A short distance from the Florida coast, the Bahamas conveniently fits into Eastern Caribbean itineraries with ports in Nassau and several "private islands" on the way to or from more distant shores. Year round, you can enjoy short cruises to the Bahamas. The three and four night trips from Miami and Port Canaveral on Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the most popular, but there are also short cruises from Norfolk, Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale and other areas.
Royal Caribbean will make a small upgrade, replacing Sovereign of the Seas with Monarch of the Seas in November, but mostly these short trips are on some of the older ships in the fleets. Nonetheless, you can always have a great time in the Bahamas. Nassau is the anchor of a Bahamas cruise, and it is a port that gives you lots of wonderful choices. Girls like to get their hair braided into corn rows or go shopping in Nassau, and boys love the steel drum music, but the real highlight is taking a ferry across the bay to Paradise Island, a long stretch of white sand beach where you can enjoy water sports of all varieties. The spectacular Atlantis Resort rests on Paradise Island, and flying to Nassau for a resort vacation is also quite popular.
A private island like Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay is the perfect compliment to Nassau, giving you a restful respite from life in the fast lane. Royal Caribbean also adds wonderful Key West to the four nighters from Miami aboard Majesty of the Seas, and I consider that the strongest of the short itineraries. Carnival favors Freeport as the second port to Nassau, and often supplements the balance of the trip with sea days.
A trip to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral gives you the opportunity to enjoy nearby Orlando and the theme parks like Universal and Disney World. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Disney short Bahamas cruises, which can be combined with a Disney resort stay for a seamless vacation that young families treasure.
Older people will remember that Steve Martin would occasionally "space out" and then apologize by saying, "Sorry, I went to the Bahamas for a moment." Why not enjoy a few of the precious moments of your life in the Bahamas, so you too can hold wonderful memories forever?
