Cruising to South America, first port of call: Willemstad, Curacao

First port of call, Willemstad, Curacao.  Since this was our first port there was a lot of fan fare as we docked.  The crew prepared champagne and snacks on the fantail while we watched the docking process.









The chef on the fantail prepared wonderful fruit drinks and mixes, along with fruit salads and chunks of fresh fruit in your drink.

One of the carved watermelons

 There was a large tug taking lines to a big mooring point.

 The dock that we moored to for the day/evening.  Since we were only there for the afternoon/evening, tours were short and everyone stayed close.  Linda went into the community and I took off to the beach.

 Passengers leaving the ship for the day.  One of the passengers had the neatest little scooter.  Almost a tricycle that broke down to fit into a suitcase.  30 lbs to carry on.  I don't think it could handle a lot of weight but it went up and down ramps easily.

 The buses to the beach.  The beaches were a disappointment overall.  Not because the beaches were dirty or anything but because it was an hour both directions which only gave you an hour on the beach.

Because it took so long to get to the first beach as we boarded the buses there was a pretty vocal mutiny before leaving for the second beach.  Half of the passengers wanted to go back to the ship and bag the beach, half didn't.


After several minutes and votes, one bus went to the ship, one went to the beach.  It was kinda funny in the long run.  The smaller bus went to the beach, yet it was the one with the most people on it.

The beaches at Curacao

The high tide line at the beach.  Lots of broken coral and shells.  Not something you wanted to walk on.

The hills above the beaches are full of tall cactus. Really neat cactus which just show how dry the environment really is.

Some of the housing along the roads.  Bright colors and adobe walls.

 That night on the ship a local group came on board and performed native dances with beautiful costuming.  All of the dances tell a story about love or the fall harvest.

It's really hard to catch a good photo when everyone is moving so fast.

Moonlight over the harbor as we pulled out of the port.