Cruise 2013: Aruba

Before we went on the trip, we knew nothing about what to expect from a cruise. We didn't know about the paid excursions, the cost of them, or how quickly they filled up. So when we got on board the Carnival Breeze, and soon found out it was one of the only ways to REALLY see the places we were going, we headed down to Excursions to see if there was anything beach-y available that we could afford.

We lucked out, and at our final port in Aruba, we booked a trip to a private, all-inclusive beach. And looking back, it was money WELL spent!

The morning we docked in Aruba, we got up and around early. We had to be at the buses for our trip at 8am. Our bus took us through town, through a few tiny neighborhoods and took a small dock, where we hopped on a quick 5-minute ferry over to De Palm Island, an all-inclusive private island. A kids' water park, lagoons, food and drinks, snorkeling, and all the sand and sun you could want!

The sun was warm, but we were set up under some palm trees. That paired with the trade winds blowing, and you never knew just how hot it was out. It felt wonderful.

I spent most of the morning relaxing in the sand, reading a book and drinking a few fruity drinks. M jumped right into the water to snorkel, curious as to what he might see. Multiple times, I caught myself napping, dozing off mid-page in my book. It was wonderful. M managed to finally get himself a beach massage, but didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did mine back on Grand Turk.

The ferries left the island at 1230pm, taking us back to the docks. We walked around town and did a little shopping, once again, before heading back to the boat for the rest of our trip.

Overall, we had a wonderful first cruising experience. The people were pleasant, the food was great, the islands [for the most part] were beautiful and enjoyable. And now, we can't think of any better way to spend a real vacation! We will definitely be booking another one sometime in the near future!