Trip Index
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On Tuesday,
Grandeur of the Seas would be the only ship docking at
Cococay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. This was very fortunate for us as the place was designed to support two
Oasis-class ships (each with a maximum capacity of over 6000 passengers and crew). Crowds would be non-existent, with no competition for lounge chairs. This also meant that only one of two food stations would be open, but worry not; there was plenty to be had!
 | | Day 4 Cruise Compass page 1 |
|  | | Day 4 Cruise Compass page 2 |
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 | | Day 4 Cruise Compass page 3 |
|  | | Day 4 Cruise Compass page 4 |
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After the ship docked, the cruise director announced that it would be another hour or so before the gangway opened, as the crew needed to get the island ready. We watched as carts were filled with food and supplies on the pier, then driven in.
Norwegian Cruise Line's private island,
Great Stirrup Cay, was just next door. However, it had no dock; two of their ships were anchored off shore, with boats tendering passengers back and forth.
After breakfast, we made our way off the ship once the island was ready for guests. Cococay was a big place, with plenty of complimentary lounge chairs and umbrellas. We opted for the Chill Island beach. Coco Beach Club and South Beach were still under construction, so we couldn't check out the overwater cabanas. Paid activities included the waterpark, helium balloon ride, zipline, water sports gear rentals, cabana/daybed rentals, the bars, and the menu at Captain Jack's. (drink packages could be used at Cococay) The waterpark may have been worth it as we were the only ship in port (and small); I doubt there would have been any lines for the slides.
Lunch was served in the Chill Grill. There were stations offering salads, fruit, tacos, barbecue, desserts and soft-serve ice cream. I found most of the food pretty tasty. Corn and flour tortillas were freshly made at the taco bar. I was excited to find trays of ripe papaya. The brownies and chocolate chip cookies were to die for.
The rest of the day, we spent frolicking on Chill Island Beach. As Perfect Day at Cococay opened six months ago, I wasn't aware that snorkeling opportunities would be available, else I would have packed our gear. Jarrett rented some to explore the underwater sights including sea life and a "shipwreck".
It was only 4pm when the island staff started shooing guests off the beach. All-aboard time was 6:30pm, so we objected, but they insisted that it was closed. We walked dejectedly back to the ship. According to today's Cruise Compass, a Cococay celebration was happening at the entrance at 4:30pm; maybe that was what the staff wanted us to participate in, but couldn't we enjoy the beach instead? At least we were able to view a beautiful sunset from the ship an hour later.
We had eaten so much at lunch that we opted for a light dinner at the buffet. Afterwards, we took a peek inside the Palladium Theater to check out the rock band; we weren't feeling it, so we left. A towel bear greeted us when Kaleb and I returned to the cabin.
On Wednesday, Grandeur of the Seas arrived in Nassau, Bahamas. Having been here before, I didn't think anything was a must-see for the rest of the group, so I planned an outing to
Junkanoo Beach, a 15-minute walk from the cruise pier.
 | | Day 5 Cruise Compass page 1 |
|  | | Day 5 Cruise Compass page 2 |
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 | | Day 5 Cruise Compass page 3 |
|  | | Day 5 Cruise Compass page 4 |
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There were many ships in port today; the streets were crowded with tourists, with areas of construction causing bottlenecks on the sidewalks. Shop owners were aggressively hounding everyone to purchase cigars and souvenirs. We managed to make it to Junkanoo in one piece.
It was a small strip of beach, but the water had a pretty color. Chair rentals were available for $10 USD cash each; we picked a shady spot on the sand and some guys brought them over. We were close to the Courtyard Nassau hotel so once in a while, I could pick up a wi-fi signal to download email.
We spent about four hours here, deciding to pack up earlier than desired to try to beat the crowds returning to the pier. Unfortunately, there were already several unorganized queues leading to the secured area. The one we were in was always cut in the front by returning shore excursion groups, who got off buses and merged in without knowing that there was already a line. There weren't enough immigration officers on hand, and the lines were held up by cruisers not carrying photo ID in addition to their cruise ship cards, which required special attention. All-aboard for Grandeur of the Seas was 4:30pm, but other ships were leaving earlier. Those guests were panicking in the lines, causing others to become irate. As the chaotic lines tapered into the building, the four of us got separated, but we eventually got through the secure area and returned to Grandeur. What a mess! Tip: if there are a ton of ships in port, get back to the ship at least two hours before all-aboard.
