Random and Sporadic posts from 11 night ABC cruise on SILHOUETTE 11/22/21

[hasentreelake]

Curacao

Car rental for the day.  

We picked up the rental first thing in the morning.  It included a map with various points of interest, a gps, and a cell phone for emergencies.  The gps was more than handy.

We left the port area and headed to the far north to shete boka national park to view the blow hole and other natural formations by the sea. $11 pp entry fee.

From there we headed to the westpunt area and snorkeled with turtles at playa kalki, grandi, and pescado. $5 ea for chairs and umbrellas at various beaches.   Beaches didnt have the same rough coral but were pretty rocky getting in and out of the water.  After some good snorkeling we had lunch at blue view near playa forti.  The food was good and there was sone cliff diving to entertain us while we had lunch.  We went to playa lagun after lunch.  This was the one spot i would not recommend of all the places we stopped.  Just skip this one.   

We had a lot more beaches and snorkeling planned but didnt have a lot of time.    We headed south and checked out the flamingo reserve before heading back to the port area.   We parked the car and went to the ship to change into some walking clothes and shoes.  Then we took the car to punda. We watched the pontoon bridge in action and decided to return the car.  It was a good (long) day in Curacao.  

[Sheltielover73]

2 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

The are just shy of 1100 passengers.

Previous to this they had close to 1600 and I recall them saying they expect 1600ish on the next sailing.  I guess for Thanksgiving the numbers were down a bit.  

Thanks so much! 

[Tatra603]

19 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

gSo, I've not posted much as we've had a busy 3 days and today is a sea day so here goes....

 

Bonaire.

Golf cart rental for the entire day.   This is not for the faint of heart as the roads are not great...narrow with more  potholes and rough spots than nice pavement.  Cars will pass you constantly going highway speeds while you may approach 20 mph at best.  With that disclaimer i will also mention if you have back problems this is not for you.

Moving on....  We navigated our way north thru traffic and roundabouts and arrived at our first snorkel site...  1000 steps.  Wear good waret shies or even tennis shoes to get down the steps to the beach.  The beach isnt sand but rather rough stone and coral and dive socks will come in handy getting to the water.  Good snorkeling here.

Leaving this area we made our way to Goto lake for the flamingos then into rincon to the distillery for some rum tasting.  The road we wanted to tale was under construction so we got turned around briefly before getting back in the right direction.  If you see the large Rincon sign on your left as you leave town you are headed in the right direction.

It's a bit of a trek from here and we stopped at Seru Largo for a mountaintop view of Kralendjik and the port area.  Back down the mountain it was time for lunch at an open air sea side restaurant before takin on the south end of the island.

There are good snorkel sites south of the airport and north of the salt pans.  

We made a brief stop at the salt pier and white slave huts and decided we had gone far enough.  Turned back north and stopped to snorkel at angel city and alice in wonderland snorkel and dive sites.  It was close to 430 by the time we returned the golf cart.   

I will post about Cuacao (car rental) and Aruba (ship excursion snorkel and bbq)....  But now i am off to get ready for dinner at Murano.

Happy to answer any questions ...

 

 

I'm doing the golf carts in March (hopefully).

Can you tell me whether the lunch at the open air seaside restaurant was nice? 

If so, any chance of a name and location?

Many thanks

[Tatra603]

19 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

gSo, I've not posted much as we've had a busy 3 days and today is a sea day so here goes....

 

Bonaire.

Golf cart rental for the entire day.   This is not for the faint of heart as the roads are not great...narrow with more  potholes and rough spots than nice pavement.  Cars will pass you constantly going highway speeds while you may approach 20 mph at best.  With that disclaimer i will also mention if you have back problems this is not for you.

Moving on....  We navigated our way north thru traffic and roundabouts and arrived at our first snorkel site...  1000 steps.  Wear good waret shies or even tennis shoes to get down the steps to the beach.  The beach isnt sand but rather rough stone and coral and dive socks will come in handy getting to the water.  Good snorkeling here.

Leaving this area we made our way to Goto lake for the flamingos then into rincon to the distillery for some rum tasting.  The road we wanted to tale was under construction so we got turned around briefly before getting back in the right direction.  If you see the large Rincon sign on your left as you leave town you are headed in the right direction.

It's a bit of a trek from here and we stopped at Seru Largo for a mountaintop view of Kralendjik and the port area.  Back down the mountain it was time for lunch at an open air sea side restaurant before takin on the south end of the island.

