Southern Caribbean Cruise

03/05/08 - 03/15/08

Just Cruises - Holland America's Maasdam

Clay & Pat Stahl


Bahamas
American V.I.
Dominica
Curaçao
Aruba

Following is a summary of our
10-day cruise of the Southern
Caribbean with 250 photos.
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Wednesday 03/05 Travel to Port Everglades, Ship Boarding & Caribbean Sea

We packed the car for what seemed like the umteenth time, and headed the few miles south to the cruise terminal, knowing the way from a few previous trips there, arriving about 10:30 with a stop for a light breakfast, an ATM, and hopefully our last tank of pricy Florida gas!

Check in was the usually efficient process with a few wait stops mostly because we were so early, and we arrived at the traditional buffet lunch and purchased a bottle of the house (ships?) wine about 11:30 as only the ($$) suites are ready this early. We also signed up for a premium package of 7 bottles of wine, hopefully saving a few dollars over the single bottle prices. We used all of these at dinners, as Holland America allows wine to be carried on board and we took advantage of that with a few somewhat ordinary bottles for consumption in our room (the cabin wine!) and anywhere else we can get away with it without paying the exorbitant $15 corkage fee! We didn't bring anything on board this time that would be worth that!
Our Deck 9 Veranda (107).   There are Veranda Suites (003, 005, etc.) Twice as Big As Ours on Deck 10, But How About That 001 Just Above Us!
Our stateroom is very nice, with one unusual feature being that our bathroom has a deep bathtub, with water jets yet, i.e. a hot tub! We started to move at 4:40 (we thought the sailing time was 5:00, but we guess everyone must be on board), and plied our way out the channel going east so far that we couldn't see the shore anymore.
We're Off!   It's a Busy Place With the Coast Guard, Nova Southeastern Oceanographic Center, and Other Cruise Ships of Course
We saw no mention of a laundromat on board, except for a funny looking symbol on the ship's deck map on the other side of our deck! Sure enough, there is a small room with a few washer/dryers, and we had them all to ourselves, because nobody else needs them now because they are just starting their vacation! However, we did learn later that almost 200 of the people on this cruise were on the previous cruise, i.e. back-to-back, and some even back-to-back-to-back! Most could keep the same stateroom, but had to disembark and go through the embarkation process all over, getting back on board with us.

We attended the usual mandatory lifeboat drill, thankfully on the shady side of the ship, but hectic as usual. There is a daily Catholic Mass in the evening with Pat attending most days.

There was a Champagne Reception in the Art Gallery, although of course the emphasis was on the art! We'll pretend to be interested in anything for a free glass of champagne! We went to the initial show in the two-deck Rembrandt Lounge with the usual theater-style seats on the second level, but unusual individual moveable seats on the first level, probably somewhat due to the small size of the ship. The first night's show was typically so-so with the ship's dancers and singers. The cruise director (female!) had a few words and there was a set by a comedienne.
Cruise Director
Brit. Savannah Rye 		First Night Show With The Ship's Singers & Dancers:
"Let Us Entertain You" 		Comedienne
Janine Gardner 		Grolsch Fan, Canadian JP Nadeau.
He Did Most of the Singing
Our tablemates are Mike & Linda from Hershey, and Carmen and Vanessa from Harrisburg. The two couples know each other at home, and we think it is more than a coincidence that we are all from Pennsylvania. However, they knew what they were doing as we hit it off famously, and may meet later in the year for dinner somewhere along the Turnpike!

We stopped to hear the Gloria Strings, a young string quartet playing classical. They only played one song before their set was over, but we caught them a few other times. We had time for one last drink at the Piano Bar with JP Nadeau, a great entertainer. He drinks the Grolsch beer swingtop bottle, and stole my wire top for his collection!? Since he has such good taste, we bought him a few on subsequent visits. A request that he dedicated in our honor was that old standard Colonoscopy!

Thursday 03/06 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

We had a pretty good sleep the first night, and that was good, as the ocean turned angry the next day and night. It got light about 6:30 and we could see low lying land, as we are among the Bahamas. We had breakfast in the buffet as we did most days, and took the tender into shore, their private island. The island was purchased in 1992, cost $16 Million, and then more to fix up, but it is much nicer than Coco Cay, that we've been to a few times, used by Royal Caribbean and others. The seas have been calm up to here, but will soon change. It happens, and during this ship's previous trip, its itinerary brought them here two days ago but the seas were too rough for the tender ride, and they had to miss this stop!
We Tender In To Half Moon Cay, Also Known as Little San Salvador Island.
It is Much Nicer Than Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's Private Island Bahamian Church Most People Like the Beach & Water Stuff
The original inhabitants of the Caribbean Islands were the peaceful farming Arawak Indians, but were driven off by the more aggressive Carib Indians, hence the name Caribbean. We had always thought that it was "ka·rib'·e·an" after the Caribs, but the on board dictionary, the guest lecturer, our home dictionary, and the on-line Merriam-Webster has "kar'·e·be'·an" as the primary!

