Our 2023 Thanksgiving Cruise
Yep, we did it. We went on a cruise during the week of Thanksgiving. We chose Carnival (the Carnival Legend) because it was one of the few cruise lines that sailed from Baltimore, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from our house. On Sunday, November 19th, we packed our bags, bundled our friends into the minivan, and set off for pirate adventures!
Day 0 - Getting there
The drive from Richmond to Baltimore took us about two and a half hours. The bit where we had to get through Washington, DC, wasn't fun. But in the company of friends, with many jokes, snarky comments, and a late lunch at South Side Diner, we arrived at the terminal in plenty of time.
The parking and bag unloading process seemed a hot mess to me. After ~45 minutes of waiting in a four-lane vehicle line, we finally pulled around, dropped our bags, parked the car, and hustled inside to navigate the chaotic security process.
Days 1 & 2 - Fun at sea
The ship sailed south from Baltimore at a leisurely pace of about 17 mph. This gave us two days of "fun at sea." We spent most of the first day exploring the boat, locating the food options, and generally orienting ourselves to our new home for the next seven days.
We quickly located Serenity, the adults-only area on deck nine at the rear of the boat. I spent much time there during the cruise, camping in the shade and reading.
Our first fancy dinner night was at Truffles Restaurant on day two, and it was pretty underwhelming. I'd give it a two out of five, would not recommend it, and would not go again. Just eating off the buffets was much better.
After dinner, we headed to Billie's Piano Bar to request songs and have a few more cocktails. We had fun in the moment, but in retrospect, the piano guy was a creep, and we probably wouldn't go again or recommend it.
Still, we had fun dressing up, having cocktails at Alchemy, and hanging out with our friends.
Day 3 - Nassau, Bahamas
Debarking the boat around 7:30 am, we negotiated the waves of hawkers and visited a few stalls in the markets before splitting up for the first half of the day. The ladies were heading straight to Junkanoo Beach to snag chairs and umbrellas and to relax.
Meanwhile, Kevin and I wanted to explore the various sites around the island. I used a combination of this article and some Reddit research to land on the things I wanted to do while Kevin added the pirate museum.
Queens Staircase
We walked over to the Queen's Staircase after leaving the market area. It was a nice little walk through the tourist part of Nassau. The pedestrian infrastructure is incomplete, and there were areas where we walked along the road shoulder. Only one area seemed sketchy, but if you're careful and thoughtful, I think it's fine to make this walk.
A random guy was approaching and giving people a verbal history of the staircase history. It was fine, and I tipped the guy. Plus, it was nice to rest in the shade after the sunny walk to get there.
It's worth the walk, and I would recommend it.
Fort Fincastle
Fort Fincastle is a short stroll from the top of the staircase. It's an old fort with replacement cannons, historical signs, and a nice port view. There were a few stalls in the parking lot selling touristy wares.
If you're going to see the Queen's Staircase, I recommend you go ahead and check out the fort.
Pirates of Nassau Museum
Our next stop was the Pirates of Nassau Museum. It was a self-guided tour of pirate history, and the air conditioning was nice. It took us about thirty minutes to walk through, taking our time. Kevin and I decided to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in order after visiting.
John Watling's Distillery
Our next stop was John Watling's Distillery. We arrived and were funneled into a volunteer lead tour of the distillery, which took about 20 minutes. We exited through the gift shop and bar area, where we each had the 4-drink rum flight. Kevin and I enjoyed John Watling's Buena Vista Rum the best, so I picked up a bottle.
Pirate Republic Brewing Company
Because they don't open until 11 am, we backtracked towards the boat to visit Pirate Republic Brewing Company. We partook in another flight of alcoholic beverages, all of which were delicious.
I regret not picking up a cap!
Junkanoo Beach
After polishing off our drinks, Kevin and I booked it over to the beach to join the ladies. They were several drinks ahead of us and were having a great time. Many cruisers were there, and some people were trying to sell party favors, chairs, or just anything to get tips.
The water in the Bahamas is so clear, and the wave action at this beach is mild, so it's a great beach. We hung out, grabbed some lunch, and consumed more alcohol. As a group, we were in quite a happy mood when we finally caught a taxi back to the boat.
Day 4 - Princess Cays
Princess Cays was a boat day for Rachelle and me. We planned to get off the boat, but the debarkation process seemed more complicated than we wanted to think about or deal with. If you planned and paid for an excursion, you could get a ticket from guest services and then catch a water taxi when they called your number. Or you could wait until general debarkation, shuffle down, and leave with the masses. Rachelle and I are bad at waiting, so we decided to stay on board. I spent most of the day on Serenity, reading Remarkably Bright Creatures and grazing on the buffets. It was quite a lovely day.
Rachelle's Birthday
The 23rd was also Rachelle's birthday‼️ We celebrated by dressing up in more fancy clothes and having a nice dinner at The Golden Fleece Steakhouse. The service was great, and this was easily the best food I had on the boat. 10/10. would recommend.
Day 5 - Free Port
Day five was a beach day, with no complicated water taxi schedule to leave the boat, so yay! We rode a double-decker bus from the port to Viva Fortuna By Wyndham, described as an all-inclusive resort. The trip was about 20 minutes, and we had a tour guide telling us about the island as we went. My main takeaway was the island is still recovering from the 2019 Hurricane Dorian,, they drive on the wrong side of the road like Brits, and gas is $6/gallon.
Viva Resort
The resort was nice, and we quite enjoyed it. I snorkeled for the first time, which was more enjoyable than expected. I believe snorkeling is something I will do again, though I need to figure out how to seal my mask with facial hair. I'd have to stop every two to three minutes because of a slow water leak. Try as I might, I couldn't prevent that, so I'm unsure if I was doing something incorrectly, if the facial hair was in the way, or if my mask wasn't great.
The ship left Free Port in the early afternoon of day 5, heading back to Baltimore at top speed.
Day 6 - Fun at sea
On the morning of day 6, I knew the tropical portion of the vacation was over. It was overcast and noticeably cooler, and the seas were rougher by the hour. I bundled up in my sweats and, again, spent most of the day on Serenity, reading and grazing the buffet when the mood struck.
Later in the evening, we went to pick up our photos and accidentally stumbled into 90's music trivia, which was a lot of fun.
Day 7 - Baltimore
And then it was over. Booo. Getting off the boat wasn't quite as chaotic or frustrating as getting on, but there was still much waiting and milling about with tons of other people. Waiting and Public are two of my least favorite things in the world, so yeah, the morning was an exercise in frustration as we waited to get off the boat.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year in the US, so the drive back to Richmond was as unpleasant as you may imagine. But we did eventually make it. All the kitties were safe and sound and seemed happy to see us, but who can really tell with cats? None were missing, and the house was in one piece, so I will call that a success.
Conclusion
Overall, I had a fun time. If I were going on another cruise, I'd try to book an adults-only cruise because Sartre was only half right: Hell is other people’s children. ;)
I had no complaints about our room. It was located at the rear of the ship on deck 5, so we were a really short walk to the elevators and then up to deck 9, which put us right between Serenity and the food when exiting the elevator. The bed was comfy enough, and I slept pretty well. I'd probably pack a fan next time, as the room seemed fine when we laid down but got warmer.
Favorites
- Day: Day 3 in Nassau. Exploring the island was fun, and Junkanoo Beach was nice.
- Meal: Rachelle's birthday dinner at The Golden Fleece Steakhouse.
- Deck: Deck 9. That's where Serenity (the adults-only area) and the buffets were. It's the best deck, hands down.
I would go on another cruise, but Rachelle says she would rather go to an all-inclusive resort instead. That sounds good to me. Add to cart!