Vacation Recap

Tim and I left last Monday around 8:30 am for our drive down to Miami. Everything was going well until we entered into the Miami-Dade area then the traffic became horrendous! Luckily, we made it to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

We checked our luggage and I tipped the man well, hoping that my luggage would be one of the first to arrive at our cabin (Seinfeld anyone?). This was our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean. Since we JUST booked the cruise about 10-days ago, we opted for an interior room to save money, another first for this girl! The room was smaller than what I am used to but was comfortable enough for 2 people! As soon as we got to our cabin, we took a Bonine, just to make sure we wouldn't get sick. I then realized I left my camera in the car. Since we were not allowed off the ship, we decided IPhone pictures would have to suffice!

Tim's luggage arrived right away but my bag was no where to be found. Tim and I went up on deck to enjoy the sun and a fruity beverage but frequently came back to the room to see if my bag had made an appearance.

 When no bag showed up by 7pm, I checked with our room attendant who stated all bags had been delivered and sent me to guest services. My bag was located in a locked glass room and I was told I needed to wait for security. Turns out my bag was searched and flagged for "containing a rice cooker". I love rice as much as the next person but I can assure you that I did not feel the needed to bring a rice cooker on a 4-day cruise. When the security officer asked me to open up my bag to she could confirm this, she spotted my travel coffee pot and confiscated it. I love cruises by the coffee is AWFUL! Tim and I have been on numerous cruises and ALWAYS bring a coffee pot and Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee. It was never an issue but apparently this a big NO with Royal Caribbean.

Between the stress of the lost luggage, the motion sickness medication, the fruity drinks and the dark cabin...Tim and I fell asleep at 7:30pm in our regular clothes and did not wake up till 8 am the next morning!

Tuesday we were docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Tim and I had been there before but noted that things were much cleaner then out last trip there in 2007! We shopped, went to the Atlantis Resort and ate at a fabulous little Greek restaurant in the main downtown area. Yes, we ate Greek in the Bahamas. There were Greek restaurants EVERYWHERE. Apparently, a high population of Greeks immigrated to the Bahamas in the early 1900's...who knew? We boarded the ship around 4pm....worked out and relaxed on the main deck.

For some odd reason, we were assigned to 9pm dinner...Who eats that late? Tim and I typically eat around 6pm so this was not feasible for us! We were only able to get into the 7pm dinner one night so we skipped formal dining and opted for the buffets at a more reasonable time.

Wednesday was spent at CocoCay, Royal Carribeans' private island. It was gorgeous but they nickle- and- dimed you for EVERYTHING. We rented a paddle board and a floating beach mat and enjoyed the shallow, crystal blue waters! They ran out of food this day so no lunch for us until we returned to the ship. We both got a little too much sun this day!

That night, Tim tried out the rock climbing wall on board!

Thursday we docked in Key West. This was the best port day in my opinion! I had never been to Key West but there is SO much to do! You can walk/bike to just about anything. I would love to visit the Keys for a vacation! We walked Duval street, shopped, visited all the popular bars for their trademark drinks, and ate at a fabulous little outdoor restaurant, Fogarty's.

Tim at Fat Tuesdays!

We stopped by a little shop called Key West Tea & Spice Trading Company owned by a husband and wife. She gave my a sample of her Organic Sweet Tea and it was easily the best tea I ever had! I bought a glass to walk around with and ultimately had to come back to the store to buy some loose leaf tea to take home. She shared her recipe with me and I am seriously hooked!

Friday we walked off the ship with our luggage around 7:30 am. We were then sent to security to obtain my contraband ( aka: coffee pot). Then headed out of Miami. We made a quick stop by the Miramar Outlets in Naples then headed home to pick up our girls from Grandma's house. It's strange how much we missed them!