One of the reasons we stayed in Miami
over Winter 2019 was to take the Holistic Holiday at Sea Caribbean cruise. This was
our 4th time on this particular cruise, where we are able to enjoy
chef-prepared vegan foods, connect with like-minded travelers, and enjoy
workshops, lectures, and presentations led by plant-based experts in the areas
of nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, and wellness. There are classes in vegan
cooking, fitness, yoga, and meditation, plus nightly entertainment and socials.
Dubbed as the "Original Vegan Cruise", we love the opportunity to nourish our
bodies and our spirits in such luxurious surroundings. The MSC Divina is a
beautiful ship and I thoroughly enjoy exploring the many accommodations available
on board.
Our ports of call this time around included
Jamaica, Aruba, Columbia, Panama, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. We opted to stay on
board during the first stop in Jamaica, since we have been onshore here two
times before, and sometimes it’s more fun to stay on the ship while the
majority of the passengers disembark. It’s peaceful to have the place to
yourself for a few hours.
The second stop was the island of Aruba
in the port city of Oranjestad, which is also the capital. Aruba is a part of the Netherlands,
a tiny island, about 69 square miles, located off the coast of Venezuela.
Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to
as the ABC islands and
are often called the Dutch Caribbean. From an internet site, “Aruba, a tiny
Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, has dry, sunny weather,
blond beaches and gentle surf. Constant trade winds bring cool breezes and
cause the divi-divi trees to slope southwesterly. European influence shows in
architecture that features Dutch gables painted in tropical pastels. It’s also
evident in language, with English, Dutch and Spanish spoken alongside the local
tongue, Papiamento.”
We didn’t take any organized excursions or
tours while in port, but we did get off the ship and walk around for a couple
of hours. It is definitely very resort oriented in the port area, and we didn’t
venture out much further than that. We walked along the coast, and saw lots of wildlife
(a colorful lizard called the Aruban whiptail, a tropical bird called the Venezuelan
Troupial, and of course the ever present Iguana), and many restaurants, shops,
and tourists stops.
Here are pictures of our 2 hour walk in port. (I
will have separate posts for each of the ports we visited.)
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