We were up at 7:00 and were sitting on the balcony when we docked in Curacao this morning at 10:00 a.m. We have a very long day here as all aboard is not until 10:30 p.m.
We watched several staff members, including the hotel manager, and some of the entertainers disembarking with their luggage. The staff members will be taking some much-deserved time off. We will be embarking new entertainers and staff members later in the morning.
Unfortunately, we also saw an ambulance pull up at the gangway and a passenger was wheeled out on a gurney. We’ve seen this happen several times on past cruises. Always a sad situation. The ship’s medical facilities are very good, but they can’t take care of everything. Hoping for the best outcome for this passenger.
Once the passengers started disembarking en masse, Chuck and I made our way to the Lido for an early lunch. We had decided to stay on the ship as the heat and humidity were high with a good chance for rain and we have been here before. I decided to give the pizza another try. I did not think it was very good in August, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it much better today.
Also, this morning we realized that the air conditioner was not blowing out cool air anymore. Not good since we were now so far south in this trip. We reported it to our room stewards and kept the balcony shades drawn. I was glad that I had brought my small portable fan as Chuck used it when he wanted to take a nap.
I opted to cool off in the pool. By the time I got back to the room at 3:00, the air was again cool and the room temperature back to normal. Would have been an unpleasant night.
Because we were in port for such a long time, the Casino could not open. We went to the Billboard on Board bar and had pre-dinner drinks and good conversation with a very nice couple from Las Vegas. Chuck and I have both commented that the passengers on this cruise have been very friendly and polite with the exception of just one or two.
We had another Pinnacle Grill dinner tonight and I made our reservation for the dinner that the Casino gifted us. I chose the shrimp cocktail and the Chilean Sea Bass and Chuck chose the crab cakes and the Ribeye steak. We split the candied bacon and took the cheese plate we ordered for dessert back to the room. All of these choices were from the regular menu.
We waddled to the Rolling Stone Lounge to listen to the last two sets from the band. There was no performer on the World Stage tonight. They showed the movie: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire which I had already seen.
Our dinner reservation was at 7:00. On this cruise, we purchased the Have It All package which included one meal at each of the upcharge restaurants. Tonight, we were going to the Tamarind. This restaurant is not available on all of the Holland America ships but is available on the Rotterdam.
We arrived at about 6:15 so we could go to the Tamarind bar first. You don’t have to have dinner there to enjoy drinks at the bar but typically we don’t think to go there. Being on the 10th floor, it is off the beaten path, but they draw customers as they have the Martini hour at this bar most every day at 5:00.
Artwork outside of the Tamarind
Tonight, I had their wasabi cocktail – sake, lychee liqueur, sour mix, agave syrup, and orange juice – in a martini glass. It is served with a peeled lychee stuffed with wasabi. You are supposed to nibble on the wasabi and then drink the sweet drink. Blends spicy with sweet and I really liked it.
We thought the meal was wonderful. It began with shrimp crackers and three different sauces – mild to spicy. I had the Mongolian barbecued lamb chops and Chuck had the wasabi and soy crusted tenderloin. We shared the Jasmine rice, spicy coconut eggplant, and mushrooms in oyster sauce. We also shared the Yuzu cheesecake and a pot of hot tea.
We enjoyed talking with our waitress. She is from Thailand and was a hospitality and linguistics major in college. She is getting more hospitality experience working in the cruise industry and hopes to eventually land a management position in a high-end hotel/conference center somewhere. She was a very personable young woman and I feel certain she will do just that.
We don’t usually have an opportunity to talk much with the wait staff in any of the restaurants because they are busy moving from table to table making sure everyone is getting served promptly and correctly. She said tonight was the first night that the restaurant has not been extremely busy. Assumed a number of guests were eating at a restaurant in Aruba. Glad we could have a conversation with her.
We had an early tour scheduled in Curaçao, so we decided to spend a little time on the balcony watching the lights of Aruba before saying goodnight. We never heard the ship leave the dock.
Though we have been to Curacao several times we have either snorkeled or just walked around the port area. We had never had time to see the west side of the island. Since we were here until 11:00 pm, we decided that a full day tour would work out well.
Our tour today was an independent one called Curacao: East & West – A Complete Island Tour booked thru Shoreexcursions.com. We have booked tours with this company before and had good results. The description was “Curacao offers travelers many great sightseeing opportunities, but it can be difficult to squeeze everything into a single day. Not on this Curacao tour! On this Curacao east & west complete island excursion, you’ll visit both sides of the island for a comprehensive island experience. Don’t miss this chance!
