FlyingCruiserNJ

Great review! Do you happen to have the Compasses? We will be on her in a week and would love to have them. No... I do not have an OCD planning complex. ;p:D

I got pictures of them and did post everything except for the last day which will be coming when I am finished writing it up (finally lol). I guess your cruise already came and went, hopefully you had fun and I hope my review helped you in preparing for it. I am sorry I never finished it but just haven't had the time but since my next cruise is in just a few days, figured I will just do a quick wrap-up of the last one. I understand the planning thing. I am cruising with my mom (which I do a lot) this upcoming weekend and everything is planned down to the detail.

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

That bridge I mentioned earlier. Rode over it once, on the way to Atlantis. Toll bridge too I think, haha. Used to tolls where I am from.

I went back to the cabin around 1330 to get ready, M was already gone. Guess he didn't want to wait for me. I figured he wouldn't want to do much today seeing that he was still recovering from the night before, but he never fails to surprise me. He wasn't there and I guess he headed off the ship on his own, toward Nassau. I cleaned up and changed and headed off the ship myself shortly thereafter. It is a long walk from the ships to the port building as there are many docks here, but only two ships parked here today. Not too crowded. As I walked towards the city, you can see our ship with the NCL Pearl behind it.

The port building is pretty large, some shops but a lot of tourist information and tours get sold here. I was not interested so I continued outside, into the city. They had a makeshift straw market here but obviously the really authentic stuff is outside the port gates, a few blocks up the street. They offer horse carriage rides here and the evidence of this is all over the place as you head out through this area if you know what I mean.... Everyone here wants to try to sell you something so you have to be firm and just politely decline as you make your way to your destination or it can be an unpleasant experience for you. That is the Nassau we all know and love, LOL.

I walked up a ways, past the huge straw market and private boat rides along the waterfront, and made my way up to the Senor Frogs located a few blocks up, at the end of the port shopping area. BTW, bars and stuff are located on the first street but if you walk up a few blocks past the port, they have some high-end jewelry shops and stuff if you are into that. You can easily get a taxi or a tour of the island here, pretty much whatever you want but I have done tours here and was not interested. So I kept it moving...

I guess I know M way too well, as I figured he might be at the Senor Frogs and man, was I right or was I right? It was not particularly crowded here now as it was past 1400 and the ship left just a few hours later but still we had fun drinking at the bar with great views from the restaurant. I had been here numerous times and so it is a very popular meeting spot. M likes it here as well and that is how I figured he would be here. Anyway, he said he was like a half dozen Kaliks (Bahamas beer) into drinking so I sat down and got a couple for myself before it was time to move on. Senor Frogs is fun. Anyway, I guess the cure for a bad hangover is to drink more, so I hear at least. Guess M believes in this too.

Me with a Kalik at the bar.

The bar

Our ship from the bar. Awesome photo opportunity.

I'm not going to be able to get to the rest of the day's activities right now, but I will try to get to the rest later tonight or sometime tomorrow if possible. It will include a trip to Junkanoo Beach, a tiki bar experience, and the rest of the evening activities back on the ship. Hope you have enjoyed so far and thanks for reading. Plenty more fun to come still. Have a good one!

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

I want to say this was the boleros or schooner bar, on 6 towards the aft I think. All the way in the back lounge was some sort of champagne art auction as well I believe. Some sort of activity for sure.

They have a neat place where the names, pictures and nationalities of the ship officers are posted. Cool. You can see who is responsible for your vacation going well here.

The casino was fairly large on here but I never even played anything. Just never got the urge. The most I did here was get drinks from the bar, lol.

They had an outside walking deck that wrapped all the way around the ship, located on 5 or 6 once again cannot remember, but I think this is also where the muster stations are. They had maintenance staff doing touch up work during this time and I did walk all the way around, this is good for exercise or just a good breath outside after a show or whatever in the evening.

My lunch and beer that I talked about earlier....

More in a moment....

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

They had a shopping area on deck 5 or 6, maybe this was the Centrum but they also had the Royal Shops on deck 5 so I cannot remember what exactly this was. It featured the usual liquor and jewelry shops and I am not into shopping for duty free stuff on a cruise but this was there for those who do and seemed to be quite a variety to choose from. Obviously this was all closed due to the ship being in port but this is a little idea of what the area looked like.