Tonight, we had dinner in the main dining room. The staff put on a little show.
 | Day 5 dinner menu
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|  | escargots
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 | roasted carrot arugula salad
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|  | buttermilk fried chicken
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| NY strip steak |
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| berry crumble |
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Grandeur was at sea on Thanksgiving Day. In the morning, I went to the
NextCruise desk to book a couple of cruises that we had already planned in advance, to take advantage of the $100 per person deposit and onboard credit bonus. There was an egg drop competition happening in the Centrum at the time, with lots of kids participating.
We had lunch in the main dining room to try it out. It was a mixture of a-la-carte dining plus an appetizer buffet, salad station, pasta station, dessert buffet, and scoop-your-own-ice-cream station. It was a nice set up, though getting pasta took forever due to only having one cook on hand with a low-wattage hot plate.
 | salad station
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|  | | appetizer buffet |
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 | pasta station
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|  | | desserts (ice cream far right) |
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 | Day 6 lunch menu
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|  | barramundi
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Thanksgiving dinner happened to fall on formal night. Souvenir menus were placed on all the tables. All the favorites you'd expect on Turkey Day were available. I opted for non-traditional fare since we would have a belated Thanksgiving meal with family the week after the cruise. Though I couldn't turn down a piece of pumpkin pie!
 | Thanksgiving dinner menu top
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|  | | Thanksgiving dinner menu bottom |
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| almond crusted fried brie |
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| osso buco |
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| beef wellington |
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| pumpkin pie |
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| pecan pie |
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Of course, after dinner, we headed upstairs to the buffet to see the offerings. We might have had a little bite to eat...
Friday was our last full day of the cruise, also at sea.
I forgot to mention in the last blog entry, that sailing on the open ocean can get rocky, especially if your ship is small. (I doubt it would be for the mega-sized ships like Oasis-class) Our sea day going down to Port Canaveral was choppy, though not as bad as
that first night on Celebrity Millennium crossing the Bering Sea. Our return to Baltimore was similar; this time, I noticed barf bags placed in public areas around the ship.
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| barf bags at each stairwell |
We had lunch again in the main dining room as we enjoyed the mixture of buffet and a-la-carte.
 | Day 7 lunch menu
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|  | appetizers from the buffet
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 | grilled open steak sandwich
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| decadent chocolate slice |
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At the end of our last dinner, the dining staff did a farewell show.
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Day 7 dinner menu
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 | shrimp ravioli
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|  | braised beef duo
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 | royal chocolate cake
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Saturday morning, we had our last breakfast in the main dining room.
 | Day 8 breakfast menu
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|  | | seasonal fruit |
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 | two eggs with sides
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|  | buttermilk pancakes with sides
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Disembarkation went smoothly with no long queues. I called the hotel for return shuttle service. The pick-up lot area was crowded with cars; we found the van parked a little ways off.
Jarrett and Kate drove us from the hotel to the Hertz location at Baltimore airport. We picked up our rental, then made our way to Pennsylvania to spend the next week with family and friends. Didn't take a ton of pictures, but the days were jam-packed with activities:
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Alita's 1st birthday
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A dinner fit for a foodie at
Blackworth with Ashley and Travis:
 | pork belly
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|  | bone marrow
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 | duck two ways
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|  | short ribs
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donuts a-la-mode topped with honey and cinnamon
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 | seafood chowder
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|  | striped bass
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 | short rib gnocchi
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|  | chocolate temptation
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Thanksgiving/Christmas family gathering:
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"cut the head off the turkey butter" tradition
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Our return home was uneventful.
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carby options at the Baltimore airport lounge
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And that concludes our trip to the East Coast! Since Grandeur of the Seas was an older ship, I didn't have high expectations coming in, but I had a great time, especially on Royal Caribbean's private island. (in fact, Cococay is such a hit that there are itineraries that visit it twice) Due to the ship's smaller size, it was easy to go from deck to deck and there weren't a lot of long lines. We didn't partake in any of the specialty restaurants, but we were always able to find something tasty to eat at every meal. Cruising is a great vacation option - a floating hotel, waking up to a new destination almost every day; exceptional value for room, board, transportation and entertainment; ideal for groups as people can do anything they want during the day, then catch up at dinner. It's still one of my most favorite ways to travel, despite the pandemic. I am so looking forward to cruising again, hopefully in 2021!
What's next? To end our year of monthly travels, Kaleb and I are headed to Las Vegas for New Year's Eve...stay tuned!
(Missed reading about the first half of our Thanksgiving cruise, visiting Kennedy Space Center? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
