Celebrity Equinox 10 day Southern Caribbean from Miami on September 14th -24th

[GrazieMommy]

Day 5 - Aruba

We arrived in port at around 10:30 am. We were rather excited to visit Aruba as this would be our first time to this beautiful island. In fact, we had never been to the Southern Caribbean at all so we had looked forward to visiting all of the ABC's of the Caribbean. After our usual balcony breakfast served by Dominic, on perfect schedule as always, we headed down to deck 2 to disembark the ship for our day of fun and adventure on this Dutch island known as One Happy Island. 

We had booked our own excursion in advance as we had a full 12 hours in port. Normally I feel nervous about the possibility of missing the ship if we're not on a cruise sponsored excursion, but we thought we would have plenty of time for this port of call. We were correct. DH had found an afternoon UTV tour through El Tours that picked us up in the terminal building. We didn't need to meet there until 1pm so we went into town and walked around for a bit. We walked about a mile to a shopping mall where we saw the Dutch Pancake House. Friends had told us this was really good, but we didn't have the time to try it on this visit. We passed the Renaissance Casino & Resort and several souvenir shops. We wound up at an open park area where they were setting up for the Caribbean Sun Jazz Festival Aruba. DH really loves jazz, but alas, it would not begin until 6 days after our departure. This area provided a spectacular view of the ship however, so we decided to get a few pics. We got quite a surprise as we closed in on the outcropping of rocks along the shoreline.  We spotted one rather large iguana perched atop his "throne" along with several others camouflaged within the rocks! DH had asked me to stand on top of the rocks for a pic, and I said, "Really? You want me to stand on an iguana?!". Obviously he hadn't seen them yet, at least I don't think he did. Suspicious I think. Ha Ha.

After this fun-filled morning, we made our way back to the terminal area stopping at a local market area to buy our souvenirs and trinkets for family and friends. We had spotted an interesting restaurant close to the terminal called, appropriately, Iguana Joe's. We weren't disappointed. DH had island patties and black bean & Mexican tortilla soup. I had Igua-Na-Chos, (nachos), not real iguana, and fish tacos. The food was very good and we couldn't resist buying t-shirts as well. Now it was time to meet our liason for our excursion.

 

[GrazieMommy]

Day 5 continued:

When we arrived at the terminal building we didn't wait long to be greeted by the El Tours bus driver. He was a very pleasant gentleman. Another couple from the ship joined us. They were young honeymooners from Nashville, TN. I knew this was supposed to be a rigorous activity per the description, but as we're in our 50's, I wondered if we had gotten in over our heads. The driver informed us that he had to go to 2 different hotels to pick up 4 other guests. This didn't take very long and before we knew it, we were at a warehouse in an industrial area to pick up UTVs. These are similar to ATVs but with a truck type bed in the rear. The bus driver was an excellent tour guide, describing the island, the inhabitants, and scenery along the way. So far so good.

DH informed me that his hip was bothering him, and that I would have to drive! Oh boy! After a brief introduction to our UTV guide and a very brief UTV instructional session, we were on our way. Our guide's name was Naseem. He was a native of Aruba. He gave us each bandannas to wear as we would be driving into the Arikok National Park. The windward portion of Aruba is an arid climate, and this park was all desert. The bandannas were a must with the dust. We laughed as we all looked like we were going to rob a bank along the way. We drove along rural roads to the entrance to the park. The ride in the park was very bumpy and rocky, but I must tell you, I had an absolute blast. Not so old after all I guess. 

The tour took us to 2 different caves with cave drawings from ancient inhabitants along with stalactites and stalagmites as well as a few prerequisite bats. The bats were afraid and flew away from us. While we were at the last cave the guide took us to a nearby stream. This was the only fresh water on the island. He said that currently Aruba desalinizes sea water for their water source, but soon they would convert to reverse osmosis. He then pointed to some fish in the stream, and he proceeded to place his bare feet into the water. This was natures pedicure he told us, as the fish cleaned the dead skin from the bottom of his feet. I asked if it tickled or hurt. He said it tickled and he was doing his best not to giggle. Hesitant at first, we each took a turn. He was right, it tickled indeed. 

 After the caves we would journey to a natural pool to swim. Now at this point DH was dying to try driving. What timing. This was the rockiest, bumpiest leg of the journey! I took over taking pics and video. Our guide had said that we should take care not to drive over any "pointy" rocks as this would result in a flat tire. No easy task as that's all that was on the path. We seemed to travel for sometime as we got stuck behind a jeep on the path that couldn't travel as fast as the UTVs. You can take a car into the park, but we only saw a car at the entrance. I doubt they went much farther as it would have been impossible for a sedan to traverse the terrain. Finally we reached the natural pool. This pool is the result of waves that crash over the rocks along the shore into a lagoon. Our guide said that if the waters were too rough this day, we wouldn't be able to swim. It was borderline, but we were able to take a dip. When we got out of the UTVs we noticed the vehicle behind us had suffered a flat tire. Must have hit one of the thousands of pointy rocks! There was a spare in our UTV's bed, so the guide went to work to replace their tire. We went off to the pool.

