Bahamas 2005:
Day 1 - Miami

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Bahamas 2005: [Day 1 - Miami] [Day 2 - Coco Cay] [Day 3 - Nassau] [Day 4 - Miami]

	Friday, December 9, 2005: We escaped the frozen North just hours after a major blizzard dumped snow on Indianapolis. What a great time to spend a long weekend in the Bahamas with friends!
	We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and rented a Crown Victoria, which we immediately named Victor. Audrey was the first one to win "Maersk" and wins came more frequently the closer we got to the Port of Miami.
	This is the birthplace of the game "Maersk" and with good reason. We first saw the containers and ships in Denmark, then saw them everywhere on our first Bahamas cruise in 1997. And thus, the classic game was born.
	We boarded the ship, settled into our staterooms, gobbled down lunch in the Windjammer Cafe, and set off for a tour of the ship, Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas.
	In a deserted nightclub, Audrey and Brent gave us a preview of some of the very smooth moves they'd be showing off in the evenings. They love ballroom dancing.
	The ladies shared a mini-suite, while the gents shared a tiny, inside cabin, shown here.
	Next, we toured the atrium, where the shops and photo galleries were located.
	Next, it was back to the ladies' suite, for birthday cake and champagne. Our little friend, Orchy, joined us for the celebration.
	The ladies like their schmancy suite!
	The view of Miami's skyline was quite lovely from the balcony.
	It is an unfortunate fact of life that all cruises require an unpleasant experience called mustering. Our friends did a wonderful job of talking Debbie through it because claustrophobia is not a condition one enjoys having in this situation.
	At this point, we would have been enjoying the view as our ship sailed out from port, but there were many late arriving passengers due to the aforementioned blizzard so sail out was delayed. Instead, we enjoyed the view of our ship as it sat in port. We decided that foofy drinks were in order.
	Back in the ladies' suite, Audrey and Gina primped for dinner. This is the only shot we got of the festive birthday decorations we kept ducking under all weekend.
	We took one last look at Miami before heading down to dinner. The view of downtown was colorful and bright as a storm rolled through.
	Our dinner's theme the first night was Italian, and we were strongly encouraged to swing our napkins as our wait staff sang to us. "Lala-lala-lala-lala-la-lalalalala." Some days, we can't get it out of our head.
	After dinner, we each spent ten whole dollars gambling. It didn't take very long.
	Exhausted from a long day of travel, we all went to bed, except Gina, who really loves a beautiful night and took one last look from the balcony. Day 2 >