Goodbye Wal-mart and hello 5 day cruise!!

The Carnival cruise we were booked on left at 4pm but we could board around lunch time. After some debate about the best place to park we ended up paying to park at the er for $20 a day (ouch). At least Hank was undercover and secure while we were away.

Day 1 Cruise: As we were cruising on a budget Marc snuck some ‘Sailor Jerry’s’ rum in with his checked luggage (fingers crossed if would get through). Getting on the Cruise was a little bit like getting on a plane; security, check in, sign up to sail and sign then wait to board the ship. It took a little bit to get on board but once on board we made ourselves at home. Our stateroom was on the main floor, an inner suite and quiet roomy compared to the car.

After dropping off our luggage we went upstairs for some lunch and to check out the rest of the ship. It was pretty sweet, my only disappointment was the pool was a lot smaller then I was expecting but at least we had a pool. After lunch we enjoyed some cocktails in a glass that said ‘The Best Day Ever’ Marc loved it and was super excited. I was a little nervous about going into the open ocean but no turning back now.  We left Miami at 4pm and before we set sail everyone had to go to their evacuation deck for a drill to make sure we knew where to go in case the ship sunk (fun!). 

Back on the main deck the farewell Miami party was in full swing. Then we were off, the massive ship was smoothly maneuvered out to sea. On the way out we had a lovely view of downtown Miami and passed the million dollar mansions near south beach that were huge. 

We went for dinner at 6:30 our designated dinner time for the trip. Dinner was in one of the dinning rooms and we were shown to our seat, which was actually a 4-person booth. We were surprised we had so much room considering it was just the 2 of us. After we had munched on some bread and ordered our food another couple joined us. Jill and Ron from Canberra, Australia. It was funny we were sat with another couple from Australia but not a problem we shuffled around and had a good chat about everything that had been happening back in Aus. 

That evening we went to the palladium to watch the ‘Welcome on Board show’ it was entertaining but the best part was when I got picked out form the audience to come up on stage. After a quick introduction where the host said that I sounded like Nichole Kidman. We all participated in a game they were playing which involved 2 teams dropping a spoon attached to a long bit of rope down your top and then passing it to your team mate to do the same thing. Then get to the end before the other team. My team won which was awesome then to give the other team a chance to win we passed the spoon back the other way as fast as we could. We won again. At the end of the show we all received plastic gold trophies of the Carnival Destiny ship. The rest of the night we looked around the ship stopping off at the sports and piano bar before crashing for the night in a bed.

Day 2 – Day at sea: We had a pretty good night sleep however when we woke up were out at sea and the boat was very rocky. I was freaking out a little and asked Marc to go up top to check what the weather was like outside. Marc went for a look and came back to inform me that the weather was perfect outside and it was just the ocean rocking us about.

The day at sea was very ruff but still relaxing. Marc did not cope very well with all the movement and felt sick for most of the day. In the morning we went to a workshop on diet and toxins. Marc could not stay as the motion was to much, but I stayed and found out that they were just trying to get more money out of you (bastards). After the workshop I found Marc; then we just lazed around on the deck, went for a swim in the 2 small saltwater pools on board and played on the waterslide for the rest of the day. As marc was not feeling well we did not do too much more. I really enjoyed being out at sea, the ocean was the most amazing colour blue and you could see the massive ocean swells move in that was making it so ruff (the roughness was caused by the hurricanes that had just passed the area).

That night was the Captain’s dinner, this was formal night for most people on the boat and boy did everyone dress up (except for us). At dinner Jill and Ron did not make an appearance so Marc and I dined alone. After dinner we went to the palladium show again; this time it was a show about Paris. It was not the most entertaining show but was something to do.

Day 3 - Grand Turk: Marc was up early again and went upstairs to check everything out. It was only a short stop as we had to be back on the boat by 3pm. After breakfast we made our way off the boat and onto the Island. It was really cool getting off such a big ship at such a little Island. Once off the ship had a look around Grand Turk port which was very touristy. We had some vouchers for a free necklace and poster so we picked up the free stuff then decided to go to the town centre to see what the Island was actually like. Taxis were lined up out the front to take you in and out of town so we taxied it in. We shared our taxi with a couple on their honeymoon from Ontario, we had a good chat to them before being dropped off at the edge on town.

The town was very small and so was the Island with a population of only 4000. We spent about 1.5 hours looking around the little markets and shops, purchasing a magnet and painting. Marc ate some Conch Fritters and sampled some of the local beer before we headed back to the pier.

For the last hour we went for a swim at Jimmy Buffets Margaretville pool. It was so nice to be able to have a couple of drinks in the pool, kick back and relax with a couple of pinocaladas before heading back.

That night we had dinner with Jill and Ron, who explained that the night before they were too sick to come to dinner. After some chit chat and food we went to check out the night life on the boat. We probably couldn't have picked a worse night as there was a deck party and all the other bars around the ship were closed. The deck party was ok but it was full of kids and parents so very quiet. We tried to get into it, but in the end just called it a night and went back to the comforts of bed.

