Day three was probably the prettiest of the three days. The weather was perfect and the ocean was the bluest green I ever did see. We spent part of the day in Nassau, Bahamas and the rest of the day back on the boat, on the pool deck. We walked around and looked at shops and handmade markets where I bought a little souvenir for Marlowe… a tiny straw purse with an elmo stitched on it (she loves it). We ate lunch at Señor Frogs (no, seriously, that happened. don’t judge me) and for the first time ever, I got one of those ridiculously large drinks that people order at non-traditional mexican places. I asked for a “bahama mama” cause you know… I’m a mama in the Bahamas, but the server warned me it was sweet, very sweet, and so: I made another choice, of who knows what. After, we walked around Atlantis for a quick minute (Marykate and Ashley, anyone?!) and then headed back to the boat where I could catch an extra moment of relaxing in the sun before our return home. We cleaned up, ate dinner, wandered around, played about three minutes of slot machines, watched girls embarrass themselves by taking off clothing and brassieres on a stage, Laura went to bed, and I danced until my bedtime with a young stranger from Scotland.
I don’t have photoshop, the water was seriously that amazing.
not vegan friendly, but kind of amazing to see the locals pulling conch right out of the water to prepare the freshest, most local meal.
atlantis
So the cruise was fun. There were things I liked and didn’t like, most things that bothered me this time, I didn’t even notice or care about the last time I was on a cruise. As I mentioned before, I know cruises aren’t the most eco-friendly thing… it gets under my skin a bit.. but obviously not enough to stop me from going on one. It’s hard for me to write about the things I don’t like, without sounding like I don’t appreciate being taken on a cruise… which sucks, because I am really, REALLY so incredibly grateful that Laura’s parents asked me to come along. They are amazingly kind people, I’ve felt that since the day I’ve met them, many years ago. I did feel uncomfortable with the amount of dishes brought to our table— more food than two (or even six people) could ever eat. We ate as much as we could, but whole plates would go untouched, and would be tossed directly into the dirty dish bins. I was frustrated. Yes, I guess you could say the server was trying to please us, but if he really cared to please us, he would have listened to what we asked for… because what I asked for was him to stop bring us food, but he brought more anyway. The one dish we did actually order, came out with cheese on it. He never once listened. I understand people want to be pleased, people like options, and things like buffets provide instant gratification, but sometimes excess is just excess. If I take away my upset uneasy feelings about our server, then I enjoyed the cruise. I loved getting away for a minute. I loved (and hated) being disconnected. I loved not having to worry about very much at all. And I especially loved knowing that no matter where I was sitting (or sleeping, standing, dancing) at the current moment, I was somewhere, just floating along in the middle of a gorgeous ocean underneath the brightest sun and bluest sky, appreciating this beautiful planet.
*On another note, Marlowe is just three months shy of turning two years old… and today, for the very first time, has called me mama. Not just once, but multiple times: pointed to me (or my car) and said “mama”. Excuse me while my heart melts.
see one: HERE
see two: HERE
16 Comments
You have to go to Costa Rica. 1.) because you get the same feeling of being disconnected and on vacation 2) because the water is just as amazing 3) because it's cheap – so cheap and 4) because it doesn't come with the same wastefulness. The families there thrive off of tourism, but don't depend on it. They live in homes connected to their rental homes and are still a part of the community – things aren't prettied up just because you are there. The thing I hated most about cruises was how different the cruise ship owned/run/influenced cities were from the area just a few miles out. Anyways, I think you'd love it!
I've thought about going! Maybe, hopefully one day 🙂
That is seriously the prettiest water I have ever seen. Have fun!
http://www.bringingupruby.com
A young stranger from Scotland with the nicest shorts you've ever seen! Hahahaha.
Hahaha. Yes, fabulous shorts.
amazing photos – it seriously looks photoshopped. so beautiful!
must be the sweetest thing to hear your baby say mama. 🙂
my son is 20 months and has not done that yet. i am looking forward to the day. congrats mama.
Im so glad that u enjoyed the cruise (and the bahamas) and of course all that food could feed some of the hungry people in this island smh
But when servers do that the doggie bag is helpfull, well maybe on a cruise would just look weird
theres no fridge in the rooms for leftovers anyway! We talked about how wonderful that would have been!
Every since I have become more aware of my impact I have noticed more waste in my daily observations. I understand your frustrations with the waste on the cruise…you don't sound ungrateful at all. Don't feel is someone does something nice for you that you have to temporarily abandon who you are during the time of the nice gesture….I am glad you have a great time on the cruise. I love the beautiful pictures. I cant believe the ocean is that blue!
I have a (almost) 15 month old and she hasn't called me mama yet and I was kind of worried about that, but now hearing that M just called you mama being almost 2 makes me feel a whole lot better. My little one knows sign language and can sigh mama ( and other things) but just mostly points to what she wants and makes the cutest sound.
yeah, I've accepted Marlowe is fantastic at communicating, but just isn't into the talking thing. It happens at their own pace 🙂 I'm sure you'll hear it soon!
There is nothing like hearing those little mouths say "mama." Let your heart melt away!
And the waste on a cruise ship is insane. The one time I went on one I remember being apalled at all the food being just thrown away. I wanted to send it to the people on the islands who may have actually been hungry….who knows if they were but so much waste seemed excessive. But, at least you were (mostly) able to overlook that and have a good time!
ahhhh the 'mama' moment! how good does that feel. i got mine a few days ago too. and like you said saying it several times. over and over and over how good to hear!
xoxo
I totally understand how you feel about cruises conceptually — with the waste and environmental nastiness. Its probably why I will never go on a cruise. Scott (the husband) tells me that in the 70s cruises were small, totally classy affairs where everybody ate well and wore fancy clothes all the time. Things have changed!
That said — I am really truly glad you had a good time!!
I get really bothered by people being wasteful too. I just switched gyms because my old one didn't have a recycle bin and it was making me crazy. I don't use plastic water bottles, but I would see people tossing them out so often. Anyway, the whole thing kind of brought up the point in my mind about being an advocate for change. I guess I should have asked them about placing a recycle bin in the gym or something instead of just taking off!
haha so true. I feel like I used to fight for change so much more before, now I find myself more easily discouraged. I change. Some people or things change. But most people or things won't change. #thatwasdepressinglypessimisticofme