It was very tricky to navigate the slippery and steep rocks into the pool, but we made it without incident. While in the water, another young honeymooning couple noticed that the groom had lost his ring in the pool! OMG! Poor guy was beside himself, desperately trying to find his wedding ring. Several of us tried in vain to find his ring to no avail. The other honeymooning groom really felt his pain and tried his best as well. I tried to reassure him that at least it wasn't his bride's diamond. With that, we headed back out of the pool and back up the hill to the waiting UTVs. The guide had replaced the tire on the other UTV by now, and we headed back to the warehouse where we had started. DH didn't feel up to any further driving, so I was the chauffeur once again. When we got back to the warehouse our bus was waiting to take us back to the terminal. The entire excursion was flawless. We really, really enjoyed this adventure.

We went back to the ship to shower and dress for dinner. Tonight dinner would not be aboard the Equinox, but ashore at a restaurant about 1.5 miles from the ship called The West Deck. DH had made a reservation in advance on the recommendation of fellow Cruise Critic member Bimmer09. Our friends from the ship joined us. We took a cab from the terminal and made it just in time for the most spectacular sunset I think I've ever seen. Now I see where the restaurant gets its name. West Deck for great sunsets. The food was delicious as well. We started with the Caribbean bread basket, Bahamian conch fritters, and Fried Funchi with Dutch Cheese. Fried Funchi is a cornmeal preparation integrated with Dutch cheese on this Antillean island. DH had the whole red snapper and the rest of us had grilled snapper. Sufficiently stuffed, we took another cab back to the ship. Thanks so much Bimmer09. You were spot on with this tip!

Once we got back on the ship our friends retired for the evening and we went up to deck 12 poolside for the Celebrity Rox dance party. I had a drink and danced a little while DH relaxed on a lounge chair. We then headed off to bed to rest for another fun-filled day in Curacao on Day 6.

[GrazieMommy]

[Bimmer09]

I'm so glad you both got to enjoy the West Deck in Aruba!

Great setting, good fresh seafood.

Norris, following this excellent review.

[Hatteras51]

I've been enjoying your reports and I'm so glad that the site is back up for posting. We did this same cruise on Equinox last year and loved it. We vacation in Aruba every year so I'm always interested to see what people do there when they visit. West Deck is one of our favorite restaurants.  We go there every visit,  and sometimes twice.You were very brave to adventure to the natural pool. I'm curious about the newlywed who lost the ring. Someone on this forum, who is also on another forum that I'm on, found a ring about the time you were there. Do you know the exact date that you were there? I can contact the people who found it. I think that they are still in Aruba. Hopefully, they can contact El Tours and have them reach out to the other couples on your tour, and reunite them with the ring. You'd be surprised how often this happens. People should not wear any jewelry to the natural pool, but we also get a lot of requests for help from people who have lost wedding bands along the beaches, and many have been successfully returned.

[GrazieMommy]

2 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

I'm so glad you both got to enjoy the West Deck in Aruba!

Great setting, good fresh seafood.

Norris, following this excellent review.

 

2 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

I'm so glad you both got to enjoy the West Deck in Aruba!

Great setting, good fresh seafood.

Norris, following this excellent review.

I have to go on Trip Advisor and give them a great review. We will definitely go back. 

[GrazieMommy]

5 minutes ago, Hatteras51 said:

I've been enjoying your reports and I'm so glad that the site is back up for posting. We did this same cruise on Equinox last year and loved it. We vacation in Aruba every year so I'm always interested to see what people do there when they visit. West Deck is one of our favorite restaurants.  We go there every visit,  and sometimes twice.You were very brave to adventure to the natural pool. I'm curious about the newlywed who lost the ring. Someone on this forum, who is also on another forum that I'm on, found a ring about the time you were there. Do you know the exact date that you were there? I can contact the people who found it. I think that they are still in Aruba. Hopefully, they can contact El Tours and have them reach out to the other couples on your tour, and reunite them with the ring. You'd be surprised how often this happens. People should not wear any jewelry to the natural pool, but we also get a lot of requests for help from people who have lost wedding bands along the beaches, and many have been successfully returned.

Wow. That would literally be like finding a needle in a haystack! We were there September 18th. I would love it if we could reunite the poor guy with his ring. 

