A Lotus at Sea: My cruise experience (Carnival Pride, 5/27/12 - 6/3/12)

[lotusbogardi]

A bit of forewarning: This is more of a log of my experience than a “review”. “Day One” will probably be the longest post, with overviews of the rest of the cruise. After that, I plan to address likes and dislikes of different aspects of the cruise. I may add a more detailed review of the Unexso Dolphin Swim and Ardastra Gardens in later posts.

[lotusbogardi]

So, while I am a compulsive overplanner, I tend suck at execution. I read the boards here for weeks. I bought, returned, and rebought bathing suits and dresses. I bought funship dollars. I filled a specific bag for medical/practical emergencies that I dubbed “The McGuyver Bag”. I pre-packed by bringing all the clothes I needed to the living room in preparation for actual packing. So, why was I awake at 3am on Sunday morning still putting things in my suitcase? The only way I can explain it is that I didn’t want to tempt “the wrath from high atop the thing”. Between my husband and I, things tend to go awry just when they’re looking good.

 

Things for this cruise were looking way too good. #1, the cruise itself was a Christmas present from my Mother-in-law. #2 I had the foresight to put money aside for our onboard account. #3 I received two upgrades, and was now in an extended balcony room. #4 A discount code saved me about $50 off the excursion of a lifetime. Everything looked just about perfect.

 

Now, there were some downsides. Beside the sleep-dep I knew I was incurring, some home repairs ran over budget, and I knew I wouldn’t have the free spend money I wanted at my fingertips. Also, hubby bought two new suits and they cost far more than I expected. Still, it wasn’t enough to call off the trip. So, when nothing earth shattering occurred by 10pm on the 26th, I figured I had better get packing.

 

8am brought a wake-up call from my MiL, who promised to be there “in an hour”. My eldest (6 going on 16) was already awake and had been in my room twice. The youngest (18mo) was stirring. I got up reluctantly and hunted the house for their matching silver sandals, which my MiL said she wanted for their matching outfits today. I spent an embarrassing amount of time doing that. She finally showed up and whisked them away at 9:30.

 

We got on the road later than I planned, at about 10:30, with a plan to have breakfast at waffle house and then meet a friend before getting on the ship. I texted my friend to push our meeting time back an hour. I also forgot to go to the state store to get Chambord for my empty Shampbooze bottle (I had another one filled with Grey Goose). And I noticed that my 4 day old shellac manicure was lifting. We stopped in Delaware to find alcohol and Sally Hanson nail decals. The alcohol in DE was more expensive than in PA so we skipped that, but I got the nail decals. Back on the road, we hit some unexpected traffic. And then we saw the whale tail from 95. Yay! We were almost there.

 

Except we weren’t. Let me just say this: Program your GPS to “Baltimore Cruise Terminal”, not “Port of Baltimore”. You’ll get there much faster.

 

We met our friend in the parking lot, exchanged chatter and hugs, and finally got on the ship much later than we planned. There were no porters left, so we had to carry everything, including our queen-size featherbed, rolling garment bag and two suitcases. Just as we were about to board, I turned to Connor and told him that I forgot my hat in the car. A female security guard looked at me and said “I am sure someone in the Bahamas will be more than happy to sell you a new hat. I conceded her point and we headed up the gangway. At least we made it onboard and we didn’t have to wait for our suitcases to be delivered. Our onboard credit had already been applied, so we didn’t have to see guest services to set up the account, and I guess some port fees got refunded, because we each received an additional $13.70. We went up to lido because it was after 3pm, neither Connor nor I had eaten, and we each have different issues with hypoglycemia. That was when Jamie Dee started announcements about the mandatory safety drill. I basically forced my husband to sit down and eat a cheeseburger (which we both wolfed down), though he wanted to go immediately to the muster drill. I am a mean wife.

