Crusin' the Bahamas

We left Charlotte on Sunday, April 14 for the adventure we have talked about and anticipated for months . . . a week long cruise to the Bahamas to celebrate Grammy & Papa's 50th wedding anniversary!

We left the hotel in Charleston Monday morning and headed straight to the port.  It wasn't long before we were all settled in and beginning to enjoy life on the ship

The kids couldn't wait for the temperature to warm up, they hit the water slides right away.

The bigger kids checked out the mini golf on the top level.

But it wasn't long after we set sail that the water fun began for everyone.

Our first stop was Freeport.  We opted to do the beach excursion, which turned out to be our only beach day so we were super thankful we did it!

Before the shuttle left for the beach, we explored the shops at port and all got color changing rings.

And then came the crystal blue waters.  It was awesome.  We enjoyed the afternoon in the shade of an umbrella watching the kiddos play in the ocean.

Then it was back on board for our first gala night dinner.

Watching the sunset was amazing!

We enjoyed lots of on board events, from watching karaoke to a craft morning to many nightly shows, there was always something to do!

It didn't take Savannah long to realize that she could combine two of her favorites for breakfast.  She would take a croissant and eat out the middle part, only to fill it with the daily soft serve ice cream.

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Our next port was Nasseau.  We did a walking tour which was fabulous!  We learned so much about the history and culture of the land.  

We even found a touch of home on Charlotte Street!

Here is the Queen's Staircase, which was dug by slaves.

Silly dad at one of the nightly shows.  This was the night Savannah's poor eating caught up with her and we skipped dinner and the show to give her tummy a break.  Unfortunately, the seas were quite rocky and we had to skip our last port of call at Half Moon Cay . . but we made the most of another day at sea.

On our last night, as we headed back to Charleston, we took some family pictures.

Preston enjoyed one last ice cream cone before disembarking Sunday morning.

This was such a fun adventure.  We had a blast enjoying time together as a family and made so many special memories.  HUGE thanks to Grammy and Papa for providing such a wonderful experience.  I'd say our first cruise was a hit!!