The east & west complete island excursion will provide a unique glimpse into island life. The east side is where you’ll find most of the attractions. During your time on the east side of Curacao, you’ll make a stop at many island highlights including Curacao Liquor Factory and Queen Juliana Bridge. The factory produces the namesake liquor that comes from the Lahara fruit; it’s a popular ingredient in cocktails like margaritas and mai tais. Queen Juliana Bridge is the highest bridge in the Caribbean and gets its name from the notable Netherlands Queen.
The west side of the island features some of the island’s most beautiful natural landmarks. You’ll find gorgeous landscapes galore as well as charming little villages. Among the sights you’ll see on this side of the island are Boca Tabla Cave and Knip Bay. If your time is short in Curacao and you want to see it all, book your Curacao sightseeing tour now. Sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes are strongly recommended for this tour. Food and drinks are not included.“
Since we had the early excursion, we opted to order a room service breakfast. They brought it on time and the order was correct. Room service breakfast is a popular option as I hear the carts rattle up and down the hall every morning.
The website provided excellent directions and we had no trouble finding our meeting spot with the tour representative. The van was a little late, but we left around 9:15. Most people on the tour were from the ship but 3 of our fellow travelers were from hotels in the area. Our guide’s name was Irving. He was also the driver. He was both funny and informative.
We started with the east side – closest to the ship and the floating bridge. This is the area that we were already familiar. Government buildings, lots of shopping places, parks, and artwork.
As we headed to the west side, we stopped at the Curacao distillery and were allowed to try three different Curacao liqueurs. Chuck and I agreed that the chocolate one was the best. We opted to buy and share a large drink of it over ice. Other people bought bottles to take back but we didn’t want to have to pack them for flying.
Can never resist a cat photo opportunity.
Our next stop was a small Dutch restaurant. It had a very limited menu and only took cash – US or Euros only. You didn’t have to eat here, but it was the only place around. I’m glad we did because the only other place we stopped that had food available was a place near the beach and it only had food trucks. I didn’t like the looks of those trucks and the smell from the fish being caught near there was off-putting too.
At this restaurant, we each had two Heinekin beers and a sandwich. Everything was good.
He took us to see the lava rocks and the Boca Tabla Cave area. Stopped at a couple of beaches. Many locals out enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon. We saw a couple of sea turtles. Later we saw some flamingos.
Waiting for the fish scraps
We got back to the ship around 3:15. It was a pleasant day, and I would recommend this tour.
Just some things to be aware – It was not real easy getting in and out of the van. Big step up and down to get in and out of the van. The seats were tight, so you were very close to your other traveling companions – wear deodorant, please. Except for the main road, all other roads on the island we drove on were rough and jarring. Really needed work. Wear good shoes as some of the walks were on uneven ground and more than one person tripped in their sandals/flip flops. Luckily, nobody fell down.
When we got back to the cabin, we discovered that the Casino had sent Chuck some chocolate covered strawberries as a thank you for his casino play. Nice gesture.
We were able to relax a while at the Sea View bar, but it was soon time to get ready for our Pinnacle Grill meal that was part of our vow renewal package.
Flowers of Curacao
Travel Trivia
Willemstad, Curacao
Willemstad, with its unique architecture and harbor entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is home to the Curaçao synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas.
Willemstad’s harbor is one of the largest oil handling ports in the Caribbean.
Major League Baseball players Jair Jurrjens, Wladimir Balentien, Jurickson Profar, Andruw Jones, Ozzie Albies, Kenley Jansen and Jonathan Schoop are from Willemstad.
The port time today is 8:00 – 4:00. By the time I got up at 7:00 and went outside, we had already docked. It was cloudier today than the previous days on the cruise. Still very humid. I like the buildings in Curacao as they are all painted in bright colors. Locals say that it was the 19th-Century Governor-General Albert Kikkert who is responsible for the colors. They say he suffered from migraines that he thought were caused by the harsh reflection of the sun on the white buildings so he decreed that they could be painted any color other than white. They chose the bright Caribbean colors of blue, green, yellow, and reds. The architecture has earned a designation as a UNESCO Heritage Site.
They allowed people to start getting off of the ship at 7:45.
After finishing our coffee, we ate breakfast in the Lido this morning. It wasn’t as crowded as I expected. It was also raining pretty hard so we were debating about whether to get off or not. Once we finished breakfast the sun was back out, we got our backpack together, got a bottle of water and left the ship around 9:30. Stopped at the visitor center and got a map. Again, we ran the gamut of vendors. We walked along the paved trail by the ocean. It was considered the historical trail and every now and then there would be a sign describing some aspect of Curacao. They were very informative.