 

We weren’t last or even late to muster, so we weren’t THOSE people. We got there at the perfect time and then went to our cabin. After that I dragged hubby up to Lido for sail-away at Serenity. Naturally, I got confused between fore and aft, and walked almost all the way fore before realizing my mistake, and then started heading aft. Hubby was also sleep deprived and while the cheeseburger helped, he was quickly frustrated. I ended up at Serenity without him for a bit, then I brought him a DoD and coaxed him back. We chatted with a few people, and generally relaxed a bit. I was enthralled by the Pride going under bridges. Finally we headed back to our room to dress for dinner.

 

We booked David’s the first evening, and while I brought a dress, except for his two suits, Connor brought no slacks! On the upside, he did bring his kilt, and he wore that with one of his dress shirts to dinner at David’s. After the steakhouse we saw our very first towel animal.

 

I hadn’t told Connor about the towel animals, and this one especially came as a complete surprise. I laughed because he said that it was just bizarre for a towel (your favorite slang word here) to have EYES! We put it on top of our couch for the duration of the cruise. Later during the week, I had the opportunity to ask our steward, Wade, about it. I asked him what it was, and he said it was a walrus. “A.... walrus?”

 

“Well... some people say it is a seal. Some people call it... something else.” Wade was trying valiantly to keep a straight face and his voice held back a bit of mirth, hinting at what the ‘something else’ might be. He knows full well everyone thinks it’s a towel (your favorite slang word here).

[lotusbogardi]

Prior to actually cruising, I made many plans about all the activities we were going to attend. To be honest, we just spent a lot of time napping, reading, and hanging out on our balcony. We ate when we were hungry, and generally got in Wade’s way, because he couldn’t get into our room to straighten it up when we were napping. Hubby also wasn’t doing too well with the ship rocking. He kept saying that he felt like he was drunk enough to have to “sleep it off”. We did go to our meet and greet, and were sad to find out that the organizer felt ill and didn’t attend. I was looking forward to giving her a hug. I did love putting roll call faces with names (Especially once I didn’t meet the day before at Serenity). Within our hour, I managed to somehow down four of the red drinks. After we wobbled back to our room, I sat on my balcony to watch the waves. I woke up two hours later. We did dress up and go to the main dining room for dinner. I went to the piano bar a bit later, but didn’t stick around as late as I wanted to. I loved the extended balcony, and have truly gotten spoiled. If I get the chance to cruise again, I simply must have one. We did happen to catch the Motown Show one of these evenings, and that was well worth seeing. I only managed to get to tea one of these days, but they had wonderful little lemon puff thingers that were absolutely delicious.

 

(Our Balcony)

 

(Roger at the Piano Bar)

 

Our original plan for Port Canaveral was to rent a car and go to Aquatica for the day. With our finances going pear-shaped, we decided to keep the car and just hang out nearby. We went to Walmart to pick up more soda. We also went to the movies, and to the beach. We picked up some chambord, which went into the empty Shampbooze bottle we brought with us. (Chambord and lemonade is our favorite). We also picked up a small bottle of Captain Morgan’s, which fit quite neatly down my bra. We went to the beach briefly, then Ron Jon’s, and walked around window shopping. We finally returned the car at 5-something. Renting a car at budget was quick and easy. I would definitely do that again.

 

(Disney Ship at PC)

 

(Pilot boat out of PC)

[silverfoxcruiser]

Great start! Subscribed....I'll be waiting!! :rolleyes: Silver

[lotusbogardi]

Thank heaven for Scubagrrl on the Bahamas boards. Thanks to her I had an inexpensive plan for Nassau. With her directions, we took the #10 Jitney and went to the Ardastra Gardens. Of course, the first thing that happened was a bug bit my foot. We wandered around, fed the lorys and watched the marching flamingo show. It was far more fun than I expected when I first saw Ardastra! A nice woman there was more than happy to sell me a brand new straw hat. When we left, we walked down toward the fish fry. Instead of actually going to the fish fry, we ended up walking along West Bay Street. There we met a charming man who opened a “jelly” (young) coconut for us with a machete. He was surprisingly insistent about giving us a receipt. The water inside was delicious, and I far preferred the soft inner flesh to any coconut product I had ever tried. We got some lunch from a lunch truck (jerk chicken and pork with mac & cheese and a roll) and then wandered back along the coast, past Junkanoo Beach, toward the ship. We briefly visited the straw market (too crowded and noisy), and bought some rum cakes at Tortuga (which were the same exact price on the ship). I also picked up some coconut candy at the market across the street and then we went back to the ship and napped! Later we went to dinner, and then to the piano bar. Apparently some people started the party at Senor Frog’s sometime earlier that day, and they brought it back to visit our lovely piano man, Roger. Unfortunately, some people have yet to learn that just because YOU are enjoying your drunkenness, it doesn’t mean everyone ELSE is enjoying your drunkenness. Connor and I didn’t stay long. Poor Roger didn’t have that choice.

