Recently we had the pleasure of sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas from Pt. Canaveral, Florida. It was a delightful experience and we felt like we had been on a full one-week cruise – even though it was just a few days long!
It’s amazing how much you can pack into a three-night cruise. Though three days may seem short, you could probably have the same amount of fun, activities and entertainment as you would on a one-week cruise. Just be sure to board the ship with the same dreams and aspirations as if you were sailing for a full week, accept early on that your days are numbered and then take full advantage of your cruise experience.
Read on to find out more about what our 3-Day Bahamas Cruise was like and how it compares to a 1-Week Cruise.
Day One: Into the Caribbean sunset
We boarded the gorgeous luxury ocean liner (that’s how they refer to most big passenger ships) on a recent Friday afternoon. The weather was anything but the cold and snow we were experiencing at home.
On a background of gently swaying palm trees and hot beaches, our ship departed.
We began with a welcome buffet lunch in the Windjammer Café (which was terrific!) and then took the chance to explore every nook and cranny of this magnificent wonder open to passengers. We marveled at the variety of shops & onboard services like spas, alternative restaurants and abundant entertainment. Did we mention the well-equipped gym, library, casino and welcoming lounges?
Alas, we joined the Sailaway Party as we cruised into the beautiful sunset on our Caribbean journey ahead. A required ship drill, mandatory buffet encounter, walks aboard, open shops, gaming, early entertainment – piano, guitar playing, singers and more – were all a part of our afternoon.
Activities galore! We checked out the Rock Climbing Wall, considered temporary airbrushed tattoos, reviewed the Royal Bingo game about to begin, considered free gaming lessons in the Casino and perused the books available on the ship’s Library. Then we head for the cabin to freshen up.
Time for dinner: We enjoyed wonderful service in a delightful dining room featuring sumptuous food – ah yes, this is when we really began to enjoy a first opportunity for rest, relaxation, libation and the devouring of a delicious dinner. Getting to know our wait staff – we thought: “think they will work out just fine.”
After dinner, it was time to enjoy the main show in the Sound Of Music Theatre, but not before another pass through the Casino to once again challenge Lady Luck. Love comedy shows, a delightful Piano Bar with a talented singer, a Rock ‘n Roll Party in the Boleros Lounge and the Viking Crown Lounge for a bit of slow dancing, there was no lack of entertainment and fun on the cruise.
We managed a night cap at one of the lounges and move over to Sorrento’s to try a fresh slice of pizza. Still hungry, we know we have 24 hour room service to consider.
Afterwards, we returned to our beautiful Cabin to enjoy a walk outside our balcony – oh what that beautiful fresh night air does to you! The onboard electronic entertainment menu was interesting and we fell asleep watching fun movies and listening to the crashing waves outside.
Day Two: Spending a day in Nassau, Bahamas; Paradise Island and Dancing in the Streets!
Early to rise in Nassau, Bahamas! We had a full day ahead on one of the Caribbean’s real jewels. Its wonderful people, beautiful island and rich, deep culture are an absolute delight. So much to see and do this day – we stayed on board for awhile to enjoy the pool and sunny decks before going ashore.
We ventured off to walk along Bay Street, the centre of the vibrant downtown district, enjoying the straw markets with the bustling atmosphere and people busy designing and negotiating for deals on plentiful rows of local goods.
Next up was Paradise Island and its famous Atlantis Resort, the beautiful Cable Beach area with its glistening resorts and more shopping: genuine Nassau Rum Cake for the Moms.
Find out more about Rum Cake and other delicious Bahamian delicacies: How to Eat like a Local in the Bahamas!
That was a quick whirlwind visit to the Islands of the Bahamas, made up of over 400 distinct islands.
It was Sail-Away time as our beautiful Ship took off past sunset to its next adventure destination. We are exhausted but resilient, decidedly ready to enjoy ourselves tonight at any cost.
With the shops closed all day while we were in the Port of Nassau, the onboard stores open with fanfare – 50% off sales, $10 watches, silk ties 3 for $10, bargain jewelry – we couldn’t resist and had lots of fun indulging in some onboard retail therapy.
Did someone say refreshments? We sat and relaxed for a while, perhaps 17 minutes, before heading out for dinner (getting to know our Dining Room crew), gaming, more entertainment and bon voyage to Nassau.
We joined the Dancin’ In The Street Party in the Centrum of the ship and then headed outside for Dancing Under The Stars and a poolside buffet. Then it was back to the Casino, Piano Bars and then over to join the Caribbean Dance Party. We slowed a bit at the Schooner Bar and ended the night at Sorrento’s again for a late night snack. We struggled back to our cabin, hit the balcony and talked about a very busy and packed day of fun and adventure.
More from the Bahamas? Be sure to read: Explore the Best of the Bahamas: Nassau & Paradise Island.
Day Three: Life on the privately-owned Coco Cay Island
We awoke to the charming and well se- up Coco Cay Island – one of the private islands of the Bahamas. The ship caters all food and coordinates all activities on the island. The result is an island full of happy and relaxed passengers enjoying the beaches, food, live entertainment, shopping, snorkeling and lots of water sports, special water slides, refreshments and still more food. There is even a charming shopping area with a market featuring hand made straw items and other shops.
Great day at Coco Cay and now it’s our final night aboard and we feel the need to party!
By now we really know our Dining Room Staff. Our waiter is singing to us tonight and the other staff are circling around and dancing – they can’t do enough to make us happy. We were delighted and enjoying the fun atmosphere in the Dining Room and of course the wonderful food and service. Time to move on to the lavish live entertainment and Farewell Show after stopping by the adult karaoke and watching the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers.
There was the Quest Game Show for adults-only which is lots of fun, late night comedy and more personal efforts in the Casino before retiring to our stateroom, the balcony and a final night’s sleep.
Day Four: A goodbye to an amazing cruise experience!
Our last Breakfast aboard and we are going to eat all we could. After all, in a matter of hours we would have to return to the real world and take care of ourselves.
An organized departure off this beautiful luxury liner and our one-week – correction – three night cruise was over. What a ride! This was a cruise filled with lots of food, fun, entertainment, excitement, exhilaration, spontaneity, and hours and hours of being treated like a king and queen. With so much to see and do, there was so little time to stop that we felt as if we were on a one-week cruise throughout the three-days.
Next time consider taking a shorter cruise: it doesn’t take up as much of your time as a full one-week, it gives you more time to explore other options, it allows you to really enjoy everything on board and saves you money in these challenging times!
You can easily put a full week’s cruise activities into just three nights.