Hello from “One Happy Island,” Aruba! To be more exact, Oranjestad, Aruba where we are on the 5th day of this 21-day cruise on Holland America’s Rotterdam. The ship docked around 7:30 am and the gangway was open just before 8:00 am for those who wanted to be one of the first ashore. Being that all aboard was scheduled for 10:30 pm I was in no hurry to get off the ship as we had a very long day in port.
If you’re looking for things to do in Aruba, there’s plenty within walking distance of the ship and there’s also a large number of excursions. One thing I’m always asked about this port is whether or not there is a beach and the answer is, “kinda.” You can book an excursion or hire a taxi to take you to one of the nearby beaches but the nice beaches aren’t in walking distance from the port. However, there is a tiny, not-so-nice beach, about a 10-minute walk from the ship.
When I say it’s small and not so nice, I mean it. But if you’re looking to cool off, Governor’s Beach may work for you, but don’t expect much as you can see in these pictures.
Usually, there are a few locals in the water and some people fishing. There’s also a true dive bar here, which I am not brave enough to try out.
Other things to do within walking distance include visiting the “I Love Aruba” sign for that obligatory selfie, checking out several dozen local vendors who are hawking their wares in the marketplace at the port entrance, venturing out a bit further and visiting a whole bunch of shops selling just about everything, grabbing some food at the local restaurants, taking a walk around the Renaissance Resort, or visiting the two casinos nearby.
The Renaissance Resort doesn’t allow day guests, but I’ve never had an issue walking around the property there is a small shopping mall right there that is open to the public where you can catch a movie, get your Starbucks fix, grab a beer and some food in the different outdoor restaurants, and just enjoy the area.
Unlike other spots in the Caribbean, I do tend to spend a little more time off the ship in Aruba, as it’s a fairly safe area to be in and there are a lot of tourists staying at the Renaissance. Today was no exception, but I didn’t get out until later in the day and it’s important to note that most of the shops in the port area tend to close at 5:00 pm, but the nearby bars and restaurants stay open late. So if you’re planning on shopping, do it early in the day.
After a few Amstel Brights, a unique low-alcohol content beer that’s brewed in the Caribbean, I made my way back to the ship.
Entertainment was light this evening due to the late departure time. The main production show, which I skipped after being far from impressed with their first performance, was called “Musicology” and is billed as “Song and dance unite as the orchestra comes alive.” There’s a small problem with that, as there is no orchestra. At least not a live one, the music in the production shows is canned.
On Music Walk, the ship’s entertainment hub on Deck 2, B.B. King’s Blues Club was open as was the bad and boring dueling pianos at Billboard Onboard. The Rolling Stone Rock Room band had the day off so the only “good” entertainment offering was B.B. King’s.
Dinner this evening was in the main dining room.
I started with the Seared Black Pepper Duck Breast, which one of the folks I’ve been meeting for pre-dinner cocktails told me was outstanding. Their recommendation was on point. Served chilled, the duck was tender and had a rich, smokey flavor to it. Side note, duck makes frequent appearances on many menus, pretty much daily, in several of the restaurants onboard.
Here’s where things went downhill. I was tempted to try the Rustic Lasagna and saw it being served and it looked pretty darn good. But like many things, looks can be deceiving. One bite in and it was cold. Not room temperature cold, but refrigerator cold. Now, I could have said something and sent it back, but it was almost 9:30 pm. I’ll admit that sometimes cold pasta isn’t bad, but not in a restaurant. If it were served hot, it may have been good, but I moved on to dessert.
Thankfully the Strawberry Pavlova wasn’t bad and accounted for 2 out of 3 dishes getting passing grades.
After dinner, I hit up the casino and got sucked into a slot machine that, while fun to play, has terrible odds of winning equally terrible jackpots.
Rich Little Piggies is a game designed to make the casino rich, not you. As you play, the three pigs grow in size until they bust rewarding you with free games. Once you start playing, you don’t want to stop until you hit that bonus. Well, let’s just say I was several hundred into the game and the pigs weren’t popping, and with that much invested, I wasn’t leaving until one of those suckers popped.
Completely losing track of time and not even realizing that we left Aruba an hour ago, the pigs got me good. When the bonus finally came with almost 40 free games, the payout was a measly $140 – a mere fraction of what I pumped into this machine.
Like they say, Vegas wasn’t built on winners.
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for October 26, 2023, on Holland America Rotterdam:
- Lido Market – Breakfast Menu
- Lido Market – Lunch Menu
- Lido Market – Dinner Menu
- Main Dining Room – Breakfast Menu
- Main Dining Room – Lunch Menu
- Main Dining Room – Dinner Menu
- Club Orange – Breakfast Menu
- Club Orange – Dinner Menu
- Pinnacle Grill – Lunch Menu
- Pinnacle Grill – Dinner Menu
- Canaletto – Dinner Menu
- Nami Sushi – Dinner Menu
- Tamarind – Dinner Menu
- Tamarind Bar – Lite Bites Menu
- Rudi’s Sel de Mer – Dinner Menu
- Rotterdam Room Service Menu – All Day Menu
- New York Deli & Pizza – All Day Menu
- Dive In Burgers & Hot Dogs – All Day Menu
Daily Planner for Day 5:
\
