Bucket List: Go on a Cruise!

1. Explore the ship.
We got to, on the first day, spend the whole day at sea. We got to explore the ship and see all of its awesome amenities. Make sure you explore the ship right away so you know where everything is. Even after being on the ship for five days I was still finding new things.  Some of my favorite places on the ship were the pool/hot tub, the balcony at night, the elevators (when no one is on them — we played tag), the fancy restaurant (Sunset Restaurant), and the comedy stage.

2. Food!
Next is all the food you get to eat. Make sure to eat as much food as you can (see point #5); there is a huge buffet which includes many options including Italian, a steakhouse, and Asian foods.  There are also other restaurants that you can visit.  My favorite place, when you didn’t know where to eat or what to eat, was the burger place; they offered four different kinds of burgers and I loved the “straight up” option best. We also went to a very fancy restaurant every night and it felt really cool to be able to dine in a place like that. Also, I felt a bit like a hobo at a five-star restaurant.

3. The Adventure Awaits
Make sure to explore as much of the destination as you can but keep safe. We stopped in Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. The people in the Bahamas are very nice and proud of their country. Be aware, though, that they know that you are tourists and that you have money to spend and they will try to make you buy everything at their stand. There was a small child, right when we arrived in Nassau past the security point, that was trying to open our backpacks and steal our stuff but we kept watching him and he eventually left. If you want to attain cheaper souvenirs, go a little further from port to find the best deals. The Taxis are super cheap per person, don’t pet random dogs, make sure you go to the beach, and reject the alcohol salesmen! While we were visiting Freeport, we were taken to a private beach and after we got out of the water, we decided to play volleyball; some friendly strangers joined us in our game and we played for over an hour.

Atlantis

4. Pain
a) Make sure to puts lots of sunscreen on everyday so you don’t get sunburned and you aren’t able to enjoy the rest of your cruise.
b) Also, if you are planning on using a credit card or debit card, tell your bank you are leaving so you can actually buy stuff with it, unlike what I did. I had to become a beggar during the cruise.

5. Available but rarely used…
If you want to try to run off the extra fat you will inevitably gain, they have a very nice exercise area. The ship is outfitted with multiple weight machines, cardio equipment, a sauna, and a running track on the top level of the ship.  There was also a mini golf course, but the wind made it difficult to get a hole-in-one.

Final Thoughts
I would heavily recommend going on a cruise. You get to experience the sea, other countries, and lifestyles. During the evening, when the hot tub wasn’t crowded, it was nice to be able to relax and just chill. Overall it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go on another one.

~Trevor, class of 2017

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