carnivalman

We are staying at the Best Western in Quincy before our cruise in May out of Boston and the shuttle times they have are 10am or noon. I think 10am is too early but noon is kind of late. We want to get on the ship and enjoy lunch but our room won`t be ready. We are in a suite, does anyone know when the rooms are ready or are suites ready before the other rooms. Is arriving at the port at 10:30am too early. We have only cruised Carnival and arrived around 11:30am to check in. Thanks

Take the 10am shuttle. Black Falcon cruise terminal in Boston is not the best. Can become very crowded even with a roped area for suite people. Those getting there later could get stacked up.

Thank you, that is good to know to help with timings. Not stopping at Livorno,doing the repositioning cruise to Venice. So looking forward to it,thanks for all the info.

Keep in mind the trains in Italy can go on strike at any second without any warning. Give yourself some slack time. If you want more time in Rome, pay the extra money and take the Eurostar to the port. You're still 30 minutes away from getting on the boat by the time you walk down to the shuttle pick-up and hopefully, get on the first bus that comes.

Hi folks. This is my families very first time in Aruba. I have two girls 12 and 15. We will be in Aruba from 8-4.

 

Based on what we have already planned - what would you suggest we do in Aruba? I wanted to book the trikes but they are too expensive. Any other not too miss things?? Thanks!

Take a DePalm off road jeep tour. They start around 8:30-9am and they will pick you up at the cruise dock. It lasts about 3.5 hours. Go to the Natural Pool instead of Baby Beach since you're snorkling on another island.

Hello, Can somebody tell us how far the port of Aruba is to the Flying Fishbone restaurant and if they have approximate cost of what the cab would be to take three of us?

$26 for a cab up to 5 people. $3 taxi surcharge on Sundays and holidays.

Yes, the store inside the terminal actually has most of the products they have at the Aloe factory. Once we got home, I discovered I can order it here in the U.S. It ships out of Miami, and they send coupons when you start to order from them.

There are stores in the Palm Beach hi-rise area that sell Aruba Aloe.

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit new to this board in terms of posting but I have been reading a lot of good reviews and suggestions. We are doing a family trip in April on Royal the southern Caribbean "a" from San Juan. We are interested in the sunset cruise in Aruba and when I search the forum, the only posts about this are from 2012 and earlier.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions or tips. We are considering a private tour outside of the ship excursion. I read Tranquilo and Red something but again those are older posts. Would like some current info.

 

Thanks!

Jolly Pirate. Fun time for a family. Includes a rope swing. Two hour cruise. Leaves from Moomba's on Palm Beach in the hi-rise section.

We will be in port from 1 PM to 11 PM on an NCL ship. Which casino is the nicest? We would be walking from the cruise port.

Crystal next to the Renaissance and it's the closet.

They could have called to book. Overseas phones don't work in the US so not having a phone to use after landing in Hawaii doesn't mean they don't have one where they live.

And they stated the payment DID post before finally disappearing.

 

~Katy

Mea culpa on stating the payment didn't post. Sorry.

No, actually it is NOT their job. The shore-side people working on the pier are employees of the PORT, not of the cruise line. Their job is process guests onto the ship as long as that guest holds a valid reservation. They are not there to process your paperwork with the cruise line headquarters.

 

Even if someone in Miami could have been reached, what do you think would have happened? They would have looked in their system, seen that the person on the pier did NOT have a valid reservation, and informed them that they would not be permitted to board.

Based on everything I've read, my gut feeling is OP used a TA since internet was not always readily available. If that's the case, any snafus need to be handled by the TA. I had to have the TA change an incorrect middle name they entered into the record. I spoke to the cruiseline who said it had to come from who made the reservation. I presume depending on the TA, your charge hits the TA's account who then pays the cruise line or the TA charges your card directly with the cruiseline.

I've been overseas ready to board and someone had a problem. The traveler was told "since you booked your trip with the cruise line, we can handle your problem. If it was with a TA, then you would have to call them to resolve your issue." I don't know what that problem was. Can you see getting your travel agent out of bed at 3am? Won't happen.

It's also possible while she had confirmation papers, which print immediately, something happened in the system (nCL or the TA's) to cause the reservation to cancel a short time later and thus, the reason why the credit charge stayed as Pending since NCL never completed processing the reservation which would have moved the charge from Pending to Posted.

