Aruba: "Bon vini!"

ARUBA--Saturday, January 30, 2010

After being delayed by the rock-and-roll seas, we departed the ship at about 12:15 p.m. The temperature was 84 degrees and the weather was humid for this desert island. Because we had been here before, we decided not to take a tour (been there, done that) and like many other passengers on the ship, we opted to walk around the town on our own. All Ken bought was a few Cuban cigars and a six-pack of a local brew--Balashi--the official beer of Aruba. Mighty fine!

Aruba is quite lovely, but much different than the first time that we visited in the mid-1980s. For one, the Natural Bridge is no longer. It collapsed in 2005. Now there is a Baby Natural Bridge as a new tourist attraction. With progress has come construction. When we stayed at the Manchebo Beach Resort, it was one of only four resorts on that section of the island. The area is now all grown up with new motels/hotels, condos and timeshares. We wonder if the Europeans still go topless there?

While we have visited most of the tourist attractions, if it is your first time in Aruba, you should see the new Baby Natural Bridge, the California Lighthouse, the abandoned gold mines, the historical graves (which are above ground), the Alto Vista Chapel (a small 18th century Pilgrim church), the Santa Anna Church with its hand-carved altar and the shops in downtown Oranjestad. (Hey, it is only a small island, remember?) The major attractions are the beautiful beaches and the casinos. We tried to tour Fort Zoutman with museum of Aruba's history, which we wanted to tried to tour when we were here in 2008. Again, the hours were posted but the fort still looked like it had not been open for a long time.

Aruba is known as "One Happy Island." We are not sure if that is because the average temperature year-round is 81 degrees or because the tourists and natives enjoy Balashi beer and tropical drinks 24/7! Bon vini (welcome)!

Sunday January 31st

Today has been much different as far as the movement of the ship. Calm waters, temperature around 82. Spent time hanging around the pool, listening to a talk on the Panama Canal and hearing an interview with Tab Hunter by or Cruise Director, JJ King. Yes, you heard right! Some of you will remember him; some will not. We remember. One of his famous roles was in the movie, "Battle Cry" back in 1955. He has had roles alongside of John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Ethel Merman, Fred Astaire, etc. We got to see snipets of all his famous roles. He was also a heartthrob and sang. One of his greatest songs was "Young Love" back in 1960. It shot up to number one. I know, who cares? Just thought you might be interested in knowing who comes onboard.
The Pacific Princess has been gentle to us today so no one is sick and everyone is back smiling. Next post will be on Cartagena, Columbia. Until then, adios!

Delays, Delays, Delays

Sorry for the delay. Had some problems with the internet and a little motion sickness. Yes, I guess I haven't gotten my sea legs yet and the Pacific Princess has been rocking and rolling since leaving port on Wednesday.
Sail-away was great. Much music and champagne. We left port about 5:00 PM. The following day we had our Cruise Critic Meet-and Greet. MaryAnn (Wowzo) did a great job. We all had name tags and got to meet some great fellow travelers. The chief purser, captain, cruise director and assistant cruise director all came to our meeting.
Tomorrow we finally get to set foot on land; Aruba. Since we have been there two times before, Sara and I will just go into town ourselves and do a little shopping. I will take pictures and share them with all of you. By the way, I have found that it doesn't matter if you drink or not; nobody can walk a straight line the way the ship is moving about. Pass me another glass of wine, honey.
Update: Today is Saturday and we will arrive in Aruba about 1.5 hours later, due to the weather. No rain, just strong winds. It will be nice to get off the ship and walk a straight line again.

Another Test from Ship

Sorry folks. Having some trouble sending post to my blog.

Murphy's Law -- well, could have been!

Down to 5 days and yet so much to still do. Have the house almost ready for our housesitters. They are in Florida now and will be staying at a place temporarily until we leave.
Had a beautiful brand-new piece of luggage for the trip. Filled it up to capacity and as I lifted it up onto our bed, it burst at the seams spewing our clothes everywhere. Can you imagine if that happened at embarkation, or in the airport terminal? Glad it happened at home. Remember, do not buy luggage at an outlet center. That's probablly why it was sold at an outlet.
Thought I would lose a few pounds before the cruise, but I actually gained a few pounds (aargh!!!). This doesn't bide well for me. Hope this is not a sign of things to come. I do love to exercise, so maybe the weight is muscle (LOL).
Have a one-way car rental to take us to Port Everglades. We pick up on Tuesday, the day before departure.
Have made lots of friends on this cruise already. found them on www.cruisecritic.com. Great site for folks who love cruzin.
Speaking of cruzin, this will be the longest cruise for us. Only other "long" cruise was 15 days around South America. Loved it.
Well, time to go. Maybe my better half will post something.

Can I Take Our Cat With Us

Well, it's 3 weeks to lift-off. Getting a little nervous about things yet to do. I think I have all the gizmos I need, but you never know what other toys are out there to use on a lengthy cruise like ours. The suitcases are lined up on the bed in our spare bedroom and the clothes and stuff are spread out next to them and I wonder if I am thinking of everything to bring. Can I bring our cat? No, I guess not.
Our housesitters will be in the area about a week before departure. We are trying to create closet space for them. We will put our winter clothes in plastic bins and stick them in the garage so they can have space in our closets.
Getting a bunch of DVD's together for those long sea days. I will let folks borrow them along with a portable DVD player. I hope they like my selection. Do you think anyone would like to see Easy Rider again? Yes, I am a child of the 60's--but I don't remember much of it (LOL).
Stay tuned folks. I will try to make this blog un-boring!!!