Day 7 & 8 - Curacao and Aruba

Days 7 & 8 – Curacao and Aruba

Dec 8 & 9

Yes, for those of you paying attention, I missed a day! C'mon … I'm on vacation!

Curacao was yesterday. The ports and cities are getting larger as time goes on. Curacao was a beautiful, tropical city, with pastel buildings and beautiful flowers. Right off the dock is the Renaissance Casino. It is a grand building and quite a shopping area has sprung up around it. I went walking among the shops, bars, and tourist attractions for about an hour. There are quaint cobblestone streets and a few local crafts.

Otherwise, yesterday was like the rest of the cruise … relaxing. Knitting, reading, going to the hydrotherapy pool in the spa. We had a great dinner with one of the best waiters we've had so far. He was pleasant, without being intrusive … quite a feat. I asked about some origami I had seen him making and he came by the table to fold us a frog … that hops! When we awoke this morning, it was hanging from our stateroom mailbox!

Today is Aruba. Bigger and more bustling than Curacao. Again, I went wandering among the shops at the pier. This time I actually did some shopping. A few Christmas presents and a new caftan for me.

I am sitting at the writing desk in our cabin as I type, looking out over the aft of the ship … at the Queen Victoria, docked behind us. I thought she would be more impressive. Several folks on her forward deck, in the hot tub and reading. Appears everybody does the same thing on a cruise!

Yesterday and today I have watched innumerable cargo ships come and go. Gives me a small understanding of the amount of commerce that happens on the seas. I see big rig trailers every day and it leads one to believe that truck haul most of our goods. Not so … Cargo ships, piled high with shipping containers.

Since this is two-days worth of postings, you get two tips:

9. Make your cabin homier by packing a small collapsible vase and a bouquet of flowers.


10. If you go directly from the air-conditioned ship out onto the open-air deck (which is usually warmer and more humid in most cruise destinations) your camera's lens is likely to fog up. Warm the camera with your cabin's hair dryer on a low setting or briefly leave it out on your balcony so it can acclimate to the weather.

Hmmm … seems like the writers at Budget Travel Magazine were reaching for these. I have never found the need for flowers in my cabin. Even mass-market lines like Carnival have very nicely decorated staterooms … even the interior ones. I'd save my luggage space.

The camera tip is so true. But the fogging (which happens on my glasses as well) resolves itself very quickly. It's not serious enough to damage any of the few moving parts in today's digital cameras, so I just take a few moments to enjoy the scenery before I start snapping pictures.

We are about to pull out of Aruba … our last port. The next two days are at sea as we head back to Ft. Lauderdale. I'll see what goodies I can find to report on for you.