We had a little time to look around and laid on beach chairs for a while before setting off on the Historic Nature Walk! They were pushing it with both the Historic and Nature, but it was something to do and much better than just sitting around as neither of us care for the water stuff. It was very hot, but the walk was slow paced with many stops for brief commentary by our Bahamian guide. Half Moon Cay (Kee), i.e. little San Salvador Island, is very dry. A general theme was that many of the plants were medicinal and when properly prepared, can be used to cure virtually everything! That may have been another stretch.
Young Bahamian Guide 7 Year Apple Tree Orange "Tea".   You Can't Brew It Sea Grapes   You Can't Ferment Them
Ruins Circa Late 16th Century Green Tail Lizard Wild Aloe Vera,   We Will See More of This! Thatch Palm
Unexpectedly at the end of the walk, we were escorted down to view the stingrays, in the sea but with barriers to keep out sharks. There was no mention of this in our tour description, but here is where the "Stingray Adventure" shore excursion takes place. You don't get many extras on a cruise or when ashore, so this was nice.
Silver Buttonwood Royal Palm An Unexpected Stop, We Just Viewed The Rays In Their Pool
There is a very nice pavilion for lunch, with mahi mahi in addition to the usual cruise ship private island fare of burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and various salads. Surprisingly, there were also live chickens pecking around looking for hand outs, either intentional or whatever. You could tell that they had been having success at this for quite a while!
Heading Back To the Ship The Maasdam.   We Are On the Other Side How About Those Double Balconies Above Us!
We wandered around the few shops (Half Moon Cay was deficient in this respect, but maybe that was a good thing), decided not to take a dip in the bay, and boarded the tender back to the ship. We arrived about 12:30 and sailed promptly at 3:00. We had a drink in the Crows Nest, expecting the HALCats mentioned in the Daily Program, but found only Mihai at the piano. Of course there is a nice view from there and we made do!
Our Verandah Was Very Nice (Without the Sun)! Crow's Nest Nightclub With a Great Daytime View The Gloria Strings Were Great -- and Popular
The theater show was a substitute: On Track due to technical difficulties! We though they said that the scheduled Gold will be presented on a subsequent night, but it wasn't. We later learned the "technical difficulties" were that sets for the original show were not loaded on the ship!
The Substitute Show "On Track" Was Great With the Subway Car Complete With Graffiti and Rotating Between Inside and Outside Sets
We sat for a couple of songs by the Gloria Strings on the way to dinner. The other two couples at our table had been horseback riding both on land and in the water, and with no experience around horses, said that it was very frightening.

We went to the piano bar and shared a Grolsch with JP Nadeau for a few songs. There are lists of his songs on the bar, and Pat requested "Marie Laveau(!)", but he said he needed more attendees for that, and we waited while people came and left in equal amounts. We jokingly offered to shanghai people into the bar, and asked how many he needed! He then relented an did the song. We have no idea why he wanted a big crowd for that one.

Friday 03/07 Caribbean Sea

There were real rough seas through the night. Pat had tried to get her hair cut during the short drive to the ship, but couldn't find a place, so she had it done on the ship for a "few" more dollars, but the charge was painless for now as of course it is charged to our shipboard account.

The brief "Behind the Scenes Kitchen Tour" was followed by a cooking demonstration with Executive Chef Jock Barelmann and Pinnacle Grill (the surcharged specialty restaurant) Chef Stephen preparing "Tequila Shrimp Avocado Crevice" and "Mangospacho", the latter being like Gazpacho only with Mango replacing the tomato. It was entertaining with the repartee between the chefs, and of course there were samples.
The "Behind the Scenes" Galley Tour, Head Chef At The Left, Predictable Vegetable Carving At the Right The Cooking Culinary Arts Demo
We had one of our wine plan bottles at lunch with a man and wife. The man was an NFL photographer mostly with Green Bay and had some interesting stories about some of the Ice Bowls, Brett Farve, and former Green Bay greats. During lunch, there was an announcement from the captain that with the headwind and rough Seas, docking in St. Thomas would be delayed 3(!) hours. Later in the evening, we received an announcement of tour time changes and ours was delayed accordingly. At that time, we thought we were lucky, as many tours were canceled.

The Wine Tasting was only announced with a line in the Daily Program, but we had asked the sommelier the previous night if one was going to be held, and signed up then. There was the usual patter about the way to taste wines, nothing great, but the head sommelier was not too wordy and it went well. We had a Washington Reisling, a Spanish White, an Australian Chardonnay, a California Merlot, and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.
The de rigueur Wine Tasting, Typical But Well Done with Sufficient Pours and Just the Correct Amount of Talking.   No Invitation to Purchase Any!
We attended the "Captain's Welcome Toast" in the theater with a couple of glasses of champagne. It was short and sweet and being in the main theater sequed into the evening's show. Mike Robinson was very entertaining, although with a somewhat predictable routine. We can't say that we have heard of "reverse ventriloquism!"
The Captain's Welcome Toast. " We Wondered About That Big Bottle! Funny Ventriloquist Mike Robinson.  Dummy Threw His Voice Also!
Dinner was the first of three formal nights, all during days at sea. We were a little beat and retired to find the first folded towel animal on the bed!
Friends Carmen and Vanessa From Harrisburg, Mike and Linda From Hershey.   We Think All Being Pennsylvanians Was More Than a Coincidence!

