Oh, Island in the Sun: Breeze-ing Back to the Southern Caribbean (Part Seven)featured
Between the early bedtime the night before and the rocky seas, I woke up bright and early, wonderfully rested and ready to explore Curacao. We weren’t docking in Willemstad until the early afternoon, so we had a leisurely morning to do whatever we wanted, and the bright sun and smooth seas were calling for some quality lounging time.
We had a leisurely breakfast up on the Lido deck before hitting the pool. Every morning when I’d sit down with my arepas and coffee, I’d have people coming up to me asking what I was eating and where I got it from. The Blue Iguana’s breakfast offerings are posted but if you don’t walk by and don’t notice the breakfast menu they’ve posted, you’d never know that your breakfast choices included made to order huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos with a dozen toppings and (my obvious favorite) arepas. And if you aren’t trying them, I promise you’re missing out.
After breakfast, we headed aft for some al fresco lounging by the pool. Stephanie was nursing a sunburn from our day in the Dominican Republic, so she and Mom shared an umbrella while I got in some Vitamin D.
Meanwhile, in the swimming pool, a young mother decided to ignore the (multiple) signs posted about children needing to be potty trained to swim, and was splashing with her baby (who donned a swim diaper). As the mother dipped her baby in and out of the pool like a tiny human tea bag, I couldn’t help but think of the cruise board lingo for swim diaper, and needless to say, we didn’t swim. And eventually, she was kicked out of the pool by deck security for disobeying the rules.
When we had our fill of sun (and watching the scene unfold, as every time someone gets kicked out of the pool, there’s always some level of entertainment value while they try to negotiate themselves out of breaking rules that are posted within a few feet of them), we packed up and headed down to check out the daily specials at the shops.
There was a Dr. Seuss parade going through the lobby atrium, and while not the same spectacle Royal Caribbean puts on with their parade, everyone participating looked to be enjoying it.
We headed back to the room to change and grab everything we’d need to get off the ship when we docked in Curacao before heading back up to the Lido Marketplace for lunch.
These sea day mornings followed by port day afternoons and evenings are my favorite kinds of cruise days. Port days that begin with a breakfast at dawn followed by a long day of touring are exhausting and sea days feel restful but so…unproductive. But days like these, where we can channel our inner sunbathing sloths and get in some rest before we set out to explore feel like the best kind of vacation compromise.
As we sailed closer to Curacao, we finalized our plans for the afternoon: since our excursion didn’t leave for a few hours after we docked, we’d eat lunch and head straight off the ship to do some shopping, and then we’d come back and drop everything off, grab our beach gear and head out on our excursion. And since we had visited Curacao the year before, we had a good feel for the port area.
And speaking of plans, I had plans to get those steak tacos that had been evading me since Day 1: I got a burrito with just steak, and asked for two plain tortillas on the side. Steak comes out of the burrito and onto the tortillas, and with some toppings from the salsa bar, these tasted just as good as if they had been made to order (which they should have been since it really posed a smaller effort than making my burrito did…#jussayin).
Mom and Stephanie opted for a less complicated lunch of pizza. I’m not a big cruise ship pizza person, but Stephanie felt the same way about the pizza that I did about my morning arepas, so that’s a pretty big vote of approval.
The ship hadn’t quite reached the pier yet when we finished our lunch, which gave us ample time to scurry up to deck 12 to watch the ship dock.
I said this last year but I’ll say it again because it bears repeating: Curacao is amongst my favorite islands for many reasons, but one of those reasons is because the island doesn’t cater to tourists. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of resorts, beaches and casinos – but tourism isn’t the main standard of industry in Curacao, so when you step off the ship, it’s a different kind of experience. There’s a small marketplace as you exit the ship and walk out towards the Renaissance Mall (where the immediate shopping is), but you won’t find anyone following you down the street trying to hawk braids or an island tour or aggressive vendors. It makes for an incredibly peaceful introduction to the country and beyond that, it makes the tours better because the operators and guides are people who enjoy what they’re doing and who do it for a love of sharing their country and culture with others and not because options of other work are limited.
And if all of that weren’t enough, Curacao just might be the most colorful island in the Caribbean. Building facades are splashed in bright colors as far as the eye can see and while the island may not have the natural vibrancy of an island like St. Lucia, it sets the mood just right.
We strolled around the Renaissance Resort looking for a souvenir shop for me to pick up some t-shirts and a magnet, but all of the shopping in the Renaissance mall is upscale and there wasn’t a souvenir shop in sight.
There was, however, a Starbucks in sight, and where there’s a Starbucks, there’s wi-fi. Free wi-fi, too. None of that crap where they make you pay for the wi-fi along with your beverage purchase (I’m looking at you, Nassau Starbucks).
We stopped in the market on our way back to the ship so I could get my magnet (have I mentioned the magnet thing before? I decided a couple of years ago to turn my fridge into a veritable Where-I’ve-Been-Map with a magnet from each place I visit), and we also found a vendor selling some locally produced liquors, so I stocked up on goods for my bar cart and gifts for my co-workers.
We got back on the ship quickly, checked the liquor, grabbed our beach bags from the room, and headed out to meet up with our excursion, where there was already a line of people waiting 20 minutes before our scheduled meeting time.
Last year, we did the Beach Fun by Boat & Sunset tour and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again (I promise, we aren’t that boring and comfortable in redundancy – we did something new in Aruba!). There are plenty of tours available in Curacao and there are many places I’d like to explore, but this excursion is so…restful. A boat ride from the ship to a nice and clean beach with free wi-fi, sunset over the beach and then a leisurely ride back under the stars. What’s not to love?
