I guess the only solution is to visit them all, over and over again, to reach a final conclusion. ;-)
I've got to back up here, but I'm going to be quick about it. It's 10:30pm and I'm just getting started on this post. We walked four miles round trip to Nikky Beach and then played in the water for six hours, and once again closed out this cruise's Most Traveled Passengers (MTP) party this evening, and I'm actually looking forward to the next two days at sea just to rest up a bit.
We arrived in Aruba at 7am today, and, following breakfast in the DaVinci Dining Room, packing for a beach day and walking down to Nikky Beach (about two miles to the right of the pier), we were on the beach shortly after 9am. We love the walk to Nikky Beach...the wide sidewalk starts just past the movie theater and continues the rest of the way.
It's easy and safe and pretty as it skirts the waterfront and is just far enough to make us feel like we deserve a day on a beach.
$20 bought us two cushioned loungers (covered with clean sheets!), and umbrellas and two drinks (I had a mango daiquiri). We leaned about this place from the crew, and they've never steered us wrong. It's particularly nice on days like today, when the wind is strong, as it's a bit protected with gentle waves. Eagle and Palm Beaches today would have had huge waves and rough water.
Despite the user-friendly sidewalk along the waterfront that Aruba has constructed southeast of the port, cruise passengers are still routed through that same narrow sidewalk heading to and from the ships. Some days there are 8000 cruise passengers crowding through this area while being accosted by offers of island tours and taxis to the beach. :-(
Aruba really needs to work on that!!
We arrived back on the ship about 4pm, hungry and tired and as sticky with salt spray as I ever care to be. Once cleaned up, we arrived in the Michelangelo Dining Room for dinner with Darko by 5:30pm, and were treated to a beautiful sunset from our port side table.
Captain Nick warned us, in his "welcome back" announcement, that we were in for a rough 24 hours, and we almost immediately heard the stabilizers deploy right under where we were sitting. It's the Christmas winds at their worst. By mid-January, these cruises will have an entirely different feel.
We spent the MTP party talking with Chief Engineer Roddy McConnell and another couple, one of whom was a diesel mechanical engineer. The party had long since broken up before we all called it an evening.
The Ravens v. Lions game is on MUTS tonight, but we're instead tucked into bed. Thank God for two upcoming days a sea. Besides the usual lectures and wine tasting and formal night, we have some personal tasks to attend to, not to mention the fact that we have two days before the Christmas cruise and the arrival of 300 kids to enjoy this ship. The tenor of the Emerald Princess will change in hours, and we need to psych ourselves up for It.