Our last day at sea was a rocky one, but the seas seem to be calming down as we approach the Chesapeake. We managed to outrun Tropical Storm Danny and fight high winds from the north.

This is the worst part of any cruise – the last night. Time to pack the bags and say good-bye to all the wonderful crew and guests we have bonded with for the past 8 nights. This cruise has been wonderful in so many ways. Great food and more importantly terrific service.

Our cabin steward Daniel from Haiti has done an amazing job keeping our stateroom fresh. Waiters Kadek and Ali from Indonesia have been superb by providing us with top-notch service in the main dining room. Maitre’d Andrea from Italy has orchestrated a perfect service ambiance for all the guests onboard and Sen, the amiable “table artist” from India, has performed amazing magic tricks for the kids.

Being able to drive to a cruise offers great convenience, not to mention tremendous cost savings by not having to buy airline tickets. Carnival has a winner sailing the Pride out of Baltimore year round. Every guest I have spoken with wants to come back for another cruise. Simply put – you can’t beat the convenience and amazing value for the money.

It’s 1:30 AM and the Carnival Pride is having a rodeo ride at sea. We are currently east of Jacksonville, Fla. and Tropical Storm Danny is several hundred miles to the east of our position.

Winds are gusting between 25-45 mph and the seas are rough. The Pride is hauling back to Baltimore this evening doing 21 knots. The rough seas started around 5:00 PM – a few hours after leaving Freeport, Bahamas. This evening’s show “Jazzin” had to be canceled because it was deemed too unsafe for the dancers to be on stage. In place they changed to the ship’s comedian Tommy Drake.

Stay tuned to more Pride blogs…

The problem with a great beach day is getting a little lax on reapplying the sunscreen especially after playing various beach activities. Such was my misery this morning…I am red on the tops of my shoulders and thighs – ouch! No playing in the pool today. The kids had a great time, but I had no choice but to stay in the shade.

The Atlantis Resort is an amazing place that offers 141-acres of waterscapes comprised of 20 million gallons of fresh and saltwater. There are more than 50,000 sea creatures here from the tiniest tropical fish all the way to the massive Manta Ray. The Aquaventure area is nirvana for kids young and old alike with its mile long rapids and wave river to the Mayan Temple’s five water slides and 7-story Power Tower which offers four massive slides. This is definitely a great family fun day that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. If you go be prepared for a hit on the wallet — it’s $120 per person!

Call it cruiser’s nirvana — a little island in the Bahamas that offers powder perfect sand and warm turquoise waters. Welcome to Little San Salvador Island or affectionately known as Half Moon Cay to cruisers of Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines.

In 1997 Holland America Line acquired leasing rights from the Bahamian government for this ten mile long and two mile wide paradise. The majority of the island is international bird sanctuary; however, there are 55-acres developed just for cruisers. Developed areas include an aqua park, nature trail, horseback riding trails, stingray encounter, and the most indulgent activity of all – renting one of the 15 air conditioned, private beachfront cabanas. I was lucky enough to grab one before they were all gone. I feel pictures speak better than words. Enjoy!