 

(Junkanoo Beach as we were pulling into port)

 

(Feeding the Lorys at Ardastra)

 

(Marching Flamingos with their Drill Sergeant at Ardastra)

 

I am completely with Garfield on the whole morning thing. They suck. But, because of our limited time in Freeport, I booked the earliest Dolphin Swim at Unexso. This was what my oldest would have qualified as the BEST DAY EVER. I am still processing how amazing swimming with the dolphins was. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour given by the driver that took us to Unexso, and also the banter of our boat captain, who took us to the dolphins. If you get the chance to do this, DO IT. It was simply amazing. One day we hope to book this excursion again. It did rain the whole time, and it was warmer in the water with the dolphins than it was on the side of the lagoon getting rained on. Then we went back to the ship and napped. We woke up in time to dress for dinner and head out. We walked around the ship a bit, gambled and lost in the casino, and imposed on a nice stranger to take our picture. This was the only evening I noticed bands of roving pre-teens and teens walking around the 3rd deck.

 

(Pulling into Freeport at OMG O'Clock)

 

(Swimming with the Dolphins)

 

(Dressed Formally)

[PittsburghGirlee]

GREAT review....keep it coming....I was on the PRIDE in Feb of this year and LOVED her... We live in PA, so it is one of the closer ports.

I hope to be on her again in 2 more years....

[lotusbogardi]

Day Seven: At Sea, Heading Home

We mostly lazed around, read, and slept. We had the chocolate buffet, then we packed, and ate dinner in the MDR. We sat on the balcony and watched the water as we headed inexorably northward. I had many mixed feelings. I liked being on the ship, but seven days without my girls and my heart was aching. Connor and I discussed bringing them on a cruise, but he doesn’t want to unless it’s a DISNEY cruise. I think he only says that because he knows I am not particularly a fan of the Disney company, and I don’t want to pay 3-4x Carnival prices for a cruise. Perhaps when our younger daughter is older, and I am not afraid that we’d be chasing her through the MDR as she makes a mad dash somewhere else. We put our bags outside our door, I took pictures as we entered the Chesapeake Bay, and we went to bed. I scoured the fun times for mention of the “fun farewell party”, but never did find it (I now know it has been discontinued).

 

(Our head waiter, Saka)

 

(Our assistant waiter, Soni)

 

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

I didn’t sleep well that night. I was up at the crack of dawn, on my balcony, watching the sun rise and taking pictures. We docked at 8am, and Connor and I went down to the MDR for breakfast. Then he and I hung out in the casino and read our kindles. Disembarking was quick and easy. They called our number, we went. As we were walking out, the same female guard called to me “Did you get me a hat too?”. I was shocked that she remembered. A porter took our stuff to the car. We drove home to our girls and were snuggling with them by 1pm.

 

(Sunrise from my Balcony)

 

(Sunlight on the water)

 

(Boats we passed on the way in to Baltimore)

[lotusbogardi]

What worked for me and what didn't.

 

Some of the reviews I read said that the Pride is showing her age. Now, I admit I didn’t go over her in with a magnifying glass bow-to-stern, but nothing I saw looked shabby or aging. Some of the reviews I read prior to the cruise also felt there was an absurd amount of nudity featured on the Pride. I did not expect to see David in all his joi-de-vivre in the steakhouse, but I also have not gone to Rome and seen the original. A co-worker who did says it is a faithful reproduction. Otherwise, I didn’t see anything I haven’t seen in multiple museums of art. I prefer that to a neon nightmare.

