Oranjestad, Aruba
Our excursion in Aruba was not until later in the day, so we got off the ship after breakfast and coffee to walk around town and do some window shopping. We ended up at a mall at the Renaissance Hotel which had a cool pool and canal.
Tea Time
We still had extra time so we got back on board the ship and went to Cafe Al Bacio where J. R. had a cappuccino and Janie had an iced tea.
At Sea
We met on the dock and took a bus where we boarded our 4x4 Jeeps for our excursion around the island. Our first stop was the Ayo Rock formations with massive boulders of different shapes and sizes. We walked around the paths and learned the story of the island formation from our guides and then climbed to the top of the rocks.
Blackstone Beach
The off-road portion of our tour started after Ayo as we enjoyed a roller coaster ride up and down the hills on our way to the Blackstone Beach. Located on the northeastern coast, Boca Andicuri is a natural wonder known as Blackstone Beach, nicknamed after the black volcanic stones that line its shore. These are remnants of volcanic activity and erosion created when lava from nearby volcanoes cooled and solidified.
Balashi Gold Mill
We had to head back down over the dunes on our way to the Balashi Gold Mill, which was one of the most important gold mines in Aruba, producing over 3 million pounds of gold.
Broadway Cabaret
Our final stop was Mangal Halto beach. The beach was nice, but there was no place to sit. We walked around for a while and then went to the bar to get a couple of local beers from Balashi brewery known as Chill.
Night on the Eclipse
The 4x4s took us back to the tour operator and we caught the bus back to the ship. We were hungry, so J. R. made a booking at Sushi on Five where we had some sushi rolls. We decided to skip the evening show and hang out at the Martini Bar before bed.
