Noteworthy Nassau Island Tour

On our second trip to Nassau we decided to take a private tour of the island, as my mom was with us and this was her first time in the Bahamas! Once we walked off the ship, which was the Carnival Liberty, we walked to the area right outside the port and found several vendors with signs for tours. This area was before you get to the marketplace where folks sell crafts and wares. A nice gal named Linda approached us and offered a tour of about three hours around Nassau, with stops at Atlantis, shopping areas, the beach and local sites. We chose to partake in this $20 per person tour and were seated in an air conditioned van with plenty of space for the four of us. 
Being the holiday season we enjoyed not only the exquisite decor at Atlantis, but also their Christmas decorations! 

Linda took us to Atlantis and asked us how much time we wished to spend browsing around. We ended up being there for about thirty minutes, taking photos and seeing the massive water park and glamorous amenities. Once we met Linda outside we embarked on about an hour driving tour around Nassau where our friendly tour guide showed us the waterfront areas, the downtown landmarks, schools, typical homes and shopping centers. We asked a ton of questions as my mom and I are teachers and I homeschool my son! Linda answered every question we had- like the food Bahamians love (curried goat) and a favorite fast food of many islanders (KFC).

Pictured above is our trusty tour guide, who also took us to several marketplace/shopping areas around the city. We did not get a name of a tour company she was with, but you can locate her team of tour guides easily outside the port- they all wear similar clothing. This was truly a relaxing and educational tour of Nassau that we experienced, and I would definitely recommend checking out the local drivers for a tour the next time you stop in Nassau. Many cruisers have been to this popular port of call many times and have never really learned about the people and the area. I am sure glad I did! :) 

Top-Notch Trip to the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman

Any trip to Grand Cayman warrants a visit to see the amazing turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm! Our first visit in December was part of an island tour, so we did not get to spend as much time as we would have liked to. I am happy our next cruise to Grand Cayman is about 8 months away as we plan to visit the turtles for at least half a day! :) The experience at the Cayman Turtle Farm is perfect for all ages, and you can be as hands on or hands off as you wish. My family loved the experience of holding the sea turtles-they are very calm easy to handle, with care of course. :) The ticket price for admission is $18 for adults and $9 for children ages 4 and up. Kiddos younger than 4 are free. Located roughly 8 miles from Georgetown, Grand Cayman, this attraction is often times part of several stops on an island tour of various attractions. Our particular tour was $20 per person for a visit to Hell in Grand Cayman, an island tour with a stop for Rum Cake, shopping and a stop at the turtle farm. We paid $10 per person with a voucher from our tour guide to get into the turtle farm, although we only had about an hour to spend there. You can definitely get a cab to take you to/from the farm and pay admission on your own. An economical option for transportation from the cruise port area to the farm is via Grand Cayman's public bus system. According to the farm's website the bus terminal is located adjacent to the Public Library on Edward St. in downtown George Town and there are 38 mini-buses operated with daily service beginning 6:00 am from the depot to West Bay every 15 minutes.While the bus route schedule below is current as of August 2016, do check before your trip to be sure all is still as anticipated.

	Color Code	Time	Fare
Route 1 (Directly to Cayman Turtle Farm)	Yellow	6:00am - 11:00pm Sunday - Thursday	CI $2.00
Route 2	Lime Green	6:00am - Midnight Friday & Saturday	CI $2.00 Plus Extra CI $1.00 to Stop at the Turtle Farm

In addition to turtle touch tanks there is a turtle lagoon, aviary, a lagoon for swimming with waterfalls and water slides, a predator reef for viewing, a nature trail, animal feeding shows, a breeding pond and Schooners Bar and Grill. There is an expansive gift shop and clean restroom facilities as well. If you are planning to enjoy the swimming/aquatic activities do allow at least 3-4 hours to fit in all of the fun this farm has to offer. It will be hot, so bring plenty of sunscreen and water, as well as swimsuits and towels if you will be taking a dip to cool off. Educationally speaking, this is an excellent trip for children and adults as there is lots of information about the turtles, as well as other Caribbean creatures at the park. Check out their website and plan a trip to this top-notch tourist spot- https://www.turtle.ky/

Nifty Nassau Activity-Visit John Watling's Distillery!

