Where in the world is Wine Wednesday?! It’ll have to come back tomorrow as Thirsty Thursday because we have something else to recap. However, the topic of wine and chocolate will only be appropriate for Valentine’s Day!
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Monday night we returned from a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas. I booked this vacation with a certificate I earned through doing Wine Tastings with the Traveling Vineyard. Lucikly, we are home and not floating around in the sea like those poor passengers stranded on that Carnival ship without power. My heart goes out to them and I am sending over positive vibes for a quick return home!
Our cruise departed from Miami, so Rob and I spent a night there, right on Miami Beach. Our ports of call included CocoCay (a Bahamian island owned by the Royal Carribbean cruise line) and Nassau.
Here is what we learned.
Miami is one of the most expensive cities I’ve ever visited. And that includes London. Sure, these drinks were huge {salt shaker and water glass for reference} and by no means were they weak, but…
Champagne Mojito & Caipirinha – Rob says that this is where limes go to die!
…Do you think one of these drinks is worth $45? Maybe. There’s probably about a half of a bottle of alcohol in each one. At least they were buy one get one free!
Gratuity seems to be included on every bill on Miami Beach
At least the food was good. But that’s for another post. We still loved the city and our experience there. {Or at least what I can remember of it after that big drink and our hotel’s free drinks at Happy Hour.}
We checked out the beach {just across the street from our hotel on Ocean Drive} before the sun went down…
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Renting a cabinette on the beach away from the crowds for $50 is worth every penny. Instead of trying to secure a lounge chair lined up within inches of each other on the crowded beaches of CocoCay, we paid the extra to be taken to the other side of the island to Barefoot Beach:
We chose the shaded canopy as our cabinette instead of the chairs with the blue awning. $50 bucks provided us with rides to and from this side of the island, two reserved lounge chairs with a table, towels, Evian water in an ice bucket, two floating mats, a fruit plate and our own personal servers for ice cold alcoholic beverages {for purchase}.
Oh… Also included? These gorgeous crowd-free views!
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If you take the time to look, you can find some beautiful things in the ocean.
Rob found Patrick!
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When relaxing on a beach, sometimes you feel like you are in a Corona commercial.
Sometimes a 40-year-old can still act like a kid. Boy, did Rob get excited when we returned to our stateroom to find a towel shaped like this:
This monkey {later named Lulu} is wearing my sunglasses!
And sometimes that 40-year-old is just in search of something he discovered as a kid.
Rob tried Goombay Punch as a teenager on his first trip to the Bahamas. It can only be found there. He was delighted to find it again when we stopped at a local food mart in Nassau.
Then we found something also labeled “Goombay” that was marketed just for me:
Our Goombay drinks. Truthfully, these pineapple punch sodas tasted almost identical!
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Only on a cruise, can trail mix become crack.
This stuff served with our cocktails was addicting. Yeah, like we weren’t going to be fed enough on board. For the record, I gained 5 lbs on this 5-day vacation.
Fruity tropical drinks get old real fast… (At least for Carrie.) Rob’s favorite onboard beverage was the Goombay Smash.
There were dozens of other tropical drinks. But after a while, I was just done…
Peach Bellini and a Goombay Smash
And sometimes, just sometimes… You have to break down and order a white zin. Kidding! I finally decided to order the a dry rosé from Provence. They brought me the Beringer White Zin instead. Oh, well. Now at least I could try to relate to my Wine Tasting guests who are still drinking the stuff.
This pretty much sums up one of my favorite things to do – reading while drinking a glass of wine.
And lastly, I learned that I get quite frustrated when I can’t do all of things I used to be able to do.
This back issue driving me nuts. I would have loved to walk around Nassau more. I would have loved to go snorkeling and swim with the dolphins. I would have loved to be able to swim more easily in the ocean. Oh, how I’ve taken little things like walking and swimming for granted! Luckily, I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon next week to discuss my options.
Have you ever been a cruise?
If so, which cruise line and where?
What did you like best about it?
Cheers~
Carrie
Season It Already! 