Had an awesome week on our cruise/visit to Jacksonville last week. Highly recommend it. We left out Monday morning and BARELY made it to the boat. Partially because we had to take a different route due to interstate closures around Lake City and partially because I read all the information back in March when we received the tickets and the part about "must arrive one hour prior to departure" slipped my mind. Note to self: re-read all applicable documentation prior to leaving home! So, needless to say, by the time I DID read that part in the ticket package, we were already in Perry, Florida and had like, two and a half hours to make it there! But, praise to Jesus, we did make.....with two minutes to spare. The terminal was EMPTY though, so I guess that was a benefit! haha.
I have to say that this was one of the best value vacations we have ever taken. We planned to do a road trip, trying to save some money from a typical vacation, but by the time we figured the gas, hotels, entertainment, etc. involved we figured that we wouldn't be saving much money, so I checked with the travel agent and got a much better deal with this cruise. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that our dinner table group paid over $150 more than we did WITH his military discount. And we didn't even book early.
Really though, we had a wonderful, relaxing time. You could run yourself to death on a cruise – there is so much to do. We chose to resist the urge though, and spent a great deal of time doing very little. Watched some new movies that we just out, played cards in the lounge areas, listened to live music and just had a great time. Plus we took a nap every day! Yay!
Nassau stunk though. I don't recommend it at all. People hawking their wares all over the place, together with bad driving, large crowds, 100 degree weather and high humidity did not make for a lovely vacation spot in my estimation. CocoCay (a private island owned by Royal Caribbean) made up for it though. It was wonderful. Looked like a movie set with its teal water, palm trees, brightly colored buildings, hammocks, etc. We went snorkeling there, which was one of the highlights of the whole trip. I've never snorkeled before and the water was so clear and the fish were colorful. Really nice day trip. Wish we could just go back there!
The food really lived up to its reputation also! It was wonderful.....and constant! Needless to say, I have blown my diet, but it's back to the gym this week. I loved how they decorated the buffets and made them so pretty.
Overall, for what we paid for the cruise, it was a 10 out of 10 in my book. I doubt we will go again very soon, (we like to try new things) but it was a WONDERFUL, much needed respite from my overly-busy life here in Alabama.
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