I believe this was the photo gallery. I think they still put the prints out to look at in the gallery which is still my preference as other lines are going digital with the process, but either way, it was closed at this time and I didn't buy any pictures anyway. But this is what it looked like.

This is one of the internet cafes located on the ship. They advertise the popular Voom service here and it can be accessed here as well as on your own device I think. I did not buy any internet packages on here but have heard the service is pretty good overall. I felt the price was somewhat steep for a 3-day cruise. I can deal with no internet and no communications back home for 3 days.....

Near the internet cafe on 5 I think, was the Ben and Jerry's and Lattetudes, which I guess was a coffee bar. I never got anything from either place as I am not a coffee drinker and would never touch Ben and Jerry's but here they were. By the way, never did see a Johnny Rockets here, not sure if they had one on this ship or not. And you do have to pay for the stuff at this treats shop pictured as well.

Another shot of the atrium from near the piano on deck 4 I think. Quiet in this area again today but a pretty impressive structure this atrium is.

More in a few....

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

I do like sightseeing around the ship. I stopped back at the cabin after lunch to see if M was up and about yet and he was finally, I told him I was going to walk around the ship some and take some pictures and he got ready in the meantime. This was around 1230. The original plan was to come back to the cabin shortly thereafter and meet up and head off the ship to hang out in Nassau.

I went upstairs and got a few pictures of the blue water and blue skies of Nassau, today was about 80 or so and breezy, again not too bad and perfect winter weather, lol.

The pretty empty pool area on lido, near the concert stage and the NCL Pearl in the background. Nice day to go for a swim.

Back at the aft of the ship on one of the higher decks, maybe 12, was the rock climbing wall that Royal is famous for. I didn't go up on it and it was never open when I saw it, but there was a signup sheet for it somewhere and the hours were listed for its operations. According to the Cruise Compass, it said it was open from 1500-1900. They had both open climbing sessions and boulder climbing sessions, not sure what that means though.

Atlantis from a distance. Went there on my first tour of Nassau 11 years ago, can still remember it. I feel it is overrated for the prices they want but hey, to each their own. The little mall they have there and the casino is cool though. The bridge to get to the other side of the island is neat as well.

More in a second....

Again I do apologize for taking over a week to continue the review, just have not had time to get back to it these last few days. I am going to try to write up the 3rd and final full day on the ship today, which was a nice day in Nassau. Thank you to all who have read along with me to this point, hope you enjoy the rest of the review. I am going to get as much done today as possible.

DAY 3 - NASSAU, BAHAMAS:

We left off with bedtime after an exciting day in Cococay and a fun evening onboard the ship. We still had one more day to enjoy of this short cruise and this day featured a trip to Nassau, in the Bahamas. I have been there many times and M had been there a few times as well, so it would be just a day to relax and walk around some, and that is what we ended up doing. Of course, plenty transpired before we even got off the ship, so here we go with the day's activities.

It seems M came back to the cabin sometime around 0500 (!) and passed out either on the couch or on his bed, but either way he ended up on the couch when I woke up for a minute around 0700 and the curtains to the outside were open and he was sitting up on the couch, sleeping. Whatever. Funny but obviously I wasn't ready to get up yet either and went back to sleep. I think we were already parked at the pier in Nassau as we were not far from shore all night like I previously mentioned. Anyway, I again woke up around 1000 for good this time, M was still in the same place on the couch so I just left him to sleep it off and went to breakfast in the Windjammer.

Before heading out to the breakfast, I took a picture off the balcony, and we were parked right next to the Norwegian Pearl. I guess they got there around the same time we did and that was a slightly larger ship than ours was. I headed upstairs and got my usual breakfast stuff. The pancakes were dry today even with the syrup packets that they offered. The seating area was fairly crowded so I moved to a table along the window, near the entrance to the dining room and sat down with breakfast and a good view of Nassau.

The freestyle machines were right next to where I was seated and I figured since I brought my cup (which is big and a pain to carry around everywhere with you quite frankly), may as well try some soda from it. I got regular Coke and then tried a Cherry Coke, which was a mistake as I said not all flavors are equally good from that machine. It is easy to operate, you put the cup under the dispenser, it reads the barcode, you pick what kind of soda you want, out of dozens of varieties and it pours. I guess the mixture on some concoctions is not perfectly good, at least not as good as what you get in the can, such as Cherry Coke. So, keep that in mind if you use these machines, that some of the product is just not good. But the machines sure are convenient to use.

