Alight turned 17 this week! She is my adventurous dreamer, my memory maker, my never-say-no fearless girl. She thrives on being active and actively chases moments to remember. She wanted to take another cruise, and there was one that departed from West Palm Beach (about three hours from us) the day before her birthday, so we booked it! The itinerary was short: a two day cruise with a full day spent on Grand Bahama Island. Last week, we went to Bimini and Princess Cay, and were excited for the chance to explore a new island. The first cruise we took was on Carnival Cruise line, and this one was with Margaritaville at Sea because it was the only one that departed any time near her birthday. Carnival is a better line pretty much all around, but it was still a memorable experience! 

Our room steward, Agugn, was from Bali, was never seen without a smile, and was helpful and polite. The waiter on the second night, Rio, is a veteran: he’s been sailing for eighteen years as a career, and his experience showed! The rooms were fairly spacious and we enjoyed the wall decor. A highlight of being on the cruise was the two hour karaoke adventure: the DJ was amazing. He did a great job of keeping everyone encouraged and engaged: Breathe sang, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and Alissia sang “Hakuna Matata,” and “Butter” (by BTS); she also got out on the dance floor and danced to two different songs. Alissia and karaoke was definitely a thing. 

On the morning of January 15, we woke up to Alight’s birthday. Since we weren’t able to bring all of her gifts on board the ship, she’d opened a few the night before we left. It was like “having a three day birthday celebration!”  After presents, we went to breakfast and then debarked onto Grand Bahama Island for what turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. 

It was expected to have a 40-60% chance of “scattered rain” and “thundershowers” all day, but not even a drop fell all day. Instead, it was a balmy, gorgeous 82 degrees with a light breeze blowing through the palm trees. We quickly found a reasonable taxi to take us to Pirate’s Cove (I have an unpublished book with that title!) (the beach is also known as Taino Beach). The taxi ride was $14 a person round trip (we had five, so this was $70) and the entrance fee at Taino Beach / Pirate’s Cove was $16 for adults and $10 for Alissia (total: $74). This fee included access to the beach, free kayaks, the adult swing, free WiFi and a waterslide. It did not include: chairs. If you wanted a chair on the sand, it was $28 for two chairs and an umbrella. This did not seem worth it, so we sat on the sand instead. The beach was not very crowded at all: only a handful of people meandered about. The water was cold at first, but not too bad when you got all the way in. It was very, very blue. The pictures do not capture how blue the water was: the part we swam in did have debris in it – some sticks and things, but not enough to take away from the joy of swimming in the Bahamas. When we saw the banana boat pop up, it was a yes from all three of the girls: at $30 per person, this was another $90. We did not get food but the entrees were about $7-12 per person and we heard rumors about how delicious the conch was. There were locals who asked us if they could braid our hair, take pictures with the parrot, or sell us some handmade jewelry. This happened on the other Bahama islands, too, so expected it. We were on the beach for about five hours and were asked to buy something maybe six times.

The adult swing was definitely one of our favorites, and all of the girls enjoyed time on the swing. We also found an outcropping of rocks that made some beautiful birthday pictures of Alight. On one of the rocks was a giant crab: when Alissia, my niece, saw it, she said, ”It’s Sebastain!” 

The banana boat was also fun: Alissia spent the whole 20 minute ride hoping someone would fall off and, I’m told, there was a lot of laughter involved. One of the funniest island memories from this trip was the taxi driver. Having just pulled off, she saw a gas station and pulled in. There was a young man pumping gas; he was probably twenty years old. The taxi driver rolled her window down, stuck her hand out and said, ”Hey, come here, you. Come on, come mere,” as if she were talking to her son (though it was clear they’d never met). The boy walked to the window and she told him to pull the hubcab off. After a minute when it became apparent he couldn’t get it off, she got out to help. Just then, the young man unplugged the air stopper in the tire. The taxi driver slapped his arm: they, and the whole cab full of twelve people, started laughing. The playful, and helpful, attitude the Bahamians have with each other is very refreshing. The slower pace is also refreshing.

Finally, we made it back on board the ship in time to eat lunch; we caught a really good musical show with aerial acrobatics, and checked out the hot tub. We added the WiFi package for each of our devices ($30 for 48 hours per device), and so were able to feel connected even while in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Breathe was two years old when I started specifically praying for another baby. Alight is the answer to a specific prayer: she is half my heart. She’s brave, smart, loyal, funny and, most of all, kind. Some of my favorite memories are with her, and I am so thankful she enjoys traveling. Seventeen years passed in a blink, and I have loved every minute of it. I am the luckiest mama in the whole world. She makes every day as special as dancing in the sand in the Bahamas is.