Live from Navigator of the Seas B2b to the Western Caribbean and ABCs!

And now...donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary! Such gentle animals...DD is in love with them now [emoji7]

They’re not shy about poking their heads in if you’ve got carrots...

The Sanctuary is a very large property to drive around and there is also a tall observation tower with multiple levels.

The Sanctuary is not funded by the government; it’s dependent on donations, volunteers, and proceeds of sales from visitors. It’s a cause well worth supporting on the island. Just a reminder that it doesn’t open until 10:00 in the morning.

Here is a view from Seru Largu:

A tighter shot so you can see the ships a bit more clearly (this is all on an iPhone, sorry, no telephoto lens):

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A view of and from the Kristu Cross:

And a great way to cap off the day in Bonaire - Gio’s Gelateria...YUM.

Tomorrow, I’ll post about my family’s activities in Aruba. [emoji4]

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Great pictures moopetguy. Looking forward to seeing more that I missed seeing on our cruise.

I ❤️ Aruba and I think you will too! How could you not?

This sign is in front of the government building on LG Smith Blvd, a few steps away from the Renaissance Resort and Casino.

Ayo Rock Formations. Free washrooms here!

At the Ostrich Farm:

Be forewarned!

We had the opportunity to feed the ostriches and have a family photo taken. They print the photo and put it into a frame for you, and sell it for $10.

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On our way up to the Natural Bridge...(when you get there, the washrooms require a $1 donation...)

Truly, some stunning views of the coast and the process of erosion.

And now, the Natural Bridge:

It collapsed in 2005 and holds the ocean waters back from the basin, which you can (carefully!) walk down into.

Once again, amazing to just stand there and try to take it all in...and be in awe of it.

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Now, standing on top of the collapsed bridge (danger, Will Robinson!!):

There is still the adjacent Baby Bridge which remains standing:

What more can be said about this natural beauty?

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We also stopped at the Bushiribana Gold Mill ruins while leaving the Natural Bridge:

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I was also on this cruise. Someone asked about tickets for the ice show. I don't recall seeing anything about tickets. People just went in and chose a seat. No one asked for tickets. Navigator is not one of the ships you need to make advanced reservations.

I was also on this cruise. Someone asked about tickets for the ice show. I don't recall seeing anything about tickets. People just went in and chose a seat. No one asked for tickets. Navigator is not one of the ships you need to make advanced reservations.

There were tickets for the ice dance show for the 5-night cruise preceding the 9-night, but I think that’s because there were fewer possible showtimes for the 5-night. Only 4 shows during the 5-night and I think 5 (maybe 6) during the 9-night. I think the best advice is to listen for announcements and check the Cruise Compass carefully just in case they do require tickets.

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Some pictures from Philip’s Animal Garden, which I highly recommend:

With admission, you get a small bag of food (carrot sticks and pellets) that you can use to feed most of the animals.

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Hey! Get a room, you two...

This camel was NOT getting up for anything, not even food. However, we had been warned that it might try to snatch the whole bag of food if it saw it, so maybe it wasn’t hungry.

I think this cow had a beef with me taking its picture.

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Great pictures, moopetguy! [emoji846]

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DD named them Bambi and Faline.

Here is the California Lighthouse:

A view from the hill where the lighthouse stands:

We also stopped at a few beaches along the west coast to take pictures. Arashi Beach:

Boca Catalina Beach:

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And a couple of pictures from Eagle Beach. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beach with such a wide strip of sand before reaching the water!

Adventure was with us in Aruba:

Taxi rates:

The Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization ship, the Freewinds, was also there. (smh)

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It was 17:09 in Oranjestad...the moon was visible.

Random pictures:

The wash and fold plastic laundry bag for $35. TV remote for scale. The plastic is very thin and rips easily, but if you’re careful, you can stuff a fair amount of socks, underwear, t-shirts, PJs, shorts, and swimwear in there.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes into the frozen yogurt machines:

I only caught the last few moments of this spectacle on the Promenade, Grooving in the Street, where there was a light show and the ball from the ceiling came down and expanded:

Well folks, that’s just about it from me...thanks for enduring my inanities [emoji6]

Once again it was a fabulous cruise, hands-down the best one to date for my family, in no small part due to my fellow CCers who are a great bunch of people. Till we meet again on the seas!

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Thank you for the great pics! While we are on the 5 day, the pics of Eagle Beach may be the push to book a trip to Aruba. :hearteyes:

Great Pics...Most people don't realize that half of Aruba is a dessert.

J.

Great Pics...Most people don't realize that half of Aruba is a dessert.

 

J.

Thank you, I try to take a lot of pictures so that at least a few of them turn out to be decent. Again, I’m not a serious photographer and it’s not a hobby for me. I’m more of the “yep, I was there” style of picture-taker to help me recall fond memories [emoji4]

And yes! There are lots of cacti all over the ABC islands...and being fairly dry, I never felt uncomfortably hot as I otherwise would in high humidity environments. It was so pleasant there and different from the usual eastern Caribbean experience in particular. Not knocking those ports but the differences were very welcome.

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I think this cow had a beef with me taking its picture.

 

I see what you did there. :rolleyes:

Thank you for the great pics! While we are on the 5 day, the pics of Eagle Beach may be the push to book a trip to Aruba. :hearteyes:

I know the next time I’m in Aruba I’ll want to spend some time at Eagle Beach with my family. [emoji4] I have a coworker heading to Aruba for a week early next year and she appreciated some tips I was able to share based on my visit [emoji4]

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Great pictures, moopetguy! [emoji846]

 

 

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Thank you APDMOM, but I’m not remotely as good a photographer as you are [emoji4]

You have a great review going and I love hearing about what others did during the same trip - gives me an excuse for a “do-over” and try what I missed out on [emoji4]

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I see what you did there. :rolleyes:

What, me?? [emoji5] /looking all innocent/

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We sail this cruise Feb 2. Thank you for the helpful information. One questions, did you choose my time dining or set time for the MDR? This is our second cruise and my time dining was not even an option years ago on our first cruise.

We sail this cruise Feb 2. Thank you for the helpful information. One questions, did you choose my time dining or set time for the MDR? This is our second cruise and my time dining was not even an option years ago on our first cruise.

My family chose the traditional dining, main/first seating at 17:30 because we like taking advantage of the Adventure Ocean pickup service outside the MDR at 18:40-18:45.

You tell the waitstaff and they’ll (try to) have the kids’ meals finished (including dessert) on time to get them out there. The AO staff then take the kids up for the evening session that begins at 19:00 - this way to don’t have to drop them off yourself and can enjoy the remainder of dinner, sans kids :)

If you have kids, you can probably do the same thing with MTD, provided you get to the pickup point on time. For us, the pickup point was outside the MDR on Deck 4.

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My family chose the traditional dining, main/first seating at 17:30 because we like taking advantage of the Adventure Ocean pickup service outside the MDR at 18:40-18:45.

 

You tell the waitstaff and they’ll (try to) have the kids’ meals finished (including dessert) on time to get them out there. The AO staff then take the kids up for the evening session that begins at 19:00 - this way to don’t have to drop them off yourself and can enjoy the remainder of dinner, sans kids :)

 

If you have kids, you can probably do the same thing with MTD, provided you get to the pickup point on time. For us, the pickup point was outside the MDR on Deck 4.

 

 

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Did that work out well? Our son has also liked Adventure Dining. Was that also offered?

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