 

There were better than 2000 passengers on board, but the only time I felt crowded was lunchtime on Lido at Freeport, mostly because everyone came back onboard around lunch time.

 

We had anytime dining in the MDR, and found “our” wait team on the third night. We sat with them for the rest of the cruise. Partially because the head waiter shared the name of one of our favorite tv characters. Dinner in the MDR was sometimes more leisurely than I would have liked, but I enjoyed all the food. There was chocolate melting cake almost every day. I liked the Indian Vegetarian Dinner. One night, hubby and I ordered cookies and milk in our cabin. As much food as there was everywhere, I didn’t feel the need to overeat.There was always more food.

 

I didn’t like Lido breakfast. I preferred MDR breakfast, but on excursion days I was more focused on getting off the ship in time to do what I wanted to do. Also, MDR breakfast is faster than MDR dinner, but still somewhat slow.

 

The shop jewelry was a rip-off. When they were selling the Swarovski crystal jewelry, I asked about the base metal. The salesman said it was rhodium. I said “Okay, rhodium plated, what is the base metal”. “Rhodium”. “That’s pure rhodium?” “Yes”. I just walked away, because I couldn’t begin to explain how ridiculous pure rhodium jewelry would be. Especially that much of it. The watches were expensive even at the 40% off price. On the other hand, duty free liquor? Hell yes!

 

I enjoyed dressing up, I loved “going to tea”, I loved Lido cheeseburgers.

 

I enjoyed Roger at the piano bar. I love singing in a group, but I would never ever do it alone. Roger tried to give me the mic a couple times, and each time I said “Hell no!”. One time I wish I had said yes, because the person who did sing was worse than me!

 

I loved my balcony. Especially watching the pilot boats, the water, the sunrise, and the sunset. I loved having somewhere else to GO that wasn’t a public space.

 

Jamie Dee, the cruise director, was ALWAYS moving. I don’t know what they give her but I want some. I have nowhere NEAR that amount of energy. Sometimes I just enjoyed sitting back and watching her do her cruise director thing.

 

The cabin and bathroom were small, but I expected that. All the storage was wonderful, and things flowed better than I expected.

 

The beds were harder than I liked them to be, even with my featherbed I woke up with a back ache.

 

The rocking of the boat itself really played havoc with my sense of equilibrium, and worse on Connor’s. I still find myself swaying.

 

It was impossible to get into the comedy club.

 

I never need to hear the theme from Cheers, Living Next Door to Alice, or Sweet Caroline again.

 

I found that I wasn’t in the water as much as I thought I would be. I do tend to be a “water baby”, but the micropools just didn’t seem that attractive. And not because I was worried about “DNA Soup”. We did spend time in the hot tub that was in the gym, though.

 

The bottom line for me is that the pros far outweigh the cons. I would definitely cruise again, on both Carnival and the Pride. But only if I had an extended balcony.

 

Useful vs. Useless:

I did pack more things than I needed in my McGuyver bag. Most of them proved useful, and some of them I didn’t use this time but may be of use in the future. I need a better pair of manicure scissors and sewing scissors. I only used my bubba mug once. I preferred carrying something smaller. Connor bought a plastic tumbler and used that more than his bubba mug, so next time bubba mugs stay home.

 

I bought two plastic pitchers from the dollar store for our room. I put lemonade in one, and water in the other. Only the lemonade got used. Next time, I will only bring one pitcher. I also bought two lanyards, but ended up using my teenee baggalini for around the ship and sometimes in port. Connor used his lanyard a LOT. His KwikTek dry pack kept both our passports bone dry when we were both completely submerged during the dolphin excursion. Those were sound investments. I bought two small multipurpose flashlights. Connor didn’t use his (except to tease me), but I used mine for middle-of-the-night nature calls. I dislike turning on a room-illuminating light when I only need a little.

 

I did buy a suction cup hook set, which I used on the balcony door to hang wet items. I will use that again. I also bought a miniature toiletry caddy that stuck to the shower wall via suction cups. I will also reuse that, probably in hotel rooms as well.