Would love to read about your best day in Aruba. Thanks.

Every day in Aruba is the best day.

I just received my plastic tags today from Amazon. They look like they will work great. Last year we used the stapler and one was ripped off which resulted in very late luggage.

I always put 2 tags on each suitcase, one on each handle since they are paper. However, I use clear reinforced tape over them. I also place inside each bag an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper with my ship room number in case everything gets ripped off. For a cruise, I first put inside the suitcase the hotel I'm staying at the night before & the cruise ship on the same piece of paper in the event the delayed suitcase doesn't make it until the next day and my regular luggage tags are ripped off.

Hello! I have a couple of questions about the phones in the cabins on the Dawn. I know you can create your own outgoing message. Can you retrieve your messages from the house phones through out the ship?Are you able to turn the ringer off/lower the sound?

If you don't want the phone to ring at night, un-jack the wire from it. You won't receive any calls but that's no different than if you shut the ringer off and you can't hear anything.

Has anyone used Shore Excursions Group or Shore Excursioneer to book excursions in Aruba. I am looking for reviews...take a look or run the other way?? :D

Never heard of them. Determine the type of tour you want and google it for Aruba. Jeep tours by DePalm and ABC are very good. DePalm also has a full size (45 people or so) air-conditioned bus for tours.

We will be in Aruba on March 5th and I am wondering if there are any places with small tiki bars or guys on the beach with coolers of beer? Similar to what you find in St. Maarten.

Thanks for any tips.

About a block off the main drag and between the Renaissance Hotel and the bus terminal is Kong Hing supermarket. Beer is about a buck a bottle for Balashi. Buy a styrofoam cooler, get some ice and find a beach. Other than that, the answer is NO!!!!!

We're in port until 10 pm, and I believe the rental place is open until 5 or 6

If you arrive at 1pm, you're cutting it too close to see all those things to get the car back before the rental office closes. If you go to Baby Beach, don't waste time going in the water since you'll need that time to see the rest of the island. Personally, as a beach, Baby Beach has gone downhill over the years and is not worth going to, but that's just my opinion. Again, start your day at Baby Beach and loop around the east side heading north. If you arrive in the morning, take as long as you want.

So I created a map of places to hit while touring Aruba.. They include:

Aruba Butterfly Farm, California Lighthouse, Alto Vista Chapel, Natural Bridge, Arikok National Park, Bachelor's Beach, Baby Beach, and then back to the cruise terminal.. Is there anything I'm missing? Any of these places I should avoid for being unsafe? Let me know :)

The itinerary is doable. What are your hours/day in port? Also, find out the time the rental agency closes. They do not have 24 hour service. The trip back from Baby Beach to town can be quite long beginning around 3pm. 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. I would start with Baby Beach and then work myself up the east side of the island and finish up at the Lighthouse before heading back.

Could anyone tell me if any of the beaches closer to the port, for example Seaquarium or Mambo, have any snorkeling? Even if it isn't as good as the further away beach. We would like to keep it to 20 mins in the taxi if possible. Thanks

If your cruise is stopping in Bonaire, that's where I would do the snorkeling. Of the 3 ABC islands, Bonaire is the one noted for diving. If that's the case, hit some other places in Curacao.

Yes, all the more reason to NOT rent a car and instead rely on taxis. I have had more than one person tell me that they like to have "wheels" in order to get out and about at a moment's notice even if there are days when the car does stay in the parking spot. :cool: Great if you have money to burn. ;)

 

Different strokes for different folks ;), we have been to Aruba over 20 times. Last June we did not rent a car. Over Christmas and New Year's we rented a car for one of the two weeks that we were on the island. Besides using it to get to dinner, we also drive around and see the sights, shop as well as get around to some of the beaches to snorkel from shore. This coming June we may rent a 4 x 4 to get out to Andicuri as well as the Natural Pool OR we might not. ;)

Like you, I've been going since 1989. Once every 5-6 years, I'll rent one for 2 or 3 days at the front end of the trip with the primary purpose of taking a trip around the island to see how things have changed over the years in addition to having it to get from airport to timeshare, initial large food shopping and out of the way restaurants where a cab is required. Other than that, I'll happily be a "beached whale" for my 2-3 weeks.

