More Entertainment

We have been very busy today and sent two busses on the Beach & Shopping Excursion. The rates for taking a day cruise to Grand Bahama are fantastic right now, so we have a lot of same day return passengers. We have another band joining the ship this evening, again adding to our entertainment program. Our new steel pan player is doing a fantastic job playing on the outside deck and is very popular with the passengers. We have a lot of changes coming up in the entertainment department over the next couple of weeks, with people going on vacation and others returning. I will be taking a two-week break in June, which I am really looking forward to, as I will be visiting my family in England.

Family Vacations

We are now heading into my favorite time of year onboard, Family Vacations. The kids are always so excited to be out of school and going to Grand Bahama for their vacation. I was a little worried that with the economy right now, we might not get as many families traveling, however, Discovery Cruise Line has come up with a great promotion for the summer. Children 17 and under sail and stay for FREE and children 12 and under sail, stay and eat for FREE. The only restriction is that one full fare-paying adult must accompany each child and there are select participating resorts, you really can’t beat it

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day was great onboard. We were very busy to and from Grand Bahama. It appears that a Cruise onboard Discovery Sun was a popular mother’s day gift. We had a special group playing in one of our lounges most of the day. They played a wide selection of music and were very popular. Since it was such a long day yesterday, I stayed onboard this afternoon to rest. Hopefully I will venture out tomorrow afternoon when we get to Grand Bahama.

New Musicians

I had another great afternoon on Grand Bahama visiting the beautiful Taino Beach Resort. I spent a lot of time in the pool today, as it was very, very hot. After the beach I headed to Port Lucaya for lunch at Zorbas, one of my favorite restaurants. We have two new musicians onboard that signed on last night. One is a Latin musician and the other a steel pan player that will play out on the open deck. I am really looking forward to seeing both of them perform later today, especially the steel pan player, as it has been a long time since we have had one onboard. Tomorrow is mother’s day and it is going to be very busy to and from Grand Bahama, so I am going to try to get to bed early tonight so that I am well rested.

Sunny Days

I love my job… I will never get tired of going to Grand Bahama. I went to the beach again today on the Beach & Shopping Excursion. The pool water is finally warm enough for me to swim which means I will be spending more and more afternoons there. We had over 80 passengers on the tour today and they all wanted to spend the whole afternoon at the beach because it is so beautiful. There is still a lot of excitement on the Island because Discovery Sun is back again; they really missed the tourists that we bring to Grand Bahama every day. I am glad we are back too…

Success

The Bud Light film shoot onboard Discovery Sun was a huge success yesterday. It was really interesting to watch and amazing to see exactly how much work goes into shooting a commercial. I dread to think what it must be like on a movie set. I can’t wait to see the commercial once it had been edited. I spent most of my day onboard yesterday; I had to leave for a little while for a dentist appointment (not fun) and then came back to the ship. We have a lot of passengers onboard today and the Shore Excursion Desk is really busy, so I had better get going and help with the line.

Island Living

It was another beautiful afternoon on Grand Bahama today. I met a wonderful lady this morning from Italy, who is looking to buy property on Grand Bahama. Grand Bahama Island has always enjoyed a stable political and economic climate. The local currency is tied to the American dollar and Grand Bahama is home to many international banks and insurance companies. The current wave of investment, which is set to continue, means that business and commerce are thriving. The Bahamas is a country exempt from all taxes on revenue, capital gains and inheritance. Freeport / Lucaya residents are also exempt from paying property taxes. The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is committed to building an economic environment in which free enterprise can flourish.

Beach & Shopping

It really is great to be sailing to Grand Bahama again. The weather today was fantastic, not a cloud in the sky. Since Discovery Sun has been away for so long, I decided to go on the Beach & Shopping Tour today and catch up with some of my friends. The Captain extended the time on the Island for Round Trip passengers, so we had 4 & ½ hours on the Island, which gave us two glorious hours at the beach. After the beach we went to Port Lucaya where we were greeted like we are movie stars. The bus drivers, cab drivers, store keepers, restaurant staff and straw market venders were all thrilled to see us and welcomed Discovery Sun back to Grand Bahama. It was a great afternoon.

We are back....

I am happy to say that after almost one month Discovery Sun is sailing again. During the time that we were not sailing crew had the opportunity to enjoy a few hours ashore each day exploring Fort Lauderdale, but for the most part they were onboard working hard. There have been a lot of renovations in the public areas onboard, including the bathrooms. It is hard to find an area that hasn’t been painted and the ship looks really nice. I am looking forward to our arrival on Grand Bahama this afternoon; I have really missed the Island and my friends there.