*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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こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today we arrived at the Cayman Islands for our next stop. Mariko, Bay, and Koa’s excursion was on a submarine ride, and I chose to go snorkeling. It was a beautiful, sunny day on the island, and the sea was amazing. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the water temperature was just about perfect for our two 40-minute swims. It was cool enough to be refreshing, but not too cool where I got cold. Just right!

I took my Victure 4K action cam with me and tried some video. I think it turned out pretty good, even though I wasn’t really prepared. I mean, I hand-held the camera in its waterproof case, and it was haphazardly attached to a lanyard around my neck. Definitely NOT the optimal set-up. My niece, on the other hand, had her camera mounted to a handle which floats if “dropped”. Next time, I’ll get one of those for sure!

After snorkeling, we went for a quick drink at Rackams before heading back to the tender which took us back to the ship. It was a nice excursion, although I wish we could spend more time on the island exploring. I guess that’s the nature of cruise travel though… once you realize and accept the fact that you won’t be spending much time at the ports-of-call, it makes the cruise experience much nicer. Or at least a little less disappointing.

I hope you had a great day!

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Today was a full day on board the ship, where we ate, drank, played games, saw a show, listened to Jazz, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is cruise-life, I suppose!

The MSC Seaside is an amazing cruise ship, with so many things to do, including bowling! There are two lanes in the gaming area, and they are just like a standard bowling alley. The only difference is that the ship sways a bit, so the ball might not travel the path you expect as it goes towards the pins.

Koa and I spent some time in the lounge listening to the Swing Time Quartet who played Jazz standards and were really good. Of course, Koa is interested in the music, so we stayed there for quite a while.

One amazing thing I discovered was the bathroom up by the specialty restaurants. This has to be the coolest bathroom view I’ve ever seen.

I hope you had a great day!

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Hello!

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

Today we departed Miami aboard the massive MSC Seaside cruise ship. It’s such a beautiful vessel… so much glass and shininess! We’re still getting acquainted with all the amenities, but so far the buffet checks out with some really nice pizza. MSC is an Italian company after all!

Tomorrow is a “sea day”, which means we will be traveling all day as we make our way to Jamaica. Therefore we’ll have time to check out the ship further. But for now, it’s time for a glass of bubbly as we cast off. Cheers!

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