Hatteras51

Taxis can only carry 5 passengers,  by law. There is some talk about changing that, but time will tell if that will happen.  You would need 2 taxis. The current rate from the downtown area to Baby Beach is $35.00 per taxi, one way. Because you are coming from the cruise port, there will be an additional  surcharge.  We own a timeshare in Aruba,  and have been vacationing there for years.  We used to love Baby Beach,  but it has become so crowded that we now avoid it.

The butterfly farm is very nice.  We enjoy it. You could take the bus there or taxis. It is only about 15 minutes from the port.

I have several friends who go there every time that they vacation in Aruba.  All of them love it. I've walked through there several times.  It's rather small,  with a nice, calm beach, and a small swimming pool.  My friends say that the food and drinks are good. 

Montforte and Tranquilo might be what you are looking for.  Black Pearl does sailing tours, but goes to all of the snorkel stops that all of the other boats go to. None of these are party boats.

Barcelo in Palm Beach has day passes. Eagle Aruba Resort on Eagle Beach also has day passes. Another good option is Reflections Beach Club on Surfside Beach. 

On 9/4/2024 at 5:38 PM, RET P3 FE said:

Distance from Barefoot restaurant to the cruise port (roughly)

To walk from the ship would take close to 30 minutes. It would be much better to take a taxi. 

There has been a ton of growth since you were there, with lots of new condos, hotels, and lots of traffic. However,  the attractions and things to do are basically the same.  Beautiful beaches, good snorkeling,  island tours, etc.

The ship docks in the downtown area,  so no beaches are close by. There are several good restaurants/ bars located in that area. My favorite is Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar. You can sit out back and view the boats in the harbor.  Another good one is Iguana Joe's. It is located across from the harbor and upstairs,  but has nice views of the ships. The shopping area that it is in is being converted to condos.  Iguana Joe's has opened a new location in Palm Beach,  and has limited hours now in the downtown location.  I'm not sure if the construction downtown has started yet, but it might not be open when you are there. 

I have rented cars many times in Aruba,  but never as a cruiser, so I can't answer all of your questions.  Royal usually has larger vehicles.  I'm not sure if they come to the cruise port.  You might have to go to them. I believe that Jay's has cars at the cruise port.  We've rented from them before when we vacation in Aruba,  and they are very reliable.  I don't know if they have the size vehicle that you need. I strongly suggest that you book ahead of time. Aruba is a very popular vacation spot for land vacationers, and they often run out of cars.

The price used to be $55.00 per hour. I don't know if there has been a price increase.  His tours typically last 3 - 4 hours.

You could try Occidental or Riu. I'm not sure if either are selling day passes right now.

Since Willem's is located along the strip in Palm Beach,  which is the busiest area on the island,  and full of hotels,  expect it to be very busy during breakfast and lunch hours.

The current taxi rate is $16.00, which includes $3.00 fee from inside the cruise port.  Taxi rates haven't increased in about 6 years, and there is talk that they will be increasing soon, so this may change somewhat by the time that you get there.  There is a taxi stand in the port. Get off of the ship as soon as you can because there will be lots of people looking for a taxi. There are places to hang out if you arrive early. It is very important to know that taxis will not take you back to the ship if you have on wet bathing suits. If they suspect that one of your suits is wet at all, you will be refused. Make sure that you are completely dry and take some clothes to put on over your suits before you try to get a taxi. Allow plenty of time to wait for a taxi to arrive.  The island is full and taxis are extremely busy. On our last Aruba vacation in February,  we usually had to wait around 30 minutes for a taxi to arrive. 

The beaches along the resort areas aren't good for shelling.  At the most, you will find small broken pieces.  It is important to know that Aruba does not permit tourists to remove shells, coral,  or sand. I don't know how that pertains with security at the port, but at the airport they remove people from the line and charge them huge fines.

You will need a taxi to go to Barefoot.  The busses don't stop near there. Make sure that you have a reservation for dinner. They book up quickly. 