Saturday 03/08 St. Thomas, American Virgin Islands
The Seas Were Rough For a Day and a Half This is Not a Wave Pool! The Ocean Was Calm The Rest of the Cruise

There were again rough seas all night and Pat had forgotten her patch, which turned out to be a stroke of luck, as she now knows she doesn't need one! This is about as rough as we have seen it on our 13 cruises, probably exacerbated by the ship's small size, and our cabin's high and forward location. Since we are arriving in port late, we had breakfast in the main dining room, and it was nice to be served, but a little disappointing. Lunch and dinner in the dining room was great, but for breakfast you can't beat the buffet!

We finally arrived in St. Thomas 3-1/4 hours late! About a half hour before we were to leave for out tour, we received a telephone call stating that it was canceled. It was the St John: National Park Island Tour, and since it involves a ferry ride to and from St. John, another of the United States Virgin Islands, we're not too surprised that it was canceled. Cruise ships rarely visit St. John and when they do, passengers must be tendered in. However, we're not too sorry that it was canceled, as we were here last year for only a half day, and didn't get a chance to go into the town of Charlotte Amalie.

We set our watches an hour ahead as we are in an earlier time to the east. That made sense, but we never changed them again as by the time we crossed back after Aruba four days later, it was DST and we were right on without any more changes. To have been on the correct time Sunday in Dominica, and later in Curaçao, and Aruba, all in the same time zone east of us, they must not recognize DST, or don't recognize it yet, and are on the same time as the DST Eastern United States when we were there! Whew!
We See Tugs In All Ports, But
This One is Actually Pushing Us! 		You Can't Beat St. Thomas' Harbor
Views With Hills On Three Sides 		Windmill in the U.S.? We
Would Expect This Later 		Taxi, Steering Wheel On the Left,
But They Drive on the Left!
We had to go through security which meant filling out a card with our names and cabin number and showing the photo page of our passports, but it took only a 15 minute wait in line and subsequent rapid walk through. However, it is strange that this port is the most trouble, as it is the only one that is still the United States! We are tied up at a different place from where we were last year, a few miles on the other side of Charlotte Amalie. It is a relatively new pier, and there was a Royal Caribbean ship already docked. Across the bay at last year's pier, there were another 3 ships. St. Thomas is a very popular cruise ship port and on a busy day may have 10 ships tied up.
Another Great St. Thomas View Last Year, We Were Across the Harbor A Bowl of Conch Chowder A Cutely Named Bar
Shipmate Snapped This, With His Wife A Tasting Pour Record: One ½ Ounce! St. Thomas From Back On Board the Ship
We took a taxi into town, browsed the shops and stands, and had a conch chowder lunch. Pat bought a Christmas tree ornament (our tree is looking more and more like a travelogue) and Clay a six of the Virgin Island Beer (actually now contract brewed in Minnesota!) After stopping at a couple of places for drinks, we took a taxi back to the ship early, as the departure time is the same even though we arrived late. Although Holland America only allows wine to be brought on board, the six went through the X-ray with no problem as did Clay's hips. The machine is much less sensitive than the ones at the airports and even at the cruise terminal when initially boarding.
Elevator Floor: If it is Saturday,
That Must Have Been St. Thomas 		There's That Tugboat Again,
Pushing Us.   See Its Wake? 		South Philly Walt, the
Eagles (& Mummers) Fan 		Pat, Plastic Merlots?   Nope,
She Quickly Got Wine Glasses
Because we arrived late in St. Thomas, Holland America held a "Margaritaville Complementary Sail Away Party", and we attended, but were told that Margaritas were only available at the bar for purchase! A little deceptive, we thought, but the party was Margaritaville, not Margarita. However, we did get plenty of free house wine, and met a nice couple, Walt and Mary with Walt having the Eagles fight song words on the back of his tee shirt. He lived in South Philadelphia a long time ago, worked for the N.Y. Giants, but is (obviously) still an Eagle's fan. We agreed to meet in the dining room the next formal night to do the Mummers Strut!
Garin Bader, Concert Pianist and Magician.   He was Great at Both!   His Wife Dances During One of His Pieces
The show with Garin Bader, a classical pianist and illusionist(!) was pretty good, with a mix of classical piano and audience participation illusions. We always sit well away from the stage so as not to have any chance of being called up to be part of the act!

The room steward was in the middle of cleaning our the bathroom when we arrived with only 15 minutes for Clay to take a shower before dinner. He gladly did something else for a while and will be eligible for a little extra gratuity at the end of the cruise. We had another great dinner with Carmen, Vanessa, Mike, and Linda. We looked up Walt and Mary at a downstairs table, that deck being seated a half hour after us.

Waiting for us at the cabin door was a letter that stated that tomorrow's tour that we signed up for was canceled because they did not have the minimum number of participants and it suggested an alternate tour. We feel snake bit with two out of the three shore excursions that we spent so much time choosing being canceled.

Sunday 03/09 Roseau, Dominica

It was somewhat cold in our stateroom through the night and no dialing on the thermostat would help after we got up! We heard of a similar problem from another couple, and the room steward suggested that we tell the main desk. We wondered why he wouldn't have done it, but anyway, we did and by the time we got back later in the day, it was fine.

We chugged to the west side of the island to what looks like the only cruise ship pier. Dominica (dah·muh·nee'·kuh), not to be confused with the Dominican Republic on the East side of the island of Hispaniola, is one of the Leeward Islands that forms the eastern boundary of the Caribbean, and separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. There is no sheltered harbor, Roseau is on the West (Caribbean Sea) side of the island, we just went straight to the pier and tied up! The port map mentioned another pier that is a taxi ride away, but we were the only ship in town at either pier this day.