Right next to the freestyle machines are the coffee/tea/juice machines that are located throughout the Windjammer. Free stuff here, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, potable water, etc. Sometimes, during peak mealtimes, staff will set up a desk next to these machines and fill up cups of juice and iced tea and hand them out to people so there is not as long a line at the machines.

I did go back to the Windjammer right before noon to see what kind of lunch was out, and they had a neat carving here, not sure if it was ice or not but it looked neat. Located right near the fruit and dessert section of the buffet, had the logo of the cruise charter, Sheila E's Glamorous Life Cruise. I wasn't the only one who got a picture of it, and they had a cake with the same print out there on the first night as well.

I think I got a few more things for lunch and picked up a beer at the pool bar, and just sat down by the pool with the second half of my brunch and a beer. I wasn't in the mood to drink a lot just yet but I figured I would nurse a beer with lunch just because I could. Love drinking at or around noon, only on a cruise or tailgating before a game, LOL. Anyway, I took a pic of the Windjammer buffet area, the layout was good and the traffic moved well, rarely a wait for any of the serving stations, many different tastes included here as well.

After this, I walked around the ship some and took my usual tour of the popular areas onboard, and times like that were perfect to do tours of the ship as it is not particularly crowded while it is in port. The next part of the review will include my pictorial tour of the ship.

Usually no cans (except in rare circumstances). Fountain or Freestyle machine only.

Thanks for answering. I don't know if certain types of soda are poured from a can or what but yeah, I think most of it is actually the freestyle machines or fountain. I guess that is cheaper for them than dealing with cans, cost and waste wise. I do not know if you can request soda from a can however. Maybe someone else does.

Does the soda package include soda in cans or just from the fountain gun?

I honestly do not remember as I did not get that many sodas from the bars but I think Coke at least was from the fountain. I got a few ginger ales and I cannot remember how they poured them either. I do know the taste of soda is different from cans than fountains but I unfortunately cannot give a definitive answer about that. But I did notice that a few people here did give you a few answers so hopefully that takes care of it, thanks to them for chiming in. I will tell you, that not all soda from the freestyle machine was good, some was downright nasty and I will get into that when I talk about day 3 in just a few.

DAY 2 CRUISE COMPASS:

The beverage package options. Soda was $8.50 a day, all non-alcoholic drinks was $26 a day and the deluxe package, the only package that includes liquor now, was $61 a day plus 18 percent gratuity. But everything is included in this, juice, soda, coffee I think, liquor, bottled water. I think the $61 was inflated for this cruise as I do not know if it is usually this high and if the price varies sailing to sailing or not but at least we got our money's worth with it I think.

:) Happy cruising.

DAY 2 - BACK ON THE SHIP - CONTINUED:

I left off yesterday by telling you we had just met up after dinner and it was time to go out and drink and listen to some music all night long. They had a show in the theater that was coordinated to what type of sail and sign card you had, Tony Succar but we did not go to that so I do not know how it went. I had heard from other people who did go that it was pretty good. We went where the fun was, which was up on lido deck, near the main pool. They had Ozomatii and Debi Nova playing live stuff until midnight and DJ Eric James spinning the music until late after that.

There are a few bars on the pool deck but the main one is right across from where the stage was and right near the pool and hot tubs. It is usually in operation from midday until late, if there are events going on nearby. Huge, probably close to a half dozen bartenders, tables nearby and plenty of seats at the bar with a great view of the makeshift dance floor and stage. We got seated here and drank and were merry with people we had met earlier in the cruise and just complete strangers. The artists gave some shout outs to different groups of folks who were in attendance and got cheers from these groups as they were called and the music entertainment was pretty good as well. I am not a dancer so I just hung around, drank, listened, talked to some people and M went out on the dance floor and tried his luck with the ladies, LOL. I don't know how successful he ended up being.

The party went on late and a lot of people ended up staying for most of it. I would say it ran right up to 0100 or later. I also mention the hot tubs were open and a lot of younger folks hung out in them and listened to the music which must have been fun. Also, there was a beanbag toss game located off to the side of everything as well and there was always a group of people playing that, even during the concert. The music could be heard all across lido.

