We started our trip in Ft Lauderdale with a drive along the coast and then a trip to Jaxson's to take on the eating challenge of completing the famous Kitchen Sink. It requires 4 people just to order it and it comes with sparklers! So many people stand in line there to order ice cream, there's entertainment in the parking lot, including this cute little monkey, Mikey.
Oh, this ice cream looks delicious!
Dr. Ryan and I were the last two standing, but I ultimately polished it off!
We spent Sunday boating around the Biscayne Bay. We took all of our pictures that day with the water camera and none of the pictures turned out. Our boating adventure was a SERIOUS adventure! What started as a speedy trip around the bay taking in the beauty of the water and the grandeur of the homes, quickly became sketchy when we found ourselves in Collins Canal, which was only 2-3 feet deep, narrow, and full of low bridges. Jenn and I were on large rock and shopping cart patrol while Dr. Ryan drove and Ryan stood (and ducked) on bridge patrol. It was awesome! It wasn't too long after escaping the canal when, suddenly, the boat slowed down to a crawl. As we sputtered back toward the marina, still a few miles inland, we feared we would run out of gas. Never did we imagine we'd get stuck! No matter how many times we reversed or turned, we could get off of this crazy sand bar and turtle grass only 1 foot below the surface. We would have been trapped there but then Ryan and Dr. Ryan leaped to the rescue, jumping out of the boat and pulling us to deeper water. Fortunately, we called the marina when the boat initially slowed down to let them know we'd be late. It turned out something had worn off the rudder, a typical aging boat thing, so our entire ultimate adventure ended up being free!! What a fantastic day!
On Monday, we were off to The Bahamas! Miami looks beautiful from our balcony on the ship.
So does the beginning of this sunset!
Ahhhhh, relaxation...
Time for fancy dinner number 1 at the ship's steakhouse.
Followed by a few rounds of BINGO!
We spent the first full day of the cruise on Grand Bahama Island and it was a spectacular day!
In Ben's Cave-- can you see the bats?
Kayaking in the mangroves! It was perfect weather, just a bit overcast for the beginning of the day with a few rain drops sprinkling down.
Little did we know, we're pros at kayaking! The instructor kept calling us the all-stars! It was awesome to be so deep in nature. There wasn't a sound anywhere around us!
The highlight of our mangrove adventure: a manatee!! It swam along with our kayak, slowly moseying side to side, for about five minutes. It was breathtaking to see a sweet manatee in his native habitat.
After kayaking, we went to Lucayan Beach, which is one of the world's most beautiful beaches and it really was! I didn't want to get out of the water!
We wrapped up the evening with fancy dinner number 2, at the ship's Italian restaurant. I need to note here, that nearly every dinner was followed by a second dinner later that night at the buffet, and for every dessert, we chose three full options! We totally indulged!
We spent the second full day of the cruise in and around Nassau. We followed the suggestion of my friend KerriLynn and started our day at The Cloister and The Versailles Garden. I'm pretty sure Mindy and Roy became engaged here. It was beautiful there, especially so early in the morning.
We then sneaked through a residential area to get to the beautiful white sand Cabbage Beach. We walked along the beach until we reached Atlantis Resort, which we also sneaked into! Man, we were so bad that day! We did some shopping near Atlantis in the Marina Shops and Straw Market and picked up a cool piece of art: a fish sculpture made from driftwood and sea glass. We headed back to Nassau for a lunch of fried conch, plantains, and local Kalik beer, a purely Bahamas meal!
After our local lunch, we walked around Nassau, got some crazy coconut drinks (in coconuts!), and spent some more time on the beach.
The last full day of the cruise was spent on Norwegian Cruise Line's private island, Great Stirrup Cay. We spent the day lounging on the beach, indulging in a barbecue buffet, and snorkeling! Snorkeling was great there! The water was so clear and we saw some beautiful fish.
We took it easy for our last night on the ship. Look how tan and relaxed we are! Even Ryan has a tan!
On Friday morning, we were back in port. We spent the early part of the day at the Miami Seaquarium and the later part of the day at the dog track! Ryan taught me how to read the schedule and place bets. I actually got the quinella on 3 races and Ryan won over $100 on a trifecta! It's great to win back money at the end of a vacation!
While we were on the cruise, Jenn and Dr. Ryan moved! We were the last guests in their old apartment and the first guests in their new apartment! We love them, their new place, and their crazy dogs, Toby and Annabelle. Crazy Tobs McGobs (as Ryan calls him) thinks he's a lap dog! Thanks again, Jenn, Dr. Ryan, Toby, and Annie, for letting us stay with you!
This was a seriously fantastic vacation! We can't wait to start planning the next one!
