Wishing on a star (finally!) and the Nassau Segway tour......
Generally speaking, I'm an early riser. Granted, since the kids came along, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, as their internal alarm seems to be set somewhere in the 5:30 am - 6 am range. Every day. Without fail.
But, even before then, I wasn't known for sleeping in much past 6:30 or 7, save for the occasional college weekend
So, as I drifted off to the sweet tunes of Baloo, forgetting about my worries and my strife (and wishing the TV came with a sleep timer....), I didn't bother setting an alarm or wake-up call. Heck, it was only 11:25, which at home isn't even my bedtime yet.
But, again, the gentle rocking of the ship was ushering me off to lullaby like a baby in a bassinet and I just couldn't hang on any longer. (I should note that at some point in the night, the rocking was a little more than "gentle". I woke up to the sound of the hangers in the closet sliding from one side to the other.)
I vaguely recall seeing 6:15 am and thinking "Nope. I'm on vacation."
Imagine my surprise, then, when I roll over again and see that it's nearly 8 am!! I haven't had 8 hours of sleep in....well, let's see. My oldest will be 7 in three weeks, plus nine months of pregnancy before that...add the two, carry the one... Let's just say it's been a while.
I jump out of bed, not willing to waste a minute more in slumber.
I realize I've missed my first sunrise at sea, but snap a quick shot off the verandah anyway - it's still a nice sight.....
I had every intention of ordering room service breakfast and eating it leisurely as I watch the ocean drift by. So, I open the menu. And I read. And I turn the page, and, well, I see lots of ads for jewelry, watches, and all things caribbean. What I *don't* see is the breakfast menu.
Hmmm.
Surely, I'm mistaken. So, I look again. Yep, still not there.
Well, poo. I'm **sure** I saw mention in someone's TR about room service breakfast, but in my sleep addled mind, I can't quite seem to access that piece of information. (And again, with the lack of coffee first thing in the morning. Seriously - I make a note to thank my husband for pulling coffee duty in our house every morning. This no coffee two mornings in a row? It's for the birds
)
So, I do a quick clean up and head up to BBB to grab a bite. I'm a big breakfast fan, but remembering the calories
en masse I consumed last night, I decide to reign it in a bit. Bacon from the main buffet line, (yummmm, bacon - I covet bacon in much the same way Homer Simpson covets doughnuts), yogurt with strawberries and walnuts from the end of the line, and - yep, you guessed it - coffee.
I know there has been much discussion of the coffee on board. I know it's supposed to be the same Nescafe, um, *stuff* that WDW has, but (and maybe it's just the salt air), it actually tasted GOOD. (And trust me, even in my most caffeine deprived state, bad coffee is still bad coffee. I may be desperate, but I still have my standards.) So, whatever it is that
DCL does to doctor the stuff, I hope they find a way to trade that info with WDW (maybe in exchange for some line companion recognition courses?)
I am still able to enjoy my breakfast outdoors, watching the ocean drift by. However, rather than doing so in the peace and privacy of my own verandah, I'm doing it off the back of Deck 9, with 50 or so of my closest compadres, 49 of whom seem intent on hand feeding the birds that have appeared out of no where.
Wait a minute.
Birds.
Birds?
Birds need a place to land.
And a place to land means LAND! LAND!!! We must be close to Nassau!!!
I finish up my breakfast and head out. I have my camera, and I'm determined to get some pictures before we're docked. I may have missed the sunrise, by I'm NOT missing my first port of call!!!
I am suddenly energized by the thought of what my day would hold. (And possibly? The four cups of coffee I had.) Today was Nassau day, and with it came my Segway tour. Yay! Segways! In the Bahamas! Woo hoo
The lighthouse off the bay comes into view (of the backside of the ship, admittedly) around 9:45.
For leaving two hours late, we sure did make up some serious time. I wonder - is there a speed limit on the ocean? Because I'm pretty sure Capt. Gus had the pedal to the metal.
About 10 after 10, nearly 17 hours after what should have been the first time, I **finally* was able to hear the sound I'd been wanting so desperately to hear. The Wonder's horn announced our arrival at the Port of Nassau. I'll admit it, I cried
Tears of joy, though, not sadness - promise!
I should add that somewhere around 10:45 the night prior, an updated port excursion timesheet was slipped under my door. Because of our late departure yesterday (and our late - albeit less late than I was expecting - arrival today), some of the excursions had meeting times and locations revised. The handy dandy sheet outlined all of them. They were moved anywhere from 15 minutes later to an hour and 45 minutes later.
HANDY TIP #10 - Booking excursions with a specific tour/departure time through DCL ensures that any change to your port arrival time will be accommodated in your excursion.
