We arrived at the Port of Miami early this morning and were back at my cousin’s house relaxing by 11 am. It was a bit sad to leave the ship since it meant our vacation was coming to a close, but the disembarkation was easy and also we still had a birthday celebration to attend.
So what was on the menu for the birthday? Sushi!!! ❤️🍣 Not only that, but my niece made a cake and lychee ice cream for her dad. Super-yummy!
And if that wasn’t enough, that evening we went out for drinks at Monty’s Raw Bar and Cuban food at La Carreta. My Cuban Sampler dinner was huge and I didn’t come close to finishing it. 😲 But it was delicious and so much fun to hang out with my family. It’s the best!
*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.
Today was our second “sea day” and we spent it eating, drinking, hanging out in the pool, eating more, going to see the show, enjoying chocolate cocktails, and eating more. That’s cruise life, I guess!
I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the shows on the MSC Seaside. Even though we listen to the same five main singers, they have been really good, and the variety of shows is refreshing. Everyone especially loved the magic acts and acrobats. Very impressive! And we even saw a 30-minute version of Madame Butterfly opera in the afternoon. Very nice and unexpected. I thought it was great.
Today’s port-of-call was Cozumel, Mexico. We’ve been here once before, but this time we took a ferry to Playa del Carmen on the Mexican mainland and then joined the tour to the Tulum Ruins. The ruins were the one thing I really wanted to see on this trip so I was stoked to be able to visit them with a tour guide who explained the history and of course the human sacrifices! 🤯 But seriously, although the ruins are not very large, the history was amazing and the setting, right on the cliff was stunning. It was well worth the trip!
After finishing our visit to the Tulum ruins, we had a few minutes to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant. The chips and salsa were so good (and spicy!), the ceviche was fresh and yummy, and the enchiladas verdes were delicious. I had the fish tacos which were pretty good, except the tortillas basically disintegrated when I tried to pick them up, so I had to eat them with a fork. But still enjoyable, especially washing it all down with an ice-cold Negra Modelo. 🍺🌮
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.