 

We used the bungee cord to keep our balcony door open every. single. day. That was $2 well spent.

[michelle1836]

What worked for me and what didn't.

 

 

We had anytime dining in the MDR, and found “our” wait team on the third night. We sat with them for the rest of the cruise. Partially because the head waiter shared the name of one of our favorite tv characters. Dinner in the MDR was sometimes more leisurely than I would have liked, but I enjoyed all the food. There was chocolate melting cake almost every day. I liked the Indian Vegetarian Dinner. One night, hubby and I ordered cookies and milk in our cabin. As much food as there was everywhere, I didn’t feel the need to overeat.There was always more food.

 

 

Jamie Dee, the cruise director, was ALWAYS moving. I don’t know what they give her but I want some. I have nowhere NEAR that amount of energy. Sometimes I just enjoyed sitting back and watching her do her cruise director thing.

 

It was impossible to get into the comedy club.

 

I never need to hear the theme from Cheers, Living Next Door to Alice, or Sweet Caroline again.

 

.

 

Do you remember the names of your wait team? we have anytime dining as well and it will be good to know

 

thanks for your review!!!

[lotusbogardi]

Do you remember the names of your wait team? we have anytime dining as well and it will be good to know

 

thanks for your review!!!

 

Our head waiter was Saka, he's from Indonesia. Our assistant waiter was Sonila (Soni), and she's from India. we had a third waiter too, but we saw him less often.

 

~Grammatical errors? spelling mistakes? nonsensical sentences? Don't blame me, blame tapatalk! ~

[oncruisecontrol]

Thanks for posting your review. I really enjoyed reading it. You have a great writing style. Also, that's a really cute photo of your daughters.

[gapearl]

Your girls are wayyyyyyyy too cute! Very nice review, thanks for posting!

[vivavegas]

Great review! Thanks for sharing with us. Your girls are little cuties!:)

[lotusbogardi]

Connor and I took the middle glass elevator up to the 10th floor to get to the steakhouse. As we rode up, we were confronted with David in all his glory. Helloooo David! There were two other couples on the elevator with us, and they sounded like they had a portuguese accent (to me). The women remarked upon David’s anatomy, and one grumped “I don’t know why there are so many naked people on this ship”. I wanted to laugh. The atmosphere in the steakhouse is quite elegant and formal. I still feel like a kid playing dress-up when I do things like that.

 

I have courteously protected David's modesty in this picture.

 

We got our free bottle of red wine for booking the first night. This made me quite happy, of course. We both ordered a cocktail as well. As we sat there chatting, the waitress brought us each a small plate, compliments of the chef. Mine contained a Chinese-style soup spoon with about a tablespoon full of tomato soup garnished with a wee crouton and some parmesan cheese. Connor’s contained a small cheeseburger the size of a cocktail meatball on a similarly Lilliputian bun. When she walked away, Connor looked at me meaningfully, and then down at the cheeseburger and back.

 

“It’s an amuse-bouche”, I said.

“I am not amused”.

 

I ate my soup and his cheeseburger sat there for at least 30 seconds. I finally asked if he was going to eat it. He said that he refused to dignify the cheeseburger by eating it. More food for me! The cheeseburger was wonderful, actually. The meat hadn’t been overworked, it was seasoned well, and perfectly cooked throughout. The tomato soup was pretty good too, but not spectacular. In all, I appreciated the cheeseburger more. The rest of the meal was pretty wonderful, and well worth the price we paid. It had all those little flourishes that make foodies (like me) happy, and confuse non-foodies (like hubby).

 

We both loved the crab cake (I ate his garnish) and the spinach salad. I did the surf and turf, and next time, I will just do the straight steak. The lobster was very tasty and not tough (which is so easy to do with lobster), but I just wanted more meat. Connor demolished the spice-rubbed 18oz ribeye, and loved it so much that he said he wished we could have eaten there a second night. We each had the chocolate sampler as well. Connor liked the Chocolate Marquise and I loved the Banana Pannacotta. I often have a problem with pannacotta tasting to “eggy” for me (I know it’s a custard, but eggy is not one of my favorite flavors), and the banana covered that nicely. We both had to leave dessert unfinished. As we waddled out, he confided “They won”.

