Summer Cruise

[gryffin]

Helllo all,

I’ll be going on my first cruise this summer. My wife is finishing her MBA and my mother-in-law and her husband planned the trip for us, they’ll also be going as well as our kids (12 and 8). I’m looking for things to do and places to see while we are in port. We’ll be sailing on Royal Caribbean and our stops will be Nassau, Cococay, and Key West. I’m already planning on going to the Pirate Soul Museum and the Rum Barrel in Key West. If anyone has some points of interest they’d like to share I’d be very thankful.

Thanks for you time and info,

Gryffin

[Capt. Sterling]

There is also a fun pirate museum in Nassau as well, unless that be the one yer already speaking about... The aquarium at Atlantis is also worth seeing...

[hurricane]

The museum at Atlantis is s definite. I've been to Pirate Soul and the Pirate Museum in Nassau and the latter is far better. Mel Fisher's in KW is a must - amazing treasure from the Atocha - if you could only do one museum in KW that would be my recommendation. The Rum Barrel has good food but it feels more like a sports bar than a pirate pub. If only they had followed through with the design.

The kiddies are allowed in the vast majority of bars there so you can take them to places like Captain Tony's Sloopy Joes and the Schooner Bar. If you're there on a Friday or Monday evening at 6 p.m. there are turtle raises at Turtle Kraals. Big money can be had just for betting. If you want an authentic KW experience, head to BO's Fish Wagon. It looks like a shack on the corner with an old pickup in the corner near the Seaport. BO brings the fish in fresh each morning and it's the best fish sandwich on the island. Good burgers too, but the fish is devine.

The best beach is at Fort Taylor. If you're near the historic seaport, Jimmy Buffett's recording studio is on the corner near the Key Lime Pie shop - it's a boring white building and is marked on the map. He was recording Conky Tonk while we were there at PiP three years ago. Never know.

Wyland painted the wall in the seaport, just up from where the tall ships dock. It's quite impressive. Look for the smallest striped fish near the bottom - Wyland let my wife paint it. Always a must see when we're down there. :)

If you've never been there before, the Conch Train is a fun trip and you get to see a lot of the island. You can get off anywhere you want to and get back on the next train so it's a good way to see things, too.

Have a great trip!

-- Hurricane

[gryffin]

Thanks mates,

My wife's uncle lives in Key West and said the same thing about the Rum Barrel. Unfortunately, we’ll have the shortest time in KW so there are some things we wont be able to do. The mother-in-law said the aquarium is pretty cool, so I think we’ll be going there.

Keep the ideas coming,

Gryffin

[hurricane]

The kids will like the aquarium. They have feeding time with the sharks and rays if you time it right. A really great conch fritter stand is right next to it. And if you get a chance, the Wrecker's Museum is pretty cool and right across from the aquarium.

-- Hurricane