We've toured with Bully many times. We vacation every year in Aruba,  and Bully has become a good friend.  His island tours are outstanding.  Be sure to check your spam.  His email will come under his name, Amador Lacle. Bully is his nickname.  His  correct email address is bullytaxi79@hotmail.com. It may take a few days for him to get back to you.  He has a huge following of regular customers, and stays incredibly busy.  Also, he usually vacations in May, so he might not be working right now,  but he is worth the wait. 

Tranquilo and Black Pearl do private charters. I think that Monforte does also.  All 3 are great options. 

The closest thing to Reflexions on Eagle Beach is a vendor with a snack bar, called Coco Loco. Since I stay at a resort in Aruba,  I never need to go to a vendor, so I'm reporting second hand. Coco Loco is in a great location, but has a lot of bad reviews due to rude staff and poor service.  You can read them on another site that I don't think that I can mention. I have friends who vacation at a resort in Aruba several times a year.  They love Reflexions, and usually go there every other day.  You are correct that there is a lot of seagrass on Surfside Beach,  but my friends have never mentioned that being a problem at Reflexions. From looking at pictures,  it appears to be a problem further down the beach. Since the Soul Beach Festival is that week,  Moomba will be mobbed.  Moomba is party central at night,  but probably be extremely busy during the day, also. 

A cell phone was recently found by a taxi driver in Aruba.  It was left in his taxi. He has it and would like to help get it back to the owner.  He knows that the owner was from a cruise ship, but doesn't know which one.  If someone knows a person who has lost their phone in Aruba,  please contact me,  and I will help them locate the taxi driver. 

14 hours ago, upwarduk said:

When we went with my son( who worked in Aruba) in 2000, we had to pay to get on to Palm 

Just for clarification,  the private island that you are referring to is DePalm Island.  Palm Beach is in the resort area,  pretty far from DePalm Island.  DePalm Island is run by DePalm Tours, which is probably the largest tour group on Aruba. Some people love it,  some don't.  DePalm Island was a one and done for us.  I  think that people with kids seem to enjoy it more than people like my husband and myself who travel by ourselves. 

We've been staying on Eagle Beach for the last 15 years. Honestly,  the beach can be different almost every day.  Some days are calm, and the water is easy to get into. Other days, there can be mild to substantial drop offs. There is no way to predict how it will be when you are there.  If you want chairs and umbrellas,  you need to be dropped off in the areas that have a vendor. These are located at Coco Loco, across the street from Chalet Suisse Restaurant,  and across the street from La Cabana.  None of the resorts will let you sit in their chairs, so be sure to go to a spot that will let you rent.

These tours go to opposite sides of the island.  Personally,  I prefer the nature made sites on Excursion B over the man made attractions on Excursion A. Excursion B takes you to the "wild side" of the island,  which is desert, large boulders, and crashing seas. Excursion A will go over to the "wild side" for a little bit,  but also go to the lighthouse and Alto Vista,  which are also really nice.  Either tour will be good.

This is a tough decision.  There are some really good sites on both of these tours. Do you know if you will have much time at the beaches? If you do, I would choose Excursion A because it goes to Arashi Beach. That's a much better beach than Mangel Halto. If the beach doesn't matter to you,  I would pick the one that fits better in your schedule for the day. 

On 3/21/2024 at 9:58 PM, nolegirl01 said:

Aruba is one hour ahead so the companies that I did contact all told me that if the ship says it's docking at 8am, it's on ship time and it'll be 9am in Aruba so we will have missed the time. So we have decided to get a 2pm reservation for the UTV tours.

I'm not sure when you are going to Aruba,  but when the U.S. is on daylight savings time, both countries are on the same time, like they are right now.

3 hours ago, grimpil said:

If all the palapas are taken do they have umbrellas for rent?

There is a vendor at the resort to the left, the resort called LaCabana.  There used to also be one to the right of Amsterdam Manor,  but I don't know if he is still there. 

I've been vacationing in Aruba for years but I've never gone to any of the animal attractions.  We have been to the Butterfly Farm and really enjoyed it.