Aruba - in the Caribbean

We had a very nice day in Aruba yesterday. The weather was perfect (if a little hot for our liking), the scenery was varied and interesting - for once the place visited was not "Third World" and it was all so well organised as far as tourism goes that the visits of three cruiseships on one day was not a problem. We have come across a small number of cruiseships during our cruising so far. We were in company with Aida Aura in Kuala Lumpur, another Vista class ship (Costa) in Sharm El Sheikh, and the five that were with us in Southampton. But yesterday, after we berthed in Aruba, we were pleased to see Regent Seven Seas Mariner and Holland America's Zuiderdam come into port to join us. During our sailaway "party" yesterday, I spoke to a few passengers who have seen quite a few of the Caribbean ports, and they all expressed surprise at the high standards we found in Aruba. It has a lot going for it as a tourist destination. Good weather out of the Hurricane belt, a good standard of living with low unemployment and hence a low crime rate, an unusual scenery (lots of cactus), great beach resorts. If it wasn't so far away from Australia, I could easily see an enjoyable week there some time in the future. We are now headed for the Panama Canal - for transit through it tomorrow. We have been assured by many that it is far more interesting and spectacular than the transit through the Suez Canal (which we thought was a wonderful experience). We are however concerned that this ship Arcadia does not provide good unobstructed upper deck space for a large scale passenger viewing experience. It has no forward facing upper deck space (unlike Oriana which was very well designed in this respect). We are often asked which of the two ships we prefer so far - but an answer to that question is not easy. I guess that transits through the Panama Canal are not foremost in the mind of cruiseship designers (except in making sure that they can fit through!) - but it does go to show that there is more to answering that question than what first appears.

You can view a Youtube video of our day in Aruba here