As the new cruise season started on October 5th 2006 with the docking of the Infinity, Celebrity Cruises / RCCL, De Palm Tours prepared to give this ship a warm welcome as the first call of the 2006-2007 season.

The cruise season, reports Geraldine Keyter-Bisslik, Shore Excursions & Cruise Services Supervisor, De Palm Tours Aruba runs from October '06 to Sept. '07.

To celebrate the occasion Paul Connor, who was the first Calypso King of Aruba's Carnival 55 years ago and the person who introduced steel band music and Calypso

competitions to the island, played at the arrival hall as passengers came off the ship for their morning tours. Two Carnival dancers in luxurious costumes with extravagant body pieces also posed for welcome photos.

The event was organized by De Palm Tours and was sponsored by: De Palm Tours, Aruba Ports Authority and Maduro & Sons.

In the pictures Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines Infinity arriving in the port of Oranjestad on its last call of a two-week itinerary departing from San Francisco with 2000 passengers on board. The ship was greeted by various local & Dutch port executives among them Humphrey Tromp, Alfonso Boek, V/D Hart, Ricky Lacle, Johnny Serauss, and Giovanni Rajunath, Port Operations Manager at Maduro & Sons.

The port management reports Aruba will be enjoying over 300 calls for the upcoming season and is expecting the Pullmanturs, Blue Moon inauguration call at the end of October.