Cruise to the Bahamas

Last week Rachel and I took a cruise to the Bahamas. It was our first time ever on a cruise and we didn't know quite what to expect. We were worried about the size of the room, and how much we were going to have to spend on food and blah blah blah. I think that a cruise is has got to be the most self-contained vacation you could possibly have. We had a great time. The food is cooked and prices are included in the cruise ticket price. You could probably gain 10lbs if you aren't careful, cause there is "free" food 24-7. The only extras you pay for are gambling and alcohol, and since Rachel and I don't participate in those activities we didn't end up spending a bunch of extra money. We traveled on the Carnival Fascination. Carnival may not be the nicest, most luxurious cruise line, but is probably the most fun, at least according to some of the cruise aficionados I met on board. There are live shows to see, comedy acts to see, and Rachel's all time favorite: Karaoke Night. We flew to Florida on Thursday night, left Miami Friday, arrived in Nassau, Bahamas on Saturday and got back to Miami on Monday. We went swimming in the warmest clearest bluest ocean water I have ever personally seen, went to a massive resort called Atlantis on Paradise Island, and spent an afternoon walking through the aquariums and pools they have, saw the Michael Jackson Suite (the most expensive hotel suite in the world at $25,000 a night with a four night minimum booking. It's the "bridge" between the two buildings), frolicked in the ocean, listened to some crazy tour guides and just had a great time overall. I would definitely do it again. Not stay at Atlantis (cause I'm not rich) but go on a cruise. Or go to the Bahamas again. There isn't much to do there except go to the beach or to the resorts. I was a little surprised at that. The capital city didn't have a movie theater or fancy restaurants. It was mostly about tourists buying trinkets. There were some pretty aggressive ones too. They would come up to you and put stuff in your hand saying it was free and then ask for a "donation." When my donation wasn't large enough, they took their "free" stuff back, called me cheap and walked away in a huff. It reminded me of the Markets in Mexico where I served my mission.