Our recent trip to Nassau, Bahamas was our fourth time on the island. The first visit to Nassau we went to Junkanoo Beach. The second time we went to Nassau we did a private city tour. The third time in Nassau we stayed on the ship to use the pool and relax. Being that this was a short cruise we figured it would be fun to try something new in Nassau-a visit to John Watling's Distillery! We exited the cruise ship and walked there- check out the map here-http://www.johnwatlings.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Nassau-Bahamas-John-Watlings-Distillery-Map.pdf
It was a ten minute walk maximum, although it was hot outside! We did a tour of the facilities, which really lasts about 5 minutes if you don't ask any questions. Everyone (of age) received a small sample of a pina colada made with their famous Amber Rum. We then visited the gift shop and went to the tasting bar. There are plenty of seats available for folks to buy a drink and relax. Kids can get a non alcoholic pina colada or a soda. We did the tasting of all of their rums (4) for $6.50. My husband and I actually shared the tasting as the pours were ample. The bartender, Uncle Will, explained all about the rum they distill and produce-and he made some awesome and fairly priced drinks! :)

The area is really picturesque and very safe. In fact, on our walk over and very nearby we saw The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. Many folks walked over there and then headed to the John Watling's afterward. We plan to do the art gallery on our next trip to Nassau in December. It appears from their website you can contact them and book a tour ahead of time. http://nagb.org.bs/
Our trip to check out the distillery was a fun jaunt-and a great idea for anyone looking for something to do in Nassau that is unique! http://www.johnwatlings.com/

Marvelous Magen's Bay Beach

Magen's Bay Beach is a well-known and absolutely marvelous beach! The water is a dazzling shade of blue and the sand is soft and cushy. On our second trip to St. Thomas we decided to head to Magen's Bay for a few hours and we were fortunate to have good weather to enjoy it. Opting to go to the beach on our own vs. taking a cruise ship excursion, we easily grabbed a cab to the beach. The "cabs" are really shuttle vans, and ours gave us a wrist band to use their service for transportation to and from the port. We paid $7 per person, plus a fee of $4 per person (cash) to get into the beach. I do see that prices are higher now so be prepared to possibly pay a bit more, not only for cab service but also to get in. http://www.magensbayauthority.com/
We brought along our Norwegian towels and a backpack with some water and sunscreen to hang out for the morning. We really found ourselves in the water for the vast majority of our time as it was hot! There are chairs you can rent, as well as concessions and water sports equipment for purchase and rentals. The beach was relatively busy with cruisers and other tourists, and the view of the mountains was breathtaking. Some people plan to stay at Magen's all day and you can do that too. We don't typically favor long beach days but some fellow cruisers were planning to spend the entire day in the sun and surf. When we were ready to go back to the port we found one of our shuttles parked in the lot and there were several other folks looking to go back to the port as well. Sometimes the drivers don't want to leave without a semi full van. I am sure you can grab a private driver and negotiate for the price and round trip fare if you wish, but plan to spend at least $11/$12 per person for an excursion. Entrance for kids under twelve is usually free for Magen's Bay, though. I highly recommend taking a trip to Magen's Bay when you go to St. Thomas. This picturesque beach has been voted one of the top ten beaches in the world in many circles over the years and is sure to be a place you will love to visit!

 

Kitschy Key West Port Review

Although my husband and I have been Floridians for over two decades and our son is born and bred in our sunny state, we had surprisingly never been to Key West before our cruise there on the Carnival Fascination. We elected to do the traditional Key West Trolley tour, which we bought when we got off the ship. We ended up paying cash to a tour operator right at the port for $25 per person. This hop on/hop off tour was so much fun and it took us to all the iconic Key West places-including the Southernmost Point of the United States, as well as the lighthouse, the beach, the Little White House and downtown to get yummy key lime pie at Kermit's! Admission to the various museums, such as The Hemingway House was not included, although you could easily veer off and visit any place at length as long as you have enough time to get back to your cruise ship before they leave. Food was offered for purchase, and besides the famous key lime pie we tried fresh conch fritters from an outdoor food stand, which were excellent. This is a perfect tour for all aged tourists, and it is especially nice to not have to walk in the heat to all of the popular destinations. Our window of time on the island was about 5 hours, which was rather short so we did not get to spend oodles of time in any of the museums. We are excited to visit Key West again in March of 2017 when we go on the Norwegian Pearl! Have you cruised to Key West? If so did you do a city tour or another fun excursion? :)

 I have started reading a great cozy mystery series which takes place in Key West- here is the link to my Amazon Store with these books if you want to read some entertaining and fun mysteries to get you in the spirit of Key West! :)
 http://astore.amazon.com/keywestcozies-20

Great Grand Turk!

Grand Turk is the largest island in the Turks and is home to the territory's capital Cockburn Town. John Glenn's Friendship 7 Mercury Spacecraft landed on the shoreline of Grand Turk in 1962, and you can find a replica of this craft on display at the entrance to the port when you get off the ship. The main attraction at the port of Grand Turk is the beach area and pool at Margaritaville. The beach, pool and loungers are completely free, although you will need to bring your own towels from your cruise ship. Excursions on the water are not sold individually at Grand Turk, only via the cruise ships. The beach area is rather rocky, so swimming shoes are a must. Not everyone may choose to make this port a beach day, however. We had a full day of sun and surf on Half Moon Cay the day before we went to Grand Turk so we were sunburned and waterlogged! So we decided to do an island tour of Grand Turk- which we bought right at the port in the area by the shops. The tours were offered by a local company who worked with the cruise lines, and we were able to put the tour tickets on our sign and sail card, which at the time was Carnival, as we were on the Conquest. The tour cost $20 per person and was about 2 1/2 hours. We actually spent longer than that as we ate lunch on the island, which truly runs on island time! 

