Lovin' Life: Family Vacation!!! (Part 3)

Our first port of call was Nassau, the capitol of the Bahamas. We decided to just explore the city and do some shopping.

The kids had all done extra jobs at home to earn some spending money. The Straw Market was the perfect place to find inexpensive, unique souvenirs. They all bought the cutest walking turtle toys made from coconut shells. Brady found a shark tooth necklace he wanted. He was proud of himself for talking the lady down on the price :). Camryn picked out a handmade straw purse with her name sewn on. Carter got a small drum, whistle, and wooden snake. Greg used his salesman haggling skills to buy me a cheap Coach wallet (fake, of course!), and a sweet new watch for him.

We found this guy on the side of the road selling giant conch shells and starfish out of his boat for $5. After the kids heard him blow one as a horn, they HAD to have one! All hail the Magic Conch!

Most of the city’s points of interest were within walking distance of the port. We saw the Parliament building, Capitol, Library & Post Office. The buildings dated back to the 1700’s and were all in tropical colors like pink, teal & yellow.

We made our way down to a place called the Queen’s Staircase. An impromptu tour guide told us all about how 6,000 slaves spent years carving this corridor and staircase out of stone . Our kids were intrigued with his stories about pirates, battles, kings & queens. He even showed us how to catch lizards. We really had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being a really cool place.

Our last stop was Fort Fincastle. This is the highest point of the island and was used to defend against pirates and intruders. All of these historic sites dated back to the 1700’s. So much neat history everywhere.

Back on the ship after a full day, we played ping-pong for awhile and enjoyed the sunset and views of the island.

Part of the fun of being on a cruise is the special treatment you get from the staff. When we got back to our cabins, the kids were thrilled to find our towels folded like a monkey and butterfly.

We wanted to have the full cruise experience, so we all got cleaned up for the captain’s formal night. We had practiced table manners, using the different utensils, putting the napkin on our lap, and how to butter & eat a roll, so the kids were excited to use their dining skills. They were all good sports about trying different things. When else would we have an opportunity to try such fancy food? Nobody wanted to order from the children’s menu. Our waiter was awesome, and kept bringing out different things for us to try. Everyone tried the escargot, and Camryn actually really liked it – the boys…not so much. They were happy with their steaks, though. She gobbled up her shrimp cocktail, mint melon balls, roasted duck, and filet medallions. She is definitely her mother’s daughter. Of course the dinner ended with yummy dessert!