Cruise Part 6 - Dolphin Kisses
Hello my Lovelies and Gents,
Who wants to hear about the Dolphins? I do! I do!
The last full day of the cruise was one of the best days of my life.
Sunrise over Nassau was at 6:26 again. It was beautiful. Our excursion started at 8:30 so there was a new plan for working out. I was not going to hit the jogging track right after. I would be hitting it later in the day. So this sunrise was in PJs :-)
When we were docking there was one other ship in port. The cool thing was watching 2 others come in after us. After a little bit I ran down to shower so that we could get in a good breakfast before our excursion. This one didn't include lunch and we weren't scheduled to get back to the ship until 1pm. We needed a good breakfast.
It was the usual for me, man I miss those breakfasts. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, some sort of potatoes, melon, cantaloupe, and chocolate milk. No bananas...boo.
I remember being the kid that ate cold pizza and watching Saturday morning cartoons. As a kid that totally rocked. As a fit adult I am horrified. I mentioned that the pizza place is open 24 hours. At the table next to us were two tweens and their mom. The kids were eating pizza. I cringed.
When we got to the dock we waited with our group for Balmoral Island. There were three groups: Dolphin Encounter (us), swim with the Dolphins, and Beach day. We had a little wait and there were lots of people, but it was pretty to hang there.
Soon we were marched to our boat in 2 lines. It felt like we were pre-schoolers on a field trip. haha. Follow the sign. We got on our boat and it was about a half hour ride to the most beautiful island. It was small, but beautiful.
When we got off they ushered the Encounter peeps to the side. Everyone else was sent to the beach. We went to a small building and put our bags on the shelves. They gave us life jackets to put on. They needed to be tight because when we got in the water they would float up. Little secret: I was super excited at how far I could pull those straps. Of course they squashed my boobs, but that's okay.
We had our little tutorial and then went out to the water. They divided us into 3 groups of 10. The first group was at the bottom of the stairs. We got group 3....all of the way at the other side of the water. Luckily I kept my flip flops on. The ground was very rocky...however, walking in water in flip flops is difficult. It took us a while, but we got there.
It started right away. Instructor's name was Shawn. He was awesome. Our Dolphin's name was Margarita, could that be more perfect for me? We called her Marge for short. Marge is 6 years old and was born in captivity. She is from Honduras and so amazing.
The first group got called out for their pictures and soon it was our turn. We put our hands behind our back and leaned in and March gave us a kiss.
Then we got to hold her face and kiss her smack on the lips.
Then we got to cradle her. She didn't feel like I thought she would. She was like a rubber ball. I expected slime. Girlfriend is smooth. And also I was the shortest person in our group...I was on my tippy tip toes.
She was also a little heavier than I thought. But, I didn't want to give her a complex. After we finished with pictures there were some tricks. She jumped for us. She talked for us. She played with us. Marge is a little camera shy and in between each group of pictures in our group she would swim off and we needed to wait for her to come back. At one point she was photo bombing other groups. I heart her.
Our time was up too soon and it was time to walk back. It was definitely a good leg workout. Those flip flops caused resistance. I realized a little too late that it was easier in deeper water.
We got to see our photos right away and ordered them. We also ordered some shirts. That was an ordeal and we waited a little while for them. Eventually we were walked over to the beach area to wait for them.
O.M.G. the beach...I know a lot of people came off that boat, but we were spread out. There was a pool area. There was a DJ. We got a spot to ourselves. It was heaven.
The water was so clear and amazing. I just sat in it for a while. I even got a few shells. But, time went too fast and soon we were heading back...on the bluest water EVER.
They dropped us off in the shopping/tourist area of Nassau. I am so glad that we went to Balmoral Island, because I wasn't a huge fan of Nassau. I mean it doesn't help that before we got off of the ship there was a Safety announcement. The US Embassy has issued a safety warning for American tourists. They wanted us to stick with our excursions and stay in tourist areas.
We looked around and got the usual shot glasses and post cards. I turned into a complete and total American Tourist. My number one question: Where is the Starbucks? We found it! I was so happy...and tired. I needed some caffeine. We got our drinks and our location mugs. I usually get the ceramic coffee mugs, but I they still had the travel mugs so I got one.
