Ventura - Review / Log of our cruise N002 - Part 2

[Stitchman]

Wednesday 20th Jan 10 - Curacao

We love the Dutch Antilles and can see exactly why the drink "Blue Bols" gets its name as the sea really is the colour of this drink!! We shared a taxi with another couple to Cabana beach and it was absolutely lovely. It only cost a couple of dollars each to get in and then to hire a sunbed. There was a little beach bar for snacks & drinks and a lovely floating pontoon to swim out to - all in all a lovely day.

A relatively quiet evening really as we tried AGAIN to get into Havana to watch Anthony Scott (comedian) but gave up as we couldn't even get through the doors on either side of the club so we went to The Exchange for a drink and to have a flutter in the casino!

Thursday 21st Jan 10 - Aruba

We got a taxi to De Palm beach and could not believe how built up the area has become over the last couple of years and how expensive - extortionate actually. The locals wanted $10 each sunbed, $15 for a parasol, $5 each floating cushion, $4 each beer and $100 to hire a jet ski!! We decided to lay our towels on the sand and enjoy our day at the beach without being ripped off!! We saved some money by getting the bus back to the ship and this only costs $1.30 each!

Tonight after our lovely dinner, we spent the evening drinking, chatting and gambling in Fortunes and The Exchange as it was "night at the races" - just a bit of harmless fun. The resident duo "Sophistication" were playing in here as usual and they're not bad but they really do need to up the tempo a little as people want to listen something a bit more lively on their holidays. There are other venues where a pianist plays or the music is more sedate if one so chooses so this venue should really be kept a bit more lively (in our opinion).

Friday 22nd Jan 10 - Day at Sea

I spent the day mooching around, chatting to people, having a beer or 2 in various air-conditioned bars as I was a bit too hot and sunburnt to be in the sun today. But as 1pm loomed, I noticed there was a roulette tournament in the casino so I thought it would be rude not to enter and it was only £5 so I did. It was amazingly busy (lots of sunburnt punters from the hot Aruba yesterday me thinks)! Alas I did not qualify for the final and felt really dejected so I decided to go & prise Mands off her sunbed and get her to enter! She very reluctantly came down to the casino and entered the tournament. She got onto the leaderboard on the very last spin of the wheel on her turn!!! She had scraped into the final by the skin of her teeth even though she was at the bottom. The competition suddenly got serious and the strict rules of the final were read out and all 6 players were given Ocean Players caps to wear! The guy who qualified in 1st place had his choice of seat and colour chips so he turfed Mand out and chose his chips. Mand was left at the corner of the table and with boring old grey chips. There were 5 spins of the wheel in the final and for the first 4 spins, not much happened - old Charlie had won more than everybody else and was trying to place non-winning bets just to keep his chips. So last spin and Mand went all in and placed loads of chips on 0/00 and scattered the rest around the table and believe me the atmosphere was electric!! There were people all around the table shouting who they thought would win and when 0 came in I went bezerk and starting jumping around like a man possessed as Mand had just beaten all the men and won the whole tournament and £100 to boot!! What an afternoon and formal night still to come!

Enjoyed another mouthwatering meal with our fellow diners on Table 94 in Saffron restaurant 2nd sitting - everyone looked lovely - sample menu - Guinea fowl & plum terrine followed by parsnip soup with vegetable crisps - main was grass-fed sirloin with lyonnaise & duchess potatoes & green beans - dessert was chocolate brownie with strawberry compote & ice-cream.

Saturday 23rd Jan 10 - Tortola

We made our own way to Virgin Gorda for $35 each instead of £35 each if booking with ship (and they only got a couple of hours at VG whereas we spent the whole day here). TIP - get the Speedy Ferries service as it's much faster than the other company and their ferries leave more frequently. If you've not been to Virgin Gorda, we would really recommend it as it's like no other place on earth and you really feel like you're in an Indiana Jones movie, climbing up/down ladders, pulling yourself along on rope handles whilst walking on slippery rocks, rambling through caves etc.

Tonight was tropical / pirate night and it was great that everybody made a really big effort with lots of bright hawaiian shirts and flowery garlands everywhere - Andrea Dickinson performed on top deck amongst all the dancing / music provided by DJ Neil - we congered around the decks and had a really great time!

 

Part 3 coming soon!:D

[Johnthed0g]

Thanks Stitch...good reading.

[The Welsh Man]

Thanks Stitchman,

 

We're in Curacao instead of Aruba in a couple of weeks on E004 on Oceana.

 

Sounds like a better option.

 

Carl