LIVE From the Crown Princess - 10-day Southern Caribbean - Dec 7, 2019

[CanadianBurger]

I wanted to do a bit of hiking to somewhere out-of-the-way and non-touristy, so Maartje took us to Boka Ascension, an ocean inlet on the northeast side of the island. It was spectacular, and not someplace easily found. From where we parked you could see Landhuis Ascension, one of the plantation manors. 

 

From there it was a short hike to where we ascended the cliff face. The entrance is not something I would have found on my own, even with the small sign. 

 

After a few steps into the rock cavern, it opens up to where there are wooden steps up to the top of the cliff. 

 

The ground at the top of the cliff is all fossilized coral. The top of the cliff used to be ocean floor millions of years ago. It’s a vast plain of coral, and stunning to see. 

 

The edge is a sheer drop into the sea. 

[CanadianBurger]

Aside from the view, the other attraction here is  seeing turtles in the shallows from up top. I don’t think I caught one with the camera, but I did catch a pelican. A pair of them were flying around and dive-bombing fish. 

 

Here are some more shots of the stunning views. It’s amazing how cacti grow in the fossilized coral. Good shoes are a must. You wouldn’t want to wear flip-flops on the coral, hopping over the crevices, especially with all the cactus thorns. 

[CanadianBurger]

The view of the steps from the top. 

 

The impact of pollution and garbage in the ocean was painfully evident. Maartje volunteers with an environmental group that

cleans and removes the trash that washes up every few months. They also built and maintain the steps and trails. These photos highlight the problem, especially since the area was last cleaned only a month ago. The amount of plastic, rubber, and other trash that washes up from the ocean is truly sad. 

 

[CanadianBurger]

Almost forgot the sign about the turtles. 
 

[voljeep]

just amazing photos - WOW - what a day !

[Colo Cruiser]

I was thinking the same thing about the dated Italian night sweaters on the waitstaff.

They just don't look right anymore. (not that they really ever did)

[CanadianBurger]

Life for the locals has gotten more expensive. Almost all food is imported, and the majority comes from Venezuela. With the troubles there, imports have dropped, causing prices of some fresh foods to triple. People have started farming the land to produce local food. This is a

new farm. 
 

[BarbinMich]

1 hour ago, richsea said:

Enjoying following along with you. Thanks for the ride & great photos! 
I see in your Curaco photo that the HA ship is docked inside the floating bridge. I guess the larger Princess ships can’t be accommodated there. We docked there while on Celebrity’s Millennium years ago & loved it! It’s great to just walk off & cross the bridge to the beautiful town. Love Curacao!    

The first time we were in Curacao was back in 1999 aboard Celebrity's Zenith which could easily fit into the canal that ultimately ends up where the oil refineries are located (I loved sitting on deck and watching the oilers going by).  Carnival's Destiny was there at the same time and it had to anchor where ships do today.  BUT it was like docking on a desert isle out there at the time <g>.  My how things have changed over the years!  We've been to the island 5 times since and docked a few more times in the canal.

[CanadianBurger]

Our next stop was a non-tourist beach frequented by locals, where I did some snorkelling. Bird feeders were hanging in some of the trees. It was far more relaxing than one of the canned snorkel tours with a group. I could have floated around for hours. Video from my GoPro coming later. 
Bird feeders were hanging in some of the trees. 

We then toured around the island some more for some local scenery. 
 

[CanadianBurger]

Lots of wild pigs on the island. This one was content sleeping in a mud puddle, and only grunted at my approach. 
 

[Ginnyfyr]

On 12/13/2019 at 12:34 PM, Expat_Canuck said:

My wife and I live in Waterloo and we too are boarding the Crown on Dec 27!  My wife suggested that I try to do a similar live blog to this one so let's see if I can do it!  We are really looking forward to the trip - this will be my first time as Platinum on Princess!

We'll be on that sailing with you! We are from Hamilton and are flying down to Ft. Lauderdale on Christmas day - the countdown is on!