[lotusbogardi]

I have to admit that as prepared as I THOUGHT I was for Nassau, I really wasn’t. There were only two ships in port but there was simply a mass of people on the streets. The map I had wasn’t as clear as I thought it was, so we ended up asking directions from a nearby cop, who was quite helpful. The jitney we got onto looked pretty new, and I was quite amused when people started pulling down the middle row. I thought it was a creative solution, but it made things even tighter. Everyone was very friendly to us, and the jitney driver let us off right where we asked.

 

Watching people drive on the left side of the street was much more disconcerting than I expected it to be. The road to Ardastra was long, and somewhat deserted looking and that made me apprehensive, but we made the trek with no problems. None of the maps I had seen were “google earth” types done to scale, and I was very much out of my element. Ardastra itself was small, and I thought somewhat dinky at first glance. We pushed through the exhibits so that we would be on time for lory feeding, and then ended up being early. We bought drinks and my new hat and then wandered back to feed the lorys. They were SO CUTE! And for some reason they loved Connor. One or two would perch on me at a time, while Connor had three on each hand. The Lory attendant was very personable and really seemed to care that we were having a good time. He was very sweet.

 

Feeding lorys.

 

We milled around after feeding lorys because I really wanted to see the marching flamingos. The peacocks were just running loose, one of them had his tail at full bloom and was rattling its feathers at a younger peacock, his peahen and two little peachicks. The small family ignored him completely. I think they were used to his sabre rattling. The flamingos were magnificent. Most of the flamingos readily took direction from the drill-sergeant/trainer, but there was one little one at the end that seemed to want to do its own thing. The Drill-Sargeant kept having to go around and bring it back in line with the others. It reminded me of my oldest daughter, who gets caught up in everything but what she’s supposed to be doing. There was also a lovely young woman narrating the show and giving helpful facts about the flamingos. She also threw in side-bits about the “man-eating monsters”, as she encouraged us to have our pictures taken with them. I think the unruly one was the one that came directly up to me to look me in the eye.

 

Peafowl family

 

Flamingos face-to-face.

 

After the flamingo show, Connor and I walked back to the very front of the zoo and went through the exhibits one at a time. I believe Ardastra has seen better days, and probably more funding in years past. It wasn’t the usual paved, pristine showplaces that some US zoos are (You can barely catch a whiff of monkey scent at the Philadelphia Zoo’s monkeyhouse), but all in all I found it very charming. The animals themselves seemed well nourished and well cared-for. The grounds were clean, there was ample recycling opportunities, and the paths were clear. The employees were friendly and seemed invested in the animals' care, and in the end I was left with a much better impression than I had in the beginning.

 

When we walked along the sidewalk near the beach along West Bay Street, I was somewhat saddened by the debris on the ground and in the sand. I think it was a “locals beach”. We ordered from a lunch truck (I want to say Sadie’s Famous?) and the proprietress asked me if I wanted “pepper” on it. I said yes. When we got past the pier and to Junkanoo Beach, that changed sharply. This area was well cleaned and well kept for the benefit of the tourists. I could see laying out and playing in the water at Junkanoo. Unfortunately, as time went on, both our energy waned. Also, people were packing up, and it was after four.

 

We made our way from there to the straw market. I was looking for souvenirs for my girls and this seemed as good a place as any. Most of the stalls were selling similar products for similar prices. The “deal” came out almost immediately “That hat is $15, but I’ll let you have 2 for $28”. We found the Tortuga Rum Cake Store almost completely by accident, and bought our rum cakes there. I found out later they were the exact same price on the ship. We got a few bags of coconut candy at the local grocery. I later looked at the package and noticed it said MADE IN THE USA. I took it out of the package and put it out at work, the girls loved it, so I don’t think it really mattered.

 

I liked Nassau. In the future, I would probably do the same exact thing. Well, perhaps with more time spent ON Junkanoo beach, and not so much time wandering down West Bay Street. Perhaps even take the return jitney closer to Junkanoo so we had more time there.