Now, I know that some will dispute that handy tip. And I'm sure that, if you're truly willing to do the legwork, call the tour operator with whom you've booked, and negotiate a new plan, you, too, can make accommodations for your privately scheduled excursion should you have a schedule change. But, you know what? That sounds like a lot of work, and based on the price per minute on the cell phone plans, a rather costly way to "save money". So, while some extremely experienced cruisers may be able to take these things in stride without a hitch, I don't recommend it for the feeble hearted. Because really? I'm on vacation. I don't want to work that hard.
So, since my meet time had been moved from 10 to 11:45am, I now had plenty of time to take some pictures, pack my bag, and make my way down to the Promenade Lounge.
So while these aren't earth-shatteringly amazing (or, likely, not even something you haven't seen before), they're mine:
Festival Place (aka - weird bazar - bizare bazar?? - you have to walk through to get to Nassau proper):
Senor Frog's - yes, I bought a t-shirt (for my dh, to replace his Cancun's Senor Frog's tshirt from COLLEGE.....)
Atlantis and Pleasure Island:
And the Mail Boat - which actually, I'm not sure I've ever seen a photo of before, so it may be a new one! (And actually? I'm not sure it has anything to do with the transportation of postal goods, but hey, I'm a sucker, so if it says Mail Boat, I'll believe it....)
So while I'm wandering around, I snap a few shots of OUR boat (which is exactly the type of boat that does what it SAYS it does. No false advertising here!!)
First, an indication of the fairly stiff breeze we were feeling in Port that day:
A nice reminder that All Star would be performing later that day (maybe?!) :
And what was probably the best catch of the day - all thanks to routine maintenance:
By now, it's time for me to grab my backpack and head to the Promenade Lounge. And then, "ding, ding, ding" - another shipwide announcement. Apparently, the weather isn't looking so promising here in Nassau today, and while Peter wants to remind us to bring our sunscreen, we also should plan of inclimate weather. Greaaaaaaaaat.
So, I'm faced with the decision. Do I take my "good" camera (aka Canon dSLR and lenses) and risk it getting damaged, or do I take my point and shoot and risk getting subpar pictures? Seriously - for me? This is the ultimate dilemma. And then, inspiration strikes!!
HANDY TIP #11 - Guest Services has some awesome ziplock style bags that fit a dSLR and 18-200mm lens PERFECTLY.
Given that I'd forgotten to pack my poncho (which was likely whooping it up at home with my pajamas....), the camera in ziplock thing worked perfectly. Because the bags are more rectangular (like a quart size), but bigger (like a gallon size), the camera fit in perfectly. This bag would be my saving grace throughout the remaining of the trip
I'm early to the Promenade Lounge (for real, why do I keep typing pomegranate??) so I stop in to check my email and send a quick note to my husband. I won't lie. I also popped in to check the DIS
It's time to go, so all three - yes THREE - of us disembark and head out to the tour meet point.
I will also add that, while I'm a relatively fearless traveler, the one thing I absolutely loathe is hailing a cab. Especially true when I'm in a city where I have NO idea where I'm going. I mean, what's to stop this guy (because let's face it, when's the last time you had a female cabbie???) from taking me to some remote location and dumping my body???? Come ON! It's happens ALL the time. Every Thursday night in Las Vegas (according to CSI) and honestly - according to Law and Order and TNT's Primetime in the Daytime - this is such an epidemic in New York, I'm amazed Mayor Bloomberg hasn't done more to stop it.
So, I'm particularly pleased to know that the transfers have all been taken care of AND that I'm traveling with other people.
And then, my comfort level increases even more when I learn that my two DCL pals (and then an additional three folks from the Carnival cruise) are all from NYC. Because if they've been able to survive through what I can only surmise to be thousands of cab rides THERE, I'm likely safe. Because this midwest girl? I drive a minivan. I don't take a taxi. I **am** the taxi.
I'm pleased to announce that we arrived unscathed, and never once did I fear for my life. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the local on the bike we sideswiped. Sorry 'bout that, sir. But we had a Segway to catch.
So, it looks like this portion of the TR is just about long enough. I will leave you with this tidbit, though.
If you ever get a chance to do the Nassau Segway tour, be sure to ask for Sexy Lisa:
I'll explain why next time!!
Up Next - Nassau Segway tour, for real this time!!
MORE!!!!!
Anxiously waiting for more!!
OM goodness, you crack me up!!!
I thought I was going to spray my diet Sunkist all over my computer when I read that!
.....luckily I caught myself mid-blow and just got the nasal carbonation effect!
, but I really want to try another cruise line and I must admit I am hoping another cruise line will reduce the guilt I felt for not taking my girls. (first time in 5 non kid vacations)
