Holiday Cruise

This Christmas, we decided to take a holiday cruise since all six of us were able to go. 

We drove to Alabama to pick up Ashlyn & Alex, then departed out of the Port of Mobile.

Once onboard, it was time to eat!!

Our favorite items at breakfast included lox & bagels, eggs benedict, french toast, and Ceasar salad with salmon. 

Our youngest decided to order 5 boiled eggs and didn't think that was strange. 

In the evening, we'd have to dress up a bit more in the dining room. But the food there was just as delicious!

The wait staff entertained the cruise guests with singing or dancing every night. 

And then for lunch, the ship had an amazing buffet on the top deck along with specialty foods like Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana.

The challenge was to burn enough calories at the gym to counter all the food. Then after every workout, we'd relax in the whirlpool or sauna.

Our cruise itinerary had 4 days at sea and 3 at the Bahama islands. On sea days, the ship kept things fun with trivia contests. Our family attended several of these activities and did well with sports trivia, The Office, general knowledge, and mind games, but only took home the trophy with Seinfeld trivia. Streaming all 9 seasons this fall paid off! 

Something new on ships now is to find rubber ducks. They are hidden all over the ship. Families will bring them to hide, and others look for them to keep. Luke found one and re-hid it for the children. 

Our first island stop was Nassau. We walked around the city to look for a catholic church offering Mass, but it was a holiday for them (Boxing Day) and services were on a different schedule. So we did a few touristy things like climb the queen's staircase.

A short walk later we arrived at Fort Fincastle overlooking the bay.

Then my favorite, rum shots at the Graycliff Chocolate Factory where you also eat the cup!

After that, we tried to tour John Watling's Rum Distillery with their amazing pina coladas, but it was also closed for the holiday. We decided to spend the extra time relaxing on the beach.

But then found some rum punch stands and had to partake.

Our return time back on board the ship was 4pm, which was perfect to clean up for another amazing meal. Our dinner time varied between 6pm-7:30pm, depending on when we scheduled our reservation. When we had time to spare, we took a few pictures.

Our next island stop was Bimini, a smaller land mass that's only 7 miles long. We rented a golf cart to take us to the north beach.

There, the girls enjoyed tanning while the guys built a "fort" around them. Eric enjoyed riding the current in the water. 

Our last island didn't have much to offer since the weather was rainy, but we did manage to explore a bit and found thier volcanic rock coastline. It was just as peaceful as it was gorgeous!

Back on the ship to head home, one of the kids snapped this beautiful picture. The sunsets at sea are so pretty!