If you didn’t pre-book a shore excursion there were plenty to choose from along the pier. The water taxi cost $6 for a round trip from the pier to Paradise Island. There is a short walk involved. There are normal taxis for $4 which would take you door to door, but I love boats.

There is a definite difference between the tourist trap ship area and the more upscale tourist trap Atlantis area. Atlantis is amazing, huge, beautiful, palacial. When you walk through the guest areas, it’s very private, quiet and the streams have sea turtles swimming through.

The Atlantis has an aquarium, water park, private beach, upscale shopping, casino, entertainment, kids programs and lots of activities. Next door is the Riu, an all-inclusive resort.

The Riu shares the view, beach and general area of the Atlantis. It’s smaller, more quiet, but the pool and beach area of all the resorts were packed with people.

For those interested in saving some money, you can book a hotel room at the Comfort Suites of Paraside Island and use the facilities of the Atlantis.

We docked alongside Royal Caribbean’s huge Oasis of the Sea,some may think that it’s too big, but it is designed with neighborhoods in mind to make the big seem smaller. We also had two Carnival Fun Ships in port, the Dream and the Imagination.

We enjoyed the dinners in the specialty restaurants, we tried the French restaurant and the steakhouse, and both didn’t disappoint. I’d recommend the escargot and creme brulet at the French restaurant, and the Filet Mignon and apple crisp at Cagney’s. We felt like VIPs with the special service from Norwegian, and didn’t even mind that we couldn’t dock our first day due to Hurricane Irene.

We learned so much in training, and we’ve hit the ground running. Go to our Cruise Finder page to search for cruises or get more info from our website at http://www.Globetrotter-Travels.com. We have our Facebook pages up and running, twitter, and we’re ready to make your dreams come true. Let us know how we can help you!