[lotusbogardi]

I spent a lot of time on my cruise realizing that there is a huge difference between knowing things intellectually and knowing them viscerally. I was prepared for an industrial port when we arrived in Freeport, and I was able to appreciate the bits of beauty that stuck out to me. The little shopping village outside of the gangplank seemed strange juxtaposed with the large pieces of machinery.

 

(Pulling into Freeport WAY too friggin early)

 

(Huge Industrial Machinery)

 

It was raining lightly when we got off the ship, and it continued to rain throughout the day. We took a shuttle over to Unexso, and our driver told us to call him Desmond or Des. Des pointed out local sights and gave a bit of history, including the national bird, the national tree, the national food, and the national drink. “The National Drink”, he proclaimed. He announced the title of every subject as if he were reading them (or had memorized them) from an encyclopedia. This almost always resulted in him repeating the first three words as he got into the subject. “The National Drink is the Bahama Mama. But, you have to be careful. Tourists get here and they drink The Bahama Mama like it is the Kool-Aid. Then they stand up and the wheels fall off”. We all laughed.

 

As he drove and talked, I noticed the juxtapositions all over. Areas that appeared to be in disrepair or poverty-stricken directly adjacent to luxurious resorts and shopping areas that looked like they were plunked down whole, like someone playing a giant game of Sim-City. Some areas looked like they had once been bustling and possibly affluent were now abandoned. 2 or 3 stores open in a once-bustling strip mall. Des pointed out the tallest building on the island, a condo complex 17 stories high. As we drove past, I could tell it was damaged and empty. He pointed out trees that had been snapped in half by hurricanes in 2004.

 

Our Lucaya appeared to be the newest resort plunked down in the midst of it all. I only got to catch a few glimpses before we pulled up at UNEXSO. We stood in line and got our bracelets. Then we we rode a boat through the canal system out to the lagoon. Our boat captain quizzed us about the Bahamas and showed us points of interest, basically giving us another tour. Some of the houses we saw on the way plain took my breath away, and were less expensive than my own!

 

When we arrived at the lagoon, one group was taken over to one sectioned-off area, our group of twelve was taken to another. A third, much smaller, group was taken to a third area. The third group had apparently signed up for the open ocean swim, but were unable to do that because of the choppiness of the water.

 

We were all outfitted with swim-fins and walked over to be briefed on the dolphins and what the expectations were. The trainers talked with us the whole time and encouraged us to ask questions. Soon the first group was in the water (I deliberately stayed back so I could observe the first group), and interacting with the dolphins. I can’t put into words how overwhelming it was to watch the dolphins. The general idea was to swim next to them with one hand on their back. The dolphin would follow where you were swimming. One girl suddenly cried out “I lost my dolphin!” and then it popped out of the water on her other side. It was teasing her! After everyone had their swim time there were dolphin tricks (patting the water would signal the dolphin to come, and different hand signals would get them to twirl, swim backward, splash, or speak), and pictures (swimming with, hugging, and kissing them). Then it was our group’s turn.

 

It is generally a bad idea to wear contact lenses in the water, so hubby and I both wore our glasses. I was afraid to lose mine (Only had them two months), and I ended up putting them on the dock. Uncorrected my vision is worse than 20/200. I probably should have kept my glasses on. Out in the lagoon with Cayla (my dolphin), it seemed like there was this magic bubble around me (Even though hubby was swimming out there with a dolphin too). For a time, all that existed was me and Cayla swimming in the lagoon as I murmured to her how beautiful I thought she was. I think Cayla realized that I couldn’t see very well, so when I got out to where she considered to be too far, she would nudge me over and turn me back toward the group. Connor noticed this and asked if I was having fun “walking my dolphin”. I called back that I thought the dolphin was walking me.

 

We did our dolphin tricks and took our pictures, then it was everyone out of the pool! The dolphins gave a bit of a performance, jumping and flipping out of the water, and then we were herded back to a pavilion where we dried off and tried to stay out of the rain. I may have gotten a picture of a parrot or two. We finally got back on the boats and rode back to UNEXSO over the open ocean, receiving yet a third tour. I loved that boat ride.

