A Quiet Spot in Nassau

We stopped at Christ Church Cathedral in Nassau to rest a few minutes and admire the stained glass windows.

Unfortunately we did not have much time to see all the sights. Other than visiting the church, the museum of slavery, and the souvenir markets, we walked up and down a few blocks, stopping for refreshments at Dunkin Donuts. We also spent 20 minutes in an internet cafe checking email because it was much cheaper there than on the ship.

Bright Colors of Freedom

The pier for the cruise ships in Nassau leads directly into a building with shops and tourist information. You can pose with this replica of a Junkanoo costume.

The Junkanoo Parade is a celebration of freedom left over from the days of slavery. The slaves had very few days off so when they finally got a couple of holidays around Christmas time, they held a celebration.

We were not in Nassau very long but I was fortunate to come across the Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation. I was reading a book called Sugar Changed the World in order to write a review for Amazon Vine and it went into detail about slavery in the Caribbean, which was generally more horrific and deadly than slavery in the United States. (The death rate of slaves on sugar plantations was so high that huge numbers of slaves were imported just to replace those who died or were maimed. Did you know that 96 percent of slaves taken from Africa to the Americas went to the sugar-producing areas of the Caribbean and South America?)

Welcome to Nassau

The second port of call on our cruise was Nassau, capital of the Bahamas.
You probably know that Columbus landed in the Bahamas. Did you know that over half the country's workforce is involved in tourism? I suppose we did our part by buying a few things in the straw market.

Here's an interesting statement from Wikipedia: "By the terms of GDP per capita, the Bahamas is the third richest country in the Americas (following the United States and Canada), the richest one that lies south of the Mexico - US border, as well as the richest one in the world whose population is predominantly of African origin."

Port of Nassau at Night

I took these photos from the balcony of our state room. Other cruise ships were docked near us.

Touring by large ship turned out to be rushed and crowded. As I mentioned before, we did not have enough time in Nassau. Just part of a single afternoon does not allow you to explore much of the city. I suppose if your only goal is to buy some souvenirs, it would be adequate.

Back to the Ship, Nassau

After a brief afternoon in Nassau we went back to the ship. Reboarding always takes a while because everyone has to line up to go through security. Ship security is not as intrusive as security at an airport in that you don't have to remove your shoes but it's still a nuisance, especially if you are tired and need to get off your feet.

Our Cruise Itinerary

We just returned from an ocean cruise, our first. It's not really my "thing" but Frank really enjoyed it except for the crowds and my frequent whining about the coffee. Here's a summary of our route.

• Drove to Baltimore (3 hours)
• Boarded Enchantment of the Seas, cruised to Florida
• Port Canaveral - shuttle bus to Cocoa Beach
• Cruised to Nassau, Bahamas
• Cruised to Coco Cay, Bahamas
• Cruised to Key West, Florida
• Cruised 3 days back to Baltimore, drove home.

At the End of the Cruise

I posted most of our cruise photos in December but stopped to cover Christmas and those important visits with family members. Here's the final image taken from the ship. We were returning to Baltimore early in the morning. I was really happy to be nearing home. I couldn't wait to have really satisfying meals again, to say nothing of having regular internet access.

On the ship, we had purchased blocks of internet time which cost 55 cents a minute. Naturally I used it sparingly, just enough to avoid the loneliness of losing touch with family members. I composed emails and blog posts while offline and pasted them in when I got back online. It reminded me of the old days when I had only a dial-up connection, one that competed with voice calls for use of my only phones. That was back before cell phones - can you believe it?

I've written some complaints about the cruise on this blog and and on Facebook but certainly there were nice things about the trip too. I particularly enjoyed visiting Nassau and Key West, and it was a lovely having warm and sunny weather in December.

I suppose the first day got me off to a negative start: the long lines to get through security, the crowds at the elevators, and the utterly dismaying discovery that there was only one brand of decaf coffee on the whole ship and it was undrinkable. I had brought some packets of a decent instant coffee but about half of those had gotten ruined before we even reached the ship when a bottle of water spilled in my snack bag. (That's what I get for refilling water bottles - they leak if they tip over.)

So my first impression of the ship was that it was like a white-collar prison! You couldn't get off during the days at sea, and there was no way to get good coffee. A couple of days later we disembarked at our first port of call and I bought a supply of decaf in Cocoa Beach. That helped my mood and I realized that the ship is not like a prison, it's more like Busch Gardens without any rides. After all, we saw fancy faux-decor, crowds of people, and some high-energy shows. They weren't of Broadway quality but most were amusing (although I did walk out on a pianist who hammered the keys in a noisy, jarring way).

I must say that the Royal Caribbean staff worked very hard. They were well-organized, helpful and often charming. Many of them are actually from the Caribbean and spend nine months at a time working on the ship. Then they get a long break so they can visit their families.

Key Posts About the Cruise:

• Our Itinerary
• Windows on the Ship
• Solarium
• State Room
• Back to the Ship