15 Feb 2014 - Bahamas were Bah-eautiful

Boarding the Norwegian Sky.

Miami skyline. 

Sunset in the Atlantic

Every night was a different 'animal'.

Atlantis included lots of Jules Verne.

Sea horse through 3/4 " plexiglass.

Scraggly Queen of Atlantas

We didn't go down the slide but did the tube slide in the dark beside it. Awesome!

We arrived back from our cruise yesterday and it was a great holiday! I had never heard of Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) but the service was terrific and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and return for another cruise. The 'free-style' cruising is a nice change from the more formal kind and we enjoy both.

The drive to Miami was find and except for one small wrong turn, which we were able to quickly fix, we got to the port and parked the car without any difficulty. The process for getting onto the ship was really effortless and they Norwegian staff have good customer service down to a fine science. We were on board by noon and although we didn't have access to our room for a while, we had a beautiful lunch and then wandered around the ship to get our bearings. When we did get in, we were quite happy with the accommodations and may have spoiled future cruises by getting this one with a balcony. We watched the ship pull out from Miami and unpacked. The nightly entertainment on board was great and there were no end of things to do...or to do nothing. We chose to share a table at supper with 2 other couples each night and met some wonderful, interesting people.

Day 2 was a stop at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas which is a small island owned by NCL and has a beach and snorkeling, jet skis, etc. The one thing it didn't seem to have was any shade and we opted not to go off the ship. I think half, or more of the passengers did get off so we had a wonderful quiet day by the pool, napped and continued to eat non-stop (or so it seemed) the whole day. It was awesome and listening to the sunburned people at supper who did go to the island, we think we made the best choice. The performers who put on the nightly entertainment did an amazing job of performing hits tunes from The Supremes, The Temptations, Gloria Gaynor and more and it was a full-energy show.

Day 3 was AWESOME!! From the time I first heard/saw advertisements for the Atlantis complex in Nassau, I was hooked and our visit there did not disappoint! It was a beautiful, jaw-dropping experience for me and yes....we did a few of the slides and loved it all. We would have done more of the bigger slides but believe it or not, we had about 5 hrs there and with so much to see, there simply wasn't time. As it was, we got lost trying to find our way back to where the bus was picking us up and I think I could do at least 4 days there in order to swim in all the pools, visit all the aquariums, and experience all the slides. The trip down the Lazy River, complete with rapids, was fabulous and we wanted to get right back on our tubes and go again but just not enough time. The entire day was unforgettable and I expect we will do this cruise again, just to get to spend another day here. There are a group of about 25, 15-year-old girls from Mexico celebrating the equivalent of 'Sweet 16' and each one was prettier than the next...and wore tighter, shorter, clothes. It was quite entertaining.

Day 4 was all about shopping in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, and once again, we opted to stay on board. It's duty free in Freeport but, as much as it pains me to say it, I just don't need much of anything and decided to spend some $$$ on a good massage instead as my back has been tight and painful for a couple of weeks. It certainly helped and I had a good sleep that night although I need to do some serious stretching. It was a much cooler day and had rained a bit so we watched some Olympics on television and again, ate and ate and ate and ate and ate.......  That night's entertainment was nothing short of spectacular! The 14 singers and dancers did a Las Vegas show that was top notch and the NCL had spent a lot of money on beautiful costumes--we were impressed. By the time we finished watching the show, it was time to pack and be ready to vacate our room by 9 am the next morning.

Once again, the process for getting off the ship was effortless and we were in the car and on the way home by 9:30 am. We did have another little glitch when Gertie (the GPS) didn't take into account the fact that we are a little stupid and can't follow directions but we got ourselves back on track and on the proper road. We decided to take Hwy 41 aka Alligator Alley back and see if the alligators were still as numerous and big and they were a couple of years ago. Yes and yes. We stopped to pick up a few groceries and when we got into the condo, it felt like we were 'home'. It was a great trip.

This morning we decided to check out one of the many farmer's markets in the area and stock up on some fresh fruits and veggies. No more fries, ice cream, and cream pies....my clothes are more than a little tight! We bought as much as we figured two people can eat in a week and then headed downtown for breakfast or brunch. We forgot that today was the Ferrari Festival and discovered the main street was closed off but found a parking space and went to see what the other half drives. Try to imagine a street that is about 15 blocks long and both sides of the street are lined with privately owned (no car dealers here) Ferraris, Porches (new and antique), Corvettes, Lamborghinis, Rolls Royce's, Audis, and other antique cars! It was mind boggling that even with the obvious wealth in Naples, this many cars would be available to show. We wandered and looked for a while and then sat down to have something to eat and met a lovely couple from the Netherlands who are very familiar with Gorichem, where Wayne's ancestors came from originally. By the time we said goodbye to them, the crowd had grown to being uncomfortable and the temperature was rising to 78 degrees....time to get the heck out of there. We stopped at a gym across the road from us to check out the facilities and Lynnie will be doing the yoga thing starting Monday morning!

Tomorrow will probably be a beach day and I'll continue to fight the urge to collect more shells...and lose. The weather has been beautiful here...in the mid-70's...but is supposed to start rising next week which means the early morning will be the time to do anything that requires physical effort. The afternoon is for napping, shopping, etc. Hope everyone at home is well. I see on FB that little Libby has been out of sorts but is still able to mimic her Daddy's vocabulary. I'm just grateful she wasn't mimicking mine! Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx