Blogs from Oranjestad, Aruba, Central America Caribbean

We are sad to say goodbye to the lovely people, birds, fish, colors, and weather of Aruba. One last time to visit the Spanish Lagoon and say goodbye to the humming birds and Mr. Shoco. Actually we added a total of 9 birds to our life list this time. Our flight has been delayed almost 2 hours. Maybe nno crabcakes in B'mo after all. We'll see. Here are our final photos. David is still not completely happy with the hummers - when they light catches them they are so full of yellows, reds, and greens. Pre-op tomorrow at 9. All go go go.... read more

Aruba! Our final port of call was Aruba, an island we have visited twice before and love. We decided not to,book a tour this time but to explore the town and surrounding area on our own. Leaving the ship at just after 7 am was probably, in hindsight, a bit too early.....nothing was open when we first went out. Little little has been here twice before and so, on this occasion, pew bunny accompanied Dave and I on an adventure. We had a quick breakfast at a traditional Dutch cafe and then set about wandering around until the shops and stalls opened. Aruba is a beautiful Caribbean island, one of the ABC islands and boasts too, equally gorgeous coastlines. The Caribbean and the Atlantic. If you want to be a beach bum and lounge on the ... read more

Carnival Sunshine arrived at Oranjestad, Aruba, at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Susan and I had booked the "Best of Aruba Island Tour" through Carnival. We met the tour just outside the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal was decorated with "Aruba, One Happy Island" signs outside and a display of colorful Carnival costumes inside. The tour bus headed out on to L.G. Smith Boulevard, the main street of Oranjestad. An "I ♥︎ Aruba" sign is here as are the parliament and Wilhelmina Park. (Aruba is a Dutch dependency and a constituent part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. Aruba became a Dutch possession in 1636 following the Thirty Years' War.) Leaving Oranjestad, the single sizable town on the island, it was evident that Aruba is a desert island, not the typical tropical Caribbean island. The landscape ... read more

You’ve heard of Destination Weddings…. well why not Destination Birthdays? And for mine, I chose Aruba ‘the happy island’! We were first welcomed at the airport with a tote bag full of activities and coupons. We met amazing and friendly locals knowledgeable in the history of their country. From cab drivers to street vendors almost everyone we encountered spoke four languages: English, Papiamento (their native tongue), Dutch, and Spanish. Needless to say the inviting atmosphere and people of the island made us feel right at home. It was more than the relaxing and renewing vacation we were hoping for. It was truly a pleasure to experience the island first hand with http://abc-aruba.com. We booked the Baby Beach Package (roughly $80 per person) and it was worth it! The package included: hotel pick up... read more

24thJanuary 2014 ARUBA, Dutch Antilles Distanced Travelled 5273 Nautical Miles Temperature has been increasing as we cruised from Fort Lauderdale down to Aruba in the Dutch Antilles. We cruised on a south easterly course between Cuba and Haiti. Aruba is just 18 miles north of Venezuela. The Island is about 19 miles x 7 miles wide. We arrived at about 09.15 and had a short trip booked to see the Islands Highlights. When you’re shown the desalination plant and a collapsed Natural bridge you will come to the conclusion quite rapidly that Aruba is not the place for palaces, museums or works of art. The real lure here is for tourists, it is the sunshine and the beaches on the leeward side away from the windward side of the island which is rugged and underdevoped. A ... read more