Ready For #Cruising

It's #RandomThoughts #Thursday in #BeyondPhotography so; I was checking my folder once again to pick a random photo that I love. I choose this picture which was taken in Bahamas. That's The Atlantis in Paradise Island on the background. When the Norwegian Cruise Ship dock in Nassau, hubby and I decided to roam inside the famous Atlantis World Class resort.

This place is truly awesome! If I am rich, I would love to spend my vacation every month ... right here. That's quiet expensive huh? I know and that's the reason I said "IF" ... Hubby and I are so ready to do another cruising so; I need to renew my passport. Gosh! It will be exciting. How about you? How many times did you do cruising?

Boat Ride From Atlantis to the Port of Nassau

When we arrived Nassau at the Island of Providence in Bahamas, my husband and I decided to go and see the Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island. We took the ride of the van paying $5/person and we went shopping in the Atlantis Resort. The prices are expensive so; we just bought some souvenirs which are made locally.I told my husband that on the way back to the Island of Providence where Nassau is, we will be taking a ferry ride. The fare is affordable, just $3/person. The view from the ferry ride was awesome! The water is so clear and clean! It takes few minutes ride all the way to the Port. Everyone will pass inside the Festival Place for checkpoint. Always bring your passport, ID and the card from the ship.I would recommend that you should try the ferry ride. There was a Bahamian who kept us entertained with stories about the buildings that we saw during the ride. It was really fun. We gave him a small amount of tip/donation. The bridge above connects the Island of Providence and the Paradise Island.In the picture (above) shows the happy faces of tourists. We listen attentively to the man who kept our ride a very interesting one. Do not forget, if you visit Nassau, take the ferry ride or you will miss a lifetime *wink*!

Cruising in NCL : Norwegian Sky

Our Cruising to Bahamas for the first time was not planned at all. We have a family who stayed with us for two weeks and both came from Spain. I was browsing my bank account at that time and they gave me a promotional offer for $250/person for a last minute cruise. We only have 2 days to prepare our documents and everything went smoothly.We traveled to Miami since our Port of Call was at the Miami Port. My husband hated this city because of the traffic ... oh, I like it alright. Our two visitors were having a grand time. We leave and park our car in the port parking lot for 4 days. It was a rainy cruising but, it was fun and certainly did not ruined the trip.Norwegian Sky is a huge ship with 934 crew and majority are Filipinos. The processing of papers were fast and they only look for my State ID, hubby's passport, and the other two's passport also. The party, activities, programs and food started right away as we boarded the ship. Of course, it was almost 2PM so; we are famished. We dine in the garden buffet and the food was truly great! It seemed like I was in PI again. I bet their cooks are Filipinos too. They served variety of food and all of us enjoyed the food a lot!After we ate, we went to the 12th deck to see the other ships departing the Miami Port ahead of us.It was fun because there were live bands in the pool area, food was served lavishly considering this ship has a freestyle dining. Eat what you can eat is the thing here.4 days is not enough! I would love to do it again and for longer period of time. Thanks to my bank for giving me such awesome deals!

Favorite Photo

This is one of my favorite photos taken when we are on board of the Norwegian Sky Cruise Line. We just came from Atlantis at the Paradise Island and we are watching the passengers/tourists walking towards the cruise ships. Some tourists from the other cruise line that just arrived the harbor were heading out to the beaches and to the Atlantis.

It was almost 4 PM and we are on our way back to Miami. There were activities inside the cruise ship but hubby and I prefer to watch the commotion down below. It was interesting especially when we saw a family running towards the ship when they saw the gangway being lift up. The gangway was put back again, giving the late comers the passage in. There were announcements, calling the passengers who are not on board yet. When we leave the port of Nassau, 3 names were being called and they did not return to the ship...we leave them behind.

Paradise Island Bridge Toll

When we arrive in Nassau Bahamas, hubby and I wanted to go to Atlantis in Paradise Island so we took the van. The fare is $4/ person, $3 for a ferry ride and $50 to rent a motor bike:Heading to the Paradise Island, any motorists have to pay a toll. Check out the rates listed above.

Port of Nassau Bahamas

I will never get tired in this picture. The view is truly spectacular. I was in the balcony room of Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship when I took this picture. This is Port of Nassau in Bahamas and shown in the picture is the Atlantis Resort.Bahamas is a beautiful place and the beaches are crystal blue. We went to Atlantis for few hours and the ride cost as $5/person. We took the ferry ride from Atlantis to Nassau Port, and it was an amazing ride. The fare is only $3/person.

Norwegian Sky Poolside

The 4-day cruising to Bahamas that we have last year was fun. If you visited all my blogs for the last few days, I posted some of the cool shots that I took. I was using my camera phone and the digital camera but, I was proud of my shots. All of these pictures was taken on the poolside of Norwegian Sky.The poolside is located on the 11th Deck and it has a good size pool and 5 jacuzzis. I was not able to use this pool because it's very crowded and people are drinking alcohol.Though it was not a perfect sunny day, people enjoy their tanning moment. Restaurants are open in free-style dining so; when you take this cruise ship, you will never get hungry.I love staying on this area where I took these pictures because I can see everybody down below.There are bahamian music and delicious food so; crusing is truly exciting and fun! A good time to relax and unwind!I made my tour on this deck and when hubby and I got tired, we go down to 5th deck to listen to a jazz music in one of the music lounges on the ship. I would love to recommend that you take Norwegian Sky Cruise Line next time.

