2021 Carnival Mardi Gras Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Day 8 [Nassau, Bahamas] ⋆ Superb Vacations

I started the day by eating breakfast at the Lido Marketplace (buffet). I ate a few pieces of French Toast.

I walked outside to take some photos of Nassau and found that all of the pool deck chairs were occupied – by towel animals. I had to go explore and see the different animals.

There was a dress rehearsal going on inside the Center Stage area

I picked up my luggage tag – number 7 was the earliest. I always take the earliest available, even if I want to stay on the ship longer my luggage will still be there waiting for me. If I pick a later tag and want to get off early I would have to wait until the luggage was ready.

I took a few more photos on the ship as it was the last day and it was still empty being early in the morning.

hard to see in the picture, but the bar has the elements engraved into the wood

I started to walk towards Fort Fincastle shortly after 8:00 AM. I stopped at the pier to take a few photos of the ship.

Along the way I stumbled upon the new US Embassy being built.

It was a fairly short walk and I came to the Queen’s Staircase.

The Queen’s Staircase

Take an historic walk up (or down) the stairs of the Queen’s Staircase, Nassau’s most visited attraction. In no small part because of its historic significance and method of construction, you’ll feel as if you’ve taken a step back in time.

There was a nice waterfall inside the staircase and even though I didn’t bring my tripod I was able to rest my camera on the railing of the staircase to take some long exposure shots of the moving water.

At the bottom of the staircase I could see a portion of the Fort Fincastle.

Fort Fincastle – Nassau & Paradise Island in The Bahamas

Built to protect Nassau from pirates, Fort Fincastle was named after Lord Dunmore’s 2nd title—Viscount Fincastle. Guided tours are available.

After I walked back up the Queen’s staircase I noticed the road to Fort Fincastle was blocked by a barrier and it said it was closed.

After discussing with the guard he eventually told me I could walk around the back side of the fort by going down the stairs and turning left.

When I eventually found the staircase from the hospital parking lot I was greeted by another person who gave me the history of the water tower, Queens’s staircase and fort. I gave him a $5 tip and was allowed to walk around the outside of the fort.

The area was completely empty, so I had the area to myself. I recorded a few videos and took some photos.

I walked back to the shopping area near the port and stopped inside a couple, mostly to enjoy some air conditioning.

I also stopped at Parliament Square briefly to take some photos.

I went back to the ship and flew the drone from outside the port. It gave me an error that there was interference with the remote signal, so I didn’t get too adventurous. I did take a few photos and videos.

I took some more pictures around the port area, including one which shows what the port will look like after the construction is completed. Many businesses (bars) were shut down, including the popular bar Senor Frogs.

I went back to the ship and took some pictures of the ship along the way, including the entrance to Camp Ocean, the medical center and Family Harbor.

I had some notices in my cabin when I returned.

For lunch I had another Pig Patty at Guy’s burger joint. It was still early, but I decided not to go back to explore since most of the historical sites are closed due to COVID. All of the bars were closed – even the Senor Frogs by the port.

I walked around the ship and took some more pictures of the public areas. There was also a dress rehearsal for a magic show at Center Stage.

I watched the final Sailaway from deck 16. It was delayed a bit because some people didn’t get back on time. Luckily the ship left when it did because a large rainstorm was visible over the port.

stragglers from a Carnival operated tour. The crew was there to greet them by dancing to music

I did a little souvenir shopping on the ship and started to pack. I had to have my suitcase out by 11:00 PM.

I watched a couple of shows at Center Stage, but left the second one early to go see the sunset.

The ship was near Freeport at sunset and several ships were visible in the distance.

I had dinner at Flamingo again (because of the baked Alaska). This time I did manage to have a sharing table, for only the second time during the cruise. I had Steak and Cheese soup which was good, frog legs which were okay and salmon from the everyday menu. For dessert I had baked Alaska.