[CanadianBurger]

Our next stop was a larger beach that was a little more touristy, but had a bar with food for lunch. I went snorkelling again, which was amazing. I went out deeper, and even at a depth of 30-40 feet, the water was crystal clear all the way to the bottom. 
 

[Maraviclin]

On 12/8/2019 at 1:11 AM, CanadianBurger said:

Weird. The videos play for me when I tap on them. Anyone else having any issues playing them?

The videos are working for me, but a week after they were posted. Just found you. Thanks for reviewing. 😁

[CanadianBurger]

11 hours ago, Regan said:

Regarding the escape room, how much for the fee per person?

It was $8 per person. 

[CanadianBurger]

We had planned on visiting the distillery on the way back to the ship. Unfortunately it had closed early for a Christmas party. Our guide was quite upset because she had confirmed with them that they would be open. I guess they closed as soon as the last ship excursion tour left. She took us to a local supermarket so we could at least buy some Blue Curaçao, and it was cheaper there anyway. It was actually a cool experience, seeing everything in Dutch, and we happened across authentic stroopwafels from Holland, which are also coming home with us. We toured around town some more, and crossed the Queen Juliana bridge for a view of the city. 
 

 

Lots of Christmas decorations up, including in the roundabouts. 

 

 

 

The Queen Emma floating bridge

[CanadianBurger]

We had a fantastic time with Maartje. She showed us parts of the island off the beaten path that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise, and gave us a real local’s perspective. I heartily recommend Back2Nature Curaçao if this type of thing interests you. 

Edited December 16, 2019 by CanadianBurger

[CanadianBurger]

I went up to deck 16 for sailaway, and to watch for any pier runners. There were a few that ran to make the 4:30 all aboard, but there was one bus that returned about 10 minutes late. Shortly thereafter, the captain announced that everyone was aboard and that we were leaving, but one gangplank stayed out, and I could see some staff members milling about on the dock impatiently waiting. About 15 minutes later a taxi came speeding along the road, and drove on the pier right up next to the ship. The driver got out, went to the back, and produced... one suitcase. That was it. Once it was aboard, we dropped the lines and set sail. About half an hour later though, the captain came on the PA and announced that we had a medical emergency on board, and would have to disembark a passenger. We stopped and turned around, but instead of going back, the pilot boat came out to meet us. I assume the passenger was transferred to the pilot boat for transfer back to shore, as we resumed our course shortly thereafter. 

[CanadianBurger]

Almost forgot. Before we headed back fo town we visited the pink flamingoes.

 

[CanadianBurger]

MDR Dinner. I was hoping the meatballs and poached egg would show up sometime, and they were on tonight’s menu. Really enjoyed them. The ribs were so-so. I ordered the pork belly again, since it was so good the first night, but tonight’s was excessively fatty. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CanadianBurger]

After dinner I went up to the Love Boat Disco Deck Party, more out of curiosity to see if things have changed. They haven’t. Same video clips on the screen with the Love Boat actors, same dance numbers. After a few minutes, I went back down to Crooners, where Jessie was being his usual entertaining self. 
 

Edited December 16, 2019 by CanadianBurger

[CanadianBurger]

Yeah! Finally a sea day to relax after four port days. 

[CanadianBurger]

Finally a trivia win this morning! The prize: Princess bottle stoppers. 
 

[CanadianBurger]

After trivia, headed to the MDR for brunch. You can never go wrong with the French Toast, but the Eggs Benedict were ridiculously overcooked. I pulled a complete solid yolk out with my fork. They made a second set, which were passable. And yes, cheese makes them even better. I tested these ones before adding Hollandaise. 
 

[CanadianBurger]

We had the Sanctuary booked again this afternoon, but about half an hour before our time, a sudden downpour and squall soaked everything. We went up to check things out and they were still trying to clean things up. It had stopped raining, but it was still windy and the skies were threatening, so they let us cancel. So no Sanctuary this cruise. 

[CanadianBurger]

The second Pub Lunch of the cruise was today, and the Scotch Egg was on the menu, so I couldn’t pass it up...