My wife and I got back from our 3-day Bahamas cruise earlier this week and all I can say is I loved cruising! I am glad we went on a short trip to see what we thought of the concept, and boy were we pleased.
We only ate at the buffet one time during the cruise...I would say the buffet was below expectations by a lot, and probably below average. Breakfast in the dining rooms was definitely a great tip. Eggs Benedict in the AM really hit the spot.
We elected to pay extra and dine in the "special" restaurants each evening, and the food was outstanding. I was very pleased.
We spent the day Saturday in Nassau, taking in the sites at Atlantis, and hopping on a taxi to visit Greycliff. I wish I scheduled, or made someone aware of my visit, but still, it was cool to visit there. Unfortunately, due to rough seas, we did not have the day at their private island on Sunday, but we enjoyed the day at sea on the pool deck all the same.
I was glad we got the balcony, even though once we were out we didn't go back to the room. But it takes me only about 15 minutes to get ready, and my wife about 3 times that. The 30+ minutes on the deck during that time, along with the nightcap on the balcony made it well worth the upgrade we paid. On Sunday there was a meteor shower that, being on the balcony, we were able to enjoy. 15-20 "shooting stars" over a couple of 30 minute segments.
I only had a couple of cigars while on board (one on the top aft deck, one on the balcony). The pool deck was quite full on Sunday since we missed the excursion and I didn't feel smoking a cigar would have been well received. Besides, there was some confusion with the staff as to where I could smoke one, so I just decided not to. If (who am I kidding? - WHEN) I go on my next cruise I will probably make a point to get clear definition for when and where it's cool.
Overall, a great experience which I hope to enjoy again. A couple days longer in duration would be sweet too.
Oh yeah, kind of neat side story...We ate at the steakhouse on Friday night and I decided to order Oyster Rockefeller as an appetizer. Lo and behold, I found a small pearl in the first oyster I tried. We had the several people from the staff come to the table to verify the story. lol