Way back in 2017 I was invited by my boyfriend's grandparents to join them on a 7 day caribbean cruise! Having never left my small corner of the world, I was very excited to be invited on this adventure!
We began our trip waking up at 4am to drive 6 hours to New York City where the Norwegian Breakaway would set sail. Seeing a cruise ship for the first time in person was quite shocking as they are enormous! The Breakaway is a 18 deck, 145,655 ton ship with 3,963 passengers and 1,657 crew members. To give you an idea, this is about the same population as my home town all on one vacation.
After we boarded the ship we left New York Harbor in the freezing February cold. Ethan sipped his piña colada as we watched the NYC skyline pass by.
Onboard the Breakaway there were many things to do. We spent the first day exploring the ship and its many impressive rooms. Over the week we went to a bachata dance class, fruit carving and towel folding demonstrations, many hilarious game shows, and took many dips in the hot tub and pool. We even ended up winning a free painting at the art auction!
Our first stop was in Port Canaveral, Florida, where we took a coach bus to Orlando for the day. I got to see a palm tree for the first time and watch the flat Floridian landscape go by on the way there. The environment in Florida is extremely different from that of Vermont's, so I was pretty entertained for the hour drive.
When we arrived in Orlando, I was so excited for the day we had planned at Universal Studios! I had never been to a major theme park before so the sheer size of universal was astounding. I could have spent a week in one half of the park and not seen everything. Since I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, we decided to go straight to the back of the park where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was. We entered Diagon Alley and it felt like I was a witch. A firebreathing dragon and all, Diagon Alley was spectacular. I bought some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans as my souvenir. Souvenirs did not come cheap there, as my small package was around $10, but worth it to have something as a keepsake.
We also tried the classic Harry Potter drink, Butter Beer. It is a delicious, butterscotch, sweet, and thick drink with a little bit of fizz.
On our way out of Universal Studios we stopped for dinner at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen. I highly recommend stopping at this restaurant if you go to Universal. As a chocolate fanatic, I was in heaven. The milkshakes at this restaurant are works of art and the dinner was to die for. I could probably bring myself to tears if I thought about the fact that we couldn't bring leftovers back on the ship again.
The next day we were already at our next destination; Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. This island is a small cay used by Norwegian Cruise Lines (and Royal Caribbean on the other side of the island) as a private retreat for their guests only. There is a small market for local souvenirs, snorkeling, bars, and endless lounge chairs. Ethan and I spent the day snorkeling and collecting sea shells. We didn't see very many fish while snorkeling, which was especially disappointing for Ethan who said that a few years ago he had seen gorgeous coral reefs, fish, and sea turtles in the very same spot. Hopefully the environment can be repaired in that area.
The wildlife in the Caribbean was also very new to me. We got the chance to see a pretty big iguana on Great Stirrup Cay, which made up for the lack of fish.
The last place we stopped on our cruise was Nassau, Bahamas. We arrived around 5am, just in time to see the beautiful sunrise over Atlantis and the other cruise ships. I woke up before everyone else and stepped out onto our cabin's balcony. It was golden and glorious unlike any other sunrise I've ever seen before. It was silent except the sound of seagulls and waves. A very peaceful way to wake up.
After breakfast in the ship's cafe, we disembarked and got on a water taxi to Atlantis. The taxi took us around the harbor with views of the multi-million dollar homes and some sunken yachts still underwater after a recent hurricane.
Once we landed on shore again we walked a short distance to Atlantis where we decided to buy a day pass for the aquarium. Atlantis is a resort like something out of a dream. It feels like a palace with giant fountains and ornate ceilings that must be 50 feet tall. Gorgeous glass art and paintings are around every corner, and you're never too far from a perfectly turqoise pool.
Atlantis is the epitome of extravagant. I had never seen anything so beautifully crafted on such a large scale. Even the tanks in the aquarium were jaw-dropping with the finest detail.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring the grounds of the resort. Everything from a library, to a river with sharks that you can walk over on a footbridge, to gorgeous tropical flowers was there. It was truly spectacular and vivd with lush life.
Even though I could have spent years in the heavenly grounds of Atlantis, we moved on to our next stop in the Bahamas. We took a taxi (on land this time) back into town for some lunch at the Via Caffe where we tried conch fritters for the first time and had the most amazing cajun fries. I still dream about those fries 3 years later.
After a quick walk through Nassau, we explored the straw market. The locals who sell their goods there will say just about anything to make a sale. For example, one called me "sexy mama" while she was trying to get me to buy some of her clothes. It was pretty funny and even the shop keepers had a laugh.
On our way out, Ethan's grandmother suggested we stop at her favorite spot; the Athena Cafe and Bar. Ethan ordered a "sky juice" which came in a coconut shell, and we sat around listening to his grandparents reminiscing about their past cruises.
We had such good meals on our cruise. We tried a few specialty restaurants on board, but our favorites were the Teppanyaki hibachi restaurant and the Moderno Churrascaria. The hibachi chefs were hilarious and original, while the Churrascaria was an interesting, Brazilian meal of many different types of meats. My favorite food I had on the cruise was the chocolate rum balls in the cafe. They were so heavenly and I ate so many I probably could've gotten drunk off them.
Another favorite part of my experience on the ship were the performances. Rock of Ages was a spectacular musical we saw where the music was foot tappingly good and the acting hilarious. It rained confetti at the end of the show with loud applause. The other performance we saw was a circus performance during dinner. It seems lack luster to watch acrobats on TV, but in person they are amazing. I was totally wowed by their athleticsm and courage.
Overall this trip was life changing for me. It may seem like your typical family vacation, but to me it was my first real time out of the country, my first experience with caribbean culture, and just a taste of the traveling I hope to do in my lifetime.
Remember to bring compassion wherever you go,