Freedom of the Seas Live Blog – Day 5 – Aruba – Royal Caribbean Blog

Our next port stop is Aruba, and it is a full day of fun, with the ship departing at 9pm.

We got ourselves up and ready early, and relied on the complimentary room service that staying in a suite provides to eat while getting prepared.

We walked off the ship at 9am and took a taxi to the Eagle Aruba Resort & Casino. I searched for day passes and things to do in Aruba, and found that it was economical to book a hotel room even though we knew we would be checking in and checking out the same day. Given the fact we were in port late, it made sense.

After a short taxi ride (perhaps 5 minutes, we arrived at the hotel.

The appeal of booking this hotel was it featured two pools (including a water slide), beach access at Eagle Beach and a room to utilize.

Prior to booking the hotel, I verified we could arrive early in the morning and use the resort facilities.

There are two large pools, one with a large water slide and one with a waterfall grotto.

There was plenty of seating, complimentary Wi-Fi access and shade for those that wanted it.

We spent our morning by the pool and my kids probably climbed that water slide at least a dozen times.

The resort also offers complimentary beach palapas and beach chairs at Eagle Beach. You simply walk across the street and through the next resort to access the beach.

The weather was fantastic, and we had our best day yet outdoors. A consistent breeze kept the warm temperatures tolerable.

Around 1pm, our room was ready, and it was larger than I expected. King size bed, sofa with pull out sofa, full kitchen and private balcony. My only regret is we did not have more time to spend to enjoy the room.

As the afternoon wore on, we had to head back to the ship for our other adventure for the day.

One of the staples of a RoyalCaribbeanBlog group cruise is enjoying a group excursion together. On this cruise, we organized a private catamaran sunset cruise through Royal Caribbean.

The tour departed from across from the ship and it was a two-hour sailing off the coast of Aruba to enjoy an unencumbered view of the sun setting.

The weather was perfect, with a great breeze and warm temperatures all round.

The sailing even included an open bar of drinks, and a few light bites to eat.

Not only did we see a fantastic sunset, but we got to spend a couple hours with friends. It was a ton of fun.

Back on the ship, we ate a late dinner in the Windjammer and then kicked back with a few drinks at the pub.

Tomorrow, we will be in Bonaire.

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Freedom of the Seas Live Blog - Day 5 - Aruba - Royal Caribbean Blog