Arubalisa
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Posts posted by Arubalisa
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Taxi fares increase tomorrow September 1.
Oranjestad to Eagle Beach $10
Oranjestad to Palm Beach $11
Taxi tour by the hour $45
All fares are NOT per person, but by fare. Addtional $3 charge on Sundays and holidays.
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Sorry I did not see this post.
The lost time we drove by jeep, it took us 45 minutes once we were off of the paved road. It is much quicker and much easier to get to the Natural Pool via horseback or ATV.
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For taxi fares from the cruise terminal use Oranjestad. The fares at one time were posted on a large sign at the exit of the terminal. Not sure if they are still there.
We had a good many problems with being overcharged this past June while in Aruba. Fares have not increased in a good number of years. In that they are approved by the government, new fares have been submitted, but not yet approved.
From our experience last summer, the only advice I can give is to agree upon the fare before getting into the taxi.
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If you are coming from the direction of the port you would want to take this roundabout and turn right
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.54562&lon=-70.0531197&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2
once you have made the right at the roundabout, follow the directions from
"• At 1st circle on 4A, go straight through to other side, past Mon Cheri Bar on Right.
• Go through 2nd circle, past BMW dealer. 3.9km
• Go through 3rd circle, past Aruba bank. 5.3km ..ETC.."
On wikimapia you can see the roundabouts mentioned in the directions.
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I feel like I must reiterate that tourists in Aruba MUST know beforehand what fares they should be charged BEFORE stepping foot in a taxi on the island. Below are the details of our experiences with taxis during our recent 13 day land vacation in Aruba. Unfortunately, for the most part, the experience was far from pleasant.
"We usually use the same taxi driver, Bully (taxi 79), throughout our entire trip. During our stay in Aruba he was off island on vacation with his family. He is honest, dependable and knowledgeable about the island. We have been using him for over two years now. This trip without Bully, our experiences with the 8 random taxi drivers we used, were, with the exception of 2 drivers, disgraceful to the Aruban people and very disheartening for us. In every instance but two, the drivers tried to overcharge us. With no increase in fares since 2002, paying tax and not being able to pass it on, and the high price of gas, we were faced with a large percentage of drivers with the attitude "let's screw the tourists". Not to say that there are not other honest taxi drivers, but we met 6 out of 8 who were NOT.
Loving Aruba and her people as much as we do, we were very saddened by their behavior to say the least. Having traveled to Aruba before, at least we know some of their unjustified, in my opinion, reasoning in this situation. I cannot imagine a first time visitor to the island who knows what the fares are "supposed" to be, being charged whatever fare the driver makes up. The Aruban government sets the taxi fares; they need to give these drivers a raise. Hopefully the raise in fares will once again make the drivers honest. Again, to their credit, we did have two very nice and honest drivers, one a woman on Father's Day night and another nice gentleman the night we went to the Promenade.
Our worst "taxi" incident came outside the Holiday Inn returning back to the Tamarijn from Palm Beach following our day aboard the Jolly Pirates. We walked outside of the lobby at the Holiday Inn and there were 4 taxi drivers seated on benches hanging out. Since our friends were with us we were 7 people total and needed 2 taxis anyway, so this was perfect. Dh asked them what the fare was to the Tamarijn and they eyed up one another and one of the drivers said "$10". Knowing what we were up against, before we even left the Tamarijn in the morning, dh confirmed with our favorite concierge Iris that the fair should be $8.
Dh politely but forcefully asked to see their fare sheet where it showed the fare was $10. Well don't you know all of a sudden they acted like they could even barely understand English. Dh did not back down and again asked to see it in writing. Finally one of the drivers got up and went to his taxi to get the fare sheet. He came back with it, but then walked away from us to be by himself to eye up the chart. He then came over to us saying indeed it was $10, still not showing us the chart. Dh told all 4 drivers point blank that we would pay the $10, since obviously we had no choice, but we were also going to take the taxi's numbers and report the drivers to the Aruba Tourism Authority.
Well gosh, don't you know, all of a sudden the taxi driver who had the sheet in his hand, stumbles over to me and points to Oranjestad ($10). Yeah, right, we told them all right from the start that we were all going to the Tamarijn! They do not even come close to sounding alike and I have only been to Oranjestad twice in the past 5 years. SO, clarifying that we were going to the Tamarijn, I showed the driver it was $8. Normally we would have paid him the $8 for the fare and a $2 tip for a total of $10 anyway. Needless to say, we did not tip him and he only got his $8 so he lost out for his foolish behavior. Our friends also did not tip their driver and would have under better circumstances."
