AIDA Caribbean 2014 – Page 2

The next morning, after breakfast, we set off on the AIDA excursion we had booked, the "Everglades Tour". In Miami the AIDA scouts aren't allowed to work on land, so local guides always have to be booked. Our guide originally came from Germany and, although she had lived in America for 45 years, spoke superb German. The bus took us through Miami to the Everglades.

We reached the national park after about 45 minutes. There we got onto an airboat and set off right across the swamps.

On our one-hour tour we even saw alligators – some hard to spot, others lying in the sun. We also marvelled at other animals on our trip through the Everglades. After the tour we went on to a little show where the differences between crocodiles and alligators were explained and demonstrated.

The park has lots of other attractions to admire.

On the way back we got off at Bayside to do a bit of shopping and then ended up at the pier, with a great view of our "hotel" for the coming days.

Right at the port you'll find the Hard Rock Cafe. After the safety drill, it was time in the evening to weigh anchor and head for Tampa.

On Wednesday morning we arrived in Tampa on time, and our next excursion was due. This time our destination was Universal Studios, booked entirely through AIDA. The bus ride took 1.5 hours, during which we were told a lot about the country and its people. As soon as we arrived, we couldn't stop marvelling. Even from the outside, the whole park impressed with its splendour. We had 5 hours in the park at our own disposal – which isn't nearly enough.

At 3 p.m. the bus took us back to the ship. The whole excursion lasted 8 hours, and the 110 euros per person were money well spent.

Back at the port, we made a short visit to the nearby shopping centre.

At 6 p.m. the ship left Tampa, this time heading for New Orleans.