The concert atmosphere

I was still a little hungry and beginning to get bored after taking full advantage of the Deluxe beverage package and so found that they still had some food in the Windjammer until 0130. Long Islands, Jack and Coke, Corona, Strongbow, Mojito, shots of Jameson were just a few things that I tried out. Plenty to choose from under $12 on the menu. Just make sure you tip the bartenders and they will keep your glass full. Don't think the selection in the buffet was all that great because it wasn't but it is like stopping at a diner or a Wawa after being out all night to get a hot dog or something before bed. Better than nothing. M headed to the upstairs nightclub on something like 12 aft but cannot remember the exact deck, because he apparently was not done partying. That club had a view of the now pretty empty lido pool deck and was accessible by elevator. Very few people were there but M still spent a little time there drinking and dancing with whoever would dance with him (LOL) and I headed out to walk around some before the night was over.

It was close to 0200 by now and since I was bored and am a geek, I went up to the sun deck or whatever the deck above lido was and looked forward to see if I could find out where we were in the dark. We were nearly stationary I think and that was because we were only a few miles off the shore of Nassau it looked like. I guess they are not allowed to pull into port until a certain time in the morning, so we just sat out there with a good view of the lights of New Providence off in the distance in the meanwhile. I couldn't get a pic as I figured it wouldn't come out too well if I tried.

I continued to wander around and stopped by the casino to see if they were open late, where I was planning on doing my usual $20 once a cruise in the slots until it was gone but they were already closing and it was really almost deserted in there. However, I was able to get one last beer from the bar there before they closed up and walked around the pretty empty ship some more. Something about going for a late night walk on a ship where most activities are pretty much done for the night just clears your mind and puts you at ease. I know some people like to walk around before everyone wakes up in the morning but I like to walk around before bed instead, being a night owl and all.

Anyway, I think the last bar that was still open was the atrium bar (maybe) and even they were getting ready to close so I got one last Strongbow before they shut it down and made my way back to the room. There wasn't any late night music near our cabin this night but there would be the next night for sure, as they wanted to end the cruise the right way. I sat out on the balcony for a little while and headed to bed around 0300 (M was still out doing whatever until all hours, lol and he paid for it the next morning - will get into that more when we get to the next day's wrap up), and with that, the very eventful day 2 of the cruise was over. Nassau awaited the next morning, so had to rest up again in order to have a good day there. Hope you are enjoying and I will include the day's Cruise Compass pics in the next post. Have a good day.

Enjoying your review. Those are real vacation photos!

Thanks, they sure are now that I go back and look at them closer. Blue sky, blue water, beach chairs, floating bar, island buffet. What else can you ask for? Our Coconut Willie's bartender actually said it was way cooler than usual there on that day and the water wasn't really warm but warmer than back up north for sure, lol. I should be getting to the rest of day 2 here in a few and day 3 will feature a visit to Nassau and a pictorial tour of the ship, whenever I actually am able to have the time to get to it.

DAY 2 - COCOCAY - BACK ON THE SHIP - CONTINUED:

Like I had said before, M had already gone to dinner and presumably gotten drunk already when I finally woke up around 2000. I am telling you, hanging out on an island in the sun all day is really tough and you just have to get your rest afterwards. I also missed sunset on this evening and I hate doing that but sleep was just more important I guess and I think our cabin was on the wrong side of the ship to see it off the balcony anyway.

I figured it would be easier to do my nightly hot tub visit before getting showered up and changed for dinner and evening activities so I went there around 2030 and hung out with some interesting folks from all over the USA and again we had a lot in common. Cool. The hot tubs have a timer for the bubbles so you have to make sure you keep activating it or it will just be a warm bath you are sitting in and not a hot tub if you don't. Over a few drinks, it was a good time. I again hung out in the hot tub all the way aft, in the climate controlled pool area. They had a pool here but I cannot even remember if it was open. I know the midship one was, and the hot tubs were open late there as well, even for the late night deck party we had on Lido, which was cool. I hate getting out of the hot tub as it just is so nice in there but I was hungry and wasn't going to miss the main dining room again tonight.

I headed back to the room, got a shower and changed into a nice polo shirt and slacks and headed to the My Fair Lady dining room on deck 4 aft if I remember correctly, and since it was late, around 2130, I was seated at a table with other late arrivers. We had anytime dining, I don't even know if they did set time dining on this cruise or not. I do like set time if I am on a longer sailing with a larger group, it is nice to have the same waiters who know what you want without you asking, and you get to sit with and get to know the same tablemates throughout the cruise. Anyway, I was seated with a few couples (one couple was dressed up and the other wasn't, lol) and a single lady cruiser and we chatted over dinner some. Nice group of folks, I got a Strongbow and some shrimp appetizer. I think I got a steak and some seafood ravioli and both were pretty good. Dessert was some chocolate concoction which was not particularly good and by 2230 or so we had pretty much closed the mdr down for the night and were on our way.