There are good snorkel sites south of the airport and north of the salt pans.  

We made a brief stop at the salt pier and white slave huts and decided we had gone far enough.  Turned back north and stopped to snorkel at angel city and alice in wonderland snorkel and dive sites.  It was close to 430 by the time we returned the golf cart.   

I will post about Cuacao (car rental) and Aruba (ship excursion snorkel and bbq)....  But now i am off to get ready for dinner at Murano.

Happy to answer any questions ...

 

 

I'm doing the golf carts in March (hopefully).

Can you tell me whether the lunch at the open air seaside restaurant was nice? 

If so, any chance of a name and location?

Many thanks

[hasentreelake]

On 11/30/2021 at 11:59 AM, Tatra603 said:

I'm doing the golf carts in March (hopefully).

Can you tell me whether the lunch at the open air seaside restaurant was nice? 

If so, any chance of a name and location?

Many thanks

I cant remember the name.  We could see the place from our cabin which was aft.  It had a thatch or possibly canvas roof.  It kind of sticks out on the water as they also rent boats and other water tours frim the same place.  The food is prepared in a restaurant across the street.  We shared a seafood platter for 2 which was plenty for us.  The food was not fried.

 

[hasentreelake]

Aruba

Celebrity catamaran snorkel and bbq lunch

The tour operator was pelican tours and we had a great snorkel at 2 locations.  1 of the locations was the antilla ship wreck.  The bbq lunch was actually very good.  The snorkeling was great on all the islands

 

 

Cartegena

Emeral Museum tour

This was nice and included a smallbite lunch that was quite tasty.  This (imo) wasnt an 'museum'  but rather a retailer that included a room  with a few showcases and some history before giving everyone about an hour to shop their showroom.  My DW enjoyed it and left with a new emerald ring (her birthstone).

 

I'm not at all sure what all i did last night but i know we skipped dinner in leau of extra mertinis at the martini bar.  We've been partying every night but i finally hit the wall and slept in and stayed in the room until 11am.  We are now headed back to port everglades and it is very windy with the decks above the pool closed for now.   

 

Resting in the solarium to get ready for evening chic and silent disco tonite...

 

 

[isdoo]

On 11/29/2021 at 10:13 PM, hasentreelake said:

Curacao

Car rental for the day.

Who did you hire from? 

What was the cost like?

[hasentreelake]

Rented from Advance Rental.

Celestino met me at gate 2 and went over everything.  The cost was $75 (÷ $8 for fuel).  Reportedly, the rental cost will be higher in December.   

The car itself - at least the one i got was a small honda with more than a few dings but the service , gps, phone and map with advise were a great value.

 

[HazeyT]

On 11/25/2021 at 1:34 PM, Newbury newbie said:

Hopefully a question not too far off topic. We’re doing this itinerary in Feb 22, and flying into MIA from the U.K. on the Friday afternoon at 3.30pm. We need to get to the Riverside Hotel in FLL, so would we be advised to book a private car transfer or just get a standard cab from the airport? How much would a cab be for that trip? $120 or so?

Hi Phil,

 

I am currently at MIA airport. An uber to Fort Lauderdale was quoted as $95. Hope that is useful info to you.

Best, Hazel

[hasentreelake]

On 11/22/2021 at 11:30 AM, DaKahuna said:

Just curious which stateroom you are in?  We are booked for March 28 sailing in an Aft S-1, 2153.  Would love to see pictures and hear your thoughts on the room.

 

@DaKahuna
We sailed in 1405 and it looks near identical to your current stateroom on Reflection.
1405 is an aft S1 corner and has the same window washing obstruction.  Even with that, it has much more of a view than most aft or side balconies.  The small table inside and the outdoor furniture are different but otherwise very much the same layout. Enjoy your time on Reflection!
 

Edited December 5, 2021 by hasentreelake

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

@DaKahuna
We sailed in 1405 and it looks near identical to your current stateroom on Reflection.
1405 is an aft S1 corner and has the same window washing obstruction.  Even with that, it has much more of a view than most aft or side balconies.  The small table inside and the outdoor furniture are different but otherwise very much the same layout. Enjoy your time on Reflection!
 

 

 

yes they are very similar. 
 

the window washing equipment has not been an issue.  I think the major difference, other than the furniture, is the location of the pole.  I lucked out and it’s on my side of the bed.  Not sure I would have heard the end of it if the pole was on her side.

 

Regardless we are enjoying this cruise immensely.