30 friends and family came on the Holland America Eastern Caribbean Cruise to celebrate an early December wedding to take place on the ship the day we boarded in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is home of 23 miles of beaches, yacht-filled waterways, and close to the everglades. There is lots to do for families and couples. Lots of sightseeing tours, watersports, arts and entertainment, all in a sunny climate.

 

Our first day on the ship included the wedding ceremony, photos, the wedding reception, etc. We had our first meal in the formal dining room and attended the entertainment in the show lounge.

Our first stop, the next morning was Nassau, Bahamas. Stroll the cobblestone streets, swim, dive and snorkel, and shop for Bahamian treasures. Check out the rich history of Nassau and the rich history of British Colonial rule. The beaches here were nice and our first glimpse at the turquoise blue Caribbean waters.

 

We all headed out on our own shore excursions, which included bus tours, dolphin encounters, snorkeling etc. Some of us went on a tour of the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, which is well worth the visit. It is a large resort with several aquariums and marine life habitats throughout the resort. The resort (for registered guests) has awesome waterslides, lagoons, a beautiful beach etc. There is also a casino for the adults.

 

There are several resort hotels on the islands.  There are also public beaches nearby if you want to enjoy the water, actually most of the north coast of Paradise Islands has beaches. The heart of the shopping district is Bay Street, where you can shop at the straw market. Of course the weather was great.

Our second full day was at sea, so we got to explore the ship in more detail. We had five children along (not a lot of children on the ship as it was the beginning of December) so they checked out the children’s camps, which included activities like games, crafts, movies, pajama parties, and more. Kids can come and go to the activities they want, and there are several different age categories so children are with their own age group.

 

There were lots of activities on the ship for the days at sea and lots of night time activities too like music, dancing, shows, and a casino. Of course there are also some shops on board.

Oasis Cruise & Travel Stories
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