Our canceled tour was the Carib Indian Culture & History. Dominica has the only substantial Carib population (about 3000), and survived the brutal treatment by the Spanish, French and British colonists because of Dominica's rugged terrain, so the Caribs were able to hide from European forces.

The letter canceling our tour stated that we could go to the meeting point for their suggested substitution at its appointed time and sign up then. However, we couldn't find the shore excursion listing and had no idea what that time was, so we visited the shore excursion desk early, and found out the earliest time for all of today's tours, and also received a suggestion of yet another tour. Actually, we deemed the 1st alternate to be too long, went to the tours meeting point and asked what was still available! In addition, the ship was a little late arriving, so that gave us a little more wiggle room. Sitting down with the Tour Description booklet, we promptly selected another. However, we must have taken too long as by then that tour was full so we selected still another, signed a voucher and got our stickers!
Dominica is Very Mountainous Flag in the Van View From the Overlook, Our Ship On the Left, Cricket Stadium On the Right
We finally caught a break here as the Best of Dominica and Scenic Drive was the first to be called, and we exited the ship, boarded a van and were off. A point was again made early that this is Dominica, and not the Dominican Republic (duh!) The van immediately started up a mountainside on very poor roads and we wondered why there are so many potholes, as of course the ground never freezes. We stopped at an overlook with great views of the capital city of Roseau, its harbor and our ship. Of course, there were the usual vendor stands selling souvenirs and cold drinks including Kubuli, the local beer.
Breadfruit Banyan Crushed This Bus Dita Bark Didn't Get the Name Of Either Of These!
Cannonball Tree.   It is Recommended That They Should Not be Planted Near Paths or "Traffic Filled Areas"! We Didn't See Any Parrots!
The botanical gardens covers the largest open area on the island, and a third of the city of Roseau, the highlight of which is (or was supposed to be) viewing Sisserou(!) and Jaco(!!) Parrots. However the gardens are conducting a test to determine if the birds can be bred in captivity, and so were unavailable for viewing. So far, the verdict is no! Here and along the road all during the trip, many different variety of trees and plants were described.
You Might Think That Kubuli (Beer) is the Island's Name! Coconuts A Pineapple Field Bananas In Plastic Bags
We headed down along the West coast and up an even steeper and curvier road to an area where we were served a free drink, with our selection, the rum punch, being the favorite. Of course Kubuli, the local beer was available, but was not among the included drinks. There was a show with mostly women in native costumes, just the right performance length, and enjoyable. A small boy also danced with the only accompaniment being a woman on a drum. We both declined a call on stage to dance with them as did most of the audience, but they finally did get a couple of volunteers.
Dominica's Traditional Folklore Dance Presentation
The drive back passed through small fishing villages, and it is apparent that the entire island is very poor. However, the vendors are not too aggressive as we have seen in some places. After all the trouble with the tour cancellation, the poor substitution selection, and the other one being full, we were quite happy with the one we got, although we will always wonder what the Carib Indians are like!
Back in Roseau -- A Little Time-Worn Looking For Lunch.   Sunday, Everything Is Closed Anyway This Hotel Was Open For Lunch
Finally, we were dropped us off in downtown Roseau right near the cruise ship, and wandered around town looking at the vendor stands and especially for a restaurant, but since it was Sunday, nothing except the duty free shops were open! Finally after walking quite a few blocks, we ended up at the Garraway Hotel and had a bowl of cabbage soup and a not-so-great vin d'table French white wine before reboarding the ship.
Thrusting Away From the Pier Never Heard Of Dominica Before This Cruise.   Very Mountainous!   A Gorgeous Country
Pat went to mass while Clay attended the "Wine and Cheese Sail Away", which consisted of glasses of the house wine for a buck off with served cubes of three extremely ordinary cheeses. There was music by the HALCats, a few members of the ship's band. Clay met a couple from Kitchner, Ontario, that had taken an Alaskan cruise similar to the one we took last June.

We thrusted away from the pier on time and headed Southeast. Dinner was just the two of us, as the other four went to the premium dining room. This was the Master Chef's Dinner, with napkins presented with a flourish, a salad dance, and a special dessert.
The Napkin Flourish Toques For All Diners
Very Nice Dessert.   Chocolate And Vanilla Benji (Benny?) Hill, A Great Juggler and Very Funny
The Comedy & other Dangerous stuff of Benji Hill was tonight's theater presentation. He is a juggler/comedian, pretty good with a "volunteer" who had to have been in on the act, or at least have been coached! His blurb in the Daily Program mentions that he has performed on all seven continents!

Monday 03/10 Caribbean Sea

We skipped breakfast as we are invited to the "Mariner Society Brunch!" Eligibility for the Mariner Society requires only that you have previously cruised with Holland America! It filled a good portion of the dining room and was very nice, with a brief talk by both the cruise director and the Captain. The Captain said that this was the first time that Holland America has had this, and it is better than the previous rewarding of repeat cruisers with "a glass of wine and a peanut!" The lunch was probably the same as in the regular dining room upstairs, typically good, but with a couple of complementary glasses of wine. At our table were 4 other people from Ontario, and we discussed Toronto and Philadelphia sports, mostly baseball! We heard that the next level of having been on 5 Holland America cruises had a separate, but similar affair.

