Day Three - Nassau

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Geo: 25.0829, -77.3338

Deep sleep. I always seem to sleep really well on ships. Must be something to do with the motion of the ocean even though I cant really feel any movement at all. We are scheduled to arrive in Nassau in the Bahamas around 8.00 today. We have an excursion booked to The Blue Lagoon today so we have to be up an out as need to meet on the pier at 8.30. We have breakfast in the Windjammer before throwing some beach towels, iPods and cameras into a bag and heading down to deck 2 to disembark.

We are met by our tour guide and walk a short distance to a small boat that will take us on the 45 minute journey to Salt Cay Island (it's official name) and The Blue Lagoon. We pass along the narrow waterway between the main island and Paradise Island that is home to the massive Atlantis Resort. Under a road bridge leading to the resort I notice some flimsy shacks have been erected, I guess they are homes for some people who don't have much material possessions in this world. 15 minutes later and we are passing by some amazingly big and beautiful properties on the waterfront belonging to such celebs as Oprah, Tom Cruise, Sean Connery & Tiger Woods. The contrast is extreme.

We cross a narrow inlet to Salt Cay and pull into Blue Lagoon which certainly lives up to its name. The waters here are so clear and blue. We have opted for just the beach break today but some others are doing the Dolphin Encounter. We head along the beach to the very end thinking it will be quieter and more secluded here. We are correct for the most part until other guests from the Disney Dream cruise ship arrive meaning space is at a premium.

We take a swim in the cool bahamian waters which is very refreshing. Peters gets some mudslide cocktails which are delicious (and potent). We relax for the rest of the morning listening to music and enjoying the sunshine. It's the first real chance we have had to relax on this holiday and the beach break is most welcome. We normally traipse around the local shops in Nassau, this is much more preferable. At around 1pm we head to the small pier to catch the boat back to the cruise ship. We need to be onboard by 4.30 so we always make sure we leave in plenty of time. We arrive back at the ship around 2pm and get burgers and shakes at Johnny Rockets. Adventure leaves Nassau behind for the last time. She won't be back until at least November as she will spend the whole of the summer ported in Southampton.

It is formal night tonight and so we start getting ready to put on our tuxes. The day we got onboard we noticed there were a few problems with the sizing of the items we ordered. Peters shirts and trousers were too short and so were my trousers. We got that fixed, however what we didn't notice that there were no black ties for either of us or a Cumber-band for Peter. Again no big deal and was quickly sorted. The tailor had just left the room when I put on my waistcoat, too small. Have only been on ship 2 days, I hadn't gained that much weight so quickly.

Once suitably attired we head to the Imperial Lounge for cocktails. It's quite busy tonight. We find Sue and Malcolm who had been trying to save us a seat. We pull a few up and enjoy catching up. There are two guys on the cruise that Sue had told us about. Apparently they dress quite extravagantly and make a bit of an entrance whenever they arrive. She wasn't joking. They drift in dressed like Maharajahs and look as though they have stepped off the set of Moulin Rouge. To be fair they looked amazing. They are obviously quite well known as a lot of people were fawning over them which they seemed to enjoy.

Dinner is enjoyable although I struggle to find something I really like on the menu tonight, that sometimes happens. I start with scallops (not too good). The duck I have for main was very nice and also the cheesecake for dessert. As usual we head back to the cabin to change out of the formal gear and put on something more comfortable. We then head up to the Viking Crown for cocktails. Peter has a Long Island Iced Tea and I enjoy a Margarita. We then head down to the Lobby Bar for one more before heading back to the cabin.

The clock is fast approaching midnight which means I will turn a half century. When it happens it is pretty painless and I do like a nice round number. Peter gives me his gifts. As he had arranged both the flight and cabin upgrades for this trip I told him not to get me anything else. He did however buy me a lovely Ice Watch (I always wanted one after getting Peter one for his birthday last year), tickets to see Kylie in September and a 3 hour behind the scenes ship tour for 26th April.

Feeling blessed and happy I go to bed ready for the day ahead.

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