Cruzinforpeace***

Well, he usually hates pizza but on the MSC MERAVIGLIA he loved it! Oh, he also loved the french fries. He said the pancakes were “just ok”. He liked the free ice cream. He thought the kids program was “ok”. He’s at a weird age at 17 so too old to enjoy the true kiddy stuff and too young to drink and gamble. He thought the Formula One simulator was too difficult to “steer”. He had to use “google translate” to communicate with a few kids up in the kids program which was something “novel” for him. He loved Miami. He was truly thankful we purchased the “browse and stream” internet package for him during this cruise. Although he seemed bored at times we literally saw him at breakfast for a few minutes and then next at 12am (other than the 2 port days) so he must have had some fun. He’s just too cool to show it. I know everyone was waiting with bated breath for that review (lol). PS you have to remember this is his 18th cruise. He’s been cruising since he’s 2 years old. He’s seen it all (lol).

So by this point in the cruise I realized it was fruitless to fight the noise. We got all dolled up for the White Night and party (earplugs in my purse on standby). It was SO much fun! After dinner my husband and I saw a few people taking photos in the hallway with all the bottles and decided to “strike a pose.” Then we headed up to the pool deck for a really fun White Party (earplugs in place).

Bye bye Bahamas! It was a beautiful visit.

Yes! That was the name of it! Thank you for filling that in😀 and the extra info.

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Back to the Bahamas! My husband and I dropped my son off back at the ship, grabbed some lunch in the buffet and headed back out to the Junkanoo Museum right inside the pier area. We learned a lot about the costumes and the history behind the whole thing. Very interesting and not what I expected. I thought it was a Mardi Gras thing. I was wrong. It was all about the oppressed class of the Bahamas expressing themselves in the midst of very difficult times. The costumes are pretty darn amazing and so colorful. The festivities take place around the Christmas holiday. The museum admission was $11 per person. It took about 20-30 minutes to get through it. Not very big but very interesting.

As I’m writing this review I’m looking outside. Boy I miss my cruise!

More Nassau…

Our Straw Market “bargains”.

The weather was a fantastic 75 degrees and mostly sunny! I first spent some time walking on the deck for walkers/runners since the weather was gorgeous, hid a cruising duck and then we headed off the ship. We spent our day in the port area and ventured out into the main street in Nassau. Did some bargaining in the straw market which was fun. Bought some cute souvenirs. Never felt unsafe and saw police as well keeping an eye on things.

Good morning Nassau! We were there literally at the “crack of dawn”. It was a beautiful start to a beautiful day. IMG_3378.mov

Another quiet place I found was the “lounge area” by the elevators on deck 13 in the center of the ship. I believe every deck may have this lounge area or perhaps it’s unique to the Aurea cabin floors? Either way, probably nothing stopping anyone from taking a “quiet time” break here. The seating was quite comfortable.

Don’t you love that face! Drives me crazy, this age.😖

Before we left port we saw the Virgin ship pass by. We put our cell phone lights on and waved to each other. Fun! IMG_3362.mov

Miami is beautiful but oh the traffic! The tour guide told us they’ve had a huge influx of new residents. A great tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Little Havana is a hopping town. Lots of stuff going on. Dominoes, dancing and lots of colorful artwork. Wish we stayed longer! IMG_3314.mov

Our son opted for the Little Havana McDonald’s. I think that was a better deal (lol).

Little Havana. Tried a Cuban but wasn’t overly impressed. $35 for a 1 sandwich, 2 bottled sparkling waters and one dessert. There was very little meat on the sandwich which was disappointing , especially for the price.

Airboat ride in the Florida Everglades was a blast! IMG_3283.mov

And our “substitute port” of Miami didn’t disappoint. It was a full day of fun and gorgeous weather. 75 degrees and mostly sunny!

So like I said before, we hit some bad weather. We didn’t dock at Port Canaveral or Ocean Cay. Disappointed about Ocean Cay but like I said we were going on this cruise without expectations so we embraced the change and adjusted.

The dome shows and displays in the main promenade area are pretty darn cool… IMG_3179.mov

BUT there are some really nice, relaxing spaces… The Aurea Spa was heavenly. We especially loved the sensory room, the dark steam room, the whirlpools and the salt room. It was like a “coma” sleep when resting in the salt and sensory rooms. The lounge on Deck 16 overlooking the outside pool is also very chill. Quieter music and overall atmosphere. We also found going to the dining room later (if you have Aurea My Choice) is much quieter. The back parts of the buffet are also less noisy and also outside in the aft outside the buffet. IMG_3156.mov