Even better was that there was a Subway right next door! We didn't go though. Free food on the ship. And speaking of, we needed to get back for that. We needed to use our passports to get back on the ship...still no stamps...grr...
By the time we got to the ship it was 3pm. That's why we got the big breakfast. It would have been easy to go to the grill, but we hit the deli. I got the tomato, mozzarella on a ciabata with arugala. I also got sides of potato salad, pasta with eggplant, salad, fruit, and a pickle.
It was yummy.
There was still time before dinner and before we left port. So I went up to the Serenity Deck. There were ships on both sides so I didn't have a big water view. I opted to look at the other ships and check them out. I didn't see any jogging tracks, but I did see rock walls and basketball courts.
After an hour I went back and started packing for our departure and then get ready for dinner. I was making it a jeans night. I have this beautiful white top that I love. It accents my shoulders.
Okay so for my last dinner on the ship I had the heart healthy starter. It was Vine ripe beef steak tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella with basil leaves and virgin olive oil.
My entree was not heart healthy, but it was still yummy. I got the bourbon and honey glazed roasted spring chicken with grilled zucchini and onions, diced potatoes. O.M.G.
I had decided that the last night I would go all out. This dinner was fabulous, but I could barely contain myself waiting for the dessert menu. I got the amaretto cake...it was worth it.
We said good bye to our servers and gave them hugs. I really enjoyed getting to know them. Once again: Peter, Christopher, and Abdioko were fabulous and it you are ever on the Carnival Victory tell them I said hello!
It was our last night so we got two songs. They sang a modified version of Leaving on a Jet Plane and then they got down to It's Gonna Be a Good Night.
After dinner I went and changed for the jogging track. I got up there around 8pm. It was dark out. It was a different world than I was used to. It was a little strange, but also pretty damn cool. My only complaint is that I could smell the grill and the pizza. Not fun when I'm exercising.
I got in 4 miles and then took a shower. I was FINALLY going to get to watch a movie on the deck. The Vow would be starting at 10. I was tired, but I was going to stay up. Then there was a technical glitch. There was a horrible George Lopez promo loop for about a half hour. I never want to hear the song Low Rider again. haha. But, I toughed it out and watched the whole movie. They even had popcorn for us.
All in all, it was a good day :-)
Have a Blessed Night
*************************************************************************
Check out my Facebook Page for Confessions (there are before and work-in-progress pictures):
http://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfAFormerFatGir
yeah, sorry, I messed up and the "l" is missing....I need an assistant :-)
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: hugsnsmile
Instagram: Jennie5973
Who wants to hear about the Dolphins? I do! I do!
The last full day of the cruise was one of the best days of my life.
Sunrise over Nassau was at 6:26 again. It was beautiful. Our excursion started at 8:30 so there was a new plan for working out. I was not going to hit the jogging track right after. I would be hitting it later in the day. So this sunrise was in PJs :-)
When we were docking there was one other ship in port. The cool thing was watching 2 others come in after us. After a little bit I ran down to shower so that we could get in a good breakfast before our excursion. This one didn't include lunch and we weren't scheduled to get back to the ship until 1pm. We needed a good breakfast.
I remember being the kid that ate cold pizza and watching Saturday morning cartoons. As a kid that totally rocked. As a fit adult I am horrified. I mentioned that the pizza place is open 24 hours. At the table next to us were two tweens and their mom. The kids were eating pizza. I cringed.
When we got to the dock we waited with our group for Balmoral Island. There were three groups: Dolphin Encounter (us), swim with the Dolphins, and Beach day. We had a little wait and there were lots of people, but it was pretty to hang there.
Soon we were marched to our boat in 2 lines. It felt like we were pre-schoolers on a field trip. haha. Follow the sign. We got on our boat and it was about a half hour ride to the most beautiful island. It was small, but beautiful.