Dinner

In the public areas near the elevators, they seem to have the little interactive directory screens, they are touch screen so you can explore the ship and activities to do right there. It is neat. I don't know if they have a phone app like Carnival and Princess have to do things like pay bills, check daily news bulletins and the like though. Helpful if you are out and about and looking for something to do.

I stopped back at the cabin after dinner and amazingly the towel animal and Cruise Compass for the next day were still on the bed. Our steward had done nightly cleaning and M had not yet laid down on his bed and destroyed the artwork. So I had to get a picture of the cabin after evening turndown. He stopped back at the room around the same time I had gotten back from dinner and we headed out to find some music to listen to and places to drink and have a good time for the rest of the evening.

Note, I had mentioned the music going at all hours. They had a concert going in the promenade, even during the time I was napping around dinner. The music was good and the party was hopping so it sounded like, but I could surely hear it. It didn't bother me much like I had mentioned before but it was surely noticeable and if you have issues with noise while sleeping, do not book a cabin anywhere near the atrium, midship. Anyway, they would continue with the music that evening, late into the night and I will get to that in due time. Next up.....partying on the lido deck late at night....

Looking forward to the rest of your review, will be sailing on her April 21 for the same 3 day cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Glad you like the review so far. I should be continuing it here in just a little while. Thanks for being patient with me, I want to get it done quickly but it never seems to happen but I will get to it as time allows. I think this cruise I was on was a charter, so it was mostly music and stuff like that - I don't believe they even had a comedian or stage shows on this cruise. They did have Quest though, lol. The 4/21 cruise will probably feature different entertainment stuff than this one did but the general ship itself will be the same I am sure. Have a great time on your cruise.

Yes they are going to install a pier at Co Co Cay so the ships can dock.

That is interesting. Where are they going to put it? I kind of like the idea that you have to ride a tender in and dock at that little harbor the way they have it now. I don't want it to get too built up and then it wouldn't be much like a private secluded island hideout it is now. I guess if they want the bigger ships they have to do that though, it would be a nightmare trying to tender all those pax back and forth on a mega ship like the Oasis. Also, is the water even deep enough anywhere around the island to bring a huge ship in? I know it really isn't deep, even hundreds of feet out on the other side of the island, proven by how a low tide like that can create land to walk on as far out as we went. Neat times either way though. BTW, saw you are near ORD. I still think that approach to the 22's at MDW is a way more exciting approach, LOL. Talk about roller coaster ride. Great views of downtown.

Looking forward to the rest of your review. I'm cruising on Enchantment in May for the first time and can't wait!

Thanks for reading along, I apologize for taking so long but these do take time to do, at least if I want to get them done the right way. The Enchantment is a nice ship. I actually honestly figured it was a small ship like the old Monarch or a little bigger than the Empress when I decided to sail on it with the super rate we got but after researching it, I realized it was actually a mid-grade ship. Pleasantly surprised and of course a great trip to Cococay and a fun day in Nassau the next day as well. Hope you continue to enjoy as I continue along with the good times. Have a great time on your cruise in May.

This ship is special to my Wife and I as it was our honeymoon back in 2001. It was also my Wife's first ever cruise.

 

Thanks for sharing, I've previously read your review for the Carnival Magic and enjoyed that review just like I'm enjoying this one.

Nice, it is a good ship. Not one of the mega ones, but still the biggest Royal ship I have been on for sure. Plenty to offer and the ship is in good shape with generally a pretty good crew. You always do remember your first cruise, I sure do. Almost 11 years ago. Still remember the entire experience, even after probably 20 more cruises since.

Thanks for reading along and for the kind words. I can't believe that Magic cruise was a year and a half ago already. First time cruising out of Galveston, it was a good time with the free upgrade we got and all, lol. We also had Dr. E as our cruise director, one of a kind. I remember more about the adventure trying to get home from that cruise though, haha. Hopefully you continue to enjoy this review, I am going to try to finish the second day's activities and try to get to the third day as well if I have the time today.

