5-Day Bahamas Cruise

Back in March 2016, we decided to take a belated honeymoon for our one-year wedding anniversary. We took a 5-day cruise to the Bahamas and it was so much fun. Not only was it my first time on a cruise but I was also able to knock off four things from my bucket list in that one trip:

1. Go on a Cruise
2. Go to the Bahamas
3. Go to Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas
4. Swim with Dolphins

It was such an amazing trip and we made so many fun memories. I’ve been wanting to go on another cruise ever since we got back from that one! We went with another couple and it was a great bonding time as a couple and with our friends. Cruises are such a neat way to travel and offer so many experiences for your trip. While I’m over here daydreaming about going on another cruise, I wanted to share with you all of the adventures we had.

Depart Port: Charleston, SC

We drove five hours to get to our departure port in Charleston, South Carolina. We didn’t get to spend much time in Charleston but what I saw in the driving around that we did it was so cute. I’d love to go back again and visit sometime. It has a cool historic vibe and it’s right by the water. Since it was our first time in Charleston and also going on a cruise it was a bit confusing trying to figure out where to go for parking but we got it sorted out after a while.

Getting Settled On the Cruise

Getting settled on the ship was an adventure in itself. Luckily there were plenty of workers around who helped us, newbies, out. You drop your luggage off at a certain place and then walk to the ship check-in. You go through the check-in process of setting up your accounts, getting your room info, and going through security. Then get in line time to board the ship.

Once onboard, the ship is a wonderland. Our ship the Cardinal Ecstasy was huge and had so much to offer. It was a bit confusing getting around and I often got turned around on the ship because the halls and cabins all look the same.

We had a room with a balcony. Our room itself was a normal hotel room size, not too big. The bathroom was super small which made it hard to have two people in it at once. The shower was tiny but worked for what we needed. We got settled into our room and enjoyed the harbor views from the balcony. We even got to see a dolphin swimming around before we ever left port. They bring the bags you checked in outside of the ship up to your door.

Before the ship takes off everyone has to go through a mandatory safety briefing and drill. Everyone has an assigned meeting area based on where your cabin is. You meet there, they take names and go over the safety procedures in case of an emergency (where to meet, etc). You even walk to the lifeboats. Once everyone completes the drill you are dismissed and the ship can leave port.

1 Day at Sea

After leaving port we were at sea for one day before our first stop. We took the time to explore the ship and all it had to offer. We enjoyed drinks with friends, some shows and games. We checked out the pool and hot tub decks, fitness center, mini-golf area, and track. Cruise ships really are amazing! I couldn’t believe all it had to offer. We had a buffet as part of our meal plan and got a variety of items each day. The particular cruise we took had a lot of spring breakers on board so it got to be loud especially at the pool at times. Our first couple of days it was cold too so I didn’t swim anyway. But we did enjoy the hot tub in the 21+ section which was a little more relaxed.

Freeport, Bahamas

For your excursions, they bring your meeting location and info to your cabin and slid it under your door the morning of your stop. Our off-ship excursion at our first destination in Freeport, Bahamas was an all-you-can-drink beach day. We took a shuttle bus to the beach. Many locals had shops set up all around the beach where they sold their homemade items. There were so many beautiful things! I bought a wooden hand-painted wind chime with dolphins on it. It turned out to be the perfect beach day. It was sunny and warm. The water was gorgeous! So many shades of blue. A true Bahamas experience. We spent the day at the beach and then took the shuttle back to our ship.

1 Night at Sea

We enjoyed more the ship had to offer while making our way to our next destination. We had a fancy dinner night, took photos, played bingo, and checked out the fitness center to name a few things.

Nassau, Bahamas

I was most excited about our second stop in Nassau, Bahamas and it was by far my favorite day out of the whole cruise. We chose to take an excursion to the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. I had wanted to visit the resort ever since seeing the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie “Holiday in the Sun” (one of my favorite movies as a kid) and I knew swimming with dolphins at Atlantis was a must! Dolphins are my favorite animal and swimming with them was one of the biggest things on my bucket list that I wanted to do. I figured doing it at Atlantis would make it that much more fun because of how beautiful it is there. So we chose deep water swim with dolphins + a day at the water park at Atlantis for our excursion.

Our swim with dolphins wasn’t scheduled until the end of the day, so we spent the first part of the day exploring around Atlantis. And let me tell you the pictures do not do justice to seeing it in person! Atlantis is huge and gorgeous. There are swimming pools and the ocean on the other side. There are a rope bridge and aquarium with sharks and other sea life. The water slides are no joke either. I only went down one. There is one that is practically straight down. I was too scared to go down it but my husband and our friends all did it and thought it was a blast. Just be careful if you are in a bikini cuz it could make your swimsuits move around.

After walking around the resort and doing the water slides, we enjoyed drinks and food by the pool. Then we made our way to the back of Atlantis where the dolphins reside at Dolphin Cay. We got there a little early and watched another group doing their dolphin swim. Then we checked in and stored our items in lockers. They gave us wetsuits to wear and snorkel gear for the swim. We did the deep water swim where we got to swim in the deep water with a dolphin. The guide talked us through the dolphin and answered any questions we had. We got to pet the dolphin as it swam around us in a circle and watch it swim with our snorkel gear.

Next, we went to the shallow area of the pool where we got to do all the typical photo ops. We got to feed them, dance with them, kiss them, and pose for photos. I was in heaven! For our last activity, we took turns floating on a kickboard in the water and a dolphin would come up and push us with their nose on our foot. Dolphins can swim up to 25 MPH and it was so exhilarating having them push you through the water. I went first in our group and it surprised me when the dolphin made contact with my foot so I squealed but I had a blast.

Swimming with dolphins was just as magical as I thought it would be and I plan on doing it again for sure. It was such a fun time and I am so glad I did it. The only downside was that our excursion was at the end of the day so by the time our dolphin swim was done we were almost out of time to get back to our shuttle to make it back to the cruise ship in time. The guys waited to get our photos from the swim purchased while my bestie and I ran as fast as we could all the way to the opposite side of the resort to our shuttle meeting spot. We made it in time to have them wait for the guys to catch up. Luckily we made it back to the ship in time and despite the crazy end to our excursion, I had the best day.

2 Days at Sea

Being at sea is such a unique experience. I didn’t get seasick thankfully but there were sometimes that the ship was rocking and it threw my balance off. But that’s why they have railing all along the halls. There is nothing like looking out and seeing only the ocean as far as the eye can see in any direction. It’s a bit of an uneasy, weird feeling but so incredibly beautiful. The deep blue of the deep ocean is unlike any color I had seen before. It was so peaceful. We took full advantage of all the ship has to offer for our two days at sea making it back to our port. They take photos at different times and places throughout your cruise and they print all the photos to have on display for you to purchase. Even if you don’t want to purchase all of the photos you can still see them.

Arrival Port: Charleston, SC

After five days we made it back to our initial departure port, Charleston, SC. While our cruise was so much fun it almost didn’t seem like enough time. I’ve been craving to take a longer cruise ever since. It was well worth every aspect of our trip.

All in all my first cruise was so much fun! Have you ever taken a cruise before? Let me know in the comments below. If you haven’t (or even if you have) I definitely recommend taking a cruise whenever you get a chance. Happy cruising!