The four of us friends on the Norwegian Sky deck

Nassau

I interviewed friends familiar with Bahama cruising for advice on what to do in Nassau. “Stay on the ship” they said. A reception desk employee on the ship recommended a 15 minute taxi ride to Cable Beach. After disembarkation in Nassau, we pushed our way past all the taxi drivers and tour operators clamoring for our attention, determined to relax on the beach.  We asked one of the taxi representatives where to go and he suggested Cabbage Beach right on the other side of the Atlantis Hotel, close to the port. We piled into a dilapidated van driven by a man called “Top Notch” with a bunch of other tourists for the pleasant drive through town.

Our trip to Cabbage Beach couldn’t have worked out better. We traveled in June and the beach got crowded, but the sand was wonderful and there were plenty of things to do.

We rented an umbrella for $20. Beach chairs were available, but we didn’t take one. I found a bar called Viola’s at a timeshare nearby, a lovely setting away from the beach that seems to be popular with locals too. They sell cold Kalik in bottles for $4.50 and wings and burgers that you can eat there or take to-go.

Entrance to Viola's Bar

My friend cut a deal with a drink vendor near our spot on the beach: $10 for unlimited coconut juice. A steady flow of beach vendors sold kangas, beads, t-shirts and cigars. Others pitched activities like jet skiing, banana boating and parasailing.

Cigar Salesman on Cabbage Beach, Nassau

Great Stirrup Cay

The next day we stopped at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island. Again, we abstained from scheduling a shore excursion or activity ahead of time, and again we were pleased with the results. We left the ship on the first tender boat to shore. While it seemed that there were few guests in the island this early, we were still too late to claim one of the few spots shaded by palm trees.

Great Stirrup Cay before the crowds arrive

The place was billed as a private island, but it feels like a football game just let out. Not only is the small bay packed with people by 11:00 am, but the beach chairs are laid out in a tightly packed grid and “reserved” signs hang on the best ones. A cabana boy will shade two of your beach chairs for $30. We really didn’t feel like spending $60 for four, plus these are the style that are supposed to give you privacy, so two would have cut off our two parties. The umbrella is a dark blue fabric that absorbs the heat instead of reflecting it, so it was way too hot inside. In retrospect, I wish I had brought my own umbrella.

We snorkeled on the island. They charged $30 per person to rent the equipment and you were required to wear an inflatable life vest. inflating it is optional.

There isn’t a coral reef but plenty of colorful tropical fish with many schooling close to the shore.

Here is an excellent overview of the Norwegian Sky experience from CruiseCritic.com.

Here are all the photos of my first cruise on the Norwegian Sky with my wife Fernanda and our friends Melisa and Glaycon:

Tell me what you did on your Norwegian Sky shore excursions. Did you skip them because of this post? How did it go?

The Yahala Bakery serves traditional German pastries, breads and cookies in an atmosphere that, except for the suffocating humidity, is undoubtedly Bavarian.

The outdoor seating at Yalaha Bakery has a Bavarian charm

Waiting in line on Sunday morning is like working the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The uninitiated are packed together with the usuals in the tiny bakery lobby as their numbers are called. Families shuffle around each other to get a view of the goodies behind glass in preparation to order.

Here are some the beauties I spotted:

Almond Horn cookies behind the display case at Yalaha Bakery in Central Florida

Heart Cookie

Puff Pastry

Loaves of Bread

We learned to show up early next time. In the 30 minutes we stood gripping our paper number in anticipation, they ran out of the Ham and Cheese Croissant and Fruit and Cheese Pillow that everyone in our party had hearts set on. We ended up with the Cinnamon Stix, Apple Streusel, Almond Croissant and Apple Strudel, all of them to die for.

Our Breakfast: Cinnamon Stix, Apple Streusel & Almond Croissant

If you’re a coffee snob, my advice is to bring your own. Yalaha’s coffee is just plain old drip brew that slowly burns in a glass carafe.

We were there on a Sunday. Hymns and folk music were performed by Pastor Tom Barnhill, though this is not advertised like the music on Saturday.

Nearby is a fresh produce stand. We visited it as well and left with Amish cheese, butter and a bag of onions. There is a blueberry field out back and you can pick your own.

Fresh picked blueberries

But then my friend Antonio Macedo, a skydiving adrenaline addict, showed me some videos of wingsuit proximity flying.

POV:

Good Compliation:

These images seemed familiar to me. I fly like this all the time in my dreams! It seems so natural!

Ueli Gegenschatz was the prolific jumper who helped design the wingsuit. He spoke at the TED conference in 2009 about the evolution of the sport.

Ueli died in November 2009 jumping off a building in Zurich, Switzerland when a gust of wind pushed him as he landed.

What do you think of wingsuit flying?