B~A~H~A~M~A~S

i'm in the BAHAMAS!! i never imagined myself going on a cruise to a tropical island for my birthday weekend, especially at 23! for the most part, i'm not a big celebratory person when it comes to my bday. even when i was three, all i wanted were the gifts   i just wasn't a big party person. yes, my parents still splurged on the skatium a few times, but that wasn't for me. 

when "sweet 16" hit, i definitely tried to turn this around, with plans of going all out on a tent/band/100+ people. sadly, the rents declined my +MTV inspired fantasy. the whole idea of a big bash was postponed to "semi-sweet 17." though the house party was great for a bubble child [small group|iTunes|rents "sleeping" upstairs], i began to consider accept that maybe, just maybe, a big celebration wasn't for me.

- Definitely not feeling 22 - [2014]
c/o: Priya P.

fast-forward to a year ago, i finally leaped into my bday-partizzay niche: flying solo, literally [seriously, look how i flew into 22^^]. 

what? how does that even make sense? who wants to be alone on their birthday? why am i using 90's slang?? apparently, i do. now technically, i was not entirely alone [had le-besties of le-besties with me for an ATX adventure], but i didn't have a huge crowd either. at that time, i realized that to enjoy another year of life means enjoying my life, for me. so! i set out to to carry this new mantra on daily instead of once a year. aka #treyday was born - eventually evolving into #treycation after my first solo trip

now to the present - here i am, freshly docked in +Nassau, ready to kick-off T23, party of one. am i nervous? not as much as my LA trip, but nervous nonetheless. standing at the edge of the pier, taking everything in, tears began to flow. that's right - tears. living in that moment of self-accomplishment/realization/mild dehydration [this is when i realized i lost my water bottle] completely overwhelmed me - and i was not prepared. it hit me hard and fast, but i could feel a weight off of my shoulders and an amazing sense of relief; a lot of self-doubt has built up over the years that could no longer be contained. i will always remember this moment - especially my hair

real-talk aside, it is time to explore this amazing city! check-out my tips for getting on/off the cruise ship below 

T-Tips:

• Driver's License and ROOM KEY
• security will not let you off of the ship without swiping your room key, however, your driver's license will be what gets you through customs
• you could bring your passport instead, but it is not necessary. you run the risk of losing it or water damage if you plan on when you go to the beach. 
• if you have a passport ID/card [like i did], that will work best
• eat breakfast and dinner on the ship. yes there are plenty of places to eat on the island (including McDonald's), but food is included in you cruise. why not eat for "free?"
• Carnival Ecstasy has a 24hr buffet, so load up a bag with fruits and other snacks for your day trip
• BRING A WATER BOTTLE - i almost died without mine
• cash. though major credit cards are accepted on the island, there's no guarantee that everyone uses them. many vendors are cash only, and accept US currency [i am not sure about other currencies, but there are exchange areas]
• how much? that is entirely up to you. i brought around $150 because i knew my excursion [post coming soon] souvenirs would cost near to that amount, but i was extremely nervous carrying around that amount with me. mainly because i am not a cash person, was alone
• $50-$100 should be pretty solid, unless you plan on doing heavy shopping
• sun glasses/hat/visor/breathable clothing - the weather that day was not entirely humid, but the sun is direct.
• sunscreen/block as well, though i didn't have any
• hand and beach towel - Carnival includes beach towels with every cabin, so feel free to bring them along
• sling bag for all above items
• i used a runner's arm band/phone case for my passport ID and room key, along with my phone. this way, my most important items are always on me
• keep your phone in airplane mode - APM
• unless you your cellular plan is not brutal for international calls/data/text, you will want to keep you phone in APM to avoid any surcharges
• with my carrier, incoming texts/calls are charged at a higher rate - so even if you have told your mainland peeps to avoid contact, it is better to be on the safe side
• also [if you have the capability] turn off mobile data before going into airplane mode. this ensures that if you accidentally turn off APM, your data will still be nixed [data charges are at their highest when going internationally]
• if you absolutely need to tap into the interwebs or need to make a phone call, the cruise ship does offer cellular/data plans utilizing their personal towers, but this usually costs more than what your carrier would charge
• leaving you phone on the ship would be best, but this only works if you don't plan on taking any photos or if you have a separate digital camera