Aruba Help!

[JMCRUZIN]

I'm having a difficult time with excursions/activities in Aruba. I'd love some suggestions please!:confused:

[jbond]

Rent a jeep and drive around the island. It's very different to the other islands, very arid and quite spectacular.

[14Terry]

You can also take a tour of the island by private taxi. They are inexpensive and then you can sit back and take it all in. You can also arrange for them to drop you off and pick you up from one of the many beaches there. You don't have to pay until they return you to the ship.

 

 

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[Lady Chew]

I'd say it depends on how active you are ... renting a jeep & exploring would be great, it's not a huge island and the north coast is pretty spectacular.

 

If you just like to vegetate on the beach, there are many hotels along the beautiful beach, you can rent chairs/umbrellas on their properties or from other vendors, there are plenty of bars & restaurants of all types.

 

If you like to snorkel, dive, jet ski, parasail ... there are many opportunities for this. You can book through the ship or through a private vendor. Go the the Aruba section in "Ports of Call" here on CC to get names.

 

Mr Chew & I normally take the bus route out to the Marriott (as far as the bus goes, at least right now) and then we wander back down towards the port, stopping here & there to relax and have a drink. We wear our bathing suits just in case we want to jump in the water. There are several smaller beaches along the way ... this has become our favorite thing to do on Aruba.

[setsail]

We did a private Segway tour. :D

[Clarea]

Mambo Beach.

[nana by 2]

This is our fav island - been 6 times and will return !!

Take a tour to the rugged side of the island - spectacular

Wear a bathing suit in case you go to the Natural Pool- amazing area!!

Bring lots of water also - very hot !!!

 

Also there is baby beach and our favourite - Eagle beach

[OTownNick]

If u want a nice beach-Eagle Beach. Baby Beach was terrible- has oil refineries as it's background.

 

If you want adventure, we did a jeep tour with ABC Tours. We would do it again, each Land Rover follows the leader and the guests drive! I got to drive ours cause I was the only one who could drive a stick shift. We got to drive all around the island. And I was amazed how desert like the one part was. This was an awesome tour.

[jmf123]

On our first cruise we enjoyed Aruba with an excursion taking us around to the Casabari Rock Formations, the Natural Bridge (no longer there), a chapel with above ground crypts, etc. Even showed us cacti, grown as fencing, to keep the goats out.

You may want to check out the Aruba Ports of Call forum for discussion: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=168.

[jaspersmommy]

We were in Aruba last year and I was wondering what to do there, so I did lots of reading on the Ports of Call - Aruba board. I wanted to do something where I saw lots of the island rather than doing an excursion that centred on one place.

 

I saw quite a few recommendations on the Aruba board for Bully's Taxi. Bully has a comfortable, newer, clean, air conditioned van for touring. He will meet you at the airport and take you wherever you want. You can book him for as little or as long as you want - by the hour. We asked him to give us a good basic tour of the island, and he did. He knows exactly where to take you and shows you lots of hidden gems. Best of all, it's just your party on board (unless you plan to share with someone else), so you can stay as long as you like at the spots you like best. If you tell him the sort of things you like, he'll take you there. For instance, I love photographing birds. I told him that, and he took me to several spots where I got some fabulous bird shots.

 

The best part of all is Bully turned out to be a really special human being. He is an absolutely wonderful, caring person and he truly wants you to enjoy your day. I don't have enough space here to tell you how much he went out of his way to give us a great day.

 

Here is a link to a website with his contact information: http://www.arubabound.com/transp/bully.htm

 

Enjoy!

[WI-Cruiser]

Check out Jolly Pirates:

http://www.jolly-pirates.com/

 

Have went with them twice - loved it both times.

[OCruisers]

Our favorite things to do in Aruba have been De Palm Island and Jolly Pirates. :)

LuLu

~~~

[cb at sea]

What sort of things do you enjoy? A guidebook will certainly help you narrow your choices!

[debshomespun]

We love the beaches and Aruba has spectacular beaches! When we go to Aruba, we take the local bus over to the beach, usually Eagle Beach. Very easy and so inexpensive. The bus depot is just across the street from the port. Cost is $2.30 pp each way on the bus. The bus farthest to the left when facing them is the one that goes to the beach. Ask the driver and he will let you know which stop is for Eagle beach or Palm beach. The buses run every 15-20 minutes. Easy to catch one back to the port! Also, lots of great shopping right at the port area, and also a casino right there!

[Dardreamer]

We fly to Aruba every year for past ten years. So when we cruise to Aruba we take a taxi to the Hyatt hotel. They are one of the few hotels that will let you use their private beautiful beach. You can also go in their beautiful pool which is right next to Their beach.

[kccrzr]

We rented a 3 seater cycle and toured with Trikes Aruba, it was an absolutely fantastic and unusual adventure for us: http://trikes-aruba.com/

[Carolrd]

Mambo Beach.

 

I think you mean Moomba Beach. This is located next to the Holiday Inn in the High Rise area. You can rent a chair and umbrella there. The beach there is nice, but crowded and the water is a little bit cloudy due to all the water sports in the area.

 

If you want to go to the beach, I would suggest going to Eagle Beach. Most resorts will rent you a chair for a small fee.

 

If you prefer to see the island, rent a car/jeep and explore on your own. It is a small island, and you really can't get lost. Visit the Alto Vista Chapel (must see IMO), Casibari Rock formations, the California Light House and the island in general. Visit Charlies Bar in San Nicolas for a cold one!

 

I have been vacationing in Aruba since the 90's. If you need more specific information, let me know.

 

Carol

[Clarea]

I think you mean Moomba Beach.... l

Thanks, but after I checked I realized I had my islands mixed up.:o Mambo is on Curacao.

[OldJerseycruiser]

We rented a 3 seater cycle and toured with Trikes Aruba, it was an absolutely fantastic and unusual adventure for us: http://trikes-aruba.com/

 

I would second this recommendation. This is an unique way to see the island and great fun. Will definitely do it again next time as one of the best trips we have ever been on! See the reviews on Tripadvisor.

[travelbuddies]

Took the private Segway tour and had a blast. If I have a chance to do it again I would take a longer tour. Listed as #1 things to do on tripadvisor. Ask for Danny you won't be disappointed. They pick you up and drop you off at the cruise port. So much fun!

[JMCRUZIN]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the great ideas! The trikes sound like a lot of fun and are an unusual tour. Are they easy to drive/ride?