I'm enjoying reading your review. I also call south Jersey home. We just booked this cruise for the end of August, so looking forward to it. Thanks for your review!

Thanks, glad you are liking it. There sure do seem to be a lot of us from the South Jersey/Philly/Delaware area who like cruising. Anytime you fly to Florida, especially on the weekends, it seems most of the flight is cruise pax. I really, really wish they would open the Philly cruise port at the Navy Yard up again as it had operated in the past. I still don't understand why they wouldn't want the business from the cruises, even as just a port of call here but whatever. I am going to try to finish up Day 2 here today if I have enough time, and have fun on your August cruise. You will have a great time.

Is the Straw Market anywhere near as bad as the vendors area at Labadee?

I can't really answer that because I have never been to Labadee. Haiti is actually one of the few places in the Caribbean I have not yet been to, :cool:. If they are anything like the vendors at the huge straw market in Nassau though, they probably would be on the aggressive side. I honestly thought this place was just an extension of the ships that go in there with RCCL employees and everything, but someone once told me after another review I had done that they are locals there. I wonder how that is possible seeing the island is so secluded but I guess it is true. I have never gone in there though, just passed by it coming and going from the ship. Maybe someone else reading this has had some experiences in there though.

DAY 2 - COCOCAY CONTINUED:

Just a little closer to the ship we get...then we arrive, dock, and debark the boat, back to our home for the weekend. I do think there is a sign before you leave the island that says I wish I could stay here forever or something similar. Too bad we had to head back to our ship, lol.

I had probably had like close to 10 drinks (rarely drink like that at home but it is included here, right?) and M had way more so it was time to take a nap for a while when I got back to the cabin. The evening would be exciting and had to be rested up for that. So, I took a long nap from 1700-2000 or so, and M got up earlier and headed to dinner while I was still asleep (despite him trying to get me to wake up a few times). He later said it was OK at dinner, nothing spectacular but food is food. I would hit the MDR later on, after waking up and getting a shower and all that. I will pick up the story from there again, later tonight or sometime tomorrow as I don't have the time to do so now. But there was plenty to do that evening for sure. Before I leave for now though, some random pics of a few things around the ship.

Ship directory, in public areas around the ship, good reference so you go the right way to get to your cabin or to a public venue on the ship, etc.

The atrium. Neat for sure, and I will show you a few more pics of the atrium and surrounding area later on in the review.

That is about it for now, but I will get to the evening activities sometime later on, hopefully sooner than later. I hope you are enjoying, and have a good day.

DAY 2 - COCOCAY CONTINUED:

We made our way back towards the "town center" and got a few drinks along the way, of course. But the bars were beginning to close as they wanted to funnel people back towards the tenders if they could I guess. We passed a snorkeling beach, where I went one time and it is a fairly rocky beach but you do get good views of schools of fish and stuff like that there.

We passed the straw market, which I have been told is actually locally operated. Not sure but I have never been in there or bought anything there. That is right near where you get back onto the tenders. If you are interested, there are bathrooms or banos all over the place on the island so you do not have to go far to get to one. M hung out at the same bar we went to when we first arrived at the island and got a few more drinks before they closed, and I got one and went for one last sightseeing voyage on the other side of the island.

They have beaches and I think, a place where you can rent floating mats to go out into the water but if they did, I didn't see them this time. That side of the island is not as exciting as the other if you ask me. But the views of your cruise ship from there are really cool. There were still some people out sunbathing on the beach here, but most people were back onboard or on their way there by now.

Our ship

Beach

We, along with a bunch more people, got final drinks at the bar before he told us he had to close and M headed back to the ship. I walked around a little more and then made my way back as well. There were quite a few people who were headed back with me as well. I mean, this isn't like a normal port where you really can get left behind if you are not back at a set time, where exactly are you going to go where they can't find you on here? Lol. They do security screening before you head out to the dock to get on the tender, and yes, you are able to bring drinks back with you to the tender. I had switched to Budweiser (not my drink of choice most of the time but why not?) by now, and made my way on the tender a little after 1600.

We boarded the tender and made our way back to the ship. I believe a few more tenders left after ours, but I headed back to the cabin after we got back on board so I didn't pay close attention. It was nap time after all.

Our voyage back to the ship

Just a little more in a second....

