On this day, December 19th, 2023, my ship arrived at its first port of call, Oranjestad, Aruba. I had booked the "Picture Aruba" shore excursion tour for this stop, so I got to see a lot places in 4 hours and 30 minutes.
That adventurous morning began with me waking up, doing my morning routine, packing up my bookbag and supplies, and then, I went to the "Windjammer Marketplace" for breakfast.
After breakfast, I headed to the "Royal Theater", where I handed over my ticket, and then was given a sticker with an assigned color and tour group number on it. Cant remember what mine was, though. :(
Anyways, upon getting off the ship, I followed crew members holding up signs with my number, and then met up with my group. Once all together, we boarded an air-conditioned coach bus, and began our "Picture Aruba" tour. Our tour guide on the bus told us all about his life, and TONS of interesting facts about Aruba.
The first stop on the tour was the "Natural Bridge Aruba". Located near and on a seaside cliff near a beach, it's basically a natural geological formation where years of erosion from the sea has carved its way through coral rock forming a 100 foot bridge. There was also a gift shop nearby, where I bought some post cards for my family, as well as stamps, and then sent them off via a postage box nearby. Also, here's a tip...if you need to use the restroom in this gift shop, expect to pay 1 US dollar to use it. I had to and I found it ridiculous! Anyways, after leaving the gift shop, and after getting some photos of the place, we all got back onto the bus after our 20-minute time limit there was up.
The second stop on the tour was the "Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins", an abandoned gold mill that once processed ore from mines in the nearby hills during Aruba's gold rush of the nineteenth century. I swear, walking through that thing was like walking through a maze that kept taking you up and up. Once at the top, I got some photos of the beach video from there, and then a downward hill slope on the other side got us back down to the ground safely. By then, our 20-minute time limit was up, and we got back onto the bus. The bus then drove us out to our next destination.
The third stop on our tour was the "California Lighthouse", a tall 180-foot-tall lighthouse named after the "S.S. California", a British steamship of the "West India and Pacific Steamship Company" that sank just off the shores of the lighthouse on September 23, 1891, while sailing from Liverpool to the Americas. I had to pay 5 dollars just to go up there after waiting in line for a bit, but I also got some amazing photos and footage from the top! Also, the area around the lighthouse also had the "Faro Blanco Restaurant", an Italian restaurant, as well as a converted bus that operates as an outdoor gift shop. After our 20 minutes were up, it was back on the bus for everyone, and then the drive to the final stop on the tour before it would be time to go back to the ship.
The fourth and final stop on the tour was the "Eagle Beach", home to not only a beautiful beach, but also home to a Fofoti tree, a type of tree scientifically known as Divi-Divi (Caesalpinia coriaria). Its a distinctive tree species native to Aruba. It has a unique ability to adapt to Aruba’s arid and windy climate, showcasing its unique shape that has become synonymous with the island. Its actually a tree protected by law, so no one can damage it. So, I didn't swim in the water or anything, since I forgot my swimwear, but I did try to find a gift shop nearby to buy some shells, but I had no luck, and I had to get back onto the bus before our 25-minute time limit at the beach was up. So, the time came and went, and it was back onto the bus for us.
The bus finally made it back to the ship by 12:30pm, and after a final goodbye, we stepped off the bus for the last time, and then got back onto the ship, still docked at the port. Once back on the ship, it was a quick security screening before I finally went up to Deck 16, and had lunch at the "Windjammer Marketplace".
After lunch, I went back off the ship, and walked to some nearby outdoor gift stands, and I bought 2 massive shells. Afterwards, I went back on the ship, had an ice cream cone, did the zip-line attraction, and then, I went back to my stateroom, changed into formal clothes, and then had dinner at the "Main Dining Room".
After dinner, I went to the ship's "Attic Comedy Club" venue, and enjoyed the 8:00pm performance of the "Adult Comedy Show". It was SO HILARIOUS! Warning: the entire show segment of the video, from 1:56:31 to 2:37:34 has vulgar language that's not appropriate for anyone under the age of 18. Viewer discretion is advised. After the show, I met the second comedian and shook his hand, chatted for a bit, and even got a photo taken with him.
After that, I went back to my stateroom, changed into causal clothes, met the famous Stowaway Piano Player, and watched as we sailed away into the night!
Негізгі бет 2023 Western Caribbean Cruise on the "Symphony of The Seas" Day 4: Oranjestad, Aruba
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