Saturday, July 19, 2025

The Back to Back- Coco Cay #2

 Adults Only... No Kids Allowed
July 3, 2025 
Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Bahamas 


I LOVE Hideaway Beach at Coco Cay! 

Morning
Our alarm went off at 8AM and were out the door by 8:25AM. We opted to try the Solarium Café for breakfast and there were no lines. This café offered sandwiches and burritos and reminded me a lot of the Café @ 270 found on the Anthem of the Seas from a few week prior. The food was fresh and hot and we enjoyed this breakfast. We were off the ship and in route to Hideaway Beach Club before 9AM. 


It's Thursday and our last day... NOOOOO! 


We are ready for a day of rest, relaxation and NO KIDS!


Good Morning Coco Cay- We love you! 


The Celebrity Reflection and Jewel of the Seas! 

We booked the Adults Only Hideaway Beach Club for an additional cost. We explored this venue on our Independence of the Seas cruise in Summer 2024 and we LOVED it. TIP- Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing and we paid $48/per person for access to this Adults Only area. The original price is $89/ pp. We believe this is WELL WORTH it. 

Once we arrived at Hideaway, we made our way to the pool and placed our stuff down on the beach chairs and then made our way to the Swim Up Bar. This is the largest Swim Up Bar in the World and is SO MUCH fun. All of the bartenders at this bar LIVE on the island and serve 3 months on the island and 1 month off. We were even able to reconnect with 2 from our Indy cruise last summer. 


The Hideaway Beach Club pool and Swim Up Bar.
We spent all day in the pool chairs... We loved it! 


Hello Coco Cay and Hideaway Beach Club! 

We spent all day lounging in the pool chairs and enjoying the way less crowded pool and lagoon area. TIP- We were in port at Coco Cay with the Celebrity Reflection which holds 3K passengers and our ship held just over 2K so this was a very light day for Coco Cay. We met some fellow cruisers and talked to them for quite a while before getting lunch at Slice of Paradise. This pizza joint is solely located within the Hideaway Beach Club and offers really great (and weird) pizza options. We loved the BBQ and I especially liked the Bahamian Seafood pizza. It sounded weird but it was REALLY tasty! 


The Slice of Paradise Menu had something for EVERYONE and it was so good! 


The BBQ and the Seafood pizza slices! 


We also tried the beef and the chicken empanadas. 


This area was extremely nice and well kept! 

Afternoon
We spent the majority of the rest of the afternoon in the pool and lounging in the pool chairs with sunscreen breaks in between. Before we left Hideaway to go back to the ship we stopped at the Snack Shack for one more order of Mozzarella sticks (ok two) and another funnel cake. I swear these are literally addictive and SO GOOD! 


It's time to say goodbye but we LOVED spending our day here! 


See you next time Hideaway! 

We got on the tram back to the Jewel of the Seas around 3:45PM as all aboard time was 5PM. We were in port with the Celebrity Reflection and our entire tram was packed with some very "rowdy and lively" passengers from the Reflection! We had a blast getting all the way back to the ship and met some friends in the meantime. 


Just 12 hours left in our Back to Back adventure... We are NOT ready for it to be over! 

Once back onboard we showered and got ready for our last night on board. I started to do some packing and noticed Chris fell asleep so I decided to give him some rest and go and get coffee before watching sail away. TIP- Café Latitudes did not have great coffee but they offered Starbucks Refreshers and they were SO GOOD. Reminder- These are INCLUDED in your Refreshment and Ultimate Drink Package. 


In 26 cruises, we have seen a LOT of towel animals but never seen one on the TOILET! 
Haha.. we called asking for our luggage tags and our room steward said "check the wash room". We were literally LOL! #Memories

The Celebrity Reflection set sail before we did at 5:10PM and the Jewel of the Seas set sail back to Ft. Lauderdale at 5:20PM. I watched another sail away from Coco Cay from the outside of Deck 5 and really enjoyed watching the crew get the island ready for the next day of cruisers. Coco Cay sees 8-12K passengers EVERY DAY and a ship is in port every single day! 


