Aruba and Curaçao

Lillian

We found out that we were going on a cruise and it was a surprise. The cruise has been fun and I have enjoyed it so far. We are now on day five we have six days and our cruise is over. I had so much fun in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the next place is Disney’s Magical Kingdom. This is a life time fun and surprise. This has been the best time of my life. I’ve had a great time overseas and in kids club. They have both been really good and really fun. I’ve had the best time of my life with everybody. Today we made bead animals I made a penguin and a lizard.

Hugh

We hopped on a big cruise and it was a big surprise. We have two swimming pools. I enjoyed going swimming at Half Moon Cay and playing at the water park. We hopped on a little boat called a tender which took us to shore. We had lots of fun. I can eat pasta every day on the Lido deck. The chef makes it specially for me.

(P- Kids Kids Kids – It is amazing what the grandkids absorb – even if we may think they are getting a little bored! Eg. I was commenting to Joanne and Tristram that Lilly, Judith and I were told that Aruba was a desert Island ( yes it was dry desolate and covered in 🌵 cactus which smashed my illusions of a beautiful tropical Caribbean island!) – I commented that the Island only received 14” of rain a year VERY QUICKLY Lilly corrected me “ No Pa they get 14-18” of rain a year!!! – I am guessing Pa needs to get his facts correct for Little “Miss” perfect!

There were a few comments made about taking the kids outta school for some of the trip- I can assure all concerned that the worldly knowledge that has been gained plus different currencies, languages and food will be of great benefit for them in the future!

Over 60% of the crew on the ship are Indonesian- the smiles (of joy and amazement) on the crews faces when Lilly and Claire respond with a greeting, thank you or maybe even a number or two in Indonesian is awesome! It has also created a bond with some of the crew and there is no doubt it has led to a little bit of “special treatment and attention” for the kids.)

(T – if only Hugh (Mr Shy) would talk to Maria the waitress he would learn lots and have a lot of fun)

Jo & Tristram…

Aruba was a surprise…. there seemed to be nothing much in the town itself, however for Tristram and myself it didn’t matter as we were booked into a scuba dive (with only 4 others, practically a personalised tour). Our dive tour took us on a short bus ride to Palm Beach and then a short boat ride to the wreck of the Antilla, a german freighter which was scuttled off the coast by the Germans in 1945. Known as the ghost ship it is the second largest wreck in the Caribbean at 400 feet long. The dive was breathtaking! Gliding through the wreckage of the old ship complete with canon barrels was eerie and beautiful. So much sea life. Tropical fish, octopus, moray eel, a huge array of sponges, corals and anemones. The Dive was at a depth of 60 feet. Our second dive took us to the wreck of the Perdonalis, a Dutch oil tanker torpedoed by a German submarine during World War 11 when it was being used to protect the oil refineries of Aruba again gave us a beautiful underwater playground for vibrantly coloured fish, lobsters, angelfish, groupers, huge puffer fish and sting ray.

Willemstad, Curacao was our next stop. We were treated to streets lined with colourful buildings and houses. Of Dutch heritage, Willemstad was a gorgeous little city to wander the streets of, despite it being Sunday and most places being closed for business. The highlight of Willemstad for all of us was the floating bridge which moved aside frequently during the day to allow freight and tanker ships through to the main port area. The bridge was driven from a small hut on one end and was driven by a ‘driver’ who operated the motors (what appear to be some form of outboard) on the bridge as swings it out of the way, still with people on it! . The old bells on the side of the building still chime on the wall near the Main Street on the hour was nice to hear as was a local street parade that went through with calypso style music, kids on bikes (push and motor.) Helmets 🤔 well that was definitely only optional or closely resembled ice cream buckets in their safety ratings). Our day was wonderfully polished off by a dinner for two in one of the fine dining restaurants on board where we were spoiled with a wonderful Italian meal.

(T – was awesome to stand on a bridge whilst it opened with no rail just the open end of the wooden bridge)

Today has been a relaxing day at sea. We attended some talks on Cartagena, Columbia and the Panama Canal which are our next destinations. The kids have been very excited to go to kids club while we are on board!

Aruba

While Joanne and Tristram were diving, we took the children on a bus trip around the island. First stop was at a 🦋 butterfly farm. We got to see a wide variety of beautiful butterflies. The kids were very excited to hunt out the butterflies, continually calling out to look at this or that, see what we’ve found etc. then back onto the bus. All of us along the back seat of the bus. Next stop was at the Natural bridge on the coast. An interesting drive out to the coast through some of the Resort areas and local villages. There are cacti 🌵 everywhere, very tall and very prickly. The coastline is quite rough with big waves rolling in and crashing against the shore. Best part about this stop for the kids was the ice cream shop. Had to eat them quick or they melted. From here we stopped at the Ayo Rock Formations. Huge rocks with cacti around them. We could walk through the area and view some rock paintings and more rock formations before reboarding the bus for the trip back to the Ship. Hugh purchased himself a Hawaiian shirt after much debate as to which one he would have. We had a short walk around the local tourist shops before getting back on board.

Curaçao Sunday 15

We were in to Port early this morning and have until 11pm, so a long day. We decide to let the kids sleep in and breakfast at our leisure before heading ashore. Philip and I headed off first and immediately walked over Queen Anne Bridge (pedestrian bridge J talked about earlier). We then continued through the local tourist area. Not much being open as it’s Sunday. We then continued along the waterfront. ( Willemstad, the local area we are in is UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site.) the buildings are very cute and very colourful and old. This area is called Scharloo, it is a former residential neighbourhood lined with picturesque homes built in the 1800s. We continued to walk passing through many quaint streets and past lots of colourful homes. By the time we got back to the Queen Ann Bridge it was open so we sat and watched as several tugs guided an oil tanker up the channel to the refinery just up around the corner. While we were waiting J and T and kids found us and sat to watch as well. Once the bridge closed again we recrossed and headed back for lunch. After lunch Philip and I decided to take a taxi ride around some more of the island. Got a great young driver and hopped in his car. Right hand drive, driving on the right hand side of the road. They can purchase either right or left hand drive vehicles here.

Our driver took us to some of the more prestigious areas, past the oil refinery, over the bridge and down to the eastern side with more local shops, industries and churches etc. then down to the locals beach. Just off the swimming beach their is a massive Oil Rig parked. Doesn’t seem to worry the locals though as there were many swimming and BBQing along the beachfront. After leaving the beach we drove up into a hill area for some good views over the beach and marina. After an hour he delivered us back to the ship. The cost was $50 plus tip and it was worth every cent.

(P- we seem to mix the odd ship arranged tour with self exploration. This depends on prior research. So far we have made some good options with this mixture! Over the years I have often found that “slipping” a few bucks to a Taxi, Limo or Van driver and asking to see the “real” city – wealthy and poorer areas, where the locals shop, local beaches and industrial areas. We feel it gives us a greater appreciation of the area. In Curacao, one area (in the next valley to the main city and tourist area) was a huge Port for a small Island nation, also a massive oil refinery where Venezuela ships in their crude oil and it is refined and then shipped back. This is the major employer for the nation with tourism #2. Yet another great and interesting stop!

Footnote– arriving in some of these ports of a Sunday is a little disappointing as most businesses are closed. However one bonus was the local fabric and Quilt shop was also closed – potentially saving excess baggage and a (more) empty wallet!