The "Premium "Wine Tasting was held in the Pinnacles Restaurant in the afternoon. There were only nine attendees as it was a little more expensive than the previous wine tasting, but of course much better in every aspect, and may have actually been a better value. You get what you pay for here also! After a Mumm Cordon Rough NV champagne, one of the guests with some kind of wine connection did a Saber la Champagne, opening a bottle of Champagne (in this case an inferior sparkling wine) by slicing the still corked top off with a saber (also in this case a very large kitchen knife!) There were also a Caymus Conundrum, South African Chardonnay, Washington Merlot, Washington Syrah, and a Warres 10 year old Tawny Port. It was only a little over an hour long, but of course, the wines were better than the previous tasting, the pours were a little more generous, and even the hors d'oeuvres, one to go with each of the wine, were larger and also very good.
Premium Wine Tasting Start Head Sommelier Saber la Champagne by A Fellow Cruiser All Done, Very Good

"Unforgettable", with just the ship's singers, was great with a "concert of the pop hits songs of of yesterday and today". The emphasis was on the yesterday because all the songs were popular before the singers' parents were born.
"Unforgettable" a Concert of the Pop Hits of Yesterday and Today, But We Don't Remember "Unforgettable" Being Sung!

Tuesday 03/11 Willemstad, Curaçao

Curaçao is a member of the Netherlands Antilles, along with Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten. The Netherlands Antilles are part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, as is Aruba our next port. Aruba broke from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 over a perceived government under-representation. The ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are near Venezuela, while the others are part of the Leeward Islands far Northeast, near St. Thomas.

Curaçao is famous for the liqueur of the same name. Valencia oranges were transplanted by Spanish explorers, but it was a disaster, resulting in sour tasting fruit. Initially discovered by accident, the liqueur is made from the dried peels of the orange, with spices added, resulting in an orange flavor with varying degrees of bitterness. It is usually clear, but can have blue, green, orange, or red coloring added. The most common colored variety is blue, which is primarily used as an exotic coloring agent in cocktails and other mixed drinks.
Willemstad, the Capital of Curaçao, with the High Span Queen Juliana Bridge in the Center Photo
We arrived in port a little early, had a liesurely breakfast, exited the ship, and promptly met our tour van for the Ostriches & Aloe tour. The logistics of the shore excursions was much easier on this ship than some others we've been on, probably because of its small size. The guide was very nice, giving the usual history and answering a few questions, but seemed to overdo it teaching us Papiamento, a creole language assembled from Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, African, and Native Indian. She said we can use it in Aruba, our next stop! Yeah, right! We went over the high span Queen Juliana Bridge, affording a wonderful view of downtown Willemstad, our port and Curaçao's capital. This bridge is one of the highest bridges in the world, 185 feet above sea level. It took almost a decade to build and was officially opened in 1974. We were disappointed that the bus didn't stop in the viewing area for a photo of the town below. The United States and Venezuelan Embassies are across the street from each other, making it easy for George and Hugo to have each other over for parties!
Over 600 Ostriches, Raised for Their Meat Part of Their Daily Food, Rock Hard Soy Pellets
The Guide Got Him Agitated I'll Have Two, Over Easy Egg Supports His Weight! One Day Old and Not Too Happy About This
The first stop was the Ostrich Farm, a little outside of Willemstad, the port city and capital. The farm is the largest outside of Africa, with over 600 birds. We boarded a "Safari Vehicle" and were taken among the corals. Ostriches have been around for 60 million years or so, and are remarkable in their size and aggressiveness. They do not have teeth and can't injure you with their gums, but they will kick the crap out of you with their big two-toed foot! It is a common misconception that ostriches stick their heads in the sand(!) when afraid, but are very interested in anything that glitters or shines. There is a nursery for the ostrich babies, where they are grouped together according to age and size, and we saw babies a day to a few months old. They could easily jump out of their pens when they are young, but the size of their brain is smaller than the size of their eye, so they don't even think about it!
Aloe Vera Plantation, Big Business Leaf(!) is Hand Cut Exposing the Jelly-Like Aloe Inside
A short drive away is the Aloe Plantation, started in December of 1999, an area of 10 acres, 5 of which are used to cultivate 100,000 plants. It takes three to five months for an aloe vera plant to mature before it can be harvested. The average time span for harvesting is approximately 10 years, and only 3 to 4 leaves from the bottom of the plant are harvested at a time.
The Adjacent Factory Lizard Among the Aloe Aloe Likes a Dry Desert Climate
Of course, wonderful health benefits are attributed to aloe vera. It:

Although they do bottle a health drink, the bottom line is that they specialize in natural skincare products, and that is why the plantation exists! Our guide cut a stalk from one of the plants, sliced it open and some, including Pat, put the jelly-like stuff on their cuts and bruises, and most of the group ate a tasteless little glob. Nobody immediately noticed any of the wonderful health benefits!
The Wedding Cake House A Cultural Heritage Site "Good Day" The N. A. Birds, Aruba Has Fallen
There was a short talk just inside the factory door and we were quickly ushered into the gift shop before boarding the bus and riding back to the ship. It was almost lunch time and most reboarded the ship, but we and a few others remained on the bus and were dropped off in town.

