Back to reality

The day had finally come, it was time to disembark the boat. We were sad to leave. We had an amazing trip. As we said our goodbyes to the boat, we headed to our next adventure. The rain forest (El Yunque) in Puerto Rico. It was breath-taking. And, much to our surprise, it didn't rain while we were there. The national park was filled with tall palm trees and bamboo, luscious leaves and vibrant flowers. The scenery from the lookout tower was amazing. Check out the photos in the blog. We saw some life in the rain forest - a snail. Unfortunately, no parrots or exotic birds.




It was time now to head to the airport, pick up our luggage and head home to the cold weather. We spent the afternoon in the president's lounge relaxing before our flight home. As we sat there and reminisced about our week long adventure, we couldn't help but start planning for our next vacation.





Hope everyone enjoyed reading our blog! Adios!!

Last stop: St. Thomas

Today, as we arrived back into American territory, we had to go through immigration on the boat. It was rather painless and quick, much to our surprise. We decided to go to Magen’s Bay beach as it is rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Much to our disappointment, it wasn’t all that special. It was beautiful and the sand was soft, but the water was quite murky and there were some small waves. We later found out that we were not the only ones to have the same beach experience in St. Thomas. The water was rough and murky throughout the island.

We cut our beach stay short and headed into town for some duty free shopping. My favorite activity J We shopped, had lunch at Cuzzin’s and then headed back to the boat to drop off our duty free treasures. We proceeded to the our cable car sky ride to paradise point. After the scary ride (for me) to the top, the view of the island was majestic. It was truly spectacular and awe inspiring. We didn’t want to leave. It “topped off” our entire vacation. The ride down the mountain and back to reality was bitter sweet.

We wish we had more time to spend on each island. They were all so beautiful that we would have loved to explore their many wonders. As the boat sailed off into the sunset, we dined on our last formal dinner, said goodbye to our dinner mates and packed our bags for NJ. Time now to get some sleep before our trip home tomorrow. Even though our cruise may be ending in the morning, our adventure continues as we head to El Yunque (the rain forest in Puerto Rico).

Orient Beach

We learned the secret to getting out early – room service at 8am. This forces us to get up and not sleep in. We were ready and off the boat by 10am. That was a record for us. After a leisurely ride through the Dutch and French side of the island of St. Maarten, we arrived at Orient Beach. Although, the weather was a little cloudy and the water a little rough, we decided to stick it out. The sun eventually came out for a while and we soaked up every minute of it. Kakao Beach (the section of Orient Beach where we were) proved to be an eye full. Adjacent to our beach, there is a nudist beach where clothing is optional. WOW! What a sight!! After a beautiful lunch at the beach club, it was time to go shopping. The prices were definitely less expensive than the other islands. Since we didn’t have much time on the island, we quickly ran through town as we had to be back on the boat by 5pm. We wish we had more time there. We really liked the downtown area of Phillipsburg, St. Maarten. Now as we prepare for our last stop, we are saddened that the cruise is coming to an end. It has been a fabulous vacation!

Ayo

Ayo to A & C (goodbye to Aruba & Curacao), hello open sea. Day 5 was spent sailing across the open sea towards our next stop, St. Maarten. It was a very relaxing day. Mike started the say with a little 3 on 3 pick up game of basketball. I, on the other hand, spent the day going from pool, to hot tub, to my chair. The sun was out all day. Absolutely perfect sea day.

Tonight’s evening attire was formal. But prior to dinner, we went to see the ice skating show; Cool Art, Hot Ice. We sat there in amazement that there was actually an ice skating rink on the boat. If it wasn’t for the rocking of the boat, you’d truly forget. So, after dinner, what’s there to do…..but gamble! Thursday proved to be my lucky day!! I won $170 on the nickel machine. How exciting!!! I quickly cashed my winnings and left the casino.

