Cruising in January

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Sailing the A, B, C's on Royal Caribbean

January of 2020 was one of the last months we had the pleasure of sailing before the virus hit the travel business.  I am fortunate to have been on board the Explorer of the Seas for a nine night cruise leaving from Miami and sailing the island chain of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.  Setting sail on this beautiful ship with a group of good friends, and a first time cruiser who was 92 years old was a blast.  The staff on board the ship were fabulous and attentive.   Our room steward quickly learned the names of each guest in our group as we were all placed next to each other on the same level.  My father (the 92 year old) had his own cabin and the steward looked after him with great care.  This was his first ever cruise, other than being on a Navy Carrier for much of his career.

We first landed at the island of Labadee for a relaxing day on the beach, eating and drinking at the endless buffets, and then watching the zip liners overhead as we laid on the sunny beaches of the island.  It was a very relaxing day before heading back to the ship for dinner and a show that evening.  Each day the ship had many activities on board, including; trivia, pool games and exercise, dancing, ship tours, and scavenger hunts.  We hit the casino in the evening to enjoy some brief slot machine action and playing the quarter drop machines, all in hopes of making it big... 

Our days at sea allowed us to relax by the pool, watch some friends ride the waves in the Wave Rider, and play a game of old fashioned shuffle board.  The bar staff was kept very busy and we of course enjoyed the buffet meals.  The evening lead to getting dressed up some evenings for pictures and a nice sit down meal with the group.  We quickly became great friends with the Maitre D, and this lead to some great service, and lot's of extra food and drinks.  (Including many lobster tails) Many evening ended with the gang going poolside for cigars and beverages.

We arrived in Aruba and enjoyed a day at the beach, walking a few of the shops, and downing a few drinks with scorpions in the bottom of the glass.  Not sure why...

Our next day placed us in Bonaire.  This is a beautiful island still controlled by the Dutch, and is well known for it's scuba and snorkeling, as the reefs are teaming with all species of fish.  Candy and chose to rent bikes and circle the island to catch the views and get some great exercise.  Along the way we were greeted by birds, iguana, and goats!  We took lunch with us and stopped at a nice scenic overlook to enjoy the views of the island and see some of the swimmers in the waters.  We met a nice gentleman from the Netherlands who moved here several years ago and make decorations out of driftwood to sell in the local stores.

Curacao was next on our agenda, and we enjoyed walking some of the shops close to the ship before finding a tour to the factory where Curacao is actually produced and bottled.  After enjoying a tour of the factory, we were treated to some samples of the various types being bottled and then led into a store where we could purchase as much as we wanted.  There was a cool bridge that floated on the water, but when ships came in, it simply pivoted to one side of the water, and you could actually ride the bridge as it moved out of the way of the large ships.  

We returned to our ship that evening and again we were treated to a great dinner and entertainment before retiring to bed.  We encountered some high seas, over some 18-25 feet and winds of over 50 miles an hours, making for some creative walking techniques.  It was not very common to have both of the combinations together, and the captain did a great job moving the ship through the rough seas.  The ship crew was kind enough to have placed disposable bags at all stairs in case your dinner decided to depart your stomach.

We arrived in Miami and had time to relax at the sports bar a bit before leaving with our group.  The ship exits in groups by color code and makes for a very efficient manner in which to exit the ship, clear customs, and get your bags.  It was a great trip and we look forward to the next time we can sail together.  Happy to help booking your next trip!

-Pat