On a wet day I truly enjoyed out walk along the harbor into town, although my husband got too tired (my 2 miles are his 5).  We stopped for refreshment at a harborside restaurant, a delicious and refreshing stop.  Shortly after we arrived, in came a tour group from our boat.  The gal at the tourist information booth was pleasantly helpful.  She directed us to a Corte Ingles branch for art supplies.  I overstocked on chocolate from their basement supermarket, so I hosted a chocolate tasting party near Valentine's Day.  We opted to take a bus back to the pier.  Quite a pleasant, busy little port.

Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)

I enjoyed walking the couple miles to the market in town, but my husband complained the whole way.  The wall across the street from the sidewalk leading off the pier was painted with ships who had docked here, including the Norwegian sailing ship with dates it had called.  We sat down for a beverage and snack, sought out the restroom, looked at the adjacent fish market, and enjoyed shopping for souvenirs.  I'd have enjoyed spending more time there, but my husband grew impatient. It was our favorite port of call, the Portuguese ambiance distinctly differing from the 3 Spanish ports of call (Mallorca, Cartagena, and canary Islands).  When my husband spoke Spanish, he was requested to "Please speak English".  Back on the pier we sampled madeira and went upstairs to buy a bottle.  My husband also liked the striped T-shirt I purchased on the pier, so I disembarked again to buy another for myself.

Madeira (Funchal)

Lots of fun looking at crafts and interacting with vendors.  Probably the most varied assortment of crafts in the shop.  A bronzed tin fish now hangs on the interior of our front door.   We were too early to dine on the 2nd floor of a flower bedecked house, but the gelato from a shop a block away cooled on the way back to port.  Lively and friendly.  The volcanic origin of the islands immediately impresses.

Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)

We wasted time hanging around for our morning sail and snorkel tour which was rescheduled for afternoon (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).  We were offered the choice of a full refund or a 25% discount.  We  had to return to our cabin to dress appropriately for town, so we were too short of time to see any but the congested downtown area before lunch.  Then we had to walk too far to board for the type of footgear which was designed for the catamaran.  People complained about the quality of the gear.  Instructions were only partly audible.  We had to stop at Paradise Island for other passengers. The sail was raised only for part of the return trip.  It would have been better not to mention the horrible tasting complimentary drink. My husband wrote a detailed description of the inadequacies of this tour.  It was not the quality of tour for which Royal Caribbean would like to be known.  To the line's credit and to my surprise, our fees were fully refunded.  I'll definitely try to get out of the downtown congestion if I find myself in Nassau again.  There were brightly painted roofed intervals of shade along the wharf from the anchorage  and the band playing in the immigration terminal provided a festive air.  Guides offering services on the pier were not too pushy.
I'd rather have stopped in Key West.

Nassau

9589, interior cabin starboard amidships.  Superb bathroom fixtures.  I wish ours at home were of that quality.  Excellent lighting.  Curtaining off the bed allowed one to rest while the other part of the cabin was being used.  More than adequate storage and hangars.  Our cabin attendant surprised us with towel animals on 3 occasions, including our anniversary.  Toiletries available upon request, as was a terry robe for after swim, and a sewing kit.

"  A tempting artisanal bakery lured us at the end of our one block long Vicolo de' Renzi.We made calls at Palma de Mallorca;  Cartagena, Spain;  Funchal de Madeira, Portugal; Santa Maria de Las Palmas, Canary Islands; Nassau, Bahamas.

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