The Atlantis

October 17, 2011- We drove down the Florida Coast towards Miami. It was a gloomy and chilly day but, four of us were excited for our Bahamas Cruising via Norwegian Cruise Line. It was drizzlin' as we park our car in the rental garage near the Miami Port. Then, off to the Port area. There were so many tourists and guests in line systematically and we found our way fast on board the Norwegian Sky. This is Nassau Island of Bahamas and from the ship, this view will welcome your eyes!I was indeed dumbfounded by the blue water and the blue skies of Bahamas. This place is truly enchanting and the wonderful scenery will continue to amazed you every second of the day.From the Port, we took a van and paid $5/person towards Atlantis and I was blown away by its grand and luxurious architectural design. We explore the main hallway inside Atlantis and it was so huge complete with all the amenities: shopping center, movie theatre, restaurants, ballroom and more. We explore the Marina and it was absolutely gorgeous. The locals were charming and friendly and no one approached us to beg for money. On our way back, we decided to take a boat ride which cost only $3/person and it was an amazing experience.The Atlantis is a world class hotel and if you travel to Atlantis this week, the cheapest room rate you can get is $612 up to $2500 a day. So expensive right? Well, I can only stay in Atlantis if Bill Gates or Warren Buffet can provide me a FREE stay in this hotel (*-*) LOL. Not in my lifetime will I ever afford this hotel/resort. Dang! It would be awesome to stay one week and just enjoy the view and waking up with this enchanting scenery. Of course, I can dream can't I? I would love to travel and stay here with my family and that includes my mom and my brother with his family. That's it! I am now wide awake hahahaha. God bless you everyone! Remember, If you can't feed a hundred people then, just feed one says Mother Theresa.

The View of Nassau Bahamas From the Deck of Norwegian Sky Cruise Line

Exactly a month ago, we travelled to Miami Florida to board the Norwegian Sky Cruise Line which was heading for Bahamas. The weather for that week was cloudy but, it was not a deterrent to cancel our trip for four days. It was an instant booking because we had a family from Spain and we wanted them to go with us too. We arrived at Freeport Grand Bahama Island on the next day and we stayed there from sunrise to 5:30PM. The port is clean and there were transportation waiting for the tourists. I admire the systematic accommodation that they have and we feel at ease when we transact the ride to our destination because the fare/rates were posted clearly on the information board of the port. We paid $10 each (back and forth rides) towards Port Lucaya and the Marketplace. It took us maybe 15 minutes ride towards that destination and it was a long ride really.The place is beautiful and no one approached us to beg for money. I am sorry but, I cannot help but compare it to my experience in Bohol when the bus driver charged me double than what we agreed upon. Anyway, the place we went to is beautiful and clean. It was pleasing to the eyes of the tourists!The next morning, we arrived in Nassau Island. This is Nassau, the home of the world famous resort --> Atlantis and the Paradise Island. Did you know that I was looking for trash on the port and found none? There were temporary tents built along the port, selling for local goods but when I look at the water, it was very clean and so blue. Most of the tourists noticed that too. You can access the Internet for free from the Port connection. But, if you stayed on the ship, the access is not too good because of the strong wind. Some of the cruise staff who were Filipinos took advantage of the free wifi. I saw them occupying one small sitting area inside the Port building and chatting to their families back home. I would recommend that you should visit Bahamas and see Nassau Island. I heard from the locals that the most expensive room in Atlantis costs 25,000/day and you can only book it for 4 days and more. I tried to search for it but, the highest rate available to public costs less than $800. I don't know if that $25K/day is true or not but, the view in Nassau is worth a million! I love Atlantis and it is really huge and grand!

Grand Bahama Island

Before we woke up, the Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship arrived early and already dock at Freeport, Grand Bahama Island in Bahamas. We went to the 12th deck to see the sunrise at 7:18 but, it was so cloudy and the sun refused to shine. We thought that this day would be boring because of the rain but, it wasn't bad at all. We went to explore one place in the island and that's the Marketplace and Marina at Port Lucaya.I already love the view of this island. The water is so clean and so blue! When we go to the gangway, we need to swipe our keycard and when we go back, we do the same thing. The prices of the transportation is posted clearly on the big information board. To the Marketplace, we paid $10/person and it's already back and forth. Sorry for the blurry images. It was so windy and I am using BB phone. Anyway, we rode in a van and we are about 10 on it. We told the driver that we will drop by in the Treasure Bay Casino. Since it was so early, there were only few people in the casino.Freeport is district and a free trade zone in the island of Grand Bahama of the North-West of Bahamas. Freeport has become the second most populous city in the Bahamas. The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free trade zone so; in Freeport area they will pay no taxes before 2054. I noticed that most hotels on the island are located along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel.