[travel] Visit the Bahamas and Key West #27

27. Take a cruise to the Bahamas and Key West (and visit our honeymoon spots!)
January 4th-11th, 2015

This cruise itinerary has been a dream of mine for a while. First off, I have never been to the Bahamas. Secondly, it stopped at Key West: our honeymoon location! So when my family got together to book our annual cruise, this one was the choice. YAY!

My parents, Nate, and I woke up Sunday morning to drive to Galveston. We were aboard the Carnival Magic: a new-to-us ship! 

Immediately after the muster station drill, you BETCHA I got me a fun drink. It was pretty chilly outside since it was January, but we all sat on the top deck to watch the Cowboys game on the big screen. #gocowboys

On the 2nd and 6th nights of a 7-day cruise, there are formal nights. Doesn't Nate look dapper in his bowtie?

First sunny day: helllooooo Florida! We didn't get to port until 10am, so we had the morning to enjoy the top deck and sunshine. 

WaterWorks featured on the Carnival Magic

Hello, beautiful Key West! It was a party cloudy day but the humidity was definitely present!

We visited The Oldest House in Key West

After touring the house and walking down Duvall Street, we stopped to eat at Blue Heaven (which was a recommendation from a family friend).

 Nate had the Beef Tenderloin and Lobster Eggs Benedict. He, like our family friend, claims it to be one of, if not THE, best meal he's ever had.

I'm not a seafood person, so I opted for the "brunch-style" homemade banana bread (SO GOOD) and fruit bowl (Key West has some of the best pineapple ever).

We hit some of our honeymoon spots too, like this buoy behind us, which is The Southernmost Point in the USA. There was a huge line waiting to take pictures with it, and since we already have one from our honeymoon, we cheated and took this picture instead.

This is where we stayed for our honeymoon: Dewey House Bed & Breakfast. It was so quaint and quiet, classy yet simple. Totally our style!

Back aboard the ship: Carnival Magic has some great features and we would definitely travel aboard again! And we had such a blast traveling with my parents. Great memories!

Next stop: Freeport, Bahamas! Y'all. THIS WATER. I can't even. Unfortunately, as you can see by the menacing clouds behind us, it rained a bit this day. So we shopped some, strolled the beach, and then returned to the ship. I can't wait to (hopefully) visit again and enjoy the beach on a sunny day!

At the Freeport cruise port.

Next: Nassau, Bahamas! Yes, you can see the legendary Atlantis resort behind us. No, we did not visit for the day. A bit TOO costly for our pockets. But it would've been fun to visit! Maybe next time.

In Nassau, we opted for a local beach (Junkanoo): about a 15 minute walk in town from the cruise port. We like exploring the town life in the various countries we visit. This water/scenery did not disappoint either! Gorgeous. However, it was BEYOND windy this day... which in January calls for some cooler temperatures. I tried SO hard to lay out and work on a tan, but I got too chilly!

Nate sampled the local fare: Ginger Beer. He said it was pretty good (non-alcoholic).

And then back on the ship for the last two days! Mini golf and a ropes course were available on the top decks.

There you have it! Cruising is BY FAR our favorite way to travel. Your food, transportation, and activities are all planned. You can do AS MUCH or AS LITTLE as you want. It's so relaxing and stress-free! I would highly recommend a cruise vacation to anyone. Let me know if you have any cruising questions: this was my 8th cruise!