Curacao is the “C” in the ABC islands. It is named for the Portuguese word “heart” when it was discovered in 1499. Curacao is 38 miles long and is about 7-8 miles at its widest points. Like Aruba, Curacao has a multi-cultural population, speaking Dutch, Papiamentu, English, and Spanish. The currency is the Florin, like Aruba. The cuisine is a mix of Caribbean, Dutch and Latin American flavors. Traditional dishes include kadushi (cactus soup) and Keshi Yena (baked gouda cheese stuffed with meat, raisins and olives). We tried neither of them.
An important role was played by Curacao during WWII. It was a vital conduit for Allied oil from Venezuela, and there was a large oil refinery here (as well as one on Aruba), which became a target of German U-boats and bombers. At various times during the war, 43 to 100 percent of the oil required by Allied forces came from the refinery on Curacao.
Many people associate Curacao with the liqueur of the same name. It is flavored with the dried peel of the Lahara citrus fruit which is grown on the island. It is orange-flavored, with varying degrees of bitterness, and when it is made, it is colorless but many times it is colored blue or orange before bottling. The Blue Hawaiian and the Blue Margarita are popular drinks made with Curacao. I’m not really a fan.
The trail we took led to the Rif Fort which has been incorporated into the Renaissance resort and casino mall area on the Otrobanda side (residential side) of Willemstad. People could still walk up the steps and walk on top of what remains of the fort which gave us a nice view of the entire area. It started raining again but very briefly and not very hard. Actually helped to cool us though we did bring our cooling cloths again.
We then kept walking to the pedestrian Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge, the only wooden pontoon bridge in the world. Sixteen pontoons float as the bridge swings open. She is nicknamed “The Swinging Old Lady.” From the ship, earlier that morning, I saw it swing open to allow some boats to come into the harbor area. However, while we were over there, no boats wanted to pass so the bridge remained intact. You could also take the free ferry from one side to the other.
We walked over to the other side of Willemstad – the Punda side (commercial area). We entered the Governor’s Palace courtyard and looked at Fort Amsterdam. Looked a lot like the Rif Fort. Both forts guarded the entrance of the harbor with large cannons so it must have been well protected in its day. Chuck asked the security guard at the entrance to the Palace if she thought the Prime Minister would see us since we had made a special trip. She took us seriously and told him no. Didn’t crack a smile. Probably gets that joke a hundred times a day. Stupid tourists.
Had my picture taken by a Chichi sculpture. The word chichi means ‘big sister’ in Papiamentu, the eldest daughter of the family, who binds the family in a caring and loving way together. Chichi is represented in Caribbean artwork as a sensual well-rounded figure, representing the responsible, dynamic and vibrant older sister. I thought it was an appropriate option for my picture.
It seemed to be getting hotter by the second so we decided to head back to the ship. I did find some free WIFI outside near the Pizza Hut so I was able to check emails and Facebook while sitting in the shade. Got the all good message from our cat sitter but since she responded on Sunday and today is Thursday, I just have to hope all is still good.
We did a brief walk through of the casino. Saw slot machines that I recognized but they appeared to payout in Florins. We didn’t play.
Once we were back on the ship, we changed into bathing suits and cover-ups. Ate a light lunch at the Lido. Was the least crowded of this entire trip. Found a table easily. After eating, spent some time in the hot tub and in the sea view pool. For a long time, we were the only ones in the pool which is always nice but then more people starting returning back to the ship and the pool was a popular option.
After spending some time in the sun, drying off and reading, came back to the nice cool room and took a nap. Wasn’t long before we heard the announcement that we would be setting sail.
Tonight was our Pinnacle Grill reservation for dinner so we planned to dress up for dinner. Chuck got finished dressing first so he went to the casino while I finished up.
Our reservations were at 7:00 and we were seated promptly even though the restaurant was very crowded. Again, the service and the food was outstanding as it has been on previous HAL cruises. I had the shrimp cocktail and the king crab legs while Chuck had the crab cakes and the cedar-plank halibut. We split a cheese plate for dessert. I had some of the coffee which is always good but very strong. I had a hard time sleeping this night.
We went to the BB King show and then went to the main stage show – Island Magic. It was a quartet of people from Trinidad who played the steel drums. I was expecting a reggae and calypso show but they played show tunes and classical musical on the steel drums. Very entertaining. We listened to several tunes from Andrew Lloyd Webber including the one from Phantom of the Opera. Also played Ave Maria.
Tomorrow is a sea day so after the show we went back to BB King and ended up a very late night. Tonight’s towel animal is a stingray.