Downtown Willemstad is a delightful place, bisected by St. Anna Bay, with all the pastel colors, reminding one of Amsterdam, only prettier! We walked across the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge spanning Santa Anna Bay separating the two parts of the city, Punda and Otrabanda. The ship is on Otrabanda (the other side or other shore), and we spent most of the afternoon in Punda (the point.) We looked in some of the shops and tried an ATM, but it wouldn't take our card, not even getting to the point at which we hoped we could select dollars! The pontoon bridge opened and closed a few times while we were there and is quite an event in itself. We thought that it would have to be cleared of walkers first, but we're not so sure. If so, we missed that free ride!
The Pontoon Bridge Closing.   It Is 551 Feet Long, Pivots at Otrabanda, and Rotates to Punda Across St. Anne Bay!
We had lunch on the bay, and Clay asked about Iguana soup, recommended by the tour guide. The waitress seemingly didn't understand, so Pat had a burger and Clay had fish. One highlight was the availability of a Venezuelan Beer in addition to the usual Dutch Beers. We saw the Bridge open, taking quite a while. There is a (free) ferry in operation, but only while the Bridge is open, and we took that back when we were done. Otrabanda, where our ship is docked, seems more upscale, but Punda is much more interesting. The pastel colored buildings were said to originate from the first governor of Curaçao developing a terrible allergy to the color white, so all buildings had to be painted in colors!
Punda.   The Touristy Side Otrabanda.   Our Ship Is Over There The Queen Juliana Bridge -- 185 Feet High
Willemstad is Very Dutch and Much Like Amsterdam.   While It Wasn't a Typical Cruise Ship Port, They Knew Who We Are!
We walked to the bridge when we were ready to go back, but just as we got close, the signal sounded for the bridge opening, and we made a bee line for the ferry pier not too far away. We weren't too disappointed! It took longer to fill the boat with passengers than it did to cross the bay. We looked at a few of the kiosks and shops on the other side and headed back to the ship.
There Are Two Ferry Boats Going Each Way and They Cross in the Middle.   This is the Other One of Course
The Riffort on the Otrabanda side of the bridge was built in 1828, and we have to pass through it on the way back to the ship. Only it used to be a fort, now it is a mall with nice shops, restaurants and bars. We stopped and had a drink and wound our way back to the ship passing the omnipresent souvenir stands that are always between you and the ship. There were groups of children in brightly colored clothes at the gangplank, and we learned later that they are local schoolchildren boarding to perform a folkloric show of dancing in the late afternoon. They were pretty good, although the adult introductions were much too long. A nice touch was the distribution of little mementos of their visit, in our case some flat stones with pictures and greetings. This seemed to replace the night's show in the theater.
A Kiosk Hat For Pat
Curaçaon Adm. Luis Brión 		It's a Warm Feeling When You Can
Walk Back To the Ship From Town 		The Only Thing Historic Was The Entrance.   But it is Very Nice, a
Mall Conveniently in the Way of Cruise Passengers Returning to Their Ships!
Local Schoolchildren Performing Local Dances
We sat in on another set of the Gloria Strings playing classical music, the kind where a majority of the sheet music page is black with notes! The young group consisted of two women playing violins, another woman playing a viola, and a man on a cello. We enjoyed them very much and gave them a plug in the survey solicited by HAL at the end of the cruise. We had dinner alone, as our Pennsylvania tablemates went into town, and suffered some very slow service. Needing a taxi ride back gave them a little angst as the staff seemed to cater to the locals, but they made it.

Another visit to the non-audience-participation(!) Piano Bar with JP Nadeau and we called it a day.

Wednesday 03/12 Oranjestad, Aruba

We arrived at Oranjestad (Orange Town) just before dawn and tied up in the semi-darkness. It was still very warm but windy, and we were soon off the ship and on the shore excursion. The tours are easy to find because of the small ship, and we had a short wait before being directed to a waiting bus.
Last Port on the Cruise.   We Are on the Southeast Side, Venezuela is Only 15 Miles Farther South But We Never Get High Enough to See It
Like Curaçao, Aruba is very dry, where cactuses, aloe plants and divi-divi trees bent low by the constant winds thrive. Iguanas the size of house cats have been seen, and candlestick cactuses are so abundant, that householders cut them down and build fences with them. There are nice beaches on the southern coast, while the north coast is a rocky seaside desert.
From Holland in 1960 The First Stop is Only a Short Bus Ride Away From The Ship Gift Shop Sign: "Let It Snow"
Again it was no trouble finding our shore excursion, the Natural Wonders of Aruba, and it was a short drive to the butterfly farm, our first stop. Pat is a butterfly lover, telling our children and grandchildren that she will always be near them in a butterfly nearby. There is an enclosed area with flowers, trees, and ponds creating a rain forest habitat. There were a few talks by a guide, detailing the butterfly's life cycles. Some live as butterflies for only a few days, and even some only for a day, and he mentioned that they must have a busy day what with procreation being number one on their to-do list!
Guide Next to the Incubator A Tropical Garden With Hundreds(?) of Butterflies.   Get Them to Sit Still For a Few Seconds Will Ya!
Everyone was taking photos of the butterflies, but it was difficult as they are always flitting around and you end up with a lot of photos of the foliage. We exited through the gift shop and Pat bought another ornament for our Christmas tree travelogue.

