TxTeach79

We found a very esteemed welcoming commitee. we all got some fruit and pretty tasty chicken salad wrap…. then some time to hang at the gorgeous beach

Grote Knip Beach, Curaçao…. Absolutely gorgeous got to chill on the beach and watch the bold attempt to cliff dive…

It’s staffing. Got the same email for my Miracle Alaska sailing. Def fleetwide. Bummer.

Chefs Table cancelled fleetwide through June. Cucina closed fleetwide through June as well (except on MG)

Welp, looks like it’s a moot point at least through June based on the email I just got….

Now, time for some hot turtle action dude cleaning and selling fish beachside more Tortuga love fisherman’s beach, curaçao

Off to our next stop, to swim with our turtle friends.... Staircase down to that gorgeous blue This place is beautiful. I don't blame the turtles.

We had plenty of time to stroll around this gorgeous national park It's almost like you're on the pacific coast, but it feels like surface of the moon Absolutely gorgeous Then you turn around, and it's like you're on a desolate desert planet

When in doubt, the Rong Fat Bar is where the party's at. Fair questions all. Hey buddy. First stop was on the far side of the island. Long discussion about slavery in Curacao's past and how they were allowed to freely visit this area because the water was too treacherous to try and escape. Horribly sad history, but beautiful stories and an incredible island full of incredible people.

Driving through the less touristy side of Willemstad. Big bus on tight roads. Beautiful island. Our guide seemed to know the story behind almost every building.

Welcome to Curacao!! The Baseball wing of the ABCs! Meeting early on the pier for our far side of the island excursion 80's style tour bus with AC vents that blow HARD air straight from the arctic. Elite. And if you squint when you look at that pattern, it's like you're in space. See ya later, mama

Long story short, Aruba = BEYOND REPROACH.

I’m coming home… coming home… tell the world…. I’m coming home….

The rest of it? Open bar. Great music. Perfect breeze... oh yeah.. and all of this. I mean, it's almost comical. Oh come on. All in all, one of the absolute best port days I've ever had. Bar freaking none. Couldn't recommend it all more.

The open bar stayed hopping and stayed delicious Captain my Captain curling back past Horizon. Also, there's a woman on this boat that is pronouncing Horizon like Hor-i-ZAWN and it was SHAKING ME UP

Headed back off for the Sunset Cruise! IMG_7377.MOV Aruban flag leaving Horizon and Epic in the distance. Yes, in case you were wondering, they IMMEDIATELY cranked "Kokomo" as we sailed off. #arubajamaica

Always gotta get this shot heading back on Back on board. Grabbed a couple drinks, got some pool time in, met a cool couple from Ohio that owned a pinball machine repair company, had a great convo and some birthday beers

Also, is there any better feeling than that ice cold ship AC blast hitting you when you get back onboard after a few hours on a sunny beach? Absolutely elite moment.

This bar is super cool. Really deep beach, too. What a great spot. there are some big resorts down that way Walk down the beach... beautiful water, perfect sand What a day A few hours, a couple buckets of tiny Chills, and an easy, friendly, and cheap cab ride back, and we're home again with time to kill before our excursion.

We were lucky enough to be in Aruba til 10pm, so we had a sunset cruise excursion booked at 6... so til then, let's grab a cab at the pier and roll to Eagle Beach! Cheap and friendly cab, easy to get both ways, piece of absolute cake. Rates are posted right there at the pier, no haggling required. I love Aruba. Welcome to Eagle Beach! Grabbed a table at the little beach bar, a bucket of a local beer... CHILL INDEED... and i sat here all excited at the surprisingly great deal I got.... That's when I realized these are freaking 7.4 oz beers. What kinda racket is this?? What's going on, Aruba?? Look, they tasted good, I'm sitting on an Aruban beach, and the tiny bottles make me feel like i have huge powerful hands. What a day.

Goooood morning from Aruba! Today, let's start off with my most common go to b'fast at sea, the greatness of the Blue Iguana. Arepas. Huevos Rancheros. Salsa. And a true butt burnin' hot sauce. No better way to start a day, people.... and there's never the line there should be. Oh hey, creepy Scientology ship! Let's do some auditin'! (Commodore Cruise Line would have NEVER) Here's your chance to chill on the Lido as a real Operating Thetan, you guys. Perfect way to celebrate the release of Top Gun: Maverick in the tropical sun! Here's the floating cardboard box herself, Norwegian Epic! (we needed a palate cleanser)

This was a low key day, but the recovery proved fruitful. A lot of watching the sea go by and Jiji’s. Who’s to complain? btw, by this point gf was racking up the fancy water. Her weird cheers guilty pleasure.

Maybe someone else can chime in, but it looks much bigger on the Mardi Gras.... I'll find out for sure in November!

Also, apparently I didn't take any pics, but it was really wild to me how the art in Jiji was so heavily Vegas/gambling themed. All the room decor furnishings was was modern Asian for sure, and then these wild cartoony paintings of dice and cards and animals playing casino games on the walls....

Rested up for my first time at JiJi! Cool little menu presentation I forget exactly what this was called - i'll go back and check - but it was something like the Singapore Street Shrimp maybe? It was crazy spicy (which is exactly what I wanted) and my ONLY hesitation was that they were peel and eat shrimp, which I find an entire waste of time and effort. Flavor was great, though. GF with the steak dish, she really enjoyed it. All in all, I really enjoyed Jiji, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I was feeling 100%.