Grande Mariner Review

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Small Ship-Big Fun

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Grande Mariner
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Nicky Boy
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Mar 2016
Naturalist Luz Hunter.  Awesome woman.
Swimming with pigs at Big Major Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
A stop for snorkeling.  Amazing bow landing.  Bahamas
Exuma Land and Sea Park, Great Exuma, Bahamas

Blount Small Ship Adventures is just that, a small ship with adventures aplenty. Hubby and I have cruised with Blount many times over the past few years, but the cruise that I enjoyed most and I enjoyed twice was the Bahamian Out Islands. I always thought of the Bahamas as Nassau, well I soon learned that the Bahamas consists of 700 islands 30 of which are inhabited. Nassau was just our embarkation point.

Our ship, The Grande Mariner, is a small but well equipped small ship. Our cabin was also small, but it had two twin beds with a night stand between, it was clean, it had adequate drawer, shelf, closet area and a large mirror and it had a window to open if you so desired. The room had A/C. Our cabin also had a small, clean, well lit and well-appointed toilet and sink room and a separate shower stall. No television was also a plus for us. Our cabin had everything we needed.

This was a very laid-back and fun cruise. All the staff and crew were friendly and very accessible. Being able to visit the Captain as he sails the ship makes for a casual and relaxed atmosphere. The food is plentiful and delicious. With about 80 passengers on board, it felt like cruising on a friend's yacht. The cruise also had on-board very knowledgeable and friendly naturalists. They gave lectures in the evening about the day's activities and also presented a very informative snorkeling "how to" for us beginners. The naturalists were always available to answer questions and point out interesting facts. The ship comes equipped with kayaks and snorkeling gear for your use. No extra charge, by the way. Feeling comfortable with the crew and fellow passengers made me enjoy my trip even more. The bow landings were amazing. There's nothing like having your cruise ship only steps away while you're swimming, snorkeling or just sunning. Casual open seating meals is a nice way to meet new friends. Lots of fun activities are offered every day...hiking, sight-seeing, snorkeling, botanical garden walks, even swimming with pigs and swimming with sharks. Participation was your choice. Sometimes it's just fun to sit on the top deck in the sun and snooze. A BBQ on the top deck was fun. Visiting places like Spanish Wells where the people use only golf carts to get around and visiting some islands where there are no people at all was interesting.

Cabin Review

Cabin IV

Small but it works. Plenty of storage and a clean bathroom and shower stall.

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