Hey there! We will be on our honeymoon in September and we have a stop in Aruba. We are there from 8am until 4pm.

 

Typically we would just taxi to a beach and try and see a cool sight or two, maybe take a pic, in said taxi. Any suggestions for a nice beach with availability to rent loungers, get a drink and any suggestions on a "don't miss" sight to or from said beach?? Anything that would be especially nice for honeymooners near cruise port (nice romantic spot, or restaurant), or a more "splurge" beach/day pass??

Since you're only in port until 4pm, two possibilities. First, take a cab to Amsterdam Manor at Eagle Beach and rent chairs. I believe the "official" DiviDivi Tree used for pictures is at the northern end of the beach (a short walk). Around noon take a cab and have lunch at El Faro Blanco at the Lighthouse and enjoy a spectacular view looking south. Allow a good 30 minutes by cab to get back to the ship. (I like to be on the very safe side timewise.) Have somethig to throw over your bathing suits since most cabbies will not let people in their cabs from the beach since they assume the suit is wet.

Yes, if we plan to do a different beach in between the 2 excursions we would just go on our own (not book another excursion). Just wanted suggestions of what to do and if another beach besides De palm was worth it in Aruba.

If the sunset cruise is leaving from Palm Beach, I'd go there after DePalm Island, rent chairs and chill until time to board. If you're picked up at the dock since it's a cruise excursion, Nikki Beach about a mile south of the cruie port is a place to go. Regardless, you're not going to have much time between DePalm & sunset cruise.

My own personal opinion and mine only...

 

If I were to rent a villa, ANY villa, I would NOT rent a vehicle until such a time as the government stops marking tourist's rentals with a "V" (for visitor) on rental license plates. If you DO rent a car and leave it outside the villa it tells potential burglars that there are tourists staying in the residence.

 

Thief's will watch the house until you are out and about one day or out to dinner one evening. When you return it is possible that you will return and have no valuables left. It has happened at numerous villas over the years and will not change until the Aruban government remedies the license plate situation/QUOTE]

 

ArubaLisa - while I agree the "V" license plate is Aruba's version of the Scarlett Letter, the one identifier that won't go away is the rental car companies are still going to have some sort of advertising decal on the car. The rental car will continue to stick out like a sore thumb. Personally, once someone has been to the island many times, a rental car is probably not needed if staying in the lo-or hi rise areas. I've seen way too many cars in the same parking space all week.

Thanks for all the great info, Arubalisa. But I have another question for you about the beaches. What do you suggest for a quiet beach for a couple? We don't want or need anything but couple chairs, some shade, few drinks and maybe a snack. Quiet and peaceful would be best as well as proximity to port.

Will be there in March on a Friday. Any beaches that meet these criteria?

Thanks,Jane

Eagle Beach. Either that portion of Eagle Beach at MVC or Amsterdam Manor.

Is there any "bad" parts of Aruba that we should avoid/feel unsafe about? Arubalisa? Anyone?

Stay on the main roads and you'll have no problem. Like anywhere, you'll recognize things and if you feel uncomfortable, then you're probably where you shouldn't be.

Palm Beach is for you, there are all sorts of rentals and Jolly Pirates for snorkeling trips and such. we took public bus in Nov and went up to Malmok beach for snorkeling but had to walk back to Palm which took a lot of time. Between Palm and Eagle beach are the shops and restaurants. Moomba beach bar is the place to hang next to Marriott hotel.

Moomba's is between the Marriott Surf Club (timeshare) and the Holiday Inn. The Marriott Stellaris Resort and Casino is 2 resorts north of the Surf Club.

Looking to rent a jeep for the day. Only one I have emailed so far is Jays and they want 165 dollars for the day. Anyone else recently rented one and for how much? Is it pretty easy to see all the sights on the island and the hidden gems too? Going next month

Check places online and most will pick you up at the cruise port and bring you to their office. Be aware if you rent a regular car and go to the other side of the island, in most cases your insurance will not cover you if there is a problem. The terrain is very rocky/coral, not good for regular car tires and can easily result in a flat. If you arrive in the morning, sign up with ABC or DePalm jeep tours and let them take you all over the island. If you do rent a car and your cruise arrives early afternoon, make sure what time the rental office closes. Most go home between 5-6pm.