But that wasn’t the end of the grand evening. The evening was topped off with the GRAND Gala Buffet. Beautiful platters and carvings of fruit, extraordinary desserts, trays of arranged meats and cheeses. The first hour of the buffet if for photo ops, after that at midnight, the doors swing open for another! Now that our bellies are full (again), it’s time for some rest in anticipation of St. Maarten. feeding frenzy

Another day at sea

Today we had a day at sea. It started off with me playing basketball during the 3-on-3 pickup time, and Aggie sunning by the pool. She used sunscreen and I didn’t. Let’s just say that one of us looks like tomorrow night’s lobster dinner. It was our last formal night at dinner, and we needed to be dressed early. Before we ate we had tickets to the ice skating show. It was a great night that will soon feature the midnight buffet with ice and food sculptures.

Colorful Curacao

So we’ve seen the A and C of the ABC islands. All that’s left is Bonaire, but we’re saving that piece of paradise for a later date.

Curacao was a beautiful island full of color. The big bridge and the colorful waterfront were gorgeous sights to see when we exited the ship, albeit a little late. After all of the exploring we did in Aruba, we were a little too tired to get a jump on Curacao. So we used the day to shop and pick up some rum.

We explored the shopping district of Curacao and I picked up another painting. We visited linen shops and sampled flavored rums made on the island. We even saw two of the most interesting parts of the local culture; the floating market and the new market.

The floating market is a group of sidewalk stands on the waters edge. Vendors pull up with their wares by boat and keep their excess stock floating behind them. The new market’s name is really in comparison to how old the other markets are. It looks like it was built in the 1970s, and it had a strong fish odor. As we approached I realized that there were very few, if any, tourists in the area. It felt like we were on the Amazing Race looking for a clue, as we went there to se a painter who eventually tried to sell us an overpriced litho.

The island was a lot of fun, but we wish we got to see more of it. We never made it to the beach, but we had a fun day nonetheless.

Bon Bini!

Bon Bini! From the moment we arrived in Aruba, the island spirit was alive and well. No matter what street we were on, a post-card picture could be taken. Aruba lived up to and beyond my expectations.

Aggie and I made some great choices yesterday. We met a man at the smoking lounge (Cuban cigars) who floated the idea of renting a car. He brought up the point that Aruba is only 19 by 6 miles. If people get lost, go in the direction they’re traveling for a few minutes and you’ll arrive at one of the few main roads.

When we docked, we weighed our decision between renting a car and taking a $10 tour of the island. All of the rental places wanted to rent us a jeep, but one guy mentioned a car he had available. We made the deal for the car, and that was just the beginning of the adventure. Lindy, the rental agent, told us to hop in to his jeep and go to the rental office to get the car and sign the paperwork. His office was his house, complete with clothes hanging in the backyard, and chickens squawking. The car we rented was a green Suzuki Balero.

Once we left Lindy’s pad, we headed to California Lighthouse. On the way we passed Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, two of Aruba’s more popular beaches. The best place we saw in that are was an abandoned stretch between the two beaches. I snapped the photo at the top of the blog at this secluded wonderland.

The next stop was the lighthouse, all the way at the western tip of the island. As we approached, goats and lizards, the two wild animals we noticed on the island greeted us. It was a beautiful sight with the blue sky and ocean as a backdrop. There was also a restaurant there. We stopped for a drink and snapped a shot of one of the most beautiful panoramas I can remember.

We then went to Baby Beach, a spot that all the locals recommended. It was on the eastern tip of the island, so we had a 19-mile journey. In a little less than an hour, we found our way into what looks like an area that was popular at one time. When we made our way past the brewery and refinery, we arrived at an amazing beach. The water is waist deep at most, and crystal clear. It was warm, and the sun even made some appearances. Our time at Baby Beach was then cut short by rain, so we then headed back to town.

We then did some shopping before returning to the ship for showers and clean clothes. After we washed up, we headed back to the center of Oranjestad for dinner. We ate at Iguana Joe’s, which was a delicious choice. Good drinks, and great island food choices. We continued our evening at Carlos and Charlie’s, a brother bar to the famous Senor Frog’s chain. Then we headed back to the ship for the midnight buffet, and late-night basketball.

We then left Aruba in style, as we took off our party clothes, hopped into bathing suits and headed to the hot tub.

Aruba was a wonderful destination that I fully recommend to everyone. Nice people who are willing to make deals. Delicious food and great service were also staples of everywhere we ventured. It was, to say the least, a romantic location, full of splendor and surprises.