| Up at 5.30pm on the 7th December for our arrival into Curaçao where we'd have company. While we were due for 7am, AIDAluna was 6am and Horizon 8am. Well, all three were waiting to dock at 6am, with the other two on our starboard side. Ah, ships. Don't you just like their unpredictability? Originally, Ocean Dream was scheduled but for some reason, Pullmantur put Horizon on her winter Caribbean routes. We would be berthing outside, which we did as the other two headed to the other side of the bridge. |
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| Back to bed then up to let the stewards do the room. I went to the Rendezvous to do internet then when I took the laptop back to the cabin, I discovered one of the stewards had got a plate to put my fruit on. First time that had happened. On Norwegian Epic, the apples were left on the shelves by the towels while Queen Mary 2 they were left to roll around on the desk - or fall off! Lunch and my back was killing me, but I got some more fruit for my plate. Well, I may as well make use of it. |
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| I went down about 12.30pm to wait for my Historical Willenstad Trolley Tour and there were several others waiting. Novella and Pilar were retired American teachers from New Jersey (though Pilar was actually born in Spain) and Ginny was American, but I don't know what she did. Our guides to the taxis didn't seem to know what they were doing but eventually we got in one and began the trip to the bright pink trolley for our hour-long tour. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Trust me, if I wanted to see petrol stations, eating places and old buildings no one lives or works in, I'd be a boring person indeed! The only mildly interesting this was the building for the National Archive (nicknamed the wedding cake), and Fort Amsterdam, which still has a cannonball fired by the British in the wall (which is painted to make sure people see it). She asked if there was any British there and I stuck my lone hand up. I definitely would avoid this sort of tour in future. An absolute waste of $34.75 and most of us wanted to go back to the ship afterwards rather than stay and shop. |
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| Horizon was due to sail at 3pm so I went on deck 11, passing Leather Woman in a leopard print bikini - ugh! Well I waited, and waited and waited. There was a parp around 3.40pm but nothing else for another ten minutes when she went behind the bridge to turn then emerged, blasting as she neared the entrance then again after dropping the pilot. Despite Pullmantur being owned by RCCL as well and Horizon being a former Celebrity ship and first newbuild for the brand, silence from our lot - boo! |
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| We were sailing at 5pm so I went to the Rendezvous for a Coke as I waited, munching on those gorgeous chilli peanuts they have. Then the Captain came on to say we were going shortly! Another early departure so I went onto the Prom deck, where there was also a cleaner watching the first sailaway of the current season. Unlike Horizon, we were silent the whole time. |
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| Back inside and from the lift shafts on deck 2, you could see the gangways and things. I'd not noticed them the day before. The show was Simon Pepper, an English magician, who was okay. I did enjoy his skit on the Masked Magician from those magic secrets revealed shows. But generally his act was nothing new. |
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| Dinner! It's amazing how different salads look without yukky lettuce but the dressings were ever so nice. I don't normally have them because I prefer to taste my food (like no salt or buttered bread), but they were so delicious and this night, helped remove the flavour of the extra red cabbage I was given in place of lettuce. Afterwards, Carmel and I went for a walk around the deck, something she hadn't done before at night then we wandered to the shops. We were given a key to the Roberto Coin prize pendant, which was in a box, and they would be launching the new shop the next day at 11am. One way to get the punters in - bribery! Carmel showed me her Sky Suite then I returned to my little inside and went to bed. |
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