What to do in Aruba before Trikes?

[remdog]

Any ideas for what to do in Aruba from about 8am-noon, before our Trikes Tour starts?

 

thx!

[lah66]

We are in the same boat! We get in Aruba at 10 and our trike tour is at 130. I read that there is a trolley you can take to a revitalized shopping area. The last stop is the BonBini bazaar. Not a big shopper but it will get us out and about the port area to kill some time. We thought about eating lunch somewhere too.

So looking forward to the trikes! We will be there Feb 19!

My question, what do we do after the trikes? We are there until 10 pm!

Lauri

Edited December 27, 2014 by lah66

[RUDIMAY1]

It is a easy walk to the trikes near the Radisson which is near shopping, casinos, food and Palm beach. Lots to do in that area. The ship is a bit aways from that but it is in Oranjstad that has more shopping, casinos, food and beach. An easy bus route or taxis connect them both in short time. Have fun.

Edited December 28, 2014 by RUDIMAY1

[Hatteras51]

We are in the same boat! We get in Aruba at 10 and our trike tour is at 130. I read that there is a trolley you can take to a revitalized shopping area. The last stop is the BonBini bazaar. Not a big shopper but it will get us out and about the port area to kill some time. We thought about eating lunch somewhere too.

So looking forward to the trikes! We will be there Feb 19!

My question, what do we do after the trikes? We are there until 10 pm!

Lauri

 

There is so much to do in Palm Beach after trikes. You could hang out on the beach, hit some of the beach bars, watch the sunset, go to one of the casinos, shop, shop, shop, eat at one of the many restaurants right there on the strip. You won't run out of things to do.:)

[lah66]

The Trike people now pick you up right outside the port. You no longer have to taxi to their "store". My email from them says they will drop us off at the ship around 5 pm. I will have to email them and ask if we can be dropped off elsewhere. I assume the responses to my question are based on being dropped off at their "store", not at the ship.

Thank you,

Lauri

[Hatteras51]

The Trike people now pick you up right outside the port. You no longer have to taxi to their "store". My email from them says they will drop us off at the ship around 5 pm. I will have to email them and ask if we can be dropped off elsewhere. I assume the responses to my question are based on being dropped off at their "store", not at the ship.

Thank you,

Lauri

 

Yes, my response was in case they were dropping you off at their location, not back at the ship. In that case, you might want to freshen up on the ship and then head back out. You could have dinner downtown, catch a sunset, go to the casinos, or catch the bus or taxi and head down to Palm Beach where all of the action is at night. Aruba is so much fun with so much to do, I definitely would skip dinner on the ship and dine in one of Aruba's wonderful restaurants. You can probably still find a lot restaurant info by doing a search on these boards. If you can't locate them, let us know and we'll help you out with some great suggestions. We cruise a lot, but Aruba remains our favorite vacation spot.

Edited December 29, 2014 by Hatteras51

[lah66]

Yes, my response was in case they were dropping you off at their location, not back at the ship. In that case, you might want to freshen up on the ship and then head back out. You could have dinner downtown, catch a sunset, go to the casinos, or catch the bus or taxi and head down to Palm Beach where all of the action is at night. Aruba is so much fun with so much to do, I definitely would skip dinner on the ship and dine in one of Aruba's wonderful restaurants. You can probably still find a lot restaurant info by doing a search on these boards. If you can't locate them, let us know and we'll help you out with some great suggestions. We cruise a lot, but Aruba remains our favorite vacation spot.

 

That is very great information! We will probably need to freshen up a bit after riding around on the trikes. It sounds like it is a quick cab ride back to Palