A Bahamian Babymoon!

(Originally written 10/08/12)

What an amazing feeling to take a completely spontaneous vacation!  I mean, I think I was just as excited about the spontaneity of the trip as I was about actually going ON the trip.  I've been trying to convince my husband to take me on a spontaneous trip to Great Wolf Lodge since it was built.  (I'm a dork, I know) But this trip blew my idea out of the water!  This was our conversation.

Husband:  "Ya want to go on a cruise next week?"
Me:  "Uh pfff, shhaaa whhaaa......UM YEAH!!!!"

Four days later, we left for vacation.  Neither of us had ever been on a cruise before so we didn't know what to expect.  To say the least, it was interesting.....And it took some getting used to, but after we got settled and into the groove of "cruising" we really enjoyed ourselves.

Sunday - Fly to Miami

Monday - We flew all night and couldn't board the ship until the afternoon.  So what else do you do when you're running on no sleep and in an unfamiliar city?  You take a nap in your rental car, in a Denny's parking lot, under a sketchy overpass, of course.  Since it was Miami it was hot and muggy and the car ended up getting to 100+ degrees but the nap was sooo worth it.  Once we woke up, all sweaty and gross, we headed to the port to board our ship (Then we cruised all afternoon and night to our first destination).

Downtown Miami

Tuesday - Grand Bahama - We woke up to a complete down pour so all excursions were cancelled.  We're no stranger to rain so we decided to walk around anyways.  By noon, it was sunny so we chilled by the pool for the afternoon with tropical drinks in hand (virgin for me).  It was nice to relax all day.

A rainy day but we had to get off the boat because we aren't lame

This was the extent of what we saw on the first island.  Kind of a bust. 

Ian pretending to ignore my picture taking

Wednesday - Nausauu at The Atlantis Resort.  SO. MUCH. FUN!  We couldn't do any of the water rides so we explored the aquariums and hung out on the beach.  I would love to go back and stay there sometime.  The resort is huge so we didn't get to see everything.

Notice anything strange here?

Check out Ian's face.  He HATES when I take pictures of just him.  HAHA

Our buddy "Pete".   He was so friendly!

This thing was the size of a car!  He reminded me of the giant Stingray in Finding Nemo that gives all of the other fish a ride. 

Such a beautiful resort!  

Food was free so why not order every dessert on the menu?

Thursday - Great Stirrup Key.  We sat in a water chair for most of the day.  It was heavenly!  Then we swam with Stingrays.  It totally scared the snot out of me at first but it ended up being the highlight of the trip.  It was an amazing experience and one that I would highly recommend!

So relaxed!

The following picture is the least flattering picture of me ever!  But it clearly represents what I was feeling in that exact moment.........

  

Holy Chins! 

Ian wasn't too sure either.........

Then it got better.....This is my buddy "Rigsby".  He kept finding me and swimming right into my arms.  The trainers were amazed and said that the Stingrays don't usually search people out.   Usually you have to lure them in with food.  He must have known I don't like to touch shrimp. 

Our ship

"cruising"....Not sure why my eyes are so squinty....

Friday - Dock in Miami.  As we deboarded the ship, the customs dog showed a great interest in my husband.   The cop got all stiff and let the dog follow him.  For a split second I honestly thought my husband was going to be detained and subject to a cavity search.  Yikes!  That would've been quite the ending to our trip.   Luckily, the dog lost interest and we went on our merry way.  We Spent the day exploring Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.  We road in our first water taxi and took in all the sights.  It was a great way to see the city.

Palm Beach (I think) in Miami.  Right after we got booted from the comfy chairs since we weren't guests of a hotel.  Boo!  What I would have given to have a big pregnant belly.  I totally would have played the "pregnant card" to keep my chair. 

Water Taxi tour of Ft. Lauderdale Inter Coastal Waterways

Not our taxi but our's looked just like it!

Saturday - Headed home.  What a great trip!