Window to Our World: Caribbean Cruising 2017

In late February, we drove to Galveston and caught the Carnival Freedom

to Key West and the Bahamas. It's a route we've done before,

but that was way back before we started this blog, soo...

Linda, checking out our home away from home for the next week!

At the very front of the ship

we found these big, round,

family sized

covered recliners

where I try to fit in one last call

before we cast off.

I think it was Jamey

on the other end

when the All Clear

was sounded

with a deafening

BOOOM!

And suddenly we were

heading for

the open seas!

The first full day was a blur, but in the evening we enjoyed

the first formal dinner in the Posh Restaurant.

Great company, Great food, and Great entertainment!

But the most fun was

walking this babe around ship after dinner

and trying our luck in the casino.

Sorry, no cameras!

Next morning we start the day

with hot tea and coffee

and a crossword puzzle.

just like at home!

Because of 35 MPH headwinds,

the ship was a little behind schedule,

and the sea was too rough to dock at Key West,

so we made for Freeport, Grand Bahama Island!

We've been here before, but it was when the kids were with us,
so that's years ago now. We found a tour that would take us
to many of those old favorite places!

First stop was the perfume factory, where they import
many exotic essences that are used to create their special fragrances.

Here they'll even create a custom fragrance for you!

We have fond memories of a vacation here at the Jack Tar Village

on the west end of this Island. That was "BC" (before children).

We drove into the International Bazaar, for shopping and lunch, and a Rendezvous.

That was the tropical drink of the house, at a cafe named Le Rendezvous,

and believe me when I say, one was enough!

Sadly, the Bazaar is no more. It has been replaced

by a new Market, built at Lucaya Beach.

Lucaya Beach is another favorite spot where we brought the kids

on a different vacation!

We stayed at this Holiday Inn property, but in October 2016,

a hurricane came and stayed 36 hours. It's been closed

since then, but with a plan to rebuild it!

The old beach is still in great shape!

I really wanted that green parrot on the right,
but the security guard couldn't be bribed...not even for $ 20 American!

On our drive back to the boarding dock...

Back on board for a late lunch,

We decided to try something we'd been looking forward to...
Guy Fieri is now in cahoots with Carnival, and every ship has a
Guy's Burger Joint

It's like a little cheeseburger factory that churns out some terrific burgers!

The workers all wear these...

I gotta say Guy's way is one of the best burgers ever, on land or sea!

and you're just a few short steps away from backyard style seating

Or take it pool side!

And to be clear, this is just lunch. We'll have dinner later in the Posh!
Another great evening, and fun musical show, then:

Next stop: Nassau, and Paradise Island

Nassau is the capital of the Islands, and has lots to see and do.
And one thing you should see is the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island!

It's a magnificent hotel/casino/water park and a place
our family visited some years ago. For that reason, we headed
over to see the place again!

Just like we remembered it!
If you are not a guest of the hotel, you can't enter the water park,
but we looked around the lobby and open areas again

and recalled how fun it was back in the day!

Plus
they let
anybody of age
visit the casino,

and my lovely wife
worked the slots
for 35 clams!

That was fun,
now let's
hit the beach!

For a $ 2 cab fare you can ride from the Atlantis to a public beach

five minutes away. We brought our swimsuits but after trying the water

yesterday, it was doubtful that this boy would swim again.

But a ton of Florida spring-breakers were there,

and they were swimming (in between cocktails!)

Aaah, fresh ocean air!

Local beach
entre-preneurs will sell
you 3 tropical drinks for $10,

which seemed
like a
bargain

so hit me
with a coconut!

This guy looked like Billy Joel

so I kept saying "Billy!"
and "Piano man!"
to make him look,
but naawh!

Hey!
Mama Cass!

After our three, we were ready for some sight seeing,
so we met a cabbie that would take us on a private tour of
Nassau and Cable Beach. And he agreed to
take us to a local cafe for lunch (he hadn't eaten either!)

So after seeing the Parliment buildings and the old fortress

It was time for the Fish Fry!
That's not a cafe, but a row of cafes, all serving local chow!

They got Twin Brothers, Goldie's Conch fritters,
Brunos, Frankie Gone Bananas,

but today it's Oh, Andros!

We chose the fried Conch with brown rice, cole slaw and mac & cheese!
At our driver's suggestion we shared a meal, and we still couldn't eat it all!

In case you didn't know, conch is what lives in those big
beautiful, pink seashells that you can hear the ocean roar in,
that your Grandma probably used as a doorstop.

See? They give you a ton!

After lunch, we hopped back in the taxi,
and continued our tour out to Cable Beach

Cable Beach was the cool place back in the day.
They had great beaches, fine hotels and casinos! They are currently
undergoing a renovation by some rich sheik that's sinking a ton of money
into a resort that will be even bigger than the Atlantis!

The new resort so far!

Back at our boat dock, I try to catch up on the news
at a little cafe called "Linda's Place" and
No it had nothing to do with that chick in the bikini!

So long Nassau, so long Atlantis

This black yacht showed up since we arrived this morning.
It was registered from Denmark, or Sweden...hmmm
Maybe it belongs to those Ilvis Brothers?

Should have mentioned these two earlier;
Shelby and Megan. We met these two on the first day,
at muster, even before the shipped sailed!
We kept running into them, and the rest of their family,
until we became cruise friends!