Day 4 - Half Moon Kay: Another really ruff night on the ship we woke up and went for a run on the top deck running track. It was really nice running while the ship was still moving, we actually got to see a rain cloud in the distance and as we passed it saw a massive waterspout (awesome), but i did not have my camera so no photo :( After the run we had some breakfast and hung out in our room until lunchtime then made our way to Half Moon Kay the private island.

To get to the Island we needed to wait to be shuttled there by boat. For some reason there was an hour wait to get onto a boat and then the Island. When we finally got onto a boat we made it just in time to grab some BBQ lunch. Next we made our way down to the beach for a swim it was super hot so did not want to stay too long. The beach was beautiful, white sand, aqua water; the only problem about the whole ‘Private Island’ aspect was the 3000 other guests all crammed onto the beach. 

After the beach we made our way back to the ship as it was too hot to stay and lay in the sun. The boat back was much faster, then for the rest of the afternoon just watched a movie while Marc had a nap it was a really relaxing day.

That evening the ship set sail for our last destination Nassau in the Bahamas.

Day 5 – Nassau: Up early for a big day at our last destination. Instead of a buffet breakfast we sat down for breakfast, same food just a little hotter. Nassau was the most populated of all the Islands we had been too and also had a big casino and water park 'Atlantis' we were planning on visiting. However when we reached the tourist information we found at that it was $120 each to go to the water park. So we decided against this and hired scooters for the day instead.

We had our own scooter each, as this was easier then fighting over who got to drive. Plus I think it would have looked a little funny with Marc on the back when I got to drive. 

It was around 9am and we were off, first stop was the Atlantic resort and casino for a look around to see what all the fuss was about. On the way there we needed to get some cash out, we pulled up to the bank machine when I realised I had left the bankcard on the ship, doh. So we continued to the casino for a look before heading back to get the card.

Atlantis was a really nice casino, not very busy but big and grand all the same. It would have been cool to go to the Water Park but maybe next time. After a bit of a look around we picked up the scooters and continued looking around the Island. First point of interest Fort Montagu, a very small fort. This was everything we wanted to see on the East end of the Island so we made our way back to the ship to get our card. Marc stayed behind and I jogged to the ship and back. The ship was really far away, parked right at the end and yes it was still really hot. When I got back I was super sweaty and a little out of breath but at least now we had cash.

There was a Harley Davidson store at Nassau so we stopped in there before getting back on the scooters. On the scooters again we headed west to check out the beaches and get some lunch. The scooters were the best fun in the world. We hooned around with the traffic all the way to the end of the Island stopping off at ‘The Caves’ for a look. As we decided to stop at the caves last minute, I nearly came off my scooter, but saved it and in the process temporarily broke my flip-flop.

The Caves were really cool; they were used by pirates back in the day to hide stolen treasure. We got to go in the caves and have a look around, they were not very big and had been sealed off so you could not go where the treasure used to be hidden. The best part of the caves was the little bats that lived there; they were so tiny I wanted to take one home.

On the west end of the Island there were resorts and large beautiful houses overlooking the ocean. We were having the time of our lives on the scooters getting up to about 80km on the open roads. Once we had gone as far as we could go west we turned around and made our way back to find some lunch and a place to swim.

Just near the caves was a food van with loads of locals lined up to get food. We thought must be a good place to eat, ordered a chicken dish and ate it down on the stunning beach. The food and location were awesome. After lunch we were back on the scooters and heading east again, next stop was a little market we saw on the way out. The market was full of all kinds of souvenirs and trinkets. After a bit of a look and some purchases we went to a bar out the front for a refreshing fruit ice drink.

Next we drove around for a bit finding it a little hard to find the perfect beach to swim at. We found one but only had a quick dip then I had a clever idea to go all the way over to the otherside of the Island. We attempted to find our way but got lost and as we did not want to miss the ship headed back to the beaches near the ship. The last beach we stopped at was really nice ‘Junkanoo Beach’ we basically stayed at this beach until we had to head back to the ship at 4pm to leave at 4:45pm. 

That evening we were pretty tired after all the scootering so we had some dinner then packed our bags before calling it a nite. It was a bit of a gong show trying to settle up our account before we left as everyone on the ship was trying to do the same thing. In the end we just gave up and decided to do it in the morning when we got off the ship. That night we actually met up with the couple from Ontario again who showed us a photo of a couple who had missed the ship and were left at the pier wondering what to do now. It was crazy to think that if we were late and missed the ship we would have needed to find our own way home.

Day 6 - The ship had docked in Miami and it was time to pack up and disembark. First we stopped for our last breakfast settled up our sail and sign account and then carried our bags off (as this was loads faster the checking our luggage in).

Over all the cruise was loads of fun however as we were in travel mode and not holiday mode it made it a little less enjoyable as we were really concerned about money. However, now I'm over my fear of boats I hope next time we can go on a cruise for a holiday