We flew from Denver to Ft Lauderdale a day early, and stayed at the Hilton Marina. We were able get a Holland America shuttle to the pier without a reservation. Since we were in a mini-suite, we got priority boarding, which was very nice.

Our first port of call was Holland America's private Half Moon Cay. We elected to stay aboard ship and wished we had gone ashore when was all said and done. It was hot and humid, so the air conditioning was nice.

The next day was a sea day on our way to Oranjustad, Aruba. Our excursion was a combination sea/shore tour. We had a boat ride out to a "submarine" where we boarded and viewed a sunken German ship and lots of fish and scuba divers - neat. We then boarded a bus for an island tour. Saw the California Light House, named for the California which sank right off the shore. It wasw also one of the ships to go to the distress call of the Titanic. Went to a beautiful garden and a fallen natural bridge, where we build carin to add to the hundreds made on rocks along the shore. Read more