Pixie and Pirate Destinations, LLC - Lori Lennon

12/23/2024

Travel day home (Day 6)…

We woke you and I just sat in bed enjoying the view for a little before starting to pack to go home. Check out is 12p, but if you have a later flights you can request late check out and they usually charge $25 per hour extra.

We finished packing and getting ready early so had some time to go down to the pool bar and have a mimosa and take in the views one more time. I also checked out the shops in the hotel. We weren’t hungry when we woke up and missed the buffet hours so we grabbed some snacks at the 24 hour lounge before getting a cab to the airport.

They say to get to the airport 3 hours heat of time, which we did, but ended up making it through security in less than an hour. You first go through Aruba customs. This seems to be a random selection if you go to the self passport scan or an agent. We got put in the agent line and it was about 20 minutes slower based on the couple in front of us who got to go in the self scan line. We have global entry so going through US customs was a breeze. You do have to check your bags then pick them back up to check them again with going through US customs here. It is always nice to get customs done before landing in the states so it’s a quicker process once home.

Pro Tip: check seat availability before the flight. If you chose seats you can change them. If there is a lot of availability you may be able to get a row to yourself. We got a row to the 2 of use with a quick change at the airport.

We landed in JFK, my mom picked us up with my younger two and couldn’t be more excited to hug them all!

We had an amazing anniversary trip and hope you all enjoyed following along. If you have any questions I am here to answer them.

12/22/2024

Day 5…

It’s our last full day. I slept in while my husband played another 9 holes at the Divi Golf Resort. He got back around 9a then went grabbed some breakfast at the main buffet and headed to the pool. I finished my book while he napped then we hung out at the pool the rest of the afternoon, with the iguanas 🤣

Tonight we went off site to Daniel’s Steak and Chop for dinner. We had the escargot, Caesar salad, steak with Brussels sprouts and potatoes au gratin. Then they brought us a complimentary chocolate mousse cake for our anniversary which was delicious.

We did some shopping for souvenirs for the kids after dinner then went to Fat Tuesdays to watch some college football.

Headed back to the hotel to watch more of the game at the casino but are finishing watching it the room, even tonight we know it’s over, with some snacks and once it’s over it’s bed time.

It’s been a great vacation and I’m not happy about the travel home day tomorrow, but am so excited to see my kids!

12/21/2024

Day 4…

We grabbed some breakfast at the 24 hour lounge. It’s great because they have premade sandwiches too that you can get so we picked some up to bring for lunch as we did a UTV excursion from 9a-1p.

The excursion was with RockaBeach Tours and it was entertaining from pick up at the hotel. The bus was bright and blasting music. The tour guide was asking us to sing along and was going around the roundabouts so many times I was getting squished by my husband. They took us to their headquarters where they had drinks, food, goggles and bandana for purchase and has people fill out waivers and purchase insurance, it wanted, and then we were off for the fun!

We visited the Natural Bridges/Blackstone Blackstone Beach then a natural cave pool we cliff jumped from and the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, next we saw the California Lighthouse and then went finally a stop at Arashi beach, which was much needed to wash some of the dirt off us. This was an amazing excursion and I highly recommend it if coming to Aruba.

We went to the pool after we were dropped back off at the hotel and stayed there to nap, read and hang in the pool before going back to the room to get ready for dinner.

We ended up eating at their Italian restaurant, Rimini. This was by far our least favorite. We didn’t have high expectations and think it was even worse than I expected. We really enjoyed the first 2 restaurants included here and made a quick decision tonight for this or the Arabian restaurant and someone told us so we settled on this, but I really didn’t enjoy it so wish we went to the other one. I will say though, as New Yorkers we are very critical of Italian food so we should have just skipped this one since there was going to be one restaurant here we were going to skip since we had decided to eat off the resort a couple nights.

After dinner we heading to the Riu Palace Aruba Sports Bat, the family resort next door, to watch the Notre Dame vs Indiana game.

We did some casino time and came out barely on top… then went to the disco for some dancing before some snacks from the 24 hr lounge and bed!

12/20/2024

Day 3….

Today is officially our 20th Anniversary. We woke up and grabbed breakfast at the buffet again before heading to the pool to grab chairs and relax before a couples massage. The massage was very relaxing and we went back to the pool after to enjoy our day. We had some drinks and I started a new book. We tried out the lunch buffet and they had good options.

Before heading back to the room we played some Bingo. We were not winners but if you won your prize was that you had to dance in front of everyone and the guy who won was great 🤣

For dinner we took a cab to Madame Janette which was recommended to us by many. It is a beautiful restaurant and had live music while we ate. Inhad their famous Shnitzel for dinner and my husband got the cordon bleu, they were huge portions and so delicious. We tried the tuna tartare appetizer which was also amazing.

We went to the lobby bar before heading to the entertainment for the night, some live music and the Famous Show at the Carnaval Bar Saloon. After we walked to the Riu Palac next door, this is the family resort and you get privileges here as a guest of the Riu Antillas, besides dining.

