Jamman54

I was on two ships in January that went to Grand Turk. When checking in for the Freedom they asked if we were vaccinated, but didn't ask to see the cards. When we checked in for the Spirit, they asked to see the cards. 😎

Agree. It's so much easier just to park at the pier. 😎

I would get three at a time. The last time we were here (pre-covid), they served drinks in 16oz plastic cups. Now, like many places, they have cut back on plastics, hence the paper cups. Hotel guests and those in the know bring their own cups which the bartenders happily fill. Next time I will bring my 24oz plastic beer mug! 😁

Patti is going to explore the area on the street side. She heads through the hotel to head out….. To be continued…..

It’s time for Patti’s Aruba Critters page. Can you see them? They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes….. This one likes to beg for fruit….. To be continued…..

Patti is heading back towards the Barcelo Aruba….. She has made it back…. Patti heads off in the other direction….. She’s looking towards the Hyatt Regency pool….. Back at the Barcelo Aruba, there’s an exercise class on the beach….. This is the Barcelo Aruba Kid’s Club….. Patti catches me in one of the hot tubs….. To be continued…..

Here are some more Palm Beach views as Patti walks towards the RIU….. She has made it as far as the RIU….. To be continued…..

Now that we’re settled in, I head for the pool bar where I will drink copious amounts of Aruba’s Balashi beer one cup at a time….. Patti is going to walk on the beach. She gets these pool shots as she leaves….. Patti is leaving the Barcelo Aruba….. Patti is going to walk up to the RIU. She takes these shots along the beach on the way….. To be continued…..

We'll see. In over two dozen Carnival sailings out of New York we've only sailed out of Pier 88 a handful of times. In fact in 2019 our Sunrise sailings were moved to Brooklyn because Pier 90 was being dredged. Pier 88 was not affected.

My money is on pier 90, but it's really the same place. 😎

Parking at the pier is secure, but $40 a day up to a max of $400. You can find parking cheaper nearby which usually involves a shuttle or lugging your bags a couple of blocks. You would have to price it out using the information I gave above.

Havana

Here are a few of the drink stations….. This is one section of the Breakfast Buffet seating….. Here are our first plates. You can believe it that we had seconds…. After stuffing ourselves with that delicious breakfast, it was time to find ourselves some seats. But first a stop at the towel hut to get our towels…… Once we had our towels the quest to find seats began. We checked all around the pool and every chair was occupied or saved with towels. We went out on the beach and the same thing, nothing looked available. We went back to the pool and found one chair that a couple from our home state of New Jersey said we could have. We weren’t planning to lay out, so all we needed was one chair to put our stuff on and we were good. Next time, we will stake our claim before we head to breakfast! Here are our views of the pool from our location….. To be continued…..

There is much, much, more….. To be continued…..

We decide to hit the breakfast buffet first. There is a bit of a line, but it moves quickly, and we are seated. This is our table….. This breakfast buffet is extensive so it will probably take a couple of pages to show it. Let’s start here….. To be continued……

I’m getting us checked in. The cost for the two of us is $180….. While I’m doing that, Patti gets some shots around the lobby….. That done, we’re heading out to the pool area….. To be continued……

As the Carnival Spirit glides into her berth, we slowly pass the Church of Scientology’s Freewinds. She spends the majority of her time moored here in Oranjestad, but will sail over to Venezuela every so often….. We’re scouring the decks looking for Tom Cruise…… Okay, back to reality. Some of the tour busses have begun to arrive….. We get off the ship as soon as it’s cleared at 8am. We grab a cab and head over to the Barcelo Aruba. The fare is $16 plus tip for about a twenty-minute ride. We have arrived at the Barcelo Aruba….. To be continued……

A short time later the Aruba Pilot Boat drops off the pilot and departs….. As we approach Oranjestad, we pass Eagle Beach where the low-rise condos and hotels are located….. The high-rise properties are over on Palm Beach, and that’s where the Barcelo Aruba is located. The tall white buildings belong to the Riu….. To be continued…..

Day # 16 – (January 19th) – Oranjestad, Aruba (8am – 4pm). We are up early to what is going to be a hot sunny day. There may be a few passing showers early. The seas are fairly calm. Here are the views from our balcony…. We did catch a little bit of the sunrise….. We can see some rain showers as we approach the coast of Aruba….. Our plans for today are to go over to the Barcelo Aruba. We have all inclusive day passes which include breakfast and lunch, so we won’t be eating breakfast here. I need my morning coffee so I head down to the Fountain Café Coffee Bar to get some and to pick up today’s “Fun Times”……. To be continued……

Ewwwwwwwww!!!

Deck 3 fwd & mid. We boarded the Mardi Gras on Deck 6. 😎

Yes, they use the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. We will be on that cruise with you! 😎

We're on board! Looking forward to sailing with you to Greenland. 😎

Here’s another view of Karel’s….. Patti is heading back to the ship. She catches me out on the balcony….. Here are some views of Kralendijk’s waterfront from our balcony as the sun was beginning to set…. We were hungry so we made our way up to the Lido and grabbed some plates….. Afterwards, Patti was tired from all her walking so she went back to the cabin to read. I went down to the Sports Bar for a couple before calling it a night. We watched our 10pm sail away from our balcony and then went to bed. Here is tonight’s towel animal…… Coming up next: Aruba, one happy island or another day, another all inclusive!

This is Karel’s which is the restaurant on the water that the water taxis leave from….. Patti gets some shots of the Spirit from across the way…… To be continued……