[GrazieMommy]

5 hours ago, Hatteras51 said:

I've been enjoying your reports and I'm so glad that the site is back up for posting. We did this same cruise on Equinox last year and loved it. We vacation in Aruba every year so I'm always interested to see what people do there when they visit. West Deck is one of our favorite restaurants.  We go there every visit,  and sometimes twice.You were very brave to adventure to the natural pool. I'm curious about the newlywed who lost the ring. Someone on this forum, who is also on another forum that I'm on, found a ring about the time you were there. Do you know the exact date that you were there? I can contact the people who found it. I think that they are still in Aruba. Hopefully, they can contact El Tours and have them reach out to the other couples on your tour, and reunite them with the ring. You'd be surprised how often this happens. People should not wear any jewelry to the natural pool, but we also get a lot of requests for help from people who have lost wedding bands along the beaches, and many have been successfully returned.

Update:

DH reminded me that the couple that lost the ring were not in our group so I’m not sure they used the same tour company ( El Tours ) that we used, but we were definitely there on September 18th around 3 or 4 pm. 

[joand452]

We're sailing Celebrity for the first time in December; usually we're on Royal.  I'm enjoying your review.

 

We're going back to Grand Cayman for the first time in a while, and DH wants to do Stingray City again.  Did you book through Celebrity?  

 

Thanks!

[Hatteras51]

2 hours ago, GrazieMommy said:

Update:

DH reminded me that the couple that lost the ring were not in our group so I’m not sure they used the same tour company ( El Tours ) that we used, but we were definitely there on September 18th around 3 or 4 pm. 

Well, that's disappointing. I posted your information on the other forum, but it certainly will be more difficult to find them since we don't have more information. I also suggested that folks post the date that he lost it on some other social media sites to see if anyone knows them. You never know. This could still have a happy ending. 

[GrazieMommy]

21 hours ago, joand452 said:

We're sailing Celebrity for the first time in December; usually we're on Royal.  I'm enjoying your review.

 

We're going back to Grand Cayman for the first time in a while, and DH wants to do Stingray City again.  Did you book through Celebrity?  

 

Thanks!

Yes we did the Stingray City and Barrier reef excursion through Celebrity. $79 each. It was well worth it. I had been to Stingray City about 25 years ago, but I learned so much more about them and had greater interaction with this tour. We also had time for a fabulous snorkel of the reef. Celebrity has several Stingray City excursions, but if you want to see a reef, I recommend this one. Grand Cayman offers some of the best snorkeling in the world. 

[GrazieMommy]

19 hours ago, Hatteras51 said:

Well, that's disappointing. I posted your information on the other forum, but it certainly will be more difficult to find them since we don't have more information. I also suggested that folks post the date that he lost it on some other social media sites to see if anyone knows them. You never know. This could still have a happy ending. 

Yes, it will make it more difficult, but perhaps they will still connect. Our guide and all of the other guides know each other so maybe they could still have luck contacting El Tours.

[CruiseImage]

We were on this amazing cruise.....

 

 

[CruiseImage]

This was one of many highlights of the cruise - taking a helicopter ride with Captain Kate

 

 

[MisterMet]

15 hours ago, Staffy said:

This was one of many highlights of the cruise - taking a helicopter ride with Captain Kate

 

 

 

Awesome video,  how did you manage the helicopter ride with Captain Kate?

[CruiseImage]

2 minutes ago, MisterMet said:

 

Awesome video,  how did you manage the helicopter ride with Captain Kate?

 

I arranged it privately way ahead of the cruise, and as we share a great passion for social media I just asked her as there was a spare seat and she said “hell YES!”

So we made it happen. Awesome experience 

[MisterMet]

7 minutes ago, Staffy said:

 

I arranged it privately way ahead of the cruise, and as we share a great passion for social media I just asked her as there was a spare seat and she said “hell YES!”

So we made it happen. Awesome experience 

 

Very Very cool!  My wife, the OP will just flip when she sees this.  I assume you were in the military or fly for a living?

16 hours ago, Staffy said:

We were on this amazing cruise.....

 

 

Quote

 

 

 

[CruiseImage]

1 minute ago, MisterMet said:

 

Very Very cool!  My wife, the OP will just flip when she sees this.  I assume you were in the military or fly for a living?

 

 

 

 

No no, this was an organised flight with a local company based at Key West airport. I was too busy capturing all the views on my cameras to fly the helicopter 🙂 

[MisterMet]

Either way, very cool.  Looked like YOU were flying the chopper!  It would’ve been cool if the pilot dropped you off on the helipad for sail away from Key West.  You had the Captain with you, AND you already had access there being a suite guest.😝😝😂😂

10 minutes ago, Staffy said:

No no, this was an organised flight with a local company based at Key West airport. I was too busy capturing all the views on my cameras to fly the helicopter 🙂 

 

[mlmbar]

19 hours ago, Staffy said:

We were on this amazing cruise.....

