Family Cruise - Part VI

Family Cruise To The Bahamas
Part - VI

         We had previously gone to a seminar aboard ship in preparation for our visit to the shops in Nassau. So we were well prepared to barter. We were stocked with discount coupons and slips for free items of costume jewelry at selected stores.

         It was hot walking along the busy streets. The stores were attached to one another just as they were in suburban towns back home. I noticed a savings bank or two. We darted in and out of the stores, but concentrated on stores that offered jewelry. I looked around, but nothing really interested me, or rather I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to buy anything of substance. I was tired and hot, but appreciated going into the air-conditioned stores. I had a discount slip for a pair of pearl earrings. I did make that purchase at a shop, and the merchant happily took my $2.00 for the article. The pearls were nice, and I was eager to wear them once I got back home. At the same time, we all claimed our freebees of an inexpensive tennis bracelet and make believe diamond stud earrings. At another store, we were presented with a free tote bag. I purchased a Del Sol screened t-shirt with a black monogrammed front that changed to vivid colors when the shirt caught the sun’s rays. I was really impressed with that.

         We caught up with Maryann. She had bought a precious stone cross necklace for her hubby, my son, Richie, but she paid an excessive price for it in the long run. She had slipped away briefly from our tour in the Atlantis museum to buy souvenirs at the gift shop there. She bought a gold dolphin bracelet, some lovely Atlantis candles, and magnets to give as gifts to friends. She carried them around in a plastic bag. At the jewelry counter in Nassau, she laid the plastic bag down in order to try on the cross necklace. The candles made it difficult to put the parcel in her black bag. After her purchase, she realized that the plastic bag was missing. Someone took it, and there was nothing that she could do. She was out $300.00 right then forever. She should have at least placed the bracelet in her black bag that hung from her shoulder. You can’t be too careful when shopping anywhere, I suppose.

         Maryann left us to go back to the ship. She had enough with Nassau. Richie and my grandsons left even earlier. They were probably splashing in the ship’s pool, while we were bucking the crowds on the streets. They wanted no part of walking around stores, and I agreed with them. I should have joined them, but I didn’t want to miss anything. Roseann, Danny, and I found ourselves in one of the major jewelry stores that a VIP who hosted a seminar aboard ship suggested we visit. Roseann bought a lovely blue topaz ring mounted in white gold with a small diamond on each side of its center stone. It was going to match a similar stone, one much larger, that she purchased aboard ship. The larger stone was to be mounted in a necklace someday when she got back home. The clerk at the Nassau store said that they didn’t have her size in the item that she selected. If she waited, the ring would be made for her. The store said that she could pick up the ring at 12.30 in the afternoon. The transaction was agreed upon. Meanwhile, Roseann fell in love with a triple diamond 14 K gold drop necklace, something that she always wanted. It was gorgeous and it totaled a little over a karat. By the time she negotiated her purchase for the necklace, it was nearly time for the ring to be ready. But, unfortunately, the jeweler had many back orders to fill, and he needed a little more time to finish her ring. What was great about buying jewelry in Nassau was that everything was tax-free. You don’t get that opportunity at home to save money.

         It was a little after one o’clock when Roseann suggested that Dan accompany me back to the ship, because I walked slowly. I was getting nervous by then, anyway. We walked about three blocks when Danny asked someone if there was a shorter route to the pier. We were told to cut through a parking lot that was just across the street. Up a ways was the gate with security guards. After security checked our photo identification cards, we were on the pier, but we still had a long walk to the Norwegian Dawn. Luckily, we hailed one of those tiny small vehicles again, and we were whisked back to the ship. Where were they when we got off the ship early that morning? This time, I happily tipped the good driver. I boarded the ship alone, because Danny remained at the pier to wait for his wife. I found out later that she was trying to catch up to us. Her ring was ready soon after we left the shop.

         With all aboard, the ship left the Bahamas around three o’ clock. It was Friday and we were scheduled to return to New York Sunday morning at 10. We caught some shows and played bingo once more. We packed our bags and left them outside of our staterooms Saturday night. The porters removed lug gages from all the staterooms throughout the night. They had to be left out no later than 2 AM, Sunday morning. After breakfast on the last day of our cruise, we relaxed a bit more in our rooms and listened to further instructions on the TV. For some reason, we were late in getting on deck when the ship passed the Statue of Liberty. However, Roseann snapped the New York skyline and took last minute pictures of us. It was easier disembarking from the ship on that last day, than coming aboard at the beginning. It was mass confusion when we had to look for our luggage, though. The porters did the best they could to keep all lug gages together bearing the same color tickets that were designated for each passenger. But nothing is ever perfect. Danny went on line to get a porter with a luggage dolly, and soon, we were outside on the sidewalk along with everybody else. It was a mad scramble to get our luggage off the sidewalk and into the Van that came to transport us home. We had a great time on the cruise, and it will always be a memorable one for me. But, it was good to be going home, though. Still, I look forward to my next cruise.

by Dorothy M. Ercole