*note: when this blog post is published, we will have already returned back from vacation*

Our morning in Nassau was spent exploring the aquariums of the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. Atlantis is a giant hotel with casino, water park, and aquariums. It’s pretty incredible!

While most of our group went to the water park, Mariko, Bay, Koa, and I opted to just check out the aquariums around the “Dig” area. The area is themed similar to the Disney animated Atlantis movie, with ancient Atlantean technology and artifacts. Very cool. And the aquariums were really nice, with the star being a huge manta ray – I mean who doesn’t love manta rays?

We finished up the aquariums and Atlantis around noon and then headed to “Fish Fry”, which is a small area of local restaurants. My cousin told us to meet them at Oh Andros, and while we were walking there using Google Maps, a local couple who were sitting in their car heard me mention the restaurant name and told us that Oh Andros was definitely the place to go! They even gave us directions.

We arrived at the restaurant ahead of my cousins and parents so we went ahead and ordered first. A couple of local beers and the Seafood Combination plate were fantastic! Lobster, fish, shrimp, peas and rice, etc… and a huge portion!

When the rest of our group arrived, they ordered even more fish, shrimp, and conch fritters and everyone was stuffed. So good… I definitely recommend Oh Andros at Fish Fry. Yummy!

We had to be back on the ship by 3:30 pm, which honestly seemed way too early, so after a little shopping, we met up with the larger family and boarded together. The final night’s dinner and show were especially good, which was a nice way to end the cruise.

I hope you had a good day!

またね～

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Hello!! Today we spent the day at the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ private island, Great Stirrup Cay. As you can see from the photos, we had beautiful weather and the water was warm and clear. When we first arrived on the island, I feared that it would be too crowded but it was actually quite nice! There were plenty of beach chairs for everyone, although there could have been a bit more shade. ☀️

Being an exclusively NCL island meant that all the included amenities from the ship were also available on the island, most importantly the bar and the food! I got a nice plate of jerk chicken (not spicy enough for my tastes), bbq ribs, and rice & peas. It was pretty good! And I washed it down with a Piña Colada or two. 

The swimming was very nice as well. It wasn’t too deep although deep enough that there were fish  to see and even a sea turtle  (which I didn’t see but my brother told me about). I enjoyed just floating around in the water and getting some exercise in.

Also, there were two Pokéstops I visited, and my brother took over the Pokégym! So there was that. 

At about 3 PM, my mom and I took the tender (shuttle boat) back to the ship, and then we attended the second family get-together at the lounge. We listened to more stories of the family in Jamaica, celebrated my cousin’s birthday, and took photos of the different generations of Leesangs. It was a lot of fun!

In the evening, we hung out in the casino and gambled a bit, but the swimming and sun took a lot out of me so there was no dancing for me, and I went to bed early (11 PM). This night, a towel-bulldog was waiting for me in the cabin. 

Note: This post was written on 8/4/2016

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Today was an awesome day! We made port in Nassau in the morning and made our way to our cousin’s house for yet another Leesang family get-together. As you can see in the photos and videos, their backyard opens up to the water. It was warm and beautiful and great for wading, swimming , and kayaking. Just wonderful. ☀️

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Leesangs love to dance, and dance we did! I’m not a good dancer by and stretch of the imagination, but there are some family members who are amazing dancers. But, talented or not, we all had a fantastic time.

The other thing my family loves to do is EAT! The food at the Nassau party blew away the cruise food big time. Lobster, crab, fish, conch, curry, etc etc etc. And of course fresh Scotch Bonnet peppers were always being passed around. This was easily my favorite meal of the vacation.

We also enjoyed fresh coconut water, and by fresh, I mean the coconuts were brought down from the backyard tree and cut open and handed out. In the video below, the finished coconuts were being split in half to get at the jelly. You use a piece of chipped coconut to scrape it out and eat.

The party lasted until about 3:30, and then most of us had to head back to the ship since the deadline was 4:30pm. I would have loved to stay longer at the Nassau house (say 3-4 more days ) but we had to go.

Back on the ship it was time to shower, relax with a cool beverage and then meet up again for dinner… We were so full already, but we did our best to eat.

The highlight of the evening for me was the comedy show at the ship’s theater. The comedian was hilarious and we all had a great time. After that is was casino and dancing once again. By the time I got back to my cabin, where a towel-elephant awaited me, I was beat! I fell asleep immediately… Another wonderful day!

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

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Today we visited Grand Bahama and docked at Freeport, then took a taxi to Port Lucaya to shop and hang out at the beach.  There were plenty of water-sports  to take part in, but several of the family decided to ride the Banana Boat. They said it was super-fun! I decided to just relax on shore, and swim  a bit. It was a hot day and the water was nice and we saw a lot of relatives who made the journey over to the same beach.

Back at the ship , we showered and then went to a family get-together in one of the lounges.  On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons we reserved the Outrigger Lounge for a couple hours and the family members passed around the mic  and everyone introduced themselves, mingled, and listened to some family history. It was fun, funny, and touching, because we also took pause to remember the family members who had passed away recently (and no-so-recently). 

One fun activity we enjoyed was a “Family Trivia” game, where you had to answer questions about family members, and get signatures. For instance, one of the items was “Who has the longest hair in the family?”. You can see in one of the pictures below one of the kids measuring my mom’s and my cousin’s hair. It was a good activity for the younger members of the family to get to know everyone. 

After the gathering, we all headed to the Crossings restaurant where we had dinner each night as a large group. The food was pretty good, and we ordered double-appetizers and entrees! It was fun to visit with the immediate and larger family. After the meal, it was time for karaoke  and then dancing  at the Dazzles night club! I think we may have hit the Sky Club Casino  as well, but don’t quote me on that.  And then midnight buffet anyone?  Of course!

When I arrived back at my cabin, there was a cute towel-animal waiting for me. A nice surprise and a good way to end a wonderful day.

Note: This post was written on 8/3/2016

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