sun.  I'm not positive, but I'd guess that they were the works of the same artist who created the glass flower garden in Bellagio's lobby.  The rest of the casino didn't do much to impress me.  There was a large area devoted to $5 slots, and NO one playing them.  Most of the quarter machines that I tried to play had non-functioning bill acceptors.  There was one row of nickel WOF games that were very popular.  I couldn't get my machine to do anything, but the lady next to me ended up $50.  She had to wait for a hand pay, and that took forever even though the casino was not very crowded.  There was cocktail service, but when I ordered a beer, it came in a small glass.  If it had been a plastic cup, I would have sworn I was at Casino Royal.  The draft was that tasty. (translation - YUCK!)   I would love a chance to go to the Atlantis for a vacation, but it would be for the pool/beach area more than the casino. 

We got a cab for the trip back to town.  Cabs in Nassau are actually vans that you share with other people.  It took us a few minutes to get going because the way was blocked by three very good looking models having a ton of luggage unpacked from their limo.  They were accompanied by three much older men.  It led to some interesting conversation from the guys in the back of the van!  We totally lucked out and ended up with a great driver who turned out to be a good tour guide.  She cracked me up when she started talking about how crazy people in Atlanta drive while she was battling bumper to bumper traffic, horse drawn carriages, tourists on mopeds, etc.  She pointed out a some small seafood market under the bridge where you can go to get fresh seafood.  Many of them will cook it for you, and they have tables and chairs.  It looked like an interesting place to explore, but I was on a mission.  I wanted to try conch fritters.

After some haggling at the Straw Market, we found a little restaurant that had them on the menu.  Sorry, but I forgot to make a note of the name.  It starts with an "S" and is right next to where the old straw market was.  We ordered a dozen conch fritters which turned out to be too much for a snack.  They are a lot like spicy hush puppies with chopped conch meat.  I tried a local beer with them, and it was pretty good ... tasted a lot like a Corona really.

While we were eating I told Joe about a bag I almost bought at the Straw Market.  He reminded me that I won't be back for a while, and told me to go back to get it if I really wanted it.  I didn't have to worry about him being bored while he waited on me.  When I emerged with my new bag, he was surrounded by children showing them how the digital camera worked.  He is such a good guy, and I have the whistles & key chains to prove it!  It sure is hard to say no to those cute kids in their school uniforms selling things outside the straw market. 

It was time to get back to the ship and get fixed up for the formal night.  We started walking back, and I noticed all the hair braiding women were running over to a limo.  I asked someone who it was, and they said it was Rosie!  Her assistant was getting clearance for her limo to drive down to the ship she was sailing on.  She actually rolled down the window and was talking to everyone.  I tried to get a picture, but the disk was full, and I didn't have time to change it.  Note for future trips ... ALWAYS put in an empty disk the minute I fill one up!  Models and Rosie ... I just never knew Nassau was such a celeb sighting kind of place.

We didn't want to miss formal night since we rarely have a reason to get so dolled up.  I wore a black skirt and a beaded top.  Joe wore a suit.  We didn't look out of place at all (until later when I was dancing on the deck, but that's another story).  We went down to have our formal pictures taken pretty early.  We tried to get there right after the first seating folks were sitting down to eat.  I think it was around 6:30, and there were hardly any lines at all.  Which is a good thing.  I'm not real big on waiting in lines.  On our last cruise we picked the backdrop we wanted by the length of the line!

We decided to fore-go the Captain's Party and head to the casino instead.  I stopped by the Schooner Lounge to get a brew.  The bartender asked me if I wanted a glass.  I'm more of a straight out of the bottle kind of gal, but I jokingly said I'd better get a glass since I was all dressed up for formal night.  The bartender responded that it was my vacation, and I ought to have my beer the way I wanted it.  That was the way all the staff acted.  I really thought the service was great! 

When we got to our table, it looked like we were going to be the only ones to show.  That's when Joe REALLY surprised me!  I thought that the cruise WAS my birthday present, but Joe had other plans.  He gave me a beautiful diamond bracelet with exactly 40 diamonds!  One for each year!  What a sweetie! 

Well, we didn't end up sitting alone after all.  Jene' and Kenya, my new gal pals from Queens, showed up fashionably late.  We all had a great time getting to know each other. They were really having a good time on their vacation, and the next day they got me involved in some of that fun!

