Sorry it’s been a month or so since I posted but there was a cruise and then a wicked cold involved with the delay. So, a couple of weeks ago my whole family took a cruise. Some great friends came along and there were  22 of us all together! We booked early and we all had cabins that were on the same deck and all with windows and nearby to everyone else.  This was my first cruise and I had never really thought of my self as a ‘cruise’ guy. I still don’t. We went on the Carnival ship , the Fascination. We left from Jacksonville, FL and went to Half Moon Cay, a private island owned by the cruise company, then to Nassau, Bahamas. We had 2 days at seas. It was a good time, being with the family is awesome. We had a good time at Half Moon Cay, taking a kayak tour and a snorkel trip. We had a horseback riding excursion scheduled too, but we cancelled after getting really sick and tossed around during the snorkel trip, the water was way rough. The kayak trip was a blast. A bit tough with the wind until we got to the lee side of the island.  The next day was a full day in Nassau. Lesley and I hoped to do it ‘local’, but we found there really is no local to do. We started the morning doing a ‘Nature’ Segway tour with my parents. We signed up because we thought is was the cheesiest thing to do. (our local tour would have to wait 2 hours) It turned out to be awesome! Cruising around over bumps and trails, we had a blast. It is something I would recommend to anyone. Lesley and I then took off walking, trying to get away from the port area. We walked about 3 miles and didn’t see much at all. The people were all very nice and friendly, but, and I ‘m not sure what we were expecting, but we were very underwhelmed by the neighborhoods and stores, etc. In retrospect I think we should have just gotten on a bus and let the bus drive us around the island. But I don’t think we will be rushing back to Nassau other than to go to Atlantis! We spent the rest of the time on the boat, eating in the dining room every night, only eating at the buffets a couple of times. The food mostly was very good. Awesome fresh fruit plates, a selection of new main appetizers and dinners every night with a couple of ‘Carnival Classics’ like steak available all the time. We played a lot of black jack and had an awesome favorite dealer named ‘Bob’, not his real name, but what we called him for 4 nights! We often had so many of us playing that we took over a whole table. A good time was had by all. There was some pool and hot tub time and some general relaxation. All in all I never felt confined to the ship, there was certainly enough room to move around and things to do. One thing I found weird was that with a full boat, 2200 people, I seemed to run into the same people all the time, some multiple times a day, on various parts of the ship. weird. And, yes, I would go again, in fact we reserved a 7 day trip next jan to Honduras, Mexico and Belize. At least I’ll be able to fish in Belize!!!

And here are the photos……..

Cocktails with umbrellas is always a good way to start anything!

The Promenade deck as we set sail.

The Atrium! Gotta love the 1980’s look, it was everywhere!

Our room.

The view from the window in the room.

A look at Half Moon Cay.

Lesley rocking the kayak!

The water in the bay was so clear.

Fish on the snorkel trip.

More fish on the snorkel trip.

Mom and Lesley on the Segway tour.

Our mandatory touristy horse drawn carriage tour. Yes, we got ripped off.

A view down a pretty street.

A local restaurant we tried. They were so busy during lunch that they ran out of everything, except chicken wings. Yes, we had wings in Nassau. Yes, they tasted the same.