Cruise The World With Us 2026

Monday – January 19, 2026 – Willemstad, Curacao

Today’s featured photo is of Kleine Knip Beach on the Northwest shore of Curacao. The title is appropriate because when we arrived, all the umbrellas were taken as were the spots in the sand closest to the water.

Jan and I visited Willemstad in December, 1978 – 48 years ago. Not a lot appears to have changed but we only have spotty memories of that visit. The cruise ship dock area is expanded but the main area of town looks as it did long ago. Today we are going on an excursion to a beach about as far from Willemstad as we can be – at the North shore of the island. As we boarded our bus, the driver said he was a good driver but not a very good tour guide. We did not agree as he gave us many facts about the island, its history and the way of life on Curacao.

The drive took about 45 minutes. Along the way we saw tall cactus that are called daggar. We saw windmills along the North side of the island as we got further North. Most energy on Curacao is generated using diesel (over 65%). They used to have utility plants that combined water production (desalination) and electrical production. They still have those 2 functions, but the plants are separated. Wind and solar provide the remainder of the electrical energy.

The buildings on Curacao used to be white with orange tile roofs. Years ago, a governor of the island told the residents that the white paint was causing eye damage because it reflected the sun’s rays. He ordered the people to paint their houses colors different than white which is why you will find so many colorful buildings on the island. After that governor retired, it was discovered that he was the majority owner of the only paint store on the island – so the story about eye damage was only a ploy to increase his wealth.

We arrived at Kleine Knip Beach at noon. The driver was going to be taking a group back to Willemstad after we got off the bus and he would return to pick us up at 3:00. We walked from the bus to an area that overlooks the beach and were disappointed because it looked like the beach was completely full. Hence, the title of this post. We made our way down to the beach area and found that all the umbrellas were in use and it appeared that the chaise lounges were all in use as well. As we walked further, we found a spot in the shade of the trees on the beach and stacks of unused lounges. We staked out an area in the shade and settled in for the next 3 hours.

Shortly after picking our lounges, I was approached by a staff person to pay for use of the equipment ($5 each). There were several interesting things about the area we chose. The trees had what appeared to be fruit the size of a tennis ball. We haven’t been able to identify the fruit – there is a photo of it in today’s photo gallery. Also, in the area were birds that flew in and out of the trees looking for food. I asked the staff person for the name of the birds – he said troupial. I didn’t really understand and he didn’t speak English well, so I asked Siri for help. She gave me the same answer based on how I described the birds but told me that was the Dutch name for the bird. The English name was yellow oriole. The yellow, black and white seemed appropriate as we are Iowa Hawkeye fans. There are several photos of these birds in the photo gallery today.

As we made our way to the pickup location, we looked at what at first appeared to be rocks in the sand. There were pieces of coral many of which were tube shaped. These rocks did not cover the entire beach, just a portion near the center. Don’t know why they collected at that spot.

When we arrived at the drop off lot back at the ship, we asked the driver for directions to the floating bridge over Willemstad harbor. He said he would take us there, so we had the entire bus for ourselves for a mile or so. The floating bridge connects the sides of the harbor and can be pivoted for boats to enter and exit the harbor. There are several photos which show the bridge partially open. The bridge looks like I remember it from our previous visit to Willemstad but I’m sure it has changed somewhat during that 48-year gap.

This evening’s entertainment is a man we saw on the 2025 World Cruise – Andy Bunger. He has a backup soundtrack band called the “Invisibles”. All the instruments are played by him. The “live” instruments he plays are panpipes, vibraphone and electric guitar. He is a talented musician to be able to play all the visible and invisible instruments so well. You can learn more about him here.

You can view today’s photos here.