A short distance away was the second stop, the aloe plant. It's not that we are that fond of aloe, but we wanted yesterday's Ostrich Farm and today's Butterfly Farm, and both just happened to include the aloe stops. Here, the guide cut a stalk and showed us the aloe gel inside similar to yesterday but we didn't get to taste it or put it on cuts and bruises! We had a guided tour of the factory from the upper level looking down into the processing rooms, but there were no photos allowed! Maybe trade secrets?
Aruba's Aloe Factory Seemed a Little Bigger Than Curaçao's, But their Aloe Fields Look a Little Sick! Aruba's Flag
We rode to the other side of the island through a very barren landscape to our last stop at the Natural Bridge, although the original had collapsed in 2005. There is still a pretty good sized bridge that was next to it and now is the attraction. There are large areas of rocky landscape adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, and many piles of small stones on the large boulders. A number of explanations have been offered. They:

I think it is just a gimmicky tourist attraction and a nice story for the tour guides repertoire!
Aruba's National Tree, the Divi-divi It's a Caribbean Island Desert Cactus All Over, Even an "Alarmed!" Fence
Very Rocky, With Small Stone Piles On Many of the Boulders The Natural Bridge, Collapsed One Was Bigger.   I'm On the Safe Side!
The bus took us back to the ship and we strolled into town near the main street. We looked at a few restaurants and Clay asked one waiter if they had Iguana soup! The waiter thought he was joking, but finally mentioned that no they don't have it because it is illegal! What dopes, we fell for it twice by both tour guides the last two days! Tour guides are usually quite reliable and with their "recommendation", who would have thunk it. Snookered twice, well that is how you learn, although we didn't hear of anyone else falling for it! The port city of Oranjestad is very nice and also very Dutch, but seemed to be a little more like other Caribbean port destinations than Willemstad in Curaçao.
Bookend Buildings With a Multi-storied Shopping Area Between Lots Of Nice Shops, Restaurants, and Casinos!
Tourist Area From the Ship Main Tourist Street A Patriotic Car Lunch At Iguana Joe's.   No Iguana Soup For Clay!
There are many restaurants on second levels, and we finally decided on Iguana Joes with a table overlooking the busy street. Clay got as close to an Iguana Soup as possible, with a French/Italian (French Bread and Italian Cheese) soup. As usual, we were back on the ship in plenty of time.

The access to Aruba's pier is unusual in that the ship arrived by moving forward, through a channel bounded by the town of Oranjestad on one side and a long sandbar on the other. So when we leave, the ship just moves further forward through the remaining portion of the channel and then makes a right into the ocean at the end of the sandbar.

We like to catch the Gloria Strings before dinner. Their location is very visible, right in a major area leading to the dining room. A lot of people stop for a few minutes, but there is a mass exodus when it is time for dinner! Our tablemates were also listening to the Gloria Strings, and were back tonight with us for dinner.

We stopped in at the Piano Bar and JP Nadeau. Even though it is a piano bar, people are not supposed (or at least not encouraged -- whew!) to sing. The times we were there, attendance seemed poor, but JP said it depends on the cruise, and his location.

Featured in tonight's show was Jeri Sager, an accomplished Broadway actress and recording artist. She has performed in Cats, Le Miserables, and Evita, and sang songs from those and more, including Chicago. There wasn't too much patter, but she did mention the two ladies in the band, when people called them "fellas" as a group, the frequent misspelling of her name, and performed a self-written song about that unusual spelling.
Sailing Forward From Our Pier Aruba International -- 747 Capable Show:   Jeri Sager, Was Grizabella In Cats Ship's Band HALCats

Thursday 03/13 Caribbean Sea

We attended the Explorations Speaker Series with guest lecturers Dr. Milt and Ann McMenamin. They have done lectures before, and this was "Caribbean Legends & Lovers." Ann is a lecturer and author in her own right, but here she only introduced Dr. Milt, the former college professor, who did all the speaking. He touched on the Caribbean in general and narrated a little story or two about each one of the Islands we visited. Pat met them previously at mass, noticed the easy time Milt had with public speaking, and found out that they are doing back-to-back-to-back cruises and have to change staterooms in between, perhaps because at least some of the cruises are gratis, we think! It was interesting although it ran long and made us a little late for the Culinary Demonstration.

The Culinary Demonstration featured the same two chefs, Executive Chef Jock Barelmann and Pinnacle Grill Chef Stephen, this time preparing "Salmon Quenelles" and "Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake". We thought Chef Jock was a little abrasive with most of his comments to subordinate Chef Stephen in attempts at humor.

At breakfast just outside the buffet by the pool, we noticed the crew setting up a food service. Further investigation revealed that it was for an Indonesian buffet lunch, and we attended with BYOG (Glass!, wink, wink) wine and also with Mike, one of our dining room partners. It was great and we are glad we stumbled on it.

