A Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas - To Cruise or Not to Cruise?

Last year I took my very first cruise out of the country. We chose Carnival Cruise Lines because my husband had been on one a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Our destination: The Bahamas. We picked a 3 day-4 night cruise since I'd never been and wanted to make sure I'd like it. Not to mention the fact that I get homesick after a few days. I visited my family doctor a week or two ahead and got a motion sickness patch. We had a bumpy ride at times and I was thankful that I had it. I never got sick to the point of throwing up and I'm sure I would have without it.

We chose an ocean view room. I would have loved to have chosen a balcony room but those go for double the price and since you can go on deck anytime, it was fine not having it. The rooms are small but comfortable. The bathrooms are different since you step up to get in them but they have the cutest little gift baskets with all kinds of amenities in them. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

After this year, you must have a passport to travel out of the country by sea or air. Fortunately, we made it before that law was in effect so all we had to bring was our birth certificates, which I had to order online I might add. We paid well in advance for our cruise and even purchased shore excursions online. This is not cost effective. After docking there was plenty of people offering the same excursion we paid $75 each for, for the low price of $20. Also, be sure to bring at least double the money you intend on spending. With the ease of using your ship card onboard, costs can add up. You get free food any time of the day and all you can drink if it's milk or juice. If you want mixed drinks you pay extra and if you love soda, it's more cost efficient to purchase a drink card where, for approximately $40, you can have all the soda you want.

Take your cell phone with you. I felt stupid having put mine in the Jeep while we cruised only to see tons of folks talking on theirs while we left Port Canaveral. It was very cool watching all of the people wave goodbye from the shore, people who camped out just to do that. Even people in their backyards would wave as we sailed by. And just like in the movie Titanic, dolphins swam in front of our ship as we left Florida. The strange part is once you get out to sea and can see nothing but water. At night, we once saw another ship far away from us and it was the only lights you could see at all. It was very eerie but peaceful too.

Life on board is fun! There's plenty to do and all kinds of things to see. I had just as much fun sitting on the deck and watching the water as I did sitting in the bar and listening to the most awful singer sing his heart out. Make sure to see the shows. We saw both comedy shows and both of the musical shows and they were outstanding! (Unlike said lounge singer) Oddly, I thought I would be able to see fish in the water while at sea but only after we docked in The Bahamas did I see the most beautiful saltwater fish. The Bahamas' port is very clean with crystal blue waters and fish we'd pay upward to $50 for, just swimming around, free as can be.

The shopping in The Bahamas was wonderful as well. I got an eel skin wallet for nothing and designer cologne was about a third of the price. You can also buy knock-off products such as Rolex, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, etc. And it's not illegal to bring these into the country for you or as a gift. You just can't sell them legally. I got a Rolex for $40 and although it's had one small problem, it looks and feels real and no one knows the difference except a jeweler. Keep in mind that the natives will try to bargain with you and it's hard to say no to them even if it's something you don't need. That's exactly how I ended up with a $15 faux jade necklace that only matches one shirt that I own. However, not once did we feel unsafe, even at night, walking alone on the streets of Nassau. People are friendly and helpful and their Internet usage rates are very reasonable. The ship's communication prices are very high. Internet was $20 per hour I believe, and phone usage was $7 per minute.

Taxi prices in The Bahamas were also very affordable and it was a pleasure being told all about the island while enjoying the ride. Wear comfortable shoes and take lots of pictures.

I'd highly recommend a cruise for anyone wanting a fun way to travel. Lately there seems to be a lot of negative media about cruise ships but look at it this way, with all of the thousands of cruises per week, each ship holding upwards of 4000 people, things are bound to happen. I wouldn't let that deter me from another cruise by any means. You can purchase cruise insurance that isn't that high, just in case. I can honestly say, other than the shore excursions being overpriced, my cruise experience comes highly recommended and I wouldn't hesitate to take another!