DAY 2 - COCOCAY CONTINUED:

It was the funniest thing ever. Since the tide was way out, sandbars were exposed pretty far out. So, a stream of people just walked out like hundreds of feet into the ocean. It was funny like I said. No rhyme or reason why, just decided to do it. Saw some small sea creatures on the mud, nice view of the beach from way out here. Had to take my flip flops off though, so I didn't get stuck in the mud and fall over.

I had to mention that while I waited for M in the floating bar, I laid down in one of these little covered beach chairs. Very comfortable. I did not know that you had to pay for them though, lol and a staff member chased me away shortly thereafter. They were not crowded but they are nice so I guess they figure they can make some money off them.

View from the floating bar

The walk to nowhere

There are some cabanas located on a more private and secluded part of the beach, further down from the floating bar and I believe these also have to be reserved and cost a bunch of money. I don't see the value in them but some people do. I think you get served food and drinks and stuff like that here as well.

By now, our time on Cococay was nearing an end, as it was pushing 1600 by this time and the last tender would be at 1630. More shortly.....

DAY 2 - COCOCAY CONTINUED:

The lunch buffet was getting crowded but we were able to find a table and we got some food and drinks. I got some ribs (you can add your own sauce) and chicken/hot dogs with rice and corn on the cob. Barbeque setup, pretty good if you ask me. Buffet lines set up for easy access. We hung out with lunch for a while and headed on our way before 1400. I believe the island visit hours were 0800-1630 on this day, so we still had time before we had to get back on the tender.

Bit of an island directory, located near the buffet area if you ever need to find your way somewhere there

We walked back along the beach (you turn right when entering the island to find all this stuff we did today by the way) and towards the famous floating bar that they have setup here. Good fun there the last time we visited. Beach chairs lined up all along the way here, but not many people on them today.

There is a water slide here, but you have to have a wristband to ride it and there are lifeguards here. I have heard stingrays tend to make appearance in the water near here as well but have never seen it myself. You can see the tide beginning to go out......

Along the way, I got talking about some important stuff back home and almost tripped over this thing, I believe it is an iguana? LOL. I heard people talking about it and saw them standing near it but was oblivious to it being there and I almost tripped over the thing, haha. Interesting stuff you see on these islands.

Now, I talked about the floating bar. I also mentioned the tide was beginning to go out. Way out. The last time we were here, there was about a hundred yards or so of water to wade through to get to this bar. Not this time. It was almost not even a floating bar here. Oh well. It was nearly 1500 by now anyway and they were beginning to get ready to close but M still got a few beers and I got one before they shut it down. It has a capacity of like maybe 20-30 people and it is an interesting concept. Again, limited menu here and no electronic sale terminals so if you have the drink package, they just check your card to verify and you get your drinks. It is neat to watch them get stuff to and from the bar though, a little paddleboat that goes back and forth I think. Some folks decided to go for a ride in it before they started using it to lug supplies back to the beach and got stuck on a sandbar. Needed a "rescue." LOL. Serves them right. BTW, M had told me that due to the late assignments of our cabins by the travel agency and RCCL due to the nature of our bookings, he had talked to a few people who had complained that they were not able to get the discount for the pre-purchase of the alcohol package that you can do when you check in online early. Yes, that is true and it did cost us more and probably more than it should have for the package, but the cruise itself was almost free. You can't have everything. They said they were going to fight it later and try to get some money back. Just know that if you book the cruise through a travel agency at a discounted rate for a sailing like this, you might run into that problem also.

After they closed the bar, there was still plenty of excitement in that area, will get to that shortly.....

DAY 2 - COCOCAY CONTINUED:

The only thing we forgot to take with us was towels, lol. It turns out you are supposed to get them before you get off the boat, to the tender and return them when you re-board. They do not have them on the island. Oh well, so there wouldn't be a ton of swimming done today then. We got to Cococay a little after 1100 and exited the tender, which had eventually filled up with people after waiting to do so for a little while. Neat approach, looks like they can fit a few ships worth of people here on any given day. We were the only ship here on this day. This was my third time here, second in just the last year. It was much nicer this time than when we were here in July of last year. The construction was done and the beaches and island itself looked really good. I also heard that they were going to modify the island some more so it can fit the mega ships in the future, anyone know more about that?

