Sunday,  Feb 03 - Day 14 of holiday and Day 12 on board Island Princess

View of main street form the ship

I woke up feeling somewhat punk this day.  Not sure what it was or where it came from but I decided to give the day a try.  We had some time as the "shore leave" was not until 1 pm when we settled into Aruba.  I started my day as everyday with a hot chocolate and doing some writing down in the games room.  Freddi came by at one point and we decided that breakfast could be stalled for an hour so I could finish what I was doing.  Breakfast was the usual in the Horizon and the day was bright and sunny.

Yacht Club and Island Princess

Around noon we approached the island of Aruba and saw the beautiful white beaches along the shore.  the island is not very big so we could see the northern lighthouse fairly easily as we slid into the port dock.  We descended onto the streets as we had no plans for Aruba.  Unfortunately, the cruise shore Director had missed on this stop as about 90% of the stores were closed because it was Sunday and there was a parade scheduled for the afternoon which caused most of the streets to be closed.  There had been no mention of these facts as a matter of fact we had been advised that there was good shopping on the main street.  Perhaps there was the day before we arrived.  Freddi and I found a little bar/grill where we sat and had a drink.  I did not feel up to food and shortly thereafter bowed out and returned to the ship to sleep for 4 or 5 hours.  Freddi ventured forward and found some shops, a beach, the yacht club and some things to keep her busy for the better part of the afternoon.  When I woke up there was this blasting music sound coming from the parade on the main street.  It ran parallel to the ship so the sounds echoed across the open yard.



Street Vendors

At about 7 pm we pulled out of Aruba and set sail for Fort Lauderdale.  That was two days away and therefore there were two sea days ahead of us.  Not much interested in "dining" I asked Freddi if the buffet would do for her.  She agreed and we had some food before stepping into the football pandemonium in the Lido deck.  The Super Bowl was on.  I retired and watched some inane TV for an hour or so and returned to bed.  Not much of a day!

Hotel Beach - leaving Aruba