Disney Magic 3-Night Bahamian Cruise: Captain's Log Day 2

It's a beautiful morning in the middle of the ocean. We're on Day 2 of our 3-Night Bahamian (kid-free!) cruise. I am the early riser of the family, so I got up to check out the view.  At this point, it's about 5:30 in the morning and we aren't near a dock. I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking today. They can say a lot more than I can!

Sunrise on the water. Isn't it beautiful?

Here we are approaching Nassau. That very tall building is Atlantis.

Before we departed for Nassau, we decided to have breakfast in Cabana's. Cabana's is a breakfast and lunch food bar with typical breakfast fare; Mickey waffles, bacon, eggs, assorted pastries, fresh fruits, cereals. Gary's favorite? Eggs Benedict. By far the best Eggs Benedict he's ever had, and in fact, we went back every single morning for them!

The water! So BLUE!

Here's where you'll come off the ship. 

You'll need to scan your Key To The World card when each time you come into or depart from the ship.

Breakfast done, ready to see some sights!

Once you step off the ship, if you're taking an excursion or tour that designates the meeting area, there will be someone to meet you on the sidewalk.

Here we are docked next to Carnival. 

You'll head down this long sidewalk to the left (ships are to the right) toward the Straw Market.

The Disney Magic. Isn't she pretty?

We joined a very dear group of friends on board, who were also child-free! Yay us! 

Heaven help!

Once you step onto official Nassau soil, you'll see a yellow building. You'll walk through this building toward the straw market, and right at the metal fencing area, you can find cabs waiting to take you to wherever you'd like to go. Note: they're not new. You probably think they're unsafe. But they'll get you where you want to go.

We hailed a cab for $4 per person, and shared it (minivan cab) with three others. If you're by yourself they will make you wait until they have enough other folks to make it worth their while to transport you. We found it interesting that in Nassau, you'll have what would be considered a poor home right next to a gated home ten times the size of the one sparsely appointed home next to it, with lush grounds, landscaping, and expensive cars in the drive. Our cab driver said it was very normal there to dee such diversity.

On to Atlantis! We opted to do a day tour on our own. We were able to walk through the shops, casino, and grounds with no trouble.

My friend Sandra. Love her! This is a glass sculpture in Atlantis.

We walked. We strolled. Honestly? We enjoyed being husband and wife! We talked about our kids, our dreams, our plans for the agency, things we were seeing on site, what we liked about the ship, things we'd noticed... lots of things you don't get to do everyday during your normal hustle and bustle. We also stopped in the casino and spent $20 on penny slots, just because.

We hailed a cab back to the Straw Market so we could walk around and do some more sightseeing. Also, Gary was on the hunt for some authentic jerk chicken. In the straw market, you'll find a ton of souvenir shops. Most of them have something that they will personalize for you to commemorate your trip. For our daughter, we etched her name into a conch shell. For our son, we bought him a bongo drum, which also had his name on it.

Sad news: No Jerk Chicken.

We also picked up another souvenir for my mother who was (hee hee) taking our kids to school while we were on our trip! Inside the yellow building, you'll find more souvenir shops. We bought my mother a hand-painted rum bottle with Bahamian sand inside the bottle, and Bahamian money on the outside.

Once onboard, we found our friends and enjoyed quite awhile, just resting on the deck.

Delicious lunch with Nassau in the background.

Is it lunch time yet? On to board the ship and have lunch at Cabana's!  All you can eat cocktail shrimp, seafood, vegetables, meats. We sat outside on the deck. It was not at all crowded, as most guests were still wrapping up their excursions.

We caught the magician onboard doing his magic show.

And then look who we found just roaming the ship, looking for shipmates? Pirate Mickey! (A note about characters: They were out and there were hardly any lines for them. You could meet Donald Duck, Pluto, Minnie, Chip & Dale, Goofy, Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, Multiple princesses (Cinderella, Aurora, Belle), Daisy Duck, Captain America, Princess Tiana, and Pirate Stitch!

Then, it was on to a completely DIFFERENT Broadway-style show, Villains Tonight. 

This is our friend Lisa. Lisa won at Bingo!

Sandra also won. Sandra is doing the happy dance. Note: Sandra does NOT normally dance.

Back to our room to change for supper, and we find this towel art. At first I thought it was a turkey. (Doesn't it look like a turkey? Ready for Thanksgiving supper?) Well, it was not a turkey, it was a monkey.  This is why I'm the agent and not the towel artist. 

