Besties, we went to the Bahamas! It was our first time leaving the country as a couple, we eased into it with a quick cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. As a plus size traveler I was initially somewhat skeptical of the cruise, but the more I read, the more I learned cruises are actually quite plus size friendly. Yes the bathrooms are small, other than that, my only issue was a handful of arm chairs but they were usable and there was a mix of chairs so it was easy to swap them out.
Anyways, let’s get back to our most fun vacation as a couple! We traveled from Upstate State, New York to Fort Lauderdale, Florida so we could board the Liberty of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. While the boarding process is boring, it’s waiting in lines, carrying the things you want with you for the next few hours, but it’s also weirdly exciting to wait. That might also be because it was our first cruise, not sure! HAHA
Our first day on the cruise ship, Liberty of the Seas we quickly discovered the all too refreshing Strawberry Daiquiris they were whippin’ up real fast. No idea how many I had. They were too good to count. We grabbed our drinks, we explored, we got into our swimwear and found some chairs to station our butts in to catch some sun before the ship took off. The ship set sail and we found ourselves enjoying our first cruise dinner at Sabor, a delicious Mexican restaurant on Liberty of the Seas! Since the meal includes basically anything and everything, we tried everyyything! We hit up the casino after, explored more, definitely continued to take advantage of our Royal Caribbean drink package, LOL. This evening is also when we discovered Sorentos, the best damn pizza, and it’s part of the cruise package so it’s free! We went multiple times each day. LMAO
The next morning, we decided to order room service, we got a mountain of food to munch on while we got ready to debark in Nassau, Bahamas! We didn’t really have a plan when we got off the ship, I knew there were a couple of local sights I had to see and that I wanted to go to the beach too! Okay, so the truth is, I had a plan but Dan didn’t. HAHAAH
We got off the ship and as you exit the disembarking area, there are local guides waiting to offer tours and excursions. I found one guy who carried a certification, we bartered, waited for him to find a couple of more couples then we got into his van! We went around and visited: a rum cake store (totes brought some back), did a chocolate + wine tasting, visited Atlantis, went to a fort, and then of course also visited the queens staircase! This was a very very easy way to get to see a handful of beautiful local scenery, shop for trinkets, and then visit historical sights, while having a safe way to get around. Driving there is cray and they also drive on the other side of the road which we didn’t know! Once the tour was over we chilled on a beach near Margaritaville for a bit before we ventured back to the ship. Once back we continued to take advantage of our drink package, enjoy dinner, and again explore – it’s our first cruise!
The next day was a day at sea, which I will say, since our ship was fully booked this did affect our sea day experience. We had planned to sit in the sun, enjoy the pool, hangout in the Solarium, and go to a show or two. Since this was our first cruise, we knew that you’re not allowed to reserve deck chairs, what we didn’t know was that people did this anyways. There was nowhere for us to sit to be honest, we walked multiple decks multiple times. We finally found one chair that we could share, we were complaining that we couldn’t find chairs, and a woman sunbathing overheard, she said her kids weren’t using their chairs, and offered us one. Thank you lady, we appreciate you!! Lesson learned, the deck chair rule is clearly fake. LOL. We did go to the ice show, we got what seemed to be the last two seats, so really we should’ve gone earlier to reserve seats, totally on us! After that, we ended up in the Solarium, and we enjoyed a couple of drinks in the amazing whirlpools that hang over the ship — wish it was empty so I could’ve gotten pics, so beautiful!! For food this day, we enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch, dinner was in the main dining room, and then we had more Sorentos!
Our day at sea is also when we took advantage of the spa! We signed ourselves up for a cute and relaxing couples massage – much needed!
Okay, wake up readers, it’s time for the Perfect Day at CocoCay! Aka, Royal Caribbean’s private island, aka lots of fun! We got off the ship as early as possible, took the tram around the island, found we wanted to settle in South Beach! We continued to enjoy our cruise drink package, no matter the time of day, and enjoyed some of the food from the Grille! I swam out into the ocean while Dan sunbathed, swam over to the sandbar, chilled, took some selfies and went back for a refill before it was time to go Swimming with Pigs in the Bahamas! Yep, that’s right, I signed us up for swimming with the cute lil piggies! The photos are wicked cute, it was FUN, but I will be honest, you are not for real going to be swimming with pigs but we all already know that! HAHAH
After swimming with pigs the island was getting ready to shut down the for day, which means it was time to head back to the ship. We went back, relaxed for a bit, and got ready for our final dinner, which we decided to dine at Johnny Rockets – had to have a milkshake! It felt bitter sweet, we were sitting on the beautiful cruise deck, enjoying dinner, watching the water, knowing that the next morning would be our last and we’d have to disembark for good.
We did choose to disembark carrying our own luggage with no issues. However, when we boarded, we did opt to have our luggage placed in our room so we could enjoy the ship much faster and without the weight of our luggage holding us down.
Overall, cruising as a plus size traveler with Royal Caribbean was great and I can’t wait to do it again! Of course, like any trip there were a few hiccups and at the end of the day, they’re not mentionable because the fun has outlasted. I will say, make sure to double check our final bill before you pay! But hey, we should be doing that everywhere right?
Okay, so here’s a lil photo recap of some of the food we ate on our Royal Caribbean Cruise!
A couple of tips from a plus size traveler perspective:
Yes bathrooms are small, but they are manageable.
There are arm chairs but there are also chairs there do not have them, feel free to move them around!
To be honest, those were my only issues as a plus size 22/24 traveler and neither of them were REAL actual issues.
We created lasting memories, went to what felt like paradise, enjoyed the beach and countless drinks. Please sign us up again! Hello, Royal, we are here waiting for you! HAHAH!
Have you cruised before? Where did you go? What line did you cruise??
