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I believe in total transparency, and I need to start this post by saying I became extremely seasick right after we left the port, and because of that, I did not get to experience everything the ship had to offer. This post is my experience of this trip, seasickness and all.
Embarkation and Disembarking
When you arrive, you will go through metal detectors, and if you want to check your luggage, you drop it off downstairs before heading up to check-in. Where you show your passport or birth certificate to check in. You will be asked for a credit card to be put on file, know that this is how you will pay for EVERYTHING on the ship; they do not accept cash or another form of payment.
Being my first cruise, I was panicked because you only receive luggage tags to print off and attach to your bags, no boarding pass; they do everything through your name at check-in. You will receive a keycard, which is your everything on the ship. Don’t go anywhere without it. Now that you are checked in, you are moved to a seating area to wait to board the ship; on your way, you will be asked if you want to buy drink packages, spa treatments, excursions, or make reservations for dinner. If you did not do that when booking, I recommend waiting until you get on board to do so. There is no deal to do it beforehand, and a few people we spoke to had issues with their purchases not coming through on the boat. The MC will get everyone excited to go on the cruise and give a rundown of activities and how it will go. Now it’s time to begin boarding by groups; you walk up, they swipe your keycard as you get on the ship, and that is boarding.
If you don’t want to explore the ship before it sets sail, I would say get there an hour or two before the doors close. We arrived at our group time and sat about a half hour before boarding, but as a first-time cruiser, I was excited and didn’t want to miss anything.
The cruise is over. It is time to go home; here is what to expect. They will call for groups. The first group is for people who paid for expedited checkout, need extra assistance, or have an early flight they need to catch. They will scan your keycard one final time as you get off the ship. Now, we were in this first group, and it may vary from group to group, but here is where you need to be prepared for a lot of waiting, and I mean a lot of waiting. There are a few lines, one for US passports, birth certificates, foreign passports, and global entry (if you do not have your card with you, they will not let you get in that line). While you are waiting in line, they will ask repeatedly to have your documents out; keep them out. We waited over an hour to get to the customs agent; however, once we made it that far, we were out the door and in our car in 10 minutes. Valet parking is quick!
Rooms
When you first get on the ship, you will not be able to go to your room, so you will have your luggage with you unless you check it. If you check it, it will be delivered to your room.
Being my first cruise ever, I wanted to see out the window, and I am glad I did. It made our room feel so large, and before getting seasick it was a sight to see the large waves. I recommend getting a window on an upper deck and, if possible, towards the middle.
There is a king bed that is made up of two twin beds, and it is super comfortable. There is also a twin bed that can be pulled down if requested. When packing up to leave, we realized that there was a thermostat, which would have been nice to know. We asked for extra blankets because it was cold.
The bathroom has a lot of counter space; the shower is cruise-sized, but it is nice. They also provide robes for you to use during the cruise; if you want to keep them, you can, and they will charge your card.
Activities on the Ship
When you first arrive, there is a welcome lunch at the Port of Indecision Buffet. Right before you set sail, there is a Sail Away Party on the top deck with music and dancing.
The Margaritaville Casino, which is open when at sea. Keys on The Water Dueling Piano Bar, we walked through before we set sail, and it is lovely, but we did not get to go for a performance. Stars on the Water Theater and Bar hosts live shows and bingo here. Bingo is $20 per game.
There is also onboard shopping, which is only open at sea. Grab your at-sea souvenirs, some jewelry, or even art for your house; there is a large variety of choices.
If you want to unwind and relax, there is a spa on the ship with facials and massages, along with other services. Or enjoy the adults-only pool or main pool.
The ship has multiple bars and lounges: 5 O’clock Somewhere Bar and Grill, Hemisphere Nightclub, 12 Volt Bar, Euphoria, and License to Chill Bar. Don’t worry if you want to avoid going to the bar, many employees are walking around asking if they can get you a drink.
If you get the unlimited soda package, you will get a giant cup with a shark on it; the unlimited (10 drinks for the entire trip) drink package is $12 per drink; if your drink costs more than that, you will be charged the difference; also you can upgrade and get a blender cup too. You can also order a bucket of beer you can take wherever on the boat; if you prefer beer, this is the way to go.
Dining
There are seven places to get food while on the ship. Please note that Cheeseburger in Paradise in the Paradise Bar is the only place to get food at the port besides the welcome lunch at the Port of Indecision Buffet. Some of these are included in your ship costs, while others are additional costs.
Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar is included, and it is exactly what it sounds like: burgers and fries. Once you get your burger, there is a toppings bar to add your lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc., to make it exactly what you want. The burgers are fantastic; the fries are just fries, nothing special. We went here a couple of times.
Post of Indecision Buffet is included; the location of the welcome lunch. Seating is limited, so you might end up sharing a table with other guests. Be open to making new friends. We attended the welcome lunch and also had breakfast here but not dinner. Lunch had multiple options: chicken, fish, beef, vegetables, a fruit bar, a pasta area, rice, a sandwich station, and an ice cream station. Everything we ate was good for being cooked in bulk. Breakfast had eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, French toast, fruit, omelet station, and cereal. Coffee, hot water, apple juice, orange juice, and water are available here.