Goodbye Celebrity Reflection- We will see you in the morning! 


An empty Coco Cay- A rare sight! 


I seriously LOVE this island... It may now be my favorite port!

Evening
I enjoyed more live music in the Centrum before Chris met me to do one final round of blackjack in the Casino before cashing in our chips for the cruise. Overall we ended $12 ahead and that is a WIN! We turned in all the cash towards our On Board Spending account and ended the cruise with a $7 bill so again, that is a WIN! 

We enjoyed drinks at Schooner Bar and played one more trivia of American Anthems and won this trivia as well. This would make 4 wins for this cruise! After trivia we went back to the room and got all of our suitcases ready to put outside the room at 10PM. TIP- We opt for the luggage assist program that allows you to disembark the ship without having to deal with your luggage the next morning. The only kicker... you have to have everything packed and ready by 10PM the night before disembark! 

We enjoyed our last dinner in the Main Dining Room and the service was the best of our time in the MDR this cruise. Our waiters, Jay and Pat, went above and beyond and we really appreciated all they did to make our experience one to remember. The food was much better on this menu than the previous night as well. 


The Taste of Italy menu in the Main Dining Room


Chicken Parmesan- 2.0
The chicken was REALLY dry and overcooked! 


Mushroom Risotto- 1.5
Why would I have been thinking it would be similar to the Giovanni's? I think that set me up for failure but Chris agreed it was nowhere near as good. 


Crème de Pot-3.0
Great flavor and texture. 

We had hoped to go to the Crazy Quest for our night entertainment but the Safari Lounge was PACKED so we opted to enjoy the piano man and a last round of drinks at the Schooner Bar. Once again, Raj and Simon were some of the best bartenders we have had and we LOVED getting to know them! 

We decided to walk on the outside deck 5 one more time and were shocked the helicopter pad was open so we ventured up there around 11PM. We noticed bright lights of a "city" and assumed we it was Miami. We took a video and pictures but when we got back to the room the Map Channel said we were pointing due west so those lights would have been "Bermuda"... UMMMM NO! That was Miami! I would die on that hill! But proves we were just going in circles to get back to Ft. Lauderdale! 


There's no way you can tell me this IS NOT Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. 
It is clearly a city and there's not other place nearby that would put off that much light! 


This was maybe 5-7 minutes later on the TV in the stateroom. It has not updated yet... We were sailing south and that was Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. 


We LOVED this day at Hideaway Beach and Coco Cay! 
We will be back... SOON! 

We LOVE Coco Cay and really enjoyed getting to visit this private island TWICE during this Back to Back adventure! We cannot wait to take the kids in Summer 2026! 

Disembarkation & Travel back to God' Country
We had a 3:50PM flight back to Houston out of Ft. Lauderdale so we were in no rush to get off the ship. Our alarm woke us up at 7AM and we got ready for a long day back to Texas. We ate in the Main Dining Room and the service and food were good. We went back to the stateroom to get all of our belongings shortly before the 8AM deadline. We then went and waited at Café Latitudes until the last group was called to get off the ship around 9AM. We were some of the very last passengers to exit the Jewel of the Seas and honestly, it was completely stress free. We grabbed our luggage and then made our way out of terminal 19 to grab an Uber but a private driver of an airport shuttle was available and he took us to the airport. TIP- This service was available for only $12 per person and a great option for families or people with a lot of luggage. We arrived shortly before 10AM and wondered what we would do but Southwest offered all day bag check outside. We checked our bags in and then went and sat in the airport for the next 5 hours. We grabbed lunch in the terminal and it was a long and boring day but we survived. Our flight was a delayed due to storms in the area but we were back in God's Country by 6PM and in route to home by 6:15PM. 

This cruise was special and we really enjoyed adding a Back to Back to our list of cruising adventures. Not to mention, we LOVE Coco Cay and getting to visit twice was PERFECT. 