We then walked into town and had some fun at Fat Tuesdays. I will say I have never felt more safe on an island than I do in Aruba. It’s a great place to visit.

12/19/2024

Day 2….

We started our day with my husband playing 9 at The Links at Divi Aruba, while I spectated. The condition of the course wasn’t good but it had a nice layout and the proshop was great. Since the nicer course on the island is closed until next week this was the only option of where to play. The couple he played with have played this course before and said the last time the conditions were pristine and they were surprised with the condition today. It is only 9 holes but they have different tee markers for those playing 18. Also collared shirts are a requirement, which I did not have as it didn’t say it on the website, so I had to wear a shirt they provided, which was somewhat embarrassing but at least I didn’t have to pay for one 🤣.

We headed back to the hotel for some food at the buffet which had some great options then enjoyed some time on the beach before heading to our snorkeling excursion with Aruba Watersports Center. This was close to our hotel, so we decided to walk the beach to get there. This excursion included snacks and an open bar as well as 2 snorkeling stops at The Antilla Shipwreck and Boca Catalina Bay. It was 2.5 hours long and a really fun experience.

We walked back to the resort for some pool time then we got ready for dinner but there was a wait so we checked out the casino beforehand and I ended up winning $27 with the free play I was provided! We went to dinner at Krystal and the entrees were really good! We got the short rib and red snapper. We ended the night having some drinks and more casino time with some people we had meet the night before.

12/18/2024

Day 1….

Our travel day was loooong. It took over 2 hrs to get to JFK and ended up getting to Aruba about an hour later than expected, since the drones were flying by the airport so they had to stop take offs from our runway. But once we landed in Aruba the process going through customs was quick and easy and we were in a cab within 30 minutes of getting off the plane. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the hotel from the airport, and that was with some traffic. We checked in quickly and went to our room to unpack.

The room is great; it’s clean, spacious and has a great view despite being the lowest room category here. We then took some time to walk around and situate ourselves around the resort.

Dining is a first come first serve basis but we talked to the hostess desk at the Steakhouse and were able to get a spot for 8p around 6:15p then we finished exploring before going to the room to get ready for dinner and FaceTiming the kids.

We checked out the lobby bar before heading to dinner. For dinner we started off with the bread service then we tried the jalapeño deviled eggs, Cesar salad, surf and turf, lobster mac and cheese, fries then finished with the steakhouse ice cream sandwich and lemon cheesecake. I enjoyed it all! They don’t serve bar drinks at the restaurant so had go grab them from the Chill Bar right next door, they did come around with wine though.

We have an early morning tomorrow so are off to bed now. So far we are loving it!

12/16/2024

My husband and I are leaving tomorrow to celebrate our 20th Anniversary in Aruba, staying at the Hotel Riu Palace Antillas!

Be sure to follow along to learn more about this resort and the island of Aruba. We have excursions planned, dinners on and off the resort and of course some much needed relaxation!

We will be returning December 22nd so for this reason my response times will be delayed. I will be responding to emails on all non urgent matters starting December 23rd. For anything emergent I will have my phone available for a call or text, or email if you prefer. Thank you for your understanding!

11/21/2024

Epic Universe is opening May 22, 2025! Who else is so excited for this? Which land are you wanting to visit the most? I personally don’t think I can choose… I just want to see it all!! 🧙 🍄 🧛 🐉 💫

Enter the portals to five immersive worlds at Universal Epic Universe, the fourth amazing theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, opening May 22, 2025. Get a...

11/21/2024

I seriously had the best day… and now I’m exhausted 🤣

But please leave any questions you have in the comments because I would love to try and answer them all!

Did you like following along today? What was your favorite part of my tour? And do you want to sail on the Disney Treasure?

11/21/2024

And the last post… some of the shops! Because who doesn’t love shopping?

11/21/2024

Some cafe and food locations I saw along the way!

11/21/2024

You can get primped at Hook’s Barbery or Untangled Salon!

11/21/2024

The Periscope Pub is themed to 1000 leagues under the sea

11/21/2024

Concierge lounge

11/20/2024

Getting off the ship now. We ended the tour with a preview of The Tale of Moana at the Walt Disney Theatre! It was incredible and I need to get back on this ship to see part 2! We weren’t able to tape this but I promise you, you would love it!

They also will have Beauty and the Beast and Seize the Adventure shows on the Treasure.

There are some things I didn’t post yet so stay tuned for more when I get home or tomorrow.

11/20/2024

The kids can enjoy themselves at Edge (if 11-14) or Oceaneers Club (3-10). If you want to see the best way to get to the Oceaneers club check out the comments

We didn’t get to see Vibe but this would be for 14-17 year olds.

11/20/2024

The Cove is for guest 18+. It’s a great place for the adults to relax and enjoy themselves!

11/20/2024

If you want a sweet treat Jumbeaux’s Sweets will have you covered! These sweet treats are an additional cost but based on the one they gave us to try it will be worth the extra cost 😋