"Behind the Scenes With the Maasdam Singers and Dancers" was extremely well attended with the performers fielding questions while sitting on the stage for a half an hour followed by a walkthrough of the dressing and costume rooms backstage with the cast spaced out along the way answering questions.
Looking East, Do You Recognize the Western Coast of Haiti?   Pretty Far Away!   Just After This, We Turned Northeast Between Haiti and Cuba
"World Beat", Around the World: Vocals, Dancing and a Great Set
Tonight was the Farewell dinner and the last formal night. Clay had agreed with Walt, the former South Philadelphian, that they would get together for a mummer's strut on the next formal night with the suitcoats simulating the mummer's garish back displays. Walt was on the lower level, and Mike from our table joined us. There were some other people that lived close enough to Philly to know what we were doing!
The Farewell Dinner (a Day Early?), With the de rigueur Baked Alaska
"Mummers"   Clay, Walt, and Mike The Mementos From the Curaçao Schoolchildren Stateroom Sweet Stateroom
There was a DJ and then HALCats Dance Through the Decades in the Crow's Nest Lounge, where they played a new decade's music every 15 minutes. We made it through the 40s and 50s, and then another short non-singing set with JP Nadeau in the Piano Bar. We met Tony in the Piano Bar who had made the final cut of 3 in the Maasdam Superstar contest a few nights ago, and he wondered why he was chosen. We agreed to support him the next day in the final.

Friday 03/14 Caribbean Sea
A Pretty Sunrise Bahamas, 11 Miles To Cuba Not Much Art on This Small Ship Our Waiters

Lunch was again a buffet by the pool, this time Mongolian stir-fry. You filled your plate with veggies, beef, pork, veal, and seafood and they stir fried it for you. Very good again, and we found out later that we missed an Indian Curry and an Eastern Mediterranean buffet lunch on the other two days at sea. It was in the Daily Program, we just missed them. Pity!

We attended an Afternoon Concert of Classic Piano with Garin Bader who did the main show a few days ago of Music and Magic. This was just 45 minutes of piano interspersed with some talk on his path to become a concert pianist. Again, there was a piece that showcased his wife dancing. His Piano playing was great, bringing Pat back to her piano playing days, and moving her almost to tears!
Judges: Activity Director, Cruise Director, Band Leader Jane The Winner Second Placer Mark  Tony, Tony, Tony,... 
The talent contest with Tony, that we met in the piano bar the previous evening, turned out to be a no contest, at least where Tony was concerned! He was funny, but didn't have his glasses, couldn't read the screen, and couldn't remember two song phrases in a row! God bless him for going through that! All three contestants did two songs followed by a critique from the judges, with the judges having trouble finding superlatives for the first two, and saying something positive about Tony! The first two contestants were great and had obviously done that before. Perhaps with a mostly older audience, Tony was the best to represent their age group! It's a good thing we weren't moved to chant "Tony, Tony, Tony,...!"

The show comedian was a little disappointing, making fun of Forest Gump, and doing too much Tom Jones removing his shirt buttons for the ladies. We guess he does that in his Las Vegas act (Tom Jones, that is!)
Garin Bader, Telling How Hard a Concert Pianist Has It and Playing for His Dancing Wife Jeff Burghart Overdoing Tom Jones Shirt Buttons
We bought JP Nadeau in the Piano Bar his last Grolsch. He is staying on for the next cruise, and we gave him a plug in the cruise survey turned in previously. The Piano Bar could hold a lot of people, but he never had more than a half dozen at one time.

Saturday 03/15 Disembarkation

PORTS SAIL ARRIVE NAUTICAL
MILES 		KNOTS WEATHER TIME ZONE
CHANGE
Ft. Lauderdale to Half Moon Cay 4:35p Wed 8:30a Thu 257 17.7 Fresh Breeze, Moderate Seas  
Half Moon Cay to St. Thomas 2:48p Thu 11:36a Sat 721 17.0 Moderate Gale(!), Rough Seas  
St. Thomas to Dominica 17:12p Sat 9:44a Sun 271 17.5 Gentle Breeze -1
Dominica to Curaçao 5:48p Sun 7:30a Tue 506 13.9 Fresh/Gentle Breeze  
Curaçao to Aruba 9:48p Tue 7:24a Wed 87 10.7 Fresh/Strong Breeze  
Aruba to Ft. Lauderdale 5:06p Wed 5:30a Sat 1143 18.9 Gentle Breeze (DST)
TOTAL     2987 16.7    

A Nautical Mile is 6076 feet, so 6076 / 5280 = 1.1508 statute miles (approximately!)

Our scheduled disembarcation time was 8:15, and while we would have been surprised to get off that early, we were on the road by 9:15, stopped for lunch in Malabar, FL, and made it to Kingsland, Georgia for the evening. It was a Comfort Inn and the room that was assigned wasn't made up! While waiting for that to be resolved, Pat talked to a man that was on a Costa Cruise which had pulled into port just behind us. A woman on that ship disappeared overboard and they missed their stop at Key West while they searched for her! Pat later read a Miami newspaper on-line that she had jumped and was lost.

We were given another room and that was fine, but they had wireless internet, and although I had no trouble connecting to their router, I couldn't even display their page to put in a password. I kept getting a message about "a problem with this website's security certificate." After a few calls to the front desk, I finally got a reply to call Tech Support about my firewall. No thanks, I would listen to elevator music and probably get someone in India. We just want to check our E-mail and go to bed! All up and down the East Coast for 5 years or so, there has never been a problem anywhere else getting on the internet with my laptop.

With a lunch near Myrtle Beach the next day, we made it to Washington, NC for the night. Back on the internet, Clay had 200 messages and Pat had 600 or so. Monday, we found a little traffic near Richmond, VA, and around Philadelphia, but made it home around 5 o'clock. Whew! The next day, I95 was closed for a couple of days for the support column repair. Timing is everything!

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