2013 Crown Princess Cruise: Curacao and Aruba

BEFORE THE CRUISE

Fred drove to St. Louis to visit Sister Margaret Wulff on December 23rd, 2013

Christmas: Faith Lutheran Church with Pastor Todd Ohlmann (Margaret's son-in-law). The church is quite small and most of the children in the service were Ohlmanns -- grandchildren  of Margaret.

 

 

 

 

Dinner at the Ohlmann House

Visits with Margaret, the Ohlmann family and Stephen Maginnis on December 26th

 

 

Then da cruise ...

Reservation 7KMJ3G Vacations to go special deal #12879 

Dec. 28

Left St. Louis 6 a.m via Atlanta on Delta Airlines (flights on sale)
Arrived Fort Lauderdale 11:55 a.m.  Boarded shuttle to the ship.
Room P 340  located just off of the atrium (shown below)

Crown Princess (5 stars)

Featuring their latest innovations, Crown Princess is one of the largest Princess ships, with room for 3,080 passengers.

No shore excursions offered for handicapped. The cruise ship did not dock there (uses tenders) so Margaret could not go ashore.

Fred signed up for a boat ride in the Bahamas ($35) at 1:30 p.m. My one hour coastal cruise begans at Princess Cays, our beautiful island resort available exclusively to Princess passengers. I' boarded the 40-foot "Reef Princess" boat and travel along the coast of Eleuthera, an untouched paradise waiting to be discovered. Coasting alongside this pencil-thin island on soothing crystal-clear waters, I witnessed white sand beaches and natural foliage.

On the ship Margaret and I watched acrobats La Paire on the piazza outside our room.

Both Margaret and Fred feasted on surf and turf for dinner in the Da Vinci Dinning Room

We took in another performance of the acrobats

Often a piano player performed in the piazza.

Margaret and Fred investigated the card making demonstrations. Margaret participated.

Horse races were held in the Atrium.

Poolside competition in the afternoon

We chose assigned seating for the DaVinci Dining Rom and enjoyed our daily companions.

Food was always excellent

Getting ready for New Years Eve

 More entertainment by the acrobats....

December 31st -- Curacao

Canons ar Rif Fort

Fred met a friend

Margaret bought an ice cream cone

Fort Amsterdam

Historic District

Queen Juliana Bridge

Street musician take a break

Little girl tackles a cocnut

Governor's Palace

Smoke from fireworks

Tired tourist

Crown Princess

The port of Willemstad is alive with historic treasures. One of the six UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Caribbean, it was selected in 1997 because of the city's dedication to the preservation of culture and its multicultural community that has grown over three centuries. 



 Fort Amsterdam. Strategically built in 1635 to guard the entrance to the harbor from enemy ships, the fort is one of the most important of Curacao's eight forts and is distinguished as a World Heritage Site. There is  a cannonball embedded in the southwest wall. This citadel was converted into the Governor's Palace and the office of the Central Government of the former Netherlands Antilles.

New Years Eve Celebration

Sober King Fred

Balloon drop

Aruba

Table guests from Cleveland, Ohio

Comedy Show Time: Phil Tag

Apple pie and ice cream

Chorus

Crew Talent Show

Tour: :Land and Sea of Fort Lauderdale

Tour of Art Crafts

When Fred returned home, he read over proofs of his 3rd book "Speaking Out" and approved them for publication. The book is now in process of being printed. Book #4 "Detroit: The Way We Were" should becoming out around April of 2014.

ITINERARY


Visit Bahamas, Curacao and Aruba

DAY               DATE               PORT                                                       ARRIVE

DEPART

Sat                   Dec 28              Fort Lauderdale, FL                                   4:00pm


Sun                  Dec 29              Princess Cays, Bahamas
                                                  Princess Cruise Line's private
                                                  destination on the southern tip of the
                                                  island of Eleuthera                                       9:00am ---4:00pm

Mo                   Dec 30              At Sea


Tue                  Dec 31              Curacao
                                                  The simplicity of this colorful island
                                                   makes it one of the most delightful ports
                                                   of the Caribbean. Language Dutch. Good
                                                   view of colorful waterfront from the ship.    1:00pm--10:00pm

Wed                 Jan 1                 Aruba
                                                  Aruba is an island of contrasting terrain,
                                                  from its white-sand southern shoreline to
                                                  its rugged and adventurous northern coast.
                                                  Language Dutch                                             8:00am---5:00pm


Thur                Jan 2                  At Sea

Fri                   Jan 3                   At Sea

Sat

Jan 4                                           Fort Lauderdale, FL Fort Lauderdale lies
                                                   about 30 minutes north of Miami on Florida's
                                                   lower Atlantic Coast.                                         7:00am