After a little gambling we wandered up to the midnight buffet.  We were still stuffed from dinner, but everything looked good.  They had stations set up all around the pool area, and it wasn't very crowded.  The calypso band was playing so I decided to stay there while Joe headed back down to the casino. 

I went to one of the pool bars to get a beer, and asked the bartender for an umbrella that I stuck in the ring.  He was kind of laughing about me doing that, and the next thing I knew he dropped a bottle of liquor and broke it.  He tried to laugh it off, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was really upset.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the cost of the bottle was going to come out of his pay check, so I tipped him BIG for the beer.  I didn't usually tip the bartenders on the ship as much as I normally do because gratuities are added to your charge, but I made an exception in this case.

I went back to listen to the band, and I thought it was a shame that no one was dancing.  A lady next to me said that she wished that the cruise directors would come up, and get the dance floor going.  Well ... since it was after midnight & I was officially celebrating my 40th birthday, I decided that I was going to do what I wanted.  So I march out to the dance floor, kicked off my heels (I was still in my formal) and started to dance.  I motioned some other people over, and the next thing ya' know the floor was filled with people who were dancing like no one was watching!  It was a LOT of fun!

By the time I made it back down to the casino, Joe was settled at the craps table with a healthy looking stack of chips in front of him.  I walked around a bit and found my favorite dealer, Tony (the best man in the Caribbean), at the Caribbean Stud Poker table.  Now this is a game that I not only haven't played, but I haven't even read anything about how to play.  BUT ... if Tony was there, I was willing to give it a try.  A man sitting next to me helped me out a bit, and I loved it!.  I just think that is a fun game, and I'll play it again!  A lady next to me was doing pretty good.  She had a full house and four of a kind back to back.  That was one happy lady!  Anyhoo ... I finally decided that I had lost all I wanted to & I was eyeing the roulette wheel, but the lady next to me wouldn't let me go.  She said that our table just couldn't lose the birthday girl, so she bought my next hand.  I thought that was so nice!  I eventually made it to the roulette wheel, and had another good night.  I ended up $100.  On the Compass (the daily planner) it says that the casino is open until the "wee hours".  We found out exactly what they meant by wee hours that night.  Around 2:30 they let us know that there would only be three more rolls.  I had no idea that it had gotten that late!   

The next morning we had breakfast at the Windjammer.  We ate at a table outside, and it was just beautiful!  The weather was perfect for a day at Coco Cay.  We threw on our bathing suits, grabbed the camera & the sunscreen, and headed down to the first floor to catch the tender. 

Coco Cay is just so nice!  You can enjoy about any water sport known to man, or you can just veg in a lounge chair and soak up a few rays.  We walked around the island toward the left and got away from the crowd a bit.  It didn't take long to find the perfect spot for us ... two chairs ... one in the sun right next to one in the shade.  I had to try a coco loco that I have heard so much about.  Now I know why everyone recommends these drinks.  Very yummy!!!  They serve a bar-b-que lunch on the island.  I had the ribs, potato salad, and cucumber salad.  The calypso band was playing in the background, and the day couldn't have been more perfect!  We sat in the lounge chairs a little more and headed to the tender.  I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to ruin my trip by getting fried either.  On the way to the tender, I saw a huge iguana!  I also got a glimpse of the chickens hiding in the underbrush.  Someone told me that they have the chickens on the island to help keep down the bug population.  There is a small straw market on the island just in case you didn't get enough goodies in Nassau.

After a shower and a little shopping (Royal Caribbean t-shirts) I was ready to hang out by the pool for a while.  This is when Jene' and Kenya decided that the R&R I had planned was not to be.  One of the assistant cruise directors was trying to get some volunteers to play pool games.  I thought I would just discreetly hide behind my book.  I wasn't paying too much attention until I heard her say over her microphone that she was looking for Julie.  Well ... I took a peek over my book and saw Jene' pointing my way!  I had been volunteered!  So there I was ... by the pool ... me & my newly 40 year old body lined up with 4 young bikini clad gals.  I wasn't going through this alone!  I tried to "volunteer" Jene', but some how Kenya got hooked!  It turned out to be a ton of fun!  It was a contest of the girls against the guys, and our first mission was to come up with a team name.  In a few moments the competition between "T&A" and "Al & The Coholics" began.  We really did have a good time, and thanks to Kenya hustling with the glass of water, the gals won all of the events.  I have my own Royal Caribbean insulated drink hugger to prove it.  Don't hesitate to volunteer for things like this on a cruise.  It's a blast, and no one will ever see you again!  Go nuts!!!!  