 

 

Hi Ade and Anita! This was an awesome cruise  I love this video ! While in Aruba, we ate at Barefoot right onnthe beach. The sunset was gorgeous and the food was fabulous

[CruiseImage]

5 minutes ago, mlmbar said:

Hi Ade and Anita! This was an awesome cruise  I love this video ! While in Aruba, we ate at Barefoot right onnthe beach. The sunset was gorgeous and the food was fabulous

I just love the ABC’s - trying to plan another to get back there 😉 

[GrazieMommy]

21 hours ago, Staffy said:

We were on this amazing cruise.....

 

 

I am speechless! Well almost...One Word: WOW!!!

 

[GrazieMommy]

21 hours ago, Staffy said:

This was one of many highlights of the cruise - taking a helicopter ride with Captain Kate

 

 

Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this on the thread. 

[GrazieMommy]

Day 6 - Curacao:

 

We arrived in Willemstad around 7:30 am. Another beautiful day in the Caribbean. Again, we had our balcony breakfast, however, this time it was not delivered by Dominic, but a nice young man from room service. We assumed that Dominic had too many passengers that wanted room service this morning in order to get to their shore excursions. That afternoon when he delivered our canapes' Dominic asked why we didn't have our usual balcony breakfast. We explained what happened, and he said that perhaps the dining card was delivered to the incorrect person. Uh oh, someone was in trouble. We said we wondered where he was but that it was perfectly fine. Oh well, hopefully whomever was at fault didn't get into too much trouble. 

 

We went down about 15 minutes early to the Equinox Theater for our scheduled departure for our excursion, and yet again, they were already announcing our departure. I love the promptness of Celebrity Shore Excursions. We were led ashore to a very colorful Caribbean style bus. It reminded me of "The Partridge Family" bus although it was lime green. We were led by our local guide, Melissa. She was a native that I would say looked to be in her 60's. I can't remember, but I think she was a retired teacher. She led us through some of the original parts of the city with lots of interesting facts about the city, its history and its inhabitants. We went past the floating bridge. This is from Wikipedia:

 

The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay in Curaçao. It connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad. The bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of oceangoing vessels. On the opposite end from the hinge is a small shelter where an operator controls two diesel engines turning propellers. The propellers are mounted perpendicular to the length of the bridge and allow it to swing parallel to the shore. The process only takes a few minutes to complete. The bridge was built in 1888 and was completely renovated in 1939, 1961, 1983-1986, and 2005-2006. Originally a toll bridge from 1901-1934, individuals without shoes were permitted to cross the bridge without paying the toll. When the bridge swings open, two ferries spring into action to bring pedestrians across the water. The ferries are also free of charge. Motorized traffic ceased in 1974. Locally, the bridge is known as "Swinging Old Lady" as it will swing to the Otrabanda side of Willemstad.^[1
 

Willemstad (/ˈwɪləmˌstɑːt/; Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪləmstɑt]) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 150,000. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. Willemstad is home to the Curaçao synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

From here we went to the Blue Bay Village Resort to lounge on the beach and snorkel. There were plenty of beautiful Caribbean fish and coral to explore right from the beach. DH and I are not big on just laying on a beach, so after snorkeling we had a refreshment from the tiki bar before heading back to the bus for our return to the ship. However, we opted to be dropped off near the Queen Emma Bridge enroute to the ship. We then proceeded across this unique  pedestrian bridge. There are different colored flags posted to indicate the times between openings of the bridge. When the bridge swings open, one must wait for it to swing back to the shore to cross, or take a ferry across to the other side as stated by Wikipedia above. We were lucky that it was just closing when we approached. 

 

After many pictures of the multicolored buildings on the other side of the bridge, we went into the tourist section for some lunch and shopping. We had some difficulty deciding on a place to eat, but after walking around for a bit,  we ended up dining in the first place we had seen after we entered the city. We dined outside beneath a large canopy tree and the food was delicious, but the service was extremely slow. The restaurant was De Buren. Perhaps we picked a bad table. Our waitress seemed to have some difficulty keeping up. Oh well, it wasn't really a tragedy. I think we had just been too spoiled onboard the ship. We shopped a bit more after this, and headed back to the ship. By this time the bridge was open so we opted to take the ferry back across the bay. It was packed beyond capacity, but the trip across was very brief. 

 

The terminal area is quite like a resort itself with its shopping and restaurants. DH couldn't resist adding to his ever-growing watch collection at the Swatch store. We had been told by our guide about the blue Curacao liquor, and I had tried some in a Blue Hawaiin at the resort, but then I decided that I had to try the liquor by itself at the bar right outside the ship. It was nice, but a bit too strong for this novice. The crew are always ready with iced towels and refreshments as we boarded. Security was always fast and efficient with the Celebrity Equinox crew. I wonder if regulations prohibit TSA from operating as well.

 

Time to rest up and get ready for departure and the evenings festivities. More to come.

[GrazieMommy]

more pics: