Steve and Janet Wallace take in Atlantis!
Sitting pretty at the Port of Nassau!
A place that has it all – Atlantis!
Sitting pretty in Nassau!
Snapshots in The Bahamas
Tag trans-Atlantic cruise
Relaxing in Atlantis before starting our trans-Atlantic journey
Hi!
The day on shore in Nassau and Paradise Island, The Bahamas, was planned as a time to enjoy the beach and all the other exciting features of the Atlantis Resort and the many shops in Nassau. Our excursion included transportation to and from Atlantis, a spot on the beach with towels, chairs and shade.
Our particular beach location was in Cove Beach, where the waters are calmed by breakers and the sound of the surf, along with the aquamarine color of the water, helped to bring peace and calm.
We made the most of our time spent there, including lunch and tropical drinks. No doubt about it, the large marine life enclosures on the grounds were astounding! We saw sharks, stingrays and barracudas. The sheer architectural magnificence of the buildings and their almost surreal surrounds is absolutely breathtaking! We also visited the casino, but no winnings to report!
The tour bus brought us back into town with time to spare for shopping in the many stores of the Diamond District, which proved to be very productive.
The last time we visited The Bahamas, which was about three or four years ago, we toured the city and Paradise Island by car. We also took a leisurely ride on a glass bottom boat to see colorful fish and coral offshore. This time we just wanted to relax and enjoy an island setting that is unique by any standard – Atlantis! In case you’re wondering, the Michael Jackson suite can run $25,000-$36,000 per night! Yikes!
One reason we just wanted to relax and enjoy this island day, is because we were gearing up for an eight-night, seven-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean on The Mariner of the Seas. We left Port Nassau about 5 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, April 24, 2013) on a charted course to Madeira in Portugal.
Unfortunately, we just found out that the ship’s satellite Wi-Fi will encounter dead zones during the trans-Atlantic crossing. So, if we thought Wi-Fi was slow before, it’s going to be practically non-existent for the next few days/week.
If the signal will allow, I’ll post an update before we reach Portugal. If you don’t see and update, I’ll try to catch up whenever possible.
Until next time…
There will be a slight delay
The captain says our delayed departure from port is due to loading and unloading. No problem here – it means I can still use my phone for blogging.
We were not concerned when the captain made an announcement following our emergency procedures briefing that the ship would be in port until 7 p.m. for loading and unloading. Eyebrows were raised, however, when he announced that departure would not be till 9 p.m. At 9:30 we’re still in port.
We had a nice lunch with our friends Janet and Steve in the Windjammer Cafe after boarding. The Bon Voyage cocktail party in the Dragon’s Lair Disco at 4:30 was certainly premature, since the ship has yet to move, but it was so nice to meet fellow travelers from Kingwood and beyond. The cocktail party was followed by a lovely dinner in the Rhapsody in Blue dining room, where we met our waitstaff and enjoyed their service and a very scrumptious meal. We then spent about an hour in the Savoy Lounge.
It could be that the ship’s Bon voyage party will take place before midnight but I think we’ll just call it a night.
One sad note concerns the casino — it will not be open until day nine of the cruise, due to renovations. And they have promised it will be worth the wait!
Stay tuned for an update on the reluctant cruise tomorrow.
Muster stations!
Come along with me to the muster station — it’s required by law. Here we wait until everyone is accounted for, everyone knows where to go in case of emergency, then we are free to go. I didn’t want you to miss this little bit of cruising requirement.
Did someone say Bon voyage?
Today is the day! Our journey of a lifetime begins now! We are actually on the shuttle to the Port of Galveston, where we will begin embarkation on The Mariner of the Seas! Everyone is so excited! Why? Because this cruise will take us from Galveston to Singapore by way of Nassau, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, Jordan, Dubai, India, Malaysia — Incredible! Bon Voyage to us!
One week to sail date!
Exactly one week from today, The Mariner of the Seas will embark on a 41-day repositioning journey from Galveston to Singapore. That leaves only six more days to finish packing and set our sights on the horizon.
As luck would have it, the Lyrid meteor showers will peak during the first and second nights on the ocean, and I’m really looking forward to that experience – far away from the lights of the coast. The Lyrid meteor showers come along this time every year, and it just so happens to coincide with the kickoff of this cruise. We lucked out!
With the countdown to the voyage speeding by, it seemed like a really good time to soak up as much Texas as possible today, while on a day trip to visit with family.
The first thing we did was chose a place to enjoy some real Texas BBQ. We chose the Chappell Hill Bakery and Cafe, where it doesn’t get any better. This eatery was recently mentioned in Southern Living magazine. We sampled all the BBQ meats on the menu, including brisket, ribs, sausage and chicken, which were all very delicioso. The sides were very yummy, also! Then, of course, we had to sample a piece of pie and take home some Kolaches! They are famous for pies and fruit and sausage Kolaches.
http://www.chappellhillbakeryanddeli.com/ordereze/default.aspx
Another “pure Texas” experience presented itself as we made our way back home. Just east of Chappell Hill, hundreds of Bluebonnet lovers had pulled over to take advantage of this perfect Sunday afternoon to snap their yearly “Bluebonnet Pics.” Non-Texans may not know about this very traditional spring activity in Texas. The larger Bluebonnet fields were so crowded that we decided to make do with a small patch beside the road…it was better than nothing!
Now back to my packing list…and dreaming about a Royal Caribbean cruise that will take me and my fellow travelers on this exciting adventure, thanks to our friends at http://www.kingwoodtravel.com. Next Sunday we leave the Port of Galveston and will dock in Nassau a few days later. After that, we sail across the Atlantic and on to the Mediterranean, finally ending up in Singapore after a total of 41 days. Pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming!
http://www.ourtribune.com/section.php?c=3&sc=117
Trilla's Travels 