Up Next... a possible Fall Break cruise and then Harmony of the Seas with the kids for Winter Break! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Friday, July 18, 2025

The Back to Back- Nassau

The New and Improved Nassau
July 2, 2025
Nassau, Bahamas 


Hello Nassau... It's been TOO long! 

Morning
We woke up around 8AM and got ready for a morning spent on board with less people since most people will be going ashore in Nassau. We ate breakfast in the Main Dining Room and the service was quick and the food was great. 

After breakfast we made our way to an empty Solarium to enjoy the tiny hot tub by ourselves. We were able to enjoy this 13 person hot tub without any the passengers for about 30 minutes. TIP- This is the ONLY hot tub in the Solarium and it is SO small. It is smaller than a hot tub you could purchase on land to put in your backyard- although I will say I saw 13 people OR MORE in said hot tub the day before. Overall, this Solarium left MUCH to be desired but it is covered and has a pool (which is more than I can say for some Oasis class Solariums). 


Hello from the Jewel of the Seas Solarium (not my favorite- but not terrible).


A morning spent on a quite ship is a morning WELL SPENT! 

We enjoyed the hot tub and Solarium pool back and forth for nearly 2 hours before it started to get busy and we opted to get out and try to go and explore Nassau. We changed clothes and got off the ship to what seemed like a completely different pier and port. We took a free shuttle from the ship to the port shopping area where we found countless shops, restaurants, bars and so much more. You could spend an entire day off the ship in this port area but we chose to walk out into the nearby straw market area in hopes of finding a massage or spa nearby. We walked several blocks and asked locals but we did not find a convenient Spa where we could get massages so we walked back to the ship. TIP- Nassau has REALLY improved since our last visit in 2017 and I cannot wait to take the kids back in 2026 on our Symphony of the Seas cruise.  


The New and Improved Nassau cruise port was SO IMPRESSIVE! 


Headed back to the Jewel of the Seas... Our home for 2 more days! 


Well done Bahamas... WELL DONE! 
Nassau is AMAZING and just perfect for a cruise port day! 

Compare the differences from 2017 to 2025- 
Carnival Dream- Nassau 2017

Afternoon
We grabbed lunch in the Windjammer after getting back on the ship and this was the least crowded we saw the Windjammer during all 7 days onboard the Jewel of the Seas. The food was hot and fresh and I was impressed with the food and service. 

As we finished lunch we saw the MSC Meraviglia pull into Nassau and we were amazed at this ship. We have never sailed on MSC but we are highly intrigued by this cruise line and with the MSC Seascape coming to Galveston this November, we wanted to scope it out. I can say with certainty, we will be looking into booking an MSC cruise in the very near future. Especially with the new Carnival Rewards program happening and MSC matching loyalty status. Now is the perfect time to explore all cruise options! Although, I will admit I truly am LOYAL TO ROYAL. I don't care the size of ship or all she offers, the service is superb every time with Royal Caribbean! 


The MSC Meraviglia... This 171K GROSS TON ship was SO impressive. 
That is larger than the Anthem of the Seas we got off 3 week earlier! 
Wow... I am seriously impressed! 


Atlantis as seen from our ship! 


The MSC Meraviglia was impressive and seemed family friendly with water slides and a ropes course. 


The Disney Dream, MSC Meraviglia and the RCCL Freedom of the Seas docked in Nassau on July 2, 2025. 

We laid out on Deck 5 for most of the afternoon before watching sail away from the aft of Deck 5. We were the 3rd ship to leave Nassau behind the Carnival Pride headed to Half Moon Cay and the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas sailing back to Miami. This was an AMAZING sail away seeing all that had changed in Nassau since 2017. 


This island used to be just land... Now this will be the home to Royal Caribbean's PRIVATE island (Royal Beach Club Paradise Island). Looking back to 2015... This used to be JUST LAND. Royal Beach Club opens in December 2025. 


The Freedom of the Seas backing out heading home to Miami! 


Goodbye Freedom of the Seas! 


