By train1110
After a long winter, finally the spring has come. The first day of class after spring break, the weather is without doubt, the best I’ve been through in DC. They say that GW’s spring break is usually a week ahead of that of other schools nearby, yet still it is very pleasant to have come back from the spring break (which I’ve spent on a cruise in the Bahamas) and find out that spring has already visited DC.
A week on the cruise to the Bahamas was much better than I had expected prior to our leaving, and was totally worth the cost. The itinerary of the cruise started from New York, spending 2 days in the sea before reaching Orlando, then 2 days in the Bahamas, and another 2 days in the sea before coming back to New York. My first impression of the cruise was: too many old people (not that I haven’t expected this). I erased my hopes of meeting and getting to know other new, young people on the cruise (which turned out to be quite the opposite; we did get to meet and be friends with other people within our age group later on during our trip). Everything, every activities were planned for us, and we only had to make choices. The cruise seemed a perfect holiday plan for those who just wished to relax, to break away from the rest of the world (no free wifi on the ship available), without thinking nor any sort of activeness. It was like an all-inclusive hotel floating around the Caribbean. There were also quite a lot of things to do on the ship. On the top floor of the ship, there were some pools, hot tubs and water slides. You could also play ping-pong, rock climbing, mini golf or other sports activities. There were also shows, movies, clubs and parties going on every day. There were 4 or 5 restaurants where one could have meals without paying extra fees, and overall, the food was satisfactory. People could play board games in the game room, and listen to music (piano, bands, songs etc.) while having a drink or do some shopping. On the side deck or front deck, one could see the ocean, or at clear nights, the starry night sky. 
Yet I always preferred the days when we could step out of the ship and spend time on the beach, playing water sports or look around the nearby villages. The beach in Orlando was also beautiful, but the islands of Bahamas and the Caribbean were exquisite. Snorkeling is definitely recommended in this part of the sea, and other activities such as kayaking or jet skiing must have been fun too (some of the activities we planned got canceled due to the windy weather). The small village we visited in Orlando also made quite an impression, with pretty houses and shops, streets, perfectly suiting my favorite style of trip: walking through a tiny village looking around the small houses and shops built in their own unique style. The only aspect that I did not like much about in the Bahamas was that the island seemed too commercialized to suit the needs and conveniences of American tourists. I felt the same way about the islands that I felt when I visited Cancun, Mexico last year with my family and thought that it seemed literally impossible to discern whether I was in Mexico or in the US. The whole island seemed to exist solely for the Norwegian Breakaway (the cruise we took). 
It was an unforgettable experience though. It was great to be away from the freezing cold weather of DC and to spend a week in a completely different environment, feel the sun and breathe the sea breeze. And now, back in DC, the one thing that I am desperately waiting to see is the scenery of fully bloomed cherry blossoms filling DC.