Cruisin’ in the Caribe

A view of South Beach from the Port of Miami

With Love, from the Bahamas.

After months of living under a rock in Virginia, my mom and I went on a tropical cruise getaway a week ago to the Bahamas as a celebration of starting graduate school at VCU, as well as moving back to Richmond. I haven’t been somewhere warm and tropical in a such long time, so when this opportunity popped out back in December…of course, I had to take it. The cruise, Freedom of the Seas, was actually the first cruise I’ve been on since 2019 and my second time on since 2011.

Funny story, my first time on Freedom of the Seas in 2011, I remembered I once lost my Sea Pass—a cruise card that has your information and money you use for transaction, to get off the ships and etc.—and my parents had go out of their way to get a new one from the concierge. THEN, I remembered on another day at sea, I cried on the pool deck because I THOUGHT I lost my parents, but they were in our stateroom the WHOLE entire time, making the staff wonder…'who the hell is this girl crying?’... I WAS 11 YEARS OLD, OK?! Now at 24 years old, I’d rather be by myself than with my parents all day. Moving along!

The Bahamas never fails to give an arguably budget-friendly vacation for people. There’s a lot of things to do, beaches, boat-riding, jet skiing, partying, museum tours, dolphin encounters, the list just goes on and on. When you’re on the cruise, the vacation makes it better and there’s also more things to do on that floating city. You can come and go as you please before the ship’s departure, as long as you have your Sea Pass with you. The locals are friendly and will often push a tour offer and taxi rides for cheap prices.

While the Bahamas is known for pick-pocketing and other petty crimes the U.S. Travel Advisory states, that’s also every other tourist destinations in the Caribbean and elsewhere—IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL. My advice, don’t look like a stereotypical tourist and DO NOT go to any areas where it is sketchy and not geared towards tourists. Grab a cute lil’ mini-backpack with you to carry essential items: beach towels, sunblock, water, passport, credit card and a few cash and stay EXCLUSIVELY where tourists are mostly—which is often nearby the ports/beachside. Go figure.

But, let’s recap on the vacay!

DAY 1 | Port of Miami

We took a connecting flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Baltimore, THEN Miami. (it’s Southwest, what do you expect?) The atmosphere combines both the city and beach life, and for some odd reason, I just felt happy when I stepped foot in my Miami. The weather and humidity was absolutely perfect and I just KNEW it was my type of city I would visit often or who knows? Maybe make a living over there? The Port of Miami was only 15 minutes away and there were other ships from other cruise-lines docked as well. Pretty soon, we were on the ship. We just dropped everything to go eat and chill at the Solarium, an adult-only poolside. As the day ended, we were waving a bon voyage to onlookers on South Beach.

DAY 2 | CocoCay, Bahamas

10 years can come by quick, but so many things have changed for Royal Caribbean’s exclusive private island, CocoCay or Little Stirrup Cay, located in the Berry Islands in the Bahamas—about 55 nautical miles from Nassau. Below, this was CocoCay in 2011—only a lagoon and beachside facing the port, included with a small market of souvenir shops and a buffet table.

This is CocoCay NOW:

The island had AT LEAST four different beaches—one of them exclusive for VIP members—, tram stations to get around the island and port, two waterparks with slides, three big pools, AND a hot air balloon. In fact, the island is also doing more construction on the north side. I booked a shore excursion ahead of time to Treasure Island, a top tourist destination where it is inhabited by pigs and piglets. It was only a five minute ride to the island by speedboat and the pigs were all there being fed by staff. The animals live happily out on the island, which are maintained by staff. We got a chance to take a ton of pictures, as well as pet the pigs.

DAY 3 | At Sea

Our routine for the past few days went something like this: wake up at around 8 a.m., walk upstairs to mark our seats (those pool seats GO FAST), eat breakfast and chill by the Solarium til afternoon. The main poolside always have events at sea such as belly-flopping contests and even sexiest man—cringy, but fun, nevertheless. Take a shower, get ready for dinner and then head to bed around 10 or 11 p.m. Kids, yes, this is what being an adult is like.

DAY 4 | Nassau, Bahamas

This is the first time in a long time I’ve been to Nassau and where I picked up most of my souvenirs for friends and my nephew. Nassau has also changed a lot in the recent years, as well as having small and local businesses along the port side—which is VERY high value for Bahamas’s tourism if you think about it. Personally, I am a supporter of small businesses, so of course, I took a look and shopped for some cute stuff.

DAY 5 | Port of Miami

Time flew by fast throughout the week. We woke up at around 6:30 p.m., swiftly packed our luggage and headed straight to the breakfast buffet. We were just in time to see this sunrise:

Before we knew it, we were taking a shuttle to Miami International Airport, heading to Atlanta, then, back to Raleigh/Durham.

Goodbye, for Now. <3

Going through a lot of traumas, trials and tribulations for the past few months, a week worth of a well-deserved break is something I needed. Yeah, sure—I may have gotten tanned and a few sunburns here and there. But, it taught me that I cannot stick to a life of where there is no opportunities and in order to do the right thing for yourself, you do not owe anyone anything. I could not allow myself to be bound by anyone’s expectations no longer, especially when I know I am in full control over my career. I guess, vacations are more than taking photos for social media. It’s a time to reflect.

Be on the look out for more fun content. Any questions on cruises, tips, etc., please comment below!

—Paula J.P.