Day 4 of this 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Celebration saw us visit the first of the “ABC Islands,” Aruba – known as “One Happy Island.” We arrived a little before 8 am and docked in the capital city of Oranjestad. The first thing you notice is the bright pastel-colored buildings, a reflection of Aruba’s Dutch colonial history. The city offers typical shopping experiences, including the market at the port where locals make and sell items that people gobble up as souvenirs for those back home that will more than likely be tossed in a junk drawer and lost forever.
The biggest attraction close to the port is the Renaissance Mall, an upscale shopping center offering a broad selection of high-end brands and luxury retailers like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Gucci, to name just a few. Additionally, the mall also has a traditional lineup of duty-free shops, where you can find jewelry (surprise!), liquor, and other touristy items. Shopping aside, Renaissance Mall also has a variety of dining options, from casual to fine dining restaurants many with outdoor seating – including a very busy Starbucks and a large outdoor bar.
If you’re looking to experience a little more of Aruba other than yet another Diamond’s International store, the island is known for its white-sand beaches and snorkeling.
Aruba is one of those islands where I will get off the ship and wander around without wondering if I’ll make it back to the ship with both kidneys and my wallet still in my pocket. Safety is generally not a concern and the locals are very tourist-friendly. However, like all these Caribbean islands, it’s always advisable to remain vigilant and don’t venture too far off the beaten path.
I spent about two hours walking around the port area and checking out some of the local sights. A Mariott resort nearby used to allow guests to walk along their beach, but not use the amenities, but Private Property signs have been up and I didn’t want to risk getting trespassed in a foreign country, so I kept moving. But, if you’re looking for some free WiFi, if you grab a bench outside the hotel, you’ll pick up their signal and be able to connect.
If you haven’t had your fill of gambling on the ship, just a short walk from the port and at the entrance to the Renaissance Mall is the Windcreek Seaport Casino. I lost enough money onboard, so I wasn’t in the mood to lose more on land, so I didn’t stop in.
If you keep walking along the main street by the port, there’s plenty of sightseeing to be had and some nice areas along the water to just stop and chill out for a while.
As I mentioned in my previous reports for this cruise, since this is my third cruise on Carnival Celebration in a short period of time, these reviews are going to be much shorter and just point out some of the day’s highlights. For more detailed reviews of the Celebration itself, be sure to check out these reviews:
- 7-Day Western Carnival Celebration Cruise Review (April 2023)
- 7-Day Eastern Carnival Celebration Cruise (June 2023)
I was back on board the ship a little after 6 pm. The ship was scheduled to leave at 10 pm so there were still a good number of people exploring the island to make most public areas not too crowded which was a welcome relief since this is a packed cruise.
I was pretty undecided about where to have dinner, so I decided that for the first time, I’d try the main dining room. Now, I knew going into this to set my expectations low as main dining room food on any Carnival ship leaves a lot to be desired.
I checked in on the Carnival Hub app and I had a less than 10-minute wait before I got a notification that my table was ready. I approached the podium, gave my name, and off to the table we went.
The table was already occupied.
Back to the podium, we went and the hostess said, told the person coordinating reservations that there were already people there. With a perplexed look, she couldn’t figure out how what was possible, so she said, go to table number….
Off we went only to discover that yet again, that table was occupied.
Back to the podium for a third time to get another table number. By now you should pretty much guess where this was going.
Yes, that table was also occupied.
I saw a table off in the corner where nobody was sitting and I said, “I’m going to sit at that table over there,” and that was that.
Technology is supposed to make things like this easy!
My server came over, introduced himself, and a few minutes later took my order.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, but all the lighting is red. So everything you’re looking at, taking a picture of, or trying to read has a red hue, so the photos of the food you’re about to see will have somewhat of a red tint to it despite my best amateur-ish attempt at image enhancement.
I started off with the BLT salad which consisted of romaine, bacon, blue cheese, croutons, and an herb dressing. You can’t really mess up a salad, so…
For my entree, I chose the slow-cooked prime rib with double-cooked potato as well as eggplant parmigiana.
While cooked to my desired temperature of rare, the thin slice of prime rib had absolutely no flavor to it whatsoever. Not a hint of seasoning on the meat itself and the au jus sauce was more like brown-colored water. I tried to find even the smallest hint of “something” but just couldn’t until I loaded it up with salt and pepper to give it some taste.
When I took the first bite of the eggplant parmigiana I began to wonder if I had COVID and lost my sense of taste. Could these two dishes both have absolutely no flavor to them at all or was it me? Fortunately, I’m completely healthy, but unfortunately, this was yet another dish that didn’t have any flavor to it. Even the chunks of tomatoes and the sauce didn’t have any flavor.
I don’t think I have ever eaten at any restaurant where I had one, let alone two, dishes that were so completely devoid of flavor that I left wondering WTF was going on in the kitchen? Did they run out of seasoning? Did anyone taste any of these things as they were being prepped for the night? Was the recipe thrown overboard and they just winged it?
Like I said, I set my expectations low but I didn’t know I had to set them THIS low!
Finally, for dessert, I went with the cheese plate that Carnival took away after COVID and based on guest feedback just brought back. Not sure why something as simple as a plate of a few cheeses and two small pieces of bread mean so much to people, but apparently its removal from the menu was met with so much backlash, the cheese plate was brought back.
Well… FINALLY, something I had for dinner actually had flavor.
After dinner, I headed outside to watch the sail away from Aruba. Next to us, and pretty much always docked in Aruba, is the Freewinds. The Freewinds is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology. The ship is used for religious retreats and is the location where their “most advanced spiritual counseling” is delivered. The Freewinds is frequently docked in Aruba because it is registered there and I’m not quite sure if it ever leaves!
We pulled out promptly at 10 pm en route to the “B” island on this “ABC cruise” – Bonaire. Thanks for following along.
FunTimes for July 18, 2023:
The FunTimes for July 18, 2023, is also available as a PDF.