Fins Dining is included; we did not eat here, so I can not speak to that. However, they have seating at 5:45 pm, 7:30 pm, and, I believe, 9:15 pm. We saw the long lines to be seated right at those times. I recommend showing up about 10 minutes later if you don’t want to wait in line. The menu had multiple options for starters, entrees, and desserts. There are also upgrades if you want to add something from JWB to your dinner.
Frank & Lola’s Pizzeria is additional. We did not eat here but checked out the menu when we walked by. They cover the tables with these cute red and white checkered tablecloths. The pizza was reasonably priced, and they had boxes, so I would assume you could take it to the upper deck or back to your room.
JWB Prime Steakhouse is additional. We ate here, and wow, the food and the service were terrific. You typically need a reservation to dine here; however, our ship was not full, so we were able to get a table right at 5:45 pm when they opened. They immediately serve you with bread, and you get to pick a starter, entree with sides, and dessert. The French onion soup is fantastic. We ordered wagú ribs that melt in your mouth, broccolini, and mashed potatoes. We ordered an upgrade of lobster tail, which was cooked perfectly. Somehow, we ended up with the cheese soufflé, which was the best side; I highly recommend getting it. We did not get dessert because we were stuffed. I recommend eating there.
Margaritaville Coffee Shop is additional and is just like a typical coffee shop. The hot chocolate was super sweet and chocolatey, and the espresso was terrific. They have milk alternatives for all my other lactose-intolerant people. They had some small pastries that looked delicious.
In-room dining is an additional cost; when you first get into your room, there is a paper you can fill out for breakfast delivery. You need to put it outside of your door before 2 am. There is also a button on the phone for room service, so I assume you could order at any time; however, I am sure the options are limited at different times.
Excursion (Grand Bahama)
There is nowhere to walk from this port. If you want to see the island, you must get a taxi or excursion. We thought about it for a while and decided with the weather being cooler, we would do some shopping and see the island; we selected the hop-on, hop-off shopping excursion.
The hop-on hop-off bus tour has a couple of groups, and they load you on a school bus; the ad was a little deceiving. It showed an open golf cart. Also, you should know that on the island of Freeport, most of the town is shut down on Sundays for church and time with family, which would have been nice to know ahead of time.
The first stop was at a local farmers market. There were a lot of tourist souvenirs (shirts, hats, bags, magnets, etc.), and most of the vendors, while we were there, had the same things. A vendor was selling fresh fruit, but remember, you cannot bring it past customs. We were also told the conch fritters that are sold here are excellent, but feeling seasick still, I did not try them, but others in our group said they were worth it. Across the street from the farmers market is a small grocery store. If you need something, I recommend stopping in to grab it. Prices were typical, everyone was friendly, and it was clean.
The second stop, Port Lucaya Marketplace, shopping, and restaurants; only a few were open, but some vendors were selling similar items to the farmers market. However, we found two vendors who were hand-crafting their products. This older man was sitting at a small table hand, panting ornaments of the Bahamas. The bottoms were covered in sand from a local beach, and it was exactly what I was looking for (I collect ornaments from all the places I travel and put them on a tree). The next vendor was a lady with resin designs, bookmarks, magnets, and what we bought, a small bead made of resin and sand from Freedom Beach that fits on a Pandora bracelet. Those two purchases meant so much to us because they were hand-crafted. While here, we stopped at Zorbas, which serves local, Greek, and American cuisine; we had a snack and drink. I will go back here and eat when I visit again. There is also a conch stand that we were told was great after we left.
The third stop is Pirate Cove Adventure Island, where you can banana boat, jet ski, zip-line, swim, rent a picnic table, and enjoy the beach. It has a bar, a food stand, and a couple of shops. We had cooler weather, so we walked up the beach and sat until it was time to return to the ship. We did not eat anything here or enjoy the activities they offer.
Our tour guide/ bus driver, Tiny, was fantastic. He gave us so many facts about the island and shared valuable tips about each stop. He made the experience one to remember.
MUST HAVES
Seasick must-haves, and I would recommend that you start using these as soon as possible. Dramamine pills, Behind the Ear Patch, Motion sickness bands. Those are the kind I used, but many other bands are out there.
There is only one outlet in the bedroom, so you want to bring a power strip.
I would recommend a hanging cosmetic bag to keep all of your stuff in place if the boat is moving a lot, and bonus, it’s easy to pack up.
Reusable water bottle unless you want to pay $5 for a bottle of water or use the tiny water cups at the buffet.
Cruise luggage tag holder keeps your tags nice and from being ripped off.
Compact shopping bag for excursions; this way, you have something to hold everything easily. I only carry a small purse when I travel, so this is perfect to have if needed.
First aid kit unless you want to pay crazy prices on the ship for a bandaid.
This is a must-have for any traveling, Air Tags and various holders to fit your needs, wallet, inside suitcase, key, camera, anything else.
I’d love to hear about your cruise experiences and must-haves and must-knows.
While this was my first and last cruise due to all of the seasickness, my hope is that this helps you be better prepared for your cruise and know a few little things I wish I had known beforehand.
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