Carnival Pride sailing towards Half Moon Cay (Carnival Cruise Line Private Island) 


Another view of the Freedom of the Seas. 
(She is the only one left we have yet to sail in the Freedom class... I feel an itch to check her off my Royal list) 


We really enjoyed this sail away and it wasn't too hot! 


Goodbye Nassau... See you in a year! 


This lonely (and abandoned) light house is the sign you're almost in Nassau! 


This was an AWESOME sail away! 

Evening
We took showers and got ready for an evening aboard the Jewel of the Seas and then headed to the Casino. We were able to find 2 seats at the $10 blackjack table where we stayed for nearly 3 hours. We went up and down and back and forth but ended even for the trip between the two of us! We opted to go to the Ventriloquist show before dinner and we really enjoyed this show. 


This guy was REALLY good and funny! 

Dinner in the Main Dining Room was our LEAST favorite menu of all that Royal offers but we gave it a shot as it has been 3-4 cruises since dining in the MDR on the Taste of the Caribbean menu. However, we were reminded that you ALWAYS go to specialty dining on this menu night! The food was good and the service was exceptional but it's just not our favorite. 


The Taste of the Caribbean MDR menu 


Tiger Shrimp- 4.0
These were a "little chewy" but good flavor. 
French Onion Soup- 5.0
Best thing I had in the MDR for this sailing! 


Asian Tacos (given by waiter)- 2.5
I really don't like the dough for these tacos. 


Garlic Shrimp- 3.0
These were just "ok" and again, a little over cooked! 


Pesto Pasta- 1.0
It was awful... bland and just yuck! 


Pineapple Cake- 3.0
This was flavorful and light. 


Carrot Cake-3.5
Chris enjoyed this. 

After dinner we walked around the upper decks before going to the Pit Stop to get drinks before the Love and Marriage Show in the Coral Theater. We love this show and Jamie, the CD, did a great job with each of the couples and we enjoyed this show. We called it a night shortly after this show around 11:30PM. 


Day 6 was a success... We loved exploring Nassau! 

It was a great day explore the New and Improved Nassau and we cannot wait to get back in 2026. 

Up Next... Hideaway Beach Adults Only Club in Coco Cay! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Thursday, July 17, 2025

The Back to Back- Sea Day #2

 Officer on Deck
July 1, 2025
Sea Day (Atlantic Ocean) 


Sea Days are my FAVORITE! 

Morning
We decided to sleep in a little bit as we were both pretty tired so we did not wake up until nearly 9AM which is very unusual for both of us. We got ready and then had breakfast in the Windjammer. The Windjammer was crowded but not terrible and it did not take long for us to find a table, plus we were able to get freshly squeezed orange juice which is one of my favorite things about Royal Caribbean. 


It's already Tuesday... This cruise needs to slow down! 

After breakfast we went to Café Latitude to people watch until it was time for the Coffee with Officers event. Unfortunately, since this was only a 4 day cruise they did not offer a Top Tier Event for Platinum and above cruisers but they did have a separate opportunity to meet the Cruise Director, Captain and other officers at this event. 

We were able to meet Jamie, the Cruise Director, as well as the Hotel Director, Staff Engineer and the Captain. We love being able to meet each of these higher up crew members and try to get a little more info about life on board a cruise ship. 


We never miss a picture with the CD! 
Jamie was hilarious and we enjoyed him as a Cruise Director! 


It's nice to get a picture with the Captain! 

After the Officers event we made our way to the Schooner Bar for our Morning Trivia. We played 3 different trivia but did not win any of them. We were able to meet a teacher from Florida and we talked for a while about teaching in various states as well as cruising with Royal Caribbean. 

Afternoon
We had lunch in the Main Dining Room and the service was great and very fast but the food was just not up to standard Royal Caribbean fare. I was very disappointed in my entrée but Chris was pleased and would order the Greek Gyro again. We opted to skip dessert as the choices were lacking and this is where Royal drops the ball in the speed of service. 


Mozzarella Sticks-4.0
These were good and worth a double order. 


Shrimp Caesar Salad- 3.5
I had never put shrimp on this before and it was... interesting! 