Tonight was Lumiere's Restaurant, a wonderful french cuisine. You remember how I said your servers stay with you and get to know you? Before we'd even sat down, our servers saw us coming and had drinks waiting for us. They remembered what we'd ordered from the night before. Craziness!

I forgot to take a picture of the menu (I was flabbergasted by my drink and napkin, what can I say?), but here were out options:

Appetizers

• "Gaston's" Escargots Gratinés
  Herb-marinated Snails with Finely Chopped Mushrooms, topped with Garlic Butter
• Applewood Smoked Bacon and Wild Mushroom Tart
  with Creamy Leeks
• Duck Confit
  Salted and Slow-cooked Duck, Dried Prunes, Candied Walnuts, Chicory and Mixed Leaves with Apple Walnut Dressing

• Chilled Jumbo Shrimp
  White and Green Asparagus, Micro Greens and Lemon-Dill Dressing with Horseradish Cream

Soups and Salads

• "Mrs. Potts" French Onion Soup
  With Gruyère Cheese Crouton

• Tomato and Basil Soup
  Rich blend of Tomatoes, fresh Basil, and Cream
• Avocado - Citrus Salad
  With Iceberg and Radicchio Leaves and an Orange Vinaigrette
• Market Green Salad
  Cherry Tomato, Cucumbers, Peppered Goat Cheese, and a Raspberry Vinaigrette

Main Course

• Slowly Braised Lamb Shank
  With a Creamy Polenta and Portobello Mushroom in a Red Wine Sauce
• Three-Cheese Lobster Macaroni
  Lobster Meat, Gruyère, and Cheddar Cheese Sauce tossed with Tubular Pasta and topped with a Parmesan Wafer

• Porcini Mushroom-Stuffed Pasta in a Vegetable Broth
• Topped with Watercress, Shaved Parmesan Cheese, and Paprika Oil Drizzle
• Lumiere's Seared Sea Bass
  With a Mushroom Herb Risotto, Sweet Onion Marmalade, and garnished with a Potato Crisp
• Grilled Marinated Tofu, Roasted Zucchini, Eggplant, and Red Peppers
  On Israeli Couscous with a Lime-Cilantro Sauce
• Crispy Roasted Duck Breast
  With Braised Napa Cabbage and Potato Cake, with Pomegranate Jus
• Grilled Farm-Raised Chicken Breast
  Green Asparagus, Pineapple, and Raisin Barley with Herb-Lemon Jus

• Grilled Beef Tenderloin
  On Olive-Oil Smashed Potatoes, Bacon-wrapped Green Beans, and Tamarind-Barbecue Reduction

Baked Salmon and Oven-roasted Chicken Breast available upon request.

Bread Selection

• Warm French Country Bread with an Olive Spread

For dessert, our options were: Dessert

• Lumiere's Sweet Temptations

  

  Trio

  
  A Trio of Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux

Creme Brûlée

• Crème Brûlée
  with Seasonal Berries
• Brioche and Pannetone Pudding
  With Toffee Sauce
• Grand Marnier Soufflé
  With Vanilla Sauce

Chocolate Mousse

• Chocolate Mousse
• With Brandy-marinated Cherries
• Ice-Cream Sundae
  Served with Vanilla Ice-Cream, Praline Petite Choux, Chocolate Sauce and a Hazelnut Croquant

No Sugar Added Dessert

• Seasonal Fruits 
  With Sugar-free Cookies
• Chocolate Cheesecake 
  With Whipped Topping
• Assorted Sugar-free Ice Cream

After supper, our servers handed each of us a pirate bandana for the Pirate Party later that night!

Mickey and the gang out to lead the party!

HAVING NO FUN AT ALL!!

At the end of the party is a huge fireworks show! We could actually see several ships off in the distance. They stop in the middle of the ocean to watch OUR fireworks show. How neat is that? We are such trailblazers!

Overall review: Three meals. Sightseeing. Souvenir buying. Bingo. Casino. One broadway-style show. Unlimited soft drinks. Ice cream. Another movie. (Thor, Saving Mr. Banks, Frozen, and Planes are all showing.) Relaxation. Pirate party.  Late night Dance Club with friends.

Total spent out of pocket for this day? Cab fare: $8 Souvenirs: $30 Bingo: $40 Casino: $20. Total: $98

Not too shabby!

Until tomorrow,

~Karen & Gary

Check Out Day 1