Taxi drivers are "supposed" to carry fare sheets with them in their taxis. Before you get into a taxi, please do yourself a favor and ask the driver what the fare will be. Educate yourself beforehand and if you disagree upon the fare, ask to see the fare sheet or move along to the next taxi. There are a LOT of taxis on the island.
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I continue to read on various forums that taxi drivers in Aruba are not always charging the fare that they should. Again, please know the fare before you go and agree upon that fare with the driver before entering the taxi. Rates are set by the government and the taxi drivers are "supposed" to be following these regulations but seem to be trying to tack on additonal dollars to make up for their high fuel costs and taxes.
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Absolutely please do! I am waiting for dh to download the Aruba map to our Garmin to see how it is.
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I'll choose text... ;) :D Enjoy!
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http://taxiaruba.com/new/farelist.html Please print this list and take with you or know the price you will be expected to pay when hiring a taxi in Aruba. Most all of the drivers are knowledgable and courteous. HOWEVER, like with everything and everyone else, there are a few "bad apples". Today I spoke with yet one more person who was overcharged by an Aruba taxi driver who "made up" the fare. All fares are set by the Aruba Government and are a set fee. Agree to the fare before you step into the taxi and make sure it is in line with the fares listed at the link above.
There is a surcharge on Sundays and holidays and after midnight detailed at http://taxiaruba.com/new/policy.html
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I just found out that the Aruban Government has increased the hourly taxi rate to $40 per hour. That is per car, up to a maximum of 5 persons.I was the person who originally reccommended him here in this fourm. He was reccommended to us by someone in another forum. He drove us around the island exclusively for our 8 night stay last September. I do not know how many years he has driven a taxi on the island, but he is a native and knows the island well. We saw places we had never seen in our 14 previous trips and on an island 26 miles long that is a feat in itself. My parents just returned from a land vacation in Aruba and they too also used him exclusively during their stay. My parents and I do not agree on everything, but they too loved Bully. -
Forgot::)
You can check the excursion booth outside the terminal in Arubayou find the members in Blue Unifor says A.T.O.A. (ASSOCIATION TOUR OPERATORS OF ARUBA) THEY CAN OFFER YOU VARIOUS OPTION OF EXCURSION
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I was the person who originally reccommended him here in this fourm. He was reccommended to us by someone in another forum. He drove us around the island exclusively for our 8 night stay last September. I do not know how many years he has driven a taxi on the island, but he is a native and knows the island well. We saw places we had never seen in our 14 previous trips and on an island 26 miles long that is a feat in itself. My parents just returned from a land vacation in Aruba and they too also used him exclusively during their stay. My parents and I do not agree on everything, but they too loved Bully.Has anyone ever done a tour with Bully? Please share your experience with me.Are there any other private tour operators available in Aruba?2Go Aruba Private Island Tours
Below are some previous threads which may give you some ideas of things to do while you are visiting the island.What did you do in Aruba? This will be our first visit and would appreciate some guidance. We'll be in Aruba on Jan 16/08 and again on Jan 24/08. (We're doing a B2B on Summit.)
Come on cruisers help us out here
What is THE excursion in Aruba?
Aruba photos, trip report + tidbits
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I know Ballerina Jewelers is reputable. Does anyone know if they are currently on any of the cruise ship's "recommended" lists?
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Our family has used them in the past for a Discover Scuba excursion in St. Martin. Everything went off without a hitch.
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None that I am aware of. Have never heard of them being available for rent in Aruba and have never, including 3 weeks ago, seen a single one.
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Feelin' hot, hot, hot...
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Hope this is not a stupid question...
Do you have to pre-order the chocolate covered strawberries from ship's services before boarding?
Taxis-- Know the Fare Before You Go
in Aruba
Posted
From the cruise terminal in Oranjestad to Passions it is "O'stad" to "Passion to Tulip" or "Eagle Hotels" which is $10 each way.
http://www.arubabound.com/transp/taxi_fares.htm
It is also an addtional $3 each way on a Sunday or holiday.
http://www.arubabound.com/transp/taxi_faresb.htm
Fares to places of interest are from "O'stad" at
http://www.arubabound.com/transp/taxi_faresa.htm