The first lesson one learns on a
cruise ship is that you are essentially living in a floating hotel, but the
rooms are much smaller and you never, ever leave the lid up on the toilet when
you attempt to flush. I am not sure why this is a rule, but there is a lot of
scary noise when the flushing occurs so I tend to believe it without question.
The second rule is that you must own
some form of non-cash payment method because the ship only deals in room
numbers that charge a credit account. This sounds wonderful, especially when
all your meals are included in the original ticket price, but it doesn’t take
very long to rack up an impressive amount with just drinks, even those of the
nonalcoholic variety.
I have a third rule that is a normal
etiquette I live by each day, but most people disregard it. Please, when using
elevators, allow the people already on the elevator an opportunity to get off
the elevator before you barge in. It is just the polite thing to do.
Royal Caribbean was the cruise line
we chose thanks to the help of my pseudo-cousin, Wendy, who got us an excellent
deal. We rode the “Monarch of the Seas” which is ending its career with the
Royal Caribbean fleet in the near future.
Our first stop was in Nassau where
we stayed for 12 hours. Chris rented us a scooter and I bravely rode on the
back while he drove.
Bahamian traffic drives on the
opposite side of the road and their potholes don’t seem to get much attention
from repair crews. I spent most of the ride praying I wouldn’t fall off the
back and get to experience the inside of an emergency room in Nassau.
We explored a couple of beaches and
the inside of some caves where a couple of local kids showed us around. They
were adorable and knowledgeable so we tipped them and headed to the Straw
Market.
In the evening, we took a sunset
catamaran cruise around Paradise Island and then had a late dinner at Senor
Frog’s. That ended our time in Nassau.
The next morning placed us on the
shores of Royal Caribbean’s private resort, Coco Cay. I chose to lie on the
beach all day long and do absolutely nothing. We all have our goals in life.
Chris, on the other hand, he’s a
real go-getter. He snorkeled the day away and went “swimming with the fishes”
in a very non-mob style. He even found a marker that earned him a prize on the
ship. What a lucky guy!
Though I’m confident I could learn
to live my life on permanent vacation if I had the funds to support the
lifestyle, I don’t think I could stay on a ship for any extended period of
time. That feeling of being closed-in starts getting to me after a short while
and there is nowhere to run but Open Ocean.
When we arrived back on dry land, I
was most excited about returning to my own bed with its normal dimensions and
pillow-soft top. I was happy about being back on the proper side of the road
too.
Back home also means back to work. I
suppose weird toilets and funky beds weren’t all that bad.
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