I was very anxious as we boarded the plane for Aruba. Once out of customs, we took a taxi to the port. As we saw the ship in the distance, I pinched myself to be sure that this was finally happening. As I looked around Oranjestad, the capital of this tiny Dutch island, I could see Dutch-gabled architecture painted in tropical pastels.
At the ship, the crew was anticipating our arrival. A person from reception greeted us at the gang-plank and escorted us to reception. We were surprised to find out that we were upgraded to a room with a balcony.
After settling in, we unpacked and went for dinner. We toasted our arrival with Pain Killers. Dennis returned to the room to finish unpacking while mom and I went to see the presentation of “What the world needs now,” a musical production showcasing the music of Burt Bacharach.
We were all exhausted from the tension of the last few days and were in bed by 9:30 pm.