The boat that took us from the ship to the beach was the size of a tender boat (maybe a little bigger), with an open upper deck, a covered lower deck and an open bow area. The ride out can be choppy and was especially so on our excursion, but that made it even better. Sitting at the very front of the boat, riding the waves up and down and feeling the clichéd wind in my hair…there’s nothing better and no feeling I wish more to bottle up and take with me everywhere I go. Exhilarating. Freeing. Peaceful.
The ride was a half hour or so, maybe a little longer, along the colorful shoreline. The captain was sure to point out any big points of interest before we made our first stop at the dolphin academy.
As much time as we’ve spent on cruise ships over the past ten years, I think I’ve only spotted dolphins once (as we approached Cozumel in 2005). The captain pulled us as close as we could get and settled there for a few minutes so everyone could get their pictures in.
Our landing place for the afternoon at Seaquarium Beach was just a short ride away, so once we left the Dolphin Academy, the captain explained what was included for us at the beach: full use of the facilities, a beach chair, a drink and the wi-fi (which is incredibly slow and frequently cuts out, but is free and better than no wi-fi at all). We quickly grabbed some chairs and Stephanie headed towards the water while I sat out to…clear out some of the 350 work emails I had sitting on my phone and catch up on my Facebook feed.
Once the relief of reconnection slowed, I turned my phone off and walked around the beach.
Mom and I decided to take a walk along the areas we hadn’t explored last year. There are dozens of shops, restaurants and bars lining the beach, leaving plenty to do if you’re not a water baby.
We found a couple of souvenir shops, but the prices were incredibly inflated. Nestled amongst overpriced souvenir shops was a bubble tea place, and a green passion fruit bubble tea made for the perfect beach refreshment.
As dusk approached, we headed back to our chairs to get ready for sunset.
The best part of this excursion, bar none, is watching the sunset. I almost missed it trying to get a picture to post to Instagram and I would have kicked myself if I had – the beauty of the sunset over the pier at Seaquarium Beach goes unparalleled to any other I’ve ever seen anywhere else in the world. The sky transforms into this canvas of watercolors blending together, changing hues as the sun sinks into the horizon. It’s awe-inspiring. It’s romantic. It’s this wonderful reminder of the fleetingness of natural beauty.
Sunset in October happens around 6:15 pm, and our boat back to the ship was leaving at 7:00 pm, so we boarded after sunset, just as Seaquarium Beach was lighting up.
On the ride back to the ship, they serve rum punch as they drive towards a scheduled stop at the Queen Juliana Bridge, the highest bridge in the Caribbean. And if Curacao wasn’t colorful enough by day, it ups its game at night, when buildings are bathed in colored lights and where the Queen Emma bridge lights up in a rainbow array for passengers walking along it.
After we pulled away from the bridge, the captain drove us alongside our ship before dropping us off at the pier.
Because we’d be in port late, all dining was open seating. We headed back to the room to drop off our beach gear and change and only encountered a short wait for a table in the dining room.
Dinner was generally unremarkable. My steak was tasty. Stephanie’s Chicken Pot Pie was a reincarnated version of one of my old favorites (Vegetables Princess) with chicken added to it. And the Almond Date Cake might be the worst dessert I’ve ever had in ten years of cruising. The description on the menu touted black pepper brittle and caramel beer jam, which sounded like the fun and adventurous kind of cuisine I enjoy exploring, but the dish had too many overpowering components that just didn’t come together.
Fresh Fruit Cocktail
Fire Roasted Chicken in Sesame Dressing
Potage Saint Germain
Shrimp Cocktail
Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
Chicken Pot Pie
Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ricotta Cheese
Grilled New York Strip Steak from Aged American Beef
Warm Chocolate Melting Cake
White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Almond Date Cake
Cheese Plate
Still in port and wanting to walk off a heavy dinner, we headed up to one of the upper decks to catch some fresh air and take in the night lights.
I don’t remember what was playing at Movies Under the Stars (it might have been Divergent), but it was packed!
We headed back to the room to rest up for the deck party but restlessness got the better of us and we ditched the JFK documentary playing on TLC for some shopping upstairs.
We lingered in the shops longer than we had to to pass some time. It usually takes the deck parties a little while to pick up, so heading up too early is often a recipe for early boredom. Unfortunately, a fashionably late entrance wasn’t going to help a crowd that sat around the Blue Iguana waiting for the chips and salsa to get out and a staff of social hosts that seemed generally unmotivated to liven up the mood (where you at, Wee Jimmy?!).
In search for a snack of the non-chips and dip variety, Stephanie and I decided to split a sandwich at the deli. Carnival does deli extraordinarily well in a few ways over their competition: the deli stays open late (until around 11:00 pm), there are many options available, everything is made to order and a step beyond that, the meat is sliced fresh when you order your sandwich.
I’m not a big deli sandwich person. Half a sandwich was plenty to feed my quota for the week, but a few bites of the marbled pastrami, with some tangy mustard and sauerkraut providing perfect balance, filled that late night snack role perfectly.
When we left the deli, there was still no entertainment staff out to lead the deck party, so we headed towards Serenity to do some star gazing, but it was closed for cleaning. So we headed towards the next darkest deck: the Lanai.
There was too much ambient light on the Lanai to spot any stars, but we took a nice, leisurely stroll around the deck as we pulled out of port, before retiring to our room as we sailed in the open waters towards Aruba. An early excursion said I should go to sleep, but Extreme Cheapskates was telling me that I needed to get an extra hour of trashy television in before calling it a night.
Today’s Lido Lunch Menus
Today’s Lido Dessert Menu (Dinner menu wasn’t posted – Sorry!)
Carnival Deli Menu
