The ABC Islands on Carnival Cruise Ship Horizon

We spent two days at sea sailing from Miami to our first port in Aruba and two days at sea sailing from Curaçao back to Miami. My sister participated in many of the options available for entertainment on the cruise ship, enjoying everything they had to offer. I, on the other hand, spent as much time as I could on the Serenity Deck. The staff on the cruise ship took great care of us in all situations.

In Aruba, we disembarked and immediately met our tour guide, EA, outside the terminal for our UTV tour with Around Aruba Tours. He was very fun and entertaining while driving us to the Philips Animal Garden where our UTV tour started. The Animal Garden is a non-profit organization that focuses on rescuing exotic animals in Aruba and the region. We were able to see and feed the animals before getting on our own UTV and traveling among some of the island’s best destinations. Around Aruba Tours is a company offering you the opportunity to see the beauty of Aruba sitting in a Jeep Wrangler, UTV, or ATV. You can customize your tour and choose from different famous landscapes. After our UTV tour, we took another tour by horseback with Hoofs of Hope Aruba. Our guide Alex, was not only amazing but gave everyone the best photographer experience he could! He happily posed everyone on their horses in front of the beautiful ocean scenery and took as many pictures as you wanted with your cell phone.

In Bonaire, we took our own time and walked through the open markets and shops. We ate at Karel’s which was amazing and the view was even better. We took a taxi to a beach club and spent some time taking in the beautiful water and sun.

Finally, in Curaçao, we toured Willemstad area on our own and then rented a tuk-tuk tour and had an absolute blast. Curaçao’s neighborhoods are known as barrios. The west side where we disembarked from the cruise ship is called Otrobanda and is the oldest part of the city. The Queen Emma Bridge (known as the Swinging Old Lady) is a pontoon bridge that connects the Otrobanda side of Willemstad to the Punda (East side) of Willemstad. It is a pedestrian bridge that floats on 16 pontoon boats and is known for swinging open to allow ships to pass through St. Anna Bay. The Punda side is known for it’s colorful Dutch colonial architecture and famous Handelskade waterfront.

After our stroll through the Willemstad barrios, we hopped on a tuk-tuk tour through Pietermaai. Our guide JC was so kind and showed us off the beaten paths where we were able to see some of the community art the city is known for. Our guide taught us a lot about the Curaçao culture and showed us more than we could have seen on foot on our own. At the end of our 2-hour tour, we asked him where we could catch a cab to a beach and JC said, “I’m headed that way; I will take you to Mambo Beach”. He even offered to come back when we were ready and take us back to the cruise ship.

• Bodegas Papiamento Distillery in the heart of Aruba housed in a historic ice factory

• Bina Restaurant and Bar at Chogogo Dive and Beach resort

• Karel's Beach Bar and Watersports

• Grand Cafe Gouverneur de Rouville

• Bario Food Yard

• Hemingway