Tuesday Jan. 10
We rise at 7 a.m. Julie takes her daily walk on deck 12 while I secure us a table in the Windjammer Cafe and start my day with coffee, a bran muffin, and plate of fruit. We are now docked in Nassau, with a Carnival cruise ship docked on either side of us. Julie joins me in about a half hour, and I complete the rest of my breakfast with a couple of over easy eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and a croissant.
Our shore excursion gets under way at 9:45 on the dock, so we gather our beach gear and head to dock and wait for our escort to take us to the shuttle busses to Atlantis. They take us right to the front door, where an Atlantis employee escorts us to the resort's beach, where we receive our rented towel and told we can take a chair from the number of stacks of them and basically "park" them anywhere we want. We find a shady spot, and proceed to get changed into our swim suits. I change in a little "cave" that is actually the underside of a gazebo above me. Julie finds a restroom. Properly "attired," we now read and relax and enjoy the deep turquoise blue of the ocean. In about an hour, I walk over to a Tiki bar and order a $13.50 frozen mango dacquiri and enjoy this.
After a couple of hours on the beach (including a nice swim in the ocean), we decide to call it quits and change back into casual wear and start exploring the resort, including lunch. We tour the shark aquarium ("Predator Lagoon") and the big "Lost Atlantis" aquarium off the lobby. It is fabulous. We then wander over to the "Mandarin Spa" in the hopes of snagging a "special" on a massage similar to what they offered Dawn and I last winter, but to avail. They want the full price, which with tax and tip comes to $144 each, and offered no specials. so we passed. After that we were hungry, and so headed over the Marina Cove and were met with disappointment as many of the businesses were closed, including the restaurant I wanted to take Julie to, which was Bimini Bay. Choices at that point were limited to a Johnny Rockets, so we had lunch there. And I have to say that other than the chocolate malts, we were kind of disappointed with the food; in fact I was REALLY disappointed (Julie was OK) because we basically paid $20 each for what amounted to a "slider combo platter" that included a mini burger, a mini hotdog, and a mini chili dog, each of which could be consumed in two bites. The chili dog was OK, but the burger and plain hot dog were woefully naked, and served on Wonder rolls. We wandered the marina a little while longer. I had a Starbucks coffee; we went into a Ben and Jerry's, but walked out with no ice cream.
Julie decided there was little more of interest for her at the Atlantis resort, and so decided to take the shuttle back to the ship at around 3 p.m. and was hoping she could find a spot in one of the two miniature hot tubs aboard the majesty (I think her hip was bothering her too, made worse by all the walking).
I wanted to stay a while longer, maybe trying my luck in the casino. I went with Julie to the shuttle pick up, and waved goodbye, and then headed back to the casino. When I got to the entrance, I was further aggravated by the crappy lunch because I found a couple of very nice “fast serve” places including a pizzeria and a New York style deli. I tried a slice of the pepperoni pie at the pizzaria, and it was delicious. I’ll know better next time.
I went into the casino and played a couple of slots, looking in vain for the slot that Dawn played last winter and hit a $100+ jackpot. I had no luck, losing $30. After that, I headed back to the ship. Tonight was formal night in the dining room, but we went in our usual evening wear with no issues. Filet of beef was the featured offering. Julie had it, while I ordered the "lighter fare" of a seafood brochette because I still was kind of full from the pizza. Both of pronounced our dinners delicious. The show this evening was a musical/dance review by the Royal Caribbean Singers/Dancers, and it was very entertaining. I tried my luck at ship’s casino, and lost another $20 at the blackjack tables. Back to the cabin where Julie and I hit the sack about 10:30.
Expenses: Beach excursion to Atlantis: $79; food/drink/casino losses at Atlantis, $70; ship casino losses, $20. Total expenses: $169.
Bruce
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