 

 

Back at the main facility, we all went upstairs to peruse our photos and purchase them. Unfortunately, it seemed like the camera was malfunctioning, and many people ended up with blurry photos. The cashier was kind enough to allow us to have them for free, even though the quality wasn’t perfect. According to Unexso's website you could take a swim at their pool. It was a beautiful pool, but no-one wanted to get into the water while it was raining. You could also get something to eat at the bar and grill, but hubby and I preferred to grab lunch on Lido. We wandered around the shop awhile, then ended up back on the shuttle, anxious to get back to the ship. Des chatted with us the whole way back, and while he was talking about the Bahamas and Bahamians, I really felt that the poverty that I saw on the island didn't define them as a people.

 

The dolphin swim was amazing. It is impossible to put into words how overwhelming and beautiful it was. The trainers at Unexso are very skilled and they genuinely care about the welfare of the dolphins. They were very specific about where you should and should not touch the dolphins, and they do not offer a dolphin “push” or “pull”. They treated the dolphins very respectfully at all times. They also gave us tee-shirts, which I didn’t know would be included. That was a nice bonus.

 

This excursion was my first time ever wearing swim fins. I didn’t like them. I am already a strong swimmer and naturally buoyant. Due to my foot size, I ended up with a very long fin and they would hit each other as I was swimming. That was unbelievably distracting. I felt they were more of a hindrance than a help. I keep getting told, however, that they are useful for ocean swimming. I may try swim fins again, but much smaller ones.

 

If I visit Freeport again, and I plan to, I want to go to Deadman’s reef/paradise cove, but I also will take an opportunity to do a dolphin swim again. I guess that means I have to go back at least twice.

[dixieva]

Enjoying your review!

 

Could you tell me what time the ship got back to Baltimore after the cruise was over?

[lotusbogardi]

I believe we docked around 8am and I'm pretty sure debarkation started by 9. Hubby and I debarked at 10:30.

[dixieva]

Thanks! I'm doing this cruise in Oct. and was wondering what time the ship actually gets back.

[TrinaLC]

Our head waiter was Saka, he's from Indonesia. Our assistant waiter was Sonila (Soni), and she's from India. we had a third waiter too, but we saw him less often.

 

We had Saka as well (quite young, braces?). He was wonderful. We requested him every dinner.

[sparks1093]

Your review just makes me want October to get here that much quicker!

[Cruise_Q]

Really enjoyed your review...Q:p

[lotusbogardi]

Thank you to everyone who said they liked my review. I was worried it was going to be too long/ wordy, but now I see that I could have gone into more detail on a few things. I just didn't want to bore anyone with my excruciating minutia.

 

Thank you, also, for the compliments on my girls. They absolutely are too cute. We really got a couple of good rolls in the genetic crapshoot.

 

Yes, Saka is quite young with braces. He was so sweet and really worked hard. So did Soni. I loved to see him smile. Sometimes I would see him smiling with his lips covering his teeth, as if he was trying to not show his braces. But then his real smile would break through, and it would light up his whole face.

 

~Grammatical errors? spelling mistakes? nonsensical sentences? Don't blame me, blame tapatalk! ~

[ElsieToo]

As we sat there chatting, the waitress brought us each a small plate, compliments of the chef. Mine contained a Chinese-style soup spoon with about a tablespoon full of tomato soup garnished with a wee crouton and some parmesan cheese. Connor’s contained a small cheeseburger the size of a cocktail meatball on a similarly Lilliputian bun. When she walked away, Connor looked at me meaningfully, and then down at the cheeseburger and back.

 

“It’s an amuse-bouche”, I said.

“I am not amused”.

 

 

This had me cracking up. :D

[saltmom1]

Great review!

 

BTW, score one for DH. He is one of the few who actually know that it is a walrus, NOT a seal. What some consider forms a certain part of anatomy is the tusks of the walrus.

 

"David" thanks you for his modesty. :p