Eating on a Cruise to the Bahamas

When Mr. N decided to take me on a cruise to the Bahamas recently, I pondered what treats we would be eating. Every vacation turns into an epicurean adventure for me, as I try to connect to the local culture through its food. All I knew of the Bahamas was conch and fruity drinks. My knowledge of food and drinks on cruise ships was contained in visions of gluttonous buffets of just-okay eats. Mr. N and I were both pleasantly surprised, as his dietary restrictions and my omnivorous appetite were both satisfied. We took a four day/three night cruise on Royal Caribbean that left Miami on a Friday and returned to port Monday morning. A perfect weekend away from law school. Mr. N booked our trip online, and we were surprised upon boarding to learn that we had been upgraded to a room with a port hole.

• Port hole.

I did not think a port hole view would add anything to our trip, but it did. The ability to look out at the vast ocean while in the room was relaxing and a nice touch. Upon first boarding, we headed to the dining area to see what treats awaited.

• Fruit tart and lime mousse from the buffet

We discovered the gluttonous buffet with numerous sections offering late afternoon dining selections. This room could be your friend, or it could turn into an enemy that keeps you in bed all weekend. It was a convenient place to grab a bite if you miss one of the staged meals. On board, the staged meals are where you should devote your eating time. We opted for the 9:00pm dinner seating. In the future, we would instead go for the 6:00pm seating, as we ended up missing some of the shows due to eating. But, we did eat well.

• Osso Bucco

The first evening we behaved with the utmost etiquette. Mr. N, myself, and our friends Rita and Rob each ordered one of every course. By the last night, we were each gluttonously ordering as many of each course that we wanted to try. I was excited by the selections we were offered from osso bucco to filet to escargot. And, the vegetarian options were incredible such as Indian chickpeas and paneer, and wild mushrooms with potato cakes.

• Escargot.

Our first island stop was at Coco Cay, a private beach inhabited by the cruise line. Upon disembarking from our ferry, we were greeted with the island drink the Coco Loco. It was the fruity, rum concoction that embodies what tourists expect in the Caribbean. I recommend buying a bottle of water from the darling selling the Coco Locos, since the beach and alcohol combo will dehydrate you. The Cay was beautiful, there was a shopping area, but we opted to head for the food and then find some hammocks to nap in.

The food on the Cay consisted of an array of different buffets with a plethora of beach barbeque staples. I enjoyed the bbq chicken, ribs (a bit dry), and an assortment of salads. Perfect pre-nap food for the beach. Mr. N had a burger, bbq chicken, salad, and a pile of pickles. Yep, he's a pickle-face. The Cay was absolutely beautiful. After napping under some trees, Ms. Rita and I did what all women on a beach trip do: we went picture snapping. The water was incredibly clear, the sky amazingly turquoise, and the unknown men were more than appeased to take photos of us ladies.

The following day, our ship took us to Nassau. Here, we had several options such as snorkeling or going to tour Atlantis, but we opted to explore the town on our own. We walked through the famous straw market; which has been renovated and is not so straw anymore. It is filled with those odd items that family members bring you home from vacation: a snail shell painted like a dolphin, straw bags and hats, etc. On to Senor Frog's! Yes, that place. Being sober at ten am, we were all quite gleefully watching the grandparents wearing balloon hats and singing and dancing, obviously high on fruity cocktails. For a slight buzz that won't have you wearing balloon hats, I suggest sharing one of the yard glasses of fruity concoctions, like Mr. N and I did. You do want to remember your trip, don't you?

The part of Nassau immediately surrounding the port is extremely quiet on Sunday, with most of the shops and restaurants closed. Mr. N informed me that on a previous trip he discovered a strip of shanties at the return-side of the Paradise Island bridge that served up conch and fish fresh from the water the shanties sit over. I was sold. The four of us took a cab (every cab ride in Nassau is about $5 a person, no matter the distance) to Paradise Island, passing Atlantis to find a quiet beach. It was another incredible beach on this trip. Impossibly clear blue water.

Mr. N and I left our companions to nap on the beach, and we headed to find shantytown eats. Oh, my gosh, did we score. Mr. N suggested "Twin Brothers at da dock," and we found a table on the patio, over the water. We watched a man diving just yards from us, snorkeling and pulling up live conch. And then we saw the man in the shanty next door pull up a live conch from the water behind his shed and clean it. So awesome! We enjoyed fresh-fried conch, red beans and rice, grilled red snapper, and Kalik beers while taking in the surroundings. Nothing beat the grilled red snapper we had. Possibly one of the best bites I've ever had to eat.

The cruise was fantastic, and I recommend that everyone, omnivore or restricted diet, try a cruise to a Caribbean destination. You can engage in the plethora of activities, or choose to find adventure on your own. You can devour the buffet selections, or wait for the gourmet selections at timed seatings. And, if you are calculated enough, you can score great discounts during the on-board shopping events or win big at the casino.