Joe joined me by the pool in time to see a really cool ice carving demonstration.  The guy carved a swan out of a huge block of ice in 15 minutes.  They had some food set up in the Windjammer, and I grabbed a sandwich to help get me to dinner. 

Later on I went down to buy some cruise pictures.  We had two buy one - get one free coupons for 5X7 photos, but everything was in 8X10 or 6X8 size.  Everything that is accept these incredibly hokie pirate pictures that were taken at dinner one night.  I didn't notice too many people buying those!  I ended up with an 8X10 formal, a 6X8 taken at dinner on our formal night, and a 6X8 of our bon voyage picture.  Total cost - around $40.  The lines weren't too long, but I wish there had been somewhere you could put the pics down to kind of look at them while you decided.  My only other complaint about the pictures ... it wasn't opened much during the day, which is when I did most of my shopping.  The whole set-up just didn't seem very convenient.  I probably would have spent more money on pictures if things had been managed better.  That coupon thing just kind of irritated me.

We really didn't feel like playing at the casino, but we had some time to kill before dinner.  We wandered around a bit and happened to notice that the Bon Voyage show was just about to start.  We hadn't made it to any other shows for one reason or another (okay ... so the casino was more than likely our only reason), and we really enjoyed it.  This show was a tribute to Broadway, and afterward the cruise director, John Blair, entertained us.  I thought he was really funny.  He did a "top Ten" of crazy questions that cruisers have actually asked the staff.  I tried to remember them on the drive home, but I could only come up with seven of them, and they are:

1. Is this island surrounded by water?

2. Does the crew sleep on board?

3. What time is the midnight buffet?

4. Where is the elevator to the front of the ship?

5. Do these stairs go up or down?

6. Do you leave the ship when you go on a shore excursion?

7. Is the water in the toilet fresh or salt?

I wish I could remember the other three.  It was just so funny! If you see the show, and can remember them, please e-mail me.  It's driving me crazy that I can't come up with them!

We had a full table at dinner for the first time that night, and we enjoyed everyone's company and conversation.  We didn't stay in the casino too long, because we knew it was going to be an early start on the last day.  We got our bags pack and set out in the hall to be picked up by the porters, and called it a night.

The next morning I found our room charges by the door out in the hall.  I didn't notice any problems which was a good thing.  Problems are suppose to be taken care of at the Purser's desk before 7:00 a.m.  That's what time I was crawling out of bed!  Our charges included t-shirts, sunscreen, pictures, and drinks.  The total was around $150. 

One perk to having the late dinner seating is that on the last morning you get the later seating for breakfast.  The later seating is 7:45.  I don't think we would have made it to the earlier one!  Kendrick was nice enough to let us keep our carry on bags in the room while we went to breakfast even though I'm sure he had very little time to get things ready for the next guests.  After breakfast we went upstairs to the Windjammer to sit and wait for our color tag to be called.  I was surprised at how quick it was.  We went downstairs and waited in line about 20 minutes before we were off of the ship.  When we got to customs, we decided to let a porter help us with our bags.  It helped speed up the process because he helped us locate the bags.  The tip was well worth it.  It was nice to end our trip not having to struggle with the luggage.  We pulled out of the parking lot at around 10:00.  We were just one hour shy of it being four days since we pulled in!

Just some closing notes:

I used Travel-ease wristbands (which are accu-pressure things) and ginger capsules to help with motion sickness.  It worked GREAT!  I did take Bonine at night, but I never took any during the day, so I drank what I wanted, when I wanted without falling asleep all over the place.

When we arrived at our room Kendrick gave us two coupon books since we are Crown & Anchor members.  We used the ones for the casino and the drink ones.  They worked great.  I thought it was a nice perk.  We also were given two soft fluffy robes to use during our trip.

On the last day of your cruise it is customary to tip the folks who have made your stay more pleasant.  They will provide you with envelopes, and you can get the proper change at the Purser's desk.  They will even provide you with a suggested amount.  We went over that amount because we were just so pleased with the service.  These people work hard, and they have great attitudes! 

I really liked the sound of the "Freestyle Cruising" that Norwegian Cruise Line is advertising, but after a conversation that I had with an experienced cruiser, I'm not too sure.  He said that there are some casual places to eat on board, but if you want to eat in the nicer restaurants, you have to make reservations.  I'm not big on having to be at a certain place at a certain time when I'm on vacation.

Will we cruise with Royal Caribbean again?  You can bet on it!

                                 
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