Arriving at Cococay

Of course the first thing M wants to do anywhere it is available, is get a drink. Yes, drinks are covered by the liquor and beverage package on this island, as it is owned by Royal Caribbean. I got a Jack and Coke and he got a Corona, which he quickly finished. The Coronas don't seem to be as big in the cans on the island as with the bottles on the ship. This first drink bar was located just past the entrance to the island if you are wondering. Hard to miss, haha. We walked along a little bit, and explored to see what was new here since our last visit. We stopped at another bar along the way (lol) and I got an aluminum can of Coors Light (yeah, yeah) and M got another Corona. The beaches were crowded and the buffet had not yet opened up, so we made our way down the beach a ways and found Coconut Willie's bar, a place we had hit on the last trip here and is a nice beach-side hangout.

The buffet area, before it opened. It opens at 1200 I believe

Cococay main "road"

I think there is a nature trail here, walkable and also apparently there is a tram. I did not see this tram so I can't say much about it. But I have heard the nature trail is pretty nice.

We seated ourselves at Coconut Willie's. Nice volleyball court and hammocks here to lay on. We both agreed the hammocks were not a good idea because if you lay there, you might fall asleep and miss the ship later on, lol. Nobody was playing ball here this time but they had a game going here the last time we visited. The bar is not that big and selection is rather limited but it is fun and it has a nice view. The bartender, a Jamaican dude, was very friendly and took good care of us and others who came up to get drinks during our time there. Many Coors, a few Coronas here. Spent probably an hour or so before we went to lunch. We made sure to not miss lunch this time as we missed the maybe 2-hour serving window last time and headed over there about 1300. Before lunch, we did take turns walking into the water for a little while for dips. It wasn't particularly warm though and the tide was in for now, which would change later.

Lunchtime fun coming up shortly.....

SHEILA E'S GLORIOUS LIFE CRUISE DAY 2: COCOCAY:

First off, thank you for reading along and hope you are enjoying my adventures. A few of you have said you are getting ready to sail this ship and hopefully this gives you a little idea of what your cruise will have in store for you. I will now be getting to the second day of our short 3-day charter cruise, which featured a stop at Cococay, Royal's private island paradise in the Bahamas. The first day is always chaotic and I didn't get a lot of chances to write too much about the ship itself, but I will get into that more as we get through the review and I will surely include pics of popular stuff on the ship.

So, we left off with me hitting the bed after midnight as we had a long first day and I was surely tired. Although I am not necessarily a morning person, I deal with it these days as best I can and thus do usually have to be up at a decent time each morning. M is not particularly a morning person either but for some reason, he wanted to get up early on this day because I guess he wanted more beach and drinking time today or something. LOL. I woke up around 0900 and we headed upstairs to the Windjammer to get some breakfast shortly thereafter.

The breakfast had the normal stuff, eggs, ham, omelets, cereal, fruit, potatoes, bread, waffles, pancakes, etc. They offered options of plain, or some sort of thing such as bananas cooked into them. They have syrup packets here as well, no pitchers of syrup near the pancake and waffles. Interesting. That was OK. I will say the sausage gravy and biscuits just didn't hit the spot with me. The gravy was bland and the biscuits were too hard and tasteless. Avoid. The sausage, bacon, potatoes and ham were good. Plenty of fruit to choose from as I said before. They also have chicken sausage and maybe turkey sausage if you so want that. M got an omelet from the omelet line and the wait wasn't terribly long - he said it was OK. Breakfast doesn't seem to be a strong point for any cruise line but it was about on par with other lines on this day and the next day as well.

Breakfast

Good views of the ocean from the balcony and the tender we would be riding back and forth from the ship

After heading back to the cabin to get a shower and ready for Cococay, I actually packed some stuff that we may have needed on the island in my backpack and we headed to the tender boat on deck 1 I think. It was warm but not terribly humid again today, partly cloudy. Perfect Caribbean day. After all, it was cold at home you know.

Cococay from the ship

Nice calm, blue seas

After this, we got a few drinks and headed off the ship. The tenders were not particularly crowded at this time of day, around 1100 as the early exit people were already at the island and the late people were not yet making their way there. More on our island visit shortly....

Looks more like a concert atmosphere with the band, rather than a sailaway party! Having fun!

That pretty much is it. The whole theme of the cruise seemed to be centered around music. Culture and celebrating life and family/friends but music was everywhere, at almost all hours of the day and night. It was an interesting time for sure. Hope you enjoy the day 2 part of the review that I am about to get to as well.