Year 4, Day 343, “Living the Dream”. Tuesday, 4/08/2025. The Wellington – Day 7 of 11 day trip to the ABC Islands – Day 5 of 8 night Southern Caribbean cruise on Adventure of the Seas. – We are in Willemstad, Curacao today from 8am to 8pm.
Willemstad is the capital of Curacao. Curaçao is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is situated 37 miles north of the coast of Venezuela. Curaçao is the poorest country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch is the official language, though Papiamentu, English, and Spanish are also taught in schools. BON BINI everyone. That is greetings from Curacao. If someone says bon bini to you. It means welcome so you’ll probably hear it from the islanders in the ABCs. Bon dia is the typical greeting in the morning, bon tarde after noon and bon nochi at night. It has been five years since we have been to this port. Last time was 3/10/2020. https://deestimes.com/…/serenade-of-the-seas-day-9-of…/ This was right before they shut down cruises due to covid. On the pier this morning there are some local dancers entertaining us. Grandeur of the Seas is also in port.
Today’s adventure is the Willemstad Trolley Train for $73.98 total for both of us. The trolley tour was pretty good and we learned a lot about Curacao. Curacao people are Dutch citizens. Our excursion started with a taxi ride over the Queen Juliana Bridge. It is a four-lane road arch bridge crossing the St. Anna Bay in Willemstad. It reaches a height of 185 feet. It is the highest bridge in the Caribbean. The bridge is 1,400 feet long and weighs a total of 3,400 tons. It opened in 1974 and was named after Queen Juliana. Queen Juliana from 1948 to 1980 was the reigning queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. From the top of this bridge, you could see our ship sitting in the water. Grandeur of the Seas was also visible.
Our trolly tour started by the Queen Emma Bridge. The Queen Emma Bridge is a floating pontoon bridge that connects the waterfronts of Willemstad’s historic neighborhoods Punda and Otrobanda. It is nicknamed the “Swinging Old Lady”. The Queen Emma Bridge was built in 1888 and has upwards of 15,000 people walking across it every day. Free ferry rides are provided when the bridge is open.
The trolley takes us alongside the merchants wharf which is a floating market. The fruits and vegetables come from Venezuela. Behind the market were old boats that the people from Venezuela stay in while delivering. These markets are drive through.
Curaçao’s currency is the Caribbean Guilder (Cg), which was introduced on March 31st, 2025. Neatherland money to Caribbean changed last week. Neatherland money can still be used till June, 2025. School is mandatory between ages 4 and 18 with uniforms. 7:30am – noon are elementary hours and 7:30am – 2pm are high school hours. Curacao has a population of 157,980. The majority of the island’s inhabitants are Roman Catholic (73%). We visited a catholic church where the stations of the cross in paintings were around the church inside. Our trolley guide is a singer and dancer and sang for us. Wow, she was wonderful.
A governor early in the 18th century decreed that all houses on Curaçao should be painted in colorful pastels. This is the reason for the colorful houses. The reason for it was that the white houses with the sun’s reflection gave him a migraine.
The trolley took us around the windy bay and back to the Government fortress/palace on the waterfront where we started.
Dushi is the most used word in Curacao. It means good sweet delicious.
After the trolley a taxi ride back to the ship was supplied as part of the excursion. We boarded the ship and headed to the Crown lounge to relax and socialize.
It is Italian night on the ship. Here is the main dining room menu. We ate in the Windjammer.
Adventure of the Seas Day 5 Cruise Compass – Willemstad, Curacao
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/3RSvc4y All Mighty Pacs Laundry Detergent, Free Clear for Sensitive Skin: We always use All Free and Clear liquid laundry shop. Just recently we have started buying the pods for traveling. It is great for for using laundry machines in hotels. When you have to purchase small packages you have to buy real perfumy stuff most of the time. Allergic reactions have been a problem in the past. This stuff is great. Clothes come out really clean with no perfume odors or skin irritants.
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