In the above picture you can see the restaurant we dined at (inside seating) for a very long lunch. Barbie's was recommended by our tour guide as a great spot where locals go that was famous for fried conch. The conch was indeed really good, and the fried shrimp was yummy too. However, it was a good thing this was a hop on hop off at your leisure tour as we ended up waiting about an hour for our food! We were not the only ones waiting, though, and the staff of two seemed really busy. The locals seemed blase about the whole wait, and many were content to sit outside in the heat and chat with fellow locals with a cold beer. We still say this was the slowest restaurant we have ever been to- and it was a definitely our first experience with true "island time"! :) After lunch, while waiting for the next tour van to come by (one came about every 30 minutes) we shopped around at the area craft markets and their local shop Kishko's. The tour took us to see the entire island, shoreline, Lighthouse Park, the famous Governor's Beach and the Salt House Museum. If you are not up for a day in the sun taking a tour of the island of Grand Turk is a good option to explore this unique, laid-back oasis. http://www.grandturkcc.com/ 

Picturesque Paradise Beach in Cozumel, Mexico

Our first time in Cozumel, Mexico was in 2012 on the Carnival Triumph. I had been told by several cruisers that Paradise Beach was the best place to go and they were absolutely right! We grabbed a cab at the port for $3.00 per person and headed out on a wild ten minute cab ride (fast driving and no seat belts in Cozumel!) and our driver dropped us off right at Paradise Beach. There was an entrance fee of $3.00 per person then, and I see from the website it is still the same amount. There is a huge pool you can use, a gorgeous beach, a restaurant with plenty of food and drink for purchase and a lot of nice, clean restrooms. Once you get on the beach you can rent chairs or just sit down on towels you may have brought from the cruise ship. We ended up getting two chairs and three sodas for $20.00. I am not sure how the pricing is currently. The best part is the cleanliness of the entire area- and the ability to go back and forth from the beach to the pool if you wish. We spent several hours enjoying fun in the sun and then took a cab back to the port for $3 per person again. We tipped our driver $1.00 each time. There were lots of cabs waiting to take folks back to port so we had no wait. If you are fortunate to have good beach weather when you visit Cozumel try Paradise Beach out. :) Here is the website for Paradise Beach:http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/
 

Pleasant Progreso, Mexico-Mayan Ruins Tour Review

Progreso, Mexico is an old world, traditional and welcoming destination. Upon entering the lively port you will see plenty of vendors seeking to sell their crafts and wares. Everyone is friendly and not overly pushy. We chose to take an excursion off the ship when we visited Progreso on the Carnival Triumph in December 2012. We were greeted pleasantly by a kind young lady from AutoProgreso and told about their tour of the Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins, which was one third of the price of Carnival's excursion-so we signed up! For $25 per person we hopped on an air conditioned tour bus with our wonderfully informative guide Diego. He told us massive amounts of information about the Mayans, his life as a Mayan, the area, people and traditions. The 40 minute bus ride flew by! When we got to the ruins he gave us a short guided tour and then we had about an hour to explore on our own. You can climb on these ruins and explore them as well. 

The architecture is awe inspiring and the folks tending to the area were welcoming. There are clean restrooms and a small gift shop with water and other cold drinks to purchase at reasonable prices. Our ride back to the port consisted of a Q&A with Diego and this provided even more information and stories about their culture and lifestyle in Progreso. We were fortunate that this was the second week of December and Diego and his family were starting preparations for Los Posadas, the time honored celebration which takes place nine days before Christmas. 
For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, from the 16th to the 24th processions reenact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem. These processions lead to a different house every night for the culmination of the “Posadas”, a big fiesta! The nine nights are significant because each night represents a month for which Jesus was in Mary's womb, leading up to his birth. Participants of the nightly “Posadas” often carry candles to represent the light from the Star of Bethlehem. Each night family, friends and neighbors in Mexico open their homes to others and offer fellowship, food and time for group prayer. Many people open their homes and have simple refreshments, like homemade tamales and hot punch, or Ponche. Other folks prefer to celebrate a bit more grandiose, serving full meals and having a pinata filled with candy for the children. Traditionally the last night, Christmas Eve, is the biggest fiesta for everyone. Posada is the Spanish word for Inn, or lodging.
Diego shared stories about his family's past Posadas and plans for their future ones. This tour was a great surprise excursion as we really did not expect it to be so impactful on our lives, but it was. We were even met at the port after the tour with strolling musicians playing Feliz Navidad!

If you have the opportunity to go to Progreso please check out AutoProgreso for a tour of the spectacular ruins! You do not need to book this tour ahead of time as there is almost always space available, especially if you head out early in the day when you get to port. Take care to wear plenty of sunscreen and bring water because it is hot! http://www.autoprogreso.com/Cruise.html