Winter Getaway Cruise to the Bahamas: a Lavish Birthday Surprise
My sister asked me to accompany her on a complimentary cruise she was offered because of her casino wins. There were two departures in January, so of course I chose the one that was on my birthday! (Not saying which birthday because age doesn’t matter. Lol!) That perfect timing was the first surprise because she hadn’t thought of it as a birthday gift. That could be because the second surprise was a party that she and my family had planned for me at my favorite restaurant. The third surprise was the weather we encountered during this cruise. We ended up chasing the sun on this Winter getaway cruise.
On our way to Fort Lauderdale, we had seats over the wing and were surprised by a sunset consisting of a brilliant red line along the horizon. In this photo it looks orange, but for real it was a startling scarlet.
It was balmy warm getting off the plane and to the hotel. But we were shocked the next morning when we went outside to get an Uber to the ship. There was a chilly wind forcing us to layer up with sweaters and jackets.
Ours was a Celebrity cruise ship leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.
On the first night that we set sail, there was a thunderstorm that actually rocked this big ship. The next day, the swimming pool was not very full because of the gray clouds and cold breezes. Then there came an announcement from the Captain that we had to change course away from the Keys because of the winds that made it too dangerous to sail there. Instead, we followed the sun to Nassau for our first onshore day in the Bahamas.
The Captain said the good thing about sailing a ship is that you can go anywhere the weather is good and skirt around areas where it’s bad. And indeed, everyone happily hit the pool and the jacuzzis because the sun was out. Suddenly it was jam packed.
Here we are at a wine-tasting class: me, my sister and a fellow traveler.
The food onboard is amazing every day. The Oceanview Cafe offers any and all kinds of foods that you could ever wish for. The Main Dining Room offers many courses of the most delicious gourmet foods. And then there are the special restaurants you can pay extra for and get exotic foods indoors or out.
On my actual birthday, we went to The Porch, an outdoor restaurant. It was actually a chilly evening, so the overhead heater was turned on.
Nassau was nice, but our next onshore day on the island of Bimini surprised us after we got to the beach.
After enjoying a walk through the warm waves, dark storm clouds began to roll in.
After I went swimming and was all wet, the dark clouds and winds suddenly whipped up. I only had shorts, a t-shirt and a windbreaker so I was shivering. I pulled a beach towel over my legs to warm up while I ate lunch in a cabana, but it was not at all enough. This is where I caught a bad chill that brought on the sickness that I went home with.
From this experience, I would advise that wearing your bathing suit under your clothes is not enough. Now that weather patterns are unpredictable, pack dry underthings and maybe something warm added in.
By the time I arrived back home, I discovered I had caught the highly contagious Flu A. I had soup for dinner and went straight to sleep…for days. This flu hurts, so I hope you will take good care to avoid catching it!
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