CocoCay - the Bahamas

 A cruise is what I would call a cross between Disneyland and Las Vegas and an all-inclusive resort. Super contrived, immaculate, entertaining, a place to lose time and well designed to facilitate a complete disconnect from real life. 

On the surface you book a resort type vacation with stops in other lands. Ours promised Haiti and the Bahamas. Scratch the surface and it takes just 2 seconds to realize you never really leave America. Each stop is Royal Caribbean's version of a new port. Passport control is not necessary as RC owns or rents the port of call and you'd be kidding yourself if you thought you could stray 2 steps from the intended location of the day. Every staff member from the excursion staff to catering and cleaning are paid by Royal Caribbean of course. Locals? Definitely none to be seen on Coco Cay!

We disembarked at Coco Cay on the last full day of the cruise. A small rocky island in the Bahamas completely owned by RC - of course. I think they may even have brought the sand here when it was created!

The island is made up of two parts... the chillin' side and the thrillin' side. Beachy and relaxing with loungers, markets, dining and snorkel stuff for rent or a water park with balloon ride, ziplining and more food. 

My plan for today was "Swimming with the Pigs" - a shore excursion I had booked way ahead of time using the RC app now on my phone. Quirky right? I always go for the option least likely to be found anywhere else and once I saw wee piggies chasing bits of apple in the ocean on YouTube I knew I'd be there too!

The boat sped away from Coco Cay with about 15 or 20 of us - headed to Treasure Island - another little rocky outcropping in the Bahamas and home of the swimming pigs. We spent the next hour frolicking in the warm water, holding pigs and posing for pics. It was all I thought it would be. Nothing more and nothing less. I was happy - even as I was sun burning!

At the end of the day, when the passengers depart back to the ship, they are followed by bags of trash, left over food, equipment and staff. The island is closed for business until the next Royal Caribbean ship docks.

As for us... it's time to shower, enjoy the last afternoon aboard the Mariner and capture a little of what the girls have been working on all week! I'm impressed. Athleticism and grace... both of which are extremely challenging to harness on the Flowrider!!!

Time for one more show? Yep!

Night-night for this lady. I was tired, a tad pink and happy. My belly was full of great food and maybe a glass of wine too. The ship was already headed for Florida and we were packed and prepared for the early-ish disembarking procedure.