On most of our cruise assignments, we would be packing our bags on day seven to return home. However, there are still three full days left on this 10-night sailing aboard ms Rotterdam. This morning, the ship is docked in Willemstad, Curacao, a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region. We have visited Curacao on a couple of other cruises, but we never docked at this location. It looks totally unfamiliar to us.

It is extremely windy this morning and it looks like it may rain. We decide to stay onboard until later this morning, hoping the weather will clear. It didn’t.

*The view of Willemstad from our balcony*

We spend the morning getting some laps around the track on Deck 11 then playing some Cornhole.

*Time for a game of Cornhole before going ashore*

We finally decide to brave the elements and take a walk into town. It is still very windy, but we never did get rained on. Good thing since we did not bring our umbrella!

There is a great walking path here into town with some good areas for photos of the ship.

After about five minutes walking from the ship and you arrive at the RIF Fort and Renaissance Mall. This area has been developed into a hotel, shopping and restaurant district for tourists.

There are lots of souvenir shops, eateries and bars in this area and it appears to be a relatively new development.

Walking through the RIF Fort and shopping area will take you to within sight of the Queen Emma Bridge which crosses the St. Anna Bay. This is a more familiar area to us because our previous cruise ships docked within sight of the pontoon bridge. Along the shore you will find a variety of local merchants selling souvenirs.

The Queen Emma Bridge (below) is a pontoon bridge that connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad. The bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of oceangoing vessels. We actually arrived at the bridge just in time to see it swing open to allow a couple of ships to pass through.

After walking across the bridge and exploring Willemstad on our own, we head back to Rotterdam for lunch. Today, we plan to try the made-to-order pizza at New York Deli & Pizza (menu below). I order the Bronx and Rickee ordered the Grand Central.

*The lunch/dinner menu at New York Deli & Pizza*

It took about 20 minutes before our buzzer alerted us that our pizzas were ready for pick up. Both pizzas were hot and roughly 12” in diameter. My Bronx pizza was better than I remember from my experience on Nieuw Statendam. However, I wish they offered chili pepper flakes. If they do, I could not find them. The pizza has a thin, crispy crust and a reasonable amount of toppings.

This afternoon, we once again head to Team Trivia, hosted today by Samantha. This is becoming a habit. We are so predictable.

*Samantha calls out the Team Trivia questions today*

For dinner this evening, we have reservations at Canaletto on Deck 9. Canaletto is the ship’s Italian specialty restaurant. The cost to dine here is $19 per person (+ 18% service charge).

The menu at Canaletto would suggest a three-course meal. Small plates, followed by Large plates, followed by dessert. Pay close attention when ordering because some items come with an additional supplement charge.

We enjoyed our meal at Canaletto, but you will have to wait for our Dining Review video for all of the details on each dish we tried. Make sure you are subscribed to our YouTube channel (@cruisereport) so you will be notified when the video is released.

We were able to get out of Caneletto in time for the 9:30 show in the World Sttage. Once again, the Step One Dance Company is performing Musicology. While the dancing was great, the theme of the show was a little “out there” for our liking. We are not sure we get the theme of the show.

Tomorrow is our second day at sea. We plan to relax and enjoy our balcony!

MS Rotterdam Blog

Day 7 - Willemstad, Curacao

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