Partying at port.

I told you I'd keep it simple and for once, I'll try to keep my blog promise. That means I'm going to close out my cruise nostalgia tour with one last post - the ports we visited.

Nassau, Bahamas

I'll start by saying we didn't buy excursions for any of our ports. In hindsight, I think we probably should have for the Bahamas because we didn't really know what to do while ashore. My parents, who have been to Nassau several times, decided to stay on the ship for the day and I don't blame them. As soon as we disembarked, we were immediately accosted by vendors trying to sell us local wares and offering to braid our hair. It was overwhelming and, frankly, off-putting.

We hit the main strip and checked out all the tourist shops, which ranged from high-end stores like Gucci to booths set up by locals. We stopped at the famous straw market and tried (successfully!) to ignore the vendors peddling their hats, baskets, wooden figurines, etc. Once we'd had our fill, we hopped in a cab and headed to Atlantis, the world-famous beachfront resort.

From what we were able to see, Atlantis was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, almost none of the hotel and its grounds (including a water park) is accessible to the public without buying a day pass. We didn't have enough time to pull the trigger on the expensive pass, so we wandered around the casino and took some pictures of the gorgeous exterior. Next time, I'll definitely get there early and splurge for the day pass.

The view of Atlantis from our ship.

Reeling with envy, we hopped back in a cab and went back to the main drag. We had a little time to kill before heading back to the ship, so we made a stop at none other than an Irish bar called Shenanigans. We staked out a spot on the upstairs balcony and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, bright pastel-colored buildings, and excellent tourist watching.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

This was, by far, my favorite port of the trip for both sentimental and actual reasons. This time, my parents got off the boat with us because my dad planned to take us to a restaurant on the mountain for lunch. The restaurant, Mafolie, is actually where my dad proposed to my mom in 1986, so I was excited to see it. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for lunch that day due to construction, but we were able to go out on the balcony and admire the amazing views.

While we were taking pictures and marveling over the view, my dad dropped to one knee and proposed to my mom again with a new ring. We all burst into tears and the smile (and shock) on my mom's face is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Once we'd emotionally recovered, we hopped in a taxi and headed to Magens Bay, a gorgeous, white-sand beach complete with a beach bar and more stunning views of the mountains. We set up shop at the bar for a bit before moving to the beach. It was a little crowded, but we took turns taking dips in the ocean, soaked up the sun, and had some lunch. It was the perfect Caribbean beachy afternoon and probably my favorite day of the entire trip.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

My dad decided to stay on the ship for this port, but Jamie, mom, and I chose to venture to Maho Beach for the day. Maho is a tiny beach on the Dutch side of the island, capped on both sides by bars and restaurants. Maho's big attraction, however, is its proximity to the airport landing strip. Tourists come from all over the world to watch airplanes fly right above them as they lay on the sand.

The taxi ride to Maho was quite long and we passed many buildings and grounded boats that had recently been decimated by Hurricane Irma. The contrast between the hurricane damage and the thriving tourist areas was heartbreaking and I couldn't help but think I was contributing to the problem by paying for a taxi to a flourishing beach.

The beach was jam-packed, but we finally found a spot near the road. Unlike relaxing Magens Bay, Maho had a party-like atmosphere and a very steep drop to get to the ocean. We spent about an hour watching the planes and inhaling exhaust fumes from the taxis passing by before moving a restaurant. We ordered chips and guac and watched dancers perform on stage before calling it a day.

...and that was it. I can't believe how quickly our time went at port. If I learned anything from this cruise, it's that you definitely need to plan in advance or you won't have time to see or do anything on land. But honestly, that wouldn't have been so bad considering our ship...