December 10, 2015

After our super busy trip to Amsterdam and Germany in September, Mr. Strange and I needed a vacation. Two weeks after we returned, we decided to book our first ever cruise for a quick getaway to do absolutely nothing for four days. We reserved an oceanview room on the Carnival Fascination. The cruise port was in Jacksonville, Florida, so we flew there the morning of departure, then took an Uber to the ship, which was departing at 4:00 pm. We were on board by 1:00 pm.

We spent most of the first evening just exploring the ship. We got drinks and relaxed on the lido deck and more drinks in one of the lounges before dinner.

December 11, 2015

The next morning we were due to arrive in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island at noon. After we docked, we rented a car from a place just off the port and then took off in search of Gold Beach at Lucayan National Park. It was the first time either of us had driven or ridden on the left side of the road (and thankfully I was not driving!) but Mr. Strange was a champ, even around the confusing roundabouts. It was about a 45 minute drive, and we arrived around 2:00 pm.

We parked and paid $3 to the attendant on the lot, then made our way down a wooden path through the mangroves until we arrived at Gold Rock Beach. And we were the only ones there.

The sky was overcast, threatening to rain. Almost immediately after stepping foot on the white sand beach, it began to pour. We ran to a shelter nearby to wait it out.

The rain quickly subsided and we were able to enjoy our own private beach. The tide was low, so the sand stretched for miles, leaving little tide pools in areas across the rippled white sand. The water was crystal clear, calm, and shallow; it was completely surreal to have the entire place to ourselves.

After a couple hours, we decided to head back so that we would not be driving after sunset. Before we returned to the rental car, we peeked into one of the caverns across the street from the beach, which was filled with water in an underground pool. We were hoping to see some bats, but none could be found.

That evening, back on the ship, we attended a Newlywed Game-type show, which was pretty funny. We also enjoyed wandering around the deck at night to look at the stars, so many to see since we were so far away from light pollution.