8-day sail-away continued - Bring on the Bahamas & HELP!
Good morning -
Cruise staterooms are a preference. Those that have followed our adventures know that we prefer a balcony. We enjoy the views, the sounds and on this trip the family visits! We asked our steward to open the balcony dividers between us and made our traveling with family experience even better. Speaking of views @ 6:41am we see the crescent moon and by 7:48am Tommy is enjoying the sunrise as we came into Freeport, Bahamas.
Freeport, Bahamas seems to be mostly an industrial area. The port has just a little shopping and eating available. There are plenty of excursions that you can book with Carnival, but we did not do that at this port. I was not sure what we would do and really did not plan to get off the boat. I figured with many people exploring, Tommy could enjoy a less crowded pool or play putt-putt, but as we sat at breakfast our window was overlooking the shops, and he began to point and say “let’s go!” lol so we did! We found several souvenirs. Tommy found himself a necklace and a hand-carved dolphin. It was a win win for him! There was also one lady pirate that he particularly liked! LOL
We got back on board and swam a little while, with our shades on of course so the eyes dont reveal the “girl watching”!! lol We also watched “the Lorax” on the big screen until he needed a snack before dinner and our evening show!
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
This is Carnival’s private island (port of call)! I knew that we were going to have to “tender” to the island today which would be a new experience for Tommy. With our “faster to the fun” and our umbrella rental it classified us with excursions tickets. This gave us a little priority loading so we took advantage of that. The waters were calm, and I was thankful! Tommy was “studying” his current situation not knowing exactly what this boat ride would be like! He was watching his footing as we stepped on the boat. We found a spot along the outside and he was able to watch out the sides as we headed towards the island and away from the ship. It is just beautiful here. We found twelve chairs and set up our umbrellas for shade and Tommy went straight to the water. It was so very cold, but water temperature has never phased him. He kept his sights on the ship the entire day… He knew it was his way home - guess he was making sure it did not leave him! LOL
The rest of us finally took the plunge and enjoyed the water. The boys brought their gear and snorkeled some and we enjoyed the sun, fun and lunch that was provided. I brought Tom some snacks and got him a couple of bananas, because French fries were not on the menu today!! LOL
Happy to load on the tender boat and get back on the ship! He showered and posed for us as we relaxed on the balcony getting ready to set sail for our next port! More dinner, dancing and entertainment was instore for us tonight and we were ready!!
HELP, HELP, HELP!
The family went in a few different directions at this port. Heath and Casey were scuba diving. A few were swimming with dolphins and the remaining 7 of us we’re having a beach day at Blue Lagoon. Heath and I have actually visited here in July of 2017. It was nice, quiet and peaceful then… I was a little disappointed this trip because it was so crowded. There were four ships in port this day so lots of people but also seemed like they tried to expand to hold more tourist, but the outcome was just congestion. It had lost its retreat charm!
We found chairs but they were so far down the lagoon, the water was shallow, and no umbrellas were left to relax with some shade. We spent a little time in the water, which I believe was colder than Half Moon Cay, LOL
We decided to go ahead to the lunch area as the line was already so long. Our meal was included with our excursion and French fries were available! This area was nice! Tables were shadded and we enjoyed a cool breeze as we ate! All was good!
The trip!
In order to get to the lagoon from the ship you had to board a ferry. They had several styles but the one we ended up on was more like a speed boat. The entire bottom of the boat had windows but doors to seal off the water. The top level where the captain sat also had a small, enclosed area and this is where we found a seat. As we pushed away from the dock, they gave a safety briefing. The music came on and I thought we would have a great ride. I believe Tommy was expecting something similar to our tender the day before but when the lady came over the loudspeaker and stated that our ride would be about 20 minutes and it may be a little rough, I immediately began to worry… He was fixing to get more than what he bargained for!! LOL
As we reached the open water and were speeding up the waves began hitting the windows on the top deck and Tommy grabbed the back of the seat in front of him tightly… He began to yell “HELP!” not once, not twice, but three times before we reached the lagoon. He finally just buried his head in my shoulder and I just bean to sing in his ear to get his mind off of the ride!
As we docked, he yelled out “We Made It!!” LOL
Now writing and telling this story it is hilarious but to the man in front of Tommy as he screamed in his ear for most of the ride, I am not sure he was laughing… I did apologize to him several times!
Encounters
After lunch, we picked up our gear and thought that maybe we could observe the dolphin or sea lion encounters that were at the lagoon. The rest rooms were clean and provided a large changing room, so I was able to help Tommy get out of his wet clothes and comfortable and we headed to the dolphin area. There were piers all around the enclosures and Tommy was able to see them interact up close. Honestly this was the best part of the day. I would like to try this type of excursion with him in the future. Now that he has seen what they do he will remember that when it comes his turn to participate.
“Ship / Boat"?”
In the back of my mind all day, I knew I had to get Tommy back on the ferry to return to the ship. I felt if we could get on the same boat for the return trip, he would know what to expect. This time I just wanted in the bottom and in the center. Thankfully the staff there, when we explained the situation were happy to make that happen. Heath had called me as we were getting ready to board stating that he and Casey had just finished the scuba diving excursion, and I told him to pray we had a good ride back… They had a great time on their adventure underwater! Think he was glad he missed the Blue Lagoon after I explained that it was not what he would remember…
It truly was such a different ride back! Tommy was happy and even enjoyed the Macarena on the way back!!
FYI, those are not clouds on the boat ride passing by, but the water waves hitting the boat:)
He still said, “We Made It!!” when we arrived, and he was correct! We did make it! LOL
God Bless - More to come!