When we got off they ushered the Encounter peeps to the side. Everyone else was sent to the beach. We went to a small building and put our bags on the shelves. They gave us life jackets to put on. They needed to be tight because when we got in the water they would float up. Little secret: I was super excited at how far I could pull those straps. Of course they squashed my boobs, but that's okay.
We had our little tutorial and then went out to the water. They divided us into 3 groups of 10. The first group was at the bottom of the stairs. We got group 3....all of the way at the other side of the water. Luckily I kept my flip flops on. The ground was very rocky...however, walking in water in flip flops is difficult. It took us a while, but we got there.
It started right away. Instructor's name was Shawn. He was awesome. Our Dolphin's name was Margarita, could that be more perfect for me? We called her Marge for short. Marge is 6 years old and was born in captivity. She is from Honduras and so amazing.
The first group got called out for their pictures and soon it was our turn. We put our hands behind our back and leaned in and March gave us a kiss.
Then we got to hold her face and kiss her smack on the lips.
Our time was up too soon and it was time to walk back. It was definitely a good leg workout. Those flip flops caused resistance. I realized a little too late that it was easier in deeper water.
We got to see our photos right away and ordered them. We also ordered some shirts. That was an ordeal and we waited a little while for them. Eventually we were walked over to the beach area to wait for them.
O.M.G. the beach...I know a lot of people came off that boat, but we were spread out. There was a pool area. There was a DJ. We got a spot to ourselves. It was heaven.
The water was so clear and amazing. I just sat in it for a while. I even got a few shells. But, time went too fast and soon we were heading back...on the bluest water EVER.
They dropped us off in the shopping/tourist area of Nassau. I am so glad that we went to Balmoral Island, because I wasn't a huge fan of Nassau. I mean it doesn't help that before we got off of the ship there was a Safety announcement. The US Embassy has issued a safety warning for American tourists. They wanted us to stick with our excursions and stay in tourist areas.
We looked around and got the usual shot glasses and post cards. I turned into a complete and total American Tourist. My number one question: Where is the Starbucks? We found it! I was so happy...and tired. I needed some caffeine. We got our drinks and our location mugs. I usually get the ceramic coffee mugs, but I they still had the travel mugs so I got one.
By the time we got to the ship it was 3pm. That's why we got the big breakfast. It would have been easy to go to the grill, but we hit the deli. I got the tomato, mozzarella on a ciabata with arugala. I also got sides of potato salad, pasta with eggplant, salad, fruit, and a pickle.
There was still time before dinner and before we left port. So I went up to the Serenity Deck. There were ships on both sides so I didn't have a big water view. I opted to look at the other ships and check them out. I didn't see any jogging tracks, but I did see rock walls and basketball courts.
After an hour I went back and started packing for our departure and then get ready for dinner. I was making it a jeans night. I have this beautiful white top that I love. It accents my shoulders.
My entree was not heart healthy, but it was still yummy. I got the bourbon and honey glazed roasted spring chicken with grilled zucchini and onions, diced potatoes. O.M.G.
I had decided that the last night I would go all out. This dinner was fabulous, but I could barely contain myself waiting for the dessert menu. I got the amaretto cake...it was worth it.
It was our last night so we got two songs. They sang a modified version of Leaving on a Jet Plane and then they got down to It's Gonna Be a Good Night.
After dinner I went and changed for the jogging track. I got up there around 8pm. It was dark out. It was a different world than I was used to. It was a little strange, but also pretty damn cool. My only complaint is that I could smell the grill and the pizza. Not fun when I'm exercising.
I got in 4 miles and then took a shower. I was FINALLY going to get to watch a movie on the deck. The Vow would be starting at 10. I was tired, but I was going to stay up. Then there was a technical glitch. There was a horrible George Lopez promo loop for about a half hour. I never want to hear the song Low Rider again. haha. But, I toughed it out and watched the whole movie. They even had popcorn for us.
All in all, it was a good day :-)
Have a Blessed Night
*************************************************************************
Check out my Facebook Page for Confessions (there are before and work-in-progress pictures):
http://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfAFormerFatGir
yeah, sorry, I messed up and the "l" is missing....I need an assistant :-)
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: hugsnsmile
Instagram: Jennie5973
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