I was privileged
enough to marry a man who loves to travel as much as I do. If I had not met Kenyon, I am sure I would
still be a traveler. It is sort of in my
blood as my Aunt Barb A. loves to travel.
Instead of joining a travel group, I am lucky enough to have Kenyon
accompany me.
We recently
traveled to Florida and took a cruise to The Bahamas. We were gone a total of 10 days, including
the 4 days on the cruise. We started our
journey in Ft. Lauderdale where we rented a convertible and drove out towards
Key West. The drive itself was too far
so we went as far as we wanted, turned around and headed back. Driving across US 1 wasn’t quite as exciting
as we hoped but still made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Here is our rental car and my willing chauffer
We also
toured a place called Coral Castle. From
their website, ” We invite you to tour our sculpture garden in stone, built by
one man, Edward Leedskalnin. From 1923 to 1951, Ed single-handedly and secretly
carved over 1,100 tons of coral rock, and his unknown process has created one of
the world's most mysterious accomplishments. Open every day, the Coral Castle
Museum welcomes visitors from around the world to explore this enchanting South
Florida destination.” This is a must see
if you are ever in the area.
After some additional
Ft. Lauderdale sightseeing, buying a purse at the Coach Outlet, eating key lime
pie on a stick, and being given a blank stare after asking for fry sauce at a restaurant,
we were ready to board our ship and head to The Bahamas.
Norwegian
Sky was our home for the next four days.
While this is our second cruise, it is our first with a balcony (and
warmer climate as our first cruise was to Alaska). I really enjoy having a balcony and I think
from here on out we will have to get one.
Yes, I am spoiled and Kenyon puts up with me. Our ports of call were Freeport (Grand Bahama
Island), Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay (NCL’s private island). Freeport was the only port we booked an
excursion. We chose a kayaking trip down
the river of the Lucayan National Park, a nature hike, exploring caves, and
some time on the beach.
I have never
kayaked before. When you are in a two
person kayak it is important that you can communicate well with the other
person in your boat. While I do feel
Kenyon and I communicate well this sure was a test of our marriage! I felt a little better part way through our
excursion when I heard other couples struggling with their communication as well. But hey, we are still married so it obviously
it went okay after all.
Our next
stop was Nassau. We decided none of the
excursions looked promising and since the ship docked right at town we would be
able to just walk around and explore. It
was very crowded and every taxi driver, horse drawn carriage driver, and tour
bus driver wanted some of your money. We
couldn’t walk but a few steps without someone trying to lure us in with “why
walk when we can drive you.” Truth is
after being on a ship you look forward to walking around! We used a map that the visitor center gave us
to see a few area attractions. Then we
found a bar where I could order a few fruity drinks for half the cost of what
one would be on the ship. I had to bribe
Kenyon with buying him a coke if we would sit with me and people watch while I
got my drunk on (I kid…sort of).
Our
final stop was Great Stirrup Cay. This
is a private island made by Norwegian Cruise Line specifically for their cruise passengers. Since it is a small island you have to take a
boat tender (smaller boat) to and from the island. Our cruise dates were at the tail end of
Hurricane Sandy and unfortunately this small island was quite damaged. The sting ray excursion we had planned on was
cancelled since the hurricane caused the sting rays to leave the island. It was disappointing. We did, however, bring our snorkel equipment
so we were at least going to make the best of our beach day. I have never been in salt water. YUCK!
It took some getting used to, some frustration with my snorkel mask, and
some pain getting out past the large rocks that had washed ashore during the
hurricane. I am glad we gave it two
tries because on our second trip out in the water we saw many fish and even
some underwater buried items. It turned
out to be an enjoyable day
We had an
enjoyable time on this cruise, which was an improvement over our last cruise
where Kenyon had a cold during part of it.
We were lucky enough to get a free soda package (it is the little things
in life) and even a free bottle of wine for just me (it is the big things in
life…hahaha). We enjoyed dinner in the
restaurants and breakfast at the buffet.
And although we didn’t really go dancing or play part in any of the
entertainment games, I did take in one of the nightly show. In all honesty, anytime I can vacation with
Kenyon, I am happiest!
The
final leg of our trip was Orlando and a visit to Walt Disney World’s Magic
Kingdom and Epcot as well as Universal Island of Adventure to see The Wizarding
World of Harry Potter. While the cost to
just see Harry Potter is quite a bit…WOW!
It was awesome. I have never read
the books but have seen all the movies and I really enjoyed the visual aspects
of this attraction. There isn’t much in
the way of rides and such but it is still a really neat experience and I highly
recommend it.
I tried Bitterbeer. Quite delicious!
I
really enjoyed Disney World. We spent
two full days at each park and walked until our feet and legs hurt.
Cinderella's Castle lit up by fireworks.
My time in Epcot included trying to get a photo with as many hats as I could.
Sadly, our
time in Florida had to come to an end and with it a very long flight home. We were late getting to the airport due to a
rental car mix-up so we didn’t get to sit by each other on the first leg home. I don’t think Kenyon minded as he got some
un-interrupted sleep with two seatmates that didn’t talk to him. Although he did say he could still hear me
talking a few rows behind him. I am
happy to add Florida and The Bahamas to my list of places I have been.