Butternut squash Risotto- 2.0
For a veggie as powerful and flavorful as butternut squash... This was so bland and to be honest, the risotto was way undercooked. I couldn't even finish it! 

After lunch we went to the outside of Deck 5 and walked around the ship several times before making our way to the helicopter pad at the very front of the ship. Since we were going so slow and the weather was near perfect, the helicopter pad was open and we were able to enjoy the part of the ship alone as so many people do not know it even exists. TIP- Royal Caribbean Vision, Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class ships offer access to the helicopter pad weather permitting. It is a great place for sail away or a sunny day at sea. 


26 cruises and we still LOVE the wake view! 


The seas were SO CALM and just gorgeous! 


I'm the king of the world! 


Hello from the Heli pad! 

We opted to spend some time laying out outside on Deck 5 and we were awoken to an announcement by the cruise director that the pool and the pool deck were closed due to lightening. We decided to try the Vortex Lounge as the "quite hours" were from 2-4 but it was anything but quiet. I am sure the weather had something to do with the noise but we noticed on both cruises seemed to have grown adults blasting videos on their phones. We're talking 50-60 year old's watching reels on their phone at full volume. We found this to be SO RUDE. We opted to go to Schooner Bar and try to get away from it all. 

When we got to Schooner Bar we realized that when the pool and pool deck is closed and that is pretty much all this ship offers for kids and teenagers, said kids and teenagers are EVERYWHERE! This was the most crowded and busiest we saw the Schooner Bar and the Safari Lounge but Raj and Simon were fantastic and did a great job keeping everyone happy. 

It was getting a little loud so we made our way to Deck 11 in the Solarium to get pizza to hold us over until our late dinner in the MDR. TIP- The Jewel of the Seas DOES offer "Sorrento's" style pizza but it is in a separate location on Deck 11 at the Solarium Café. We never really encountered a line and the pizza was always hot and fresh. 

Evening
We showered and got ready for our 2nd formal evening aboard the Jewel of the Seas and then went back to the Schooner Bar for Friends Trivia. I did not win this trivia (one question away) but was awarded a koozie for naming all 6 actors. We stayed for Name that Tune 70s and this was SO MUCH fun as a sing along but we did not win. 

Chris was not feeling well so he went back to lay down and I went to the Shops of the Centrum to get our traditional ship souvenirs and then enjoyed live music in the Centrum until Chris met me right before dinner. TIP- "The Hits" band on the Jewel was fantastic and we really enjoyed listening to them perform! 

Formal Dinner in the Main Dining Room was good but again, the food overall missed the mark in our experience with Royal Caribbean. The service was amazing and we were in and out of the MDR within 90 minutes and for a formal night, that is great.  


The Taste of France Menu 
(usually the 1st formal night menu on 7 day cruises and only formal night on shorter cruises) 


Escargot-2.5
These were missing the toast which was a bummer. 


Beef Tenderloin-3.5
This was cooked well but was delivered just warm, not hot! 


Crème Brulee- 4.0
This was cooked very well and we both enjoyed it! 

After dinner we went to Vintages to enjoy more live music from the Centrum. TIP- I am not a huge fan of the Vintages on Jewel of the Seas. I prefer the "wine only" Vintages found on Oasis class ships as it is isolated and really focuses on wines. The Jewel Vintages was very well decorated and the bartenders were great but it was just another bar at the end of the day. 

We made our way to the late night adults only comedy with the comedian from the previous cruise and he did a great job of making the show adult but didn't just curse the whole time. We enjoyed the show and had hoped to end the night at the Pit Stop but it was closed. In fact, most bars on the Jewel of the Seas closed at midnight. Only the Casino bar stayed open until 1AM. If late night drinking is your thing... the Jewel may not be for you. We called it a night shortly after midnight! 


It's hard to believe we've been married 19 years... But here we are! 


Any day at sea... Is a PERFECT day! 

It was a very CHILL Sea Day and that is PERFECT to us! 

Up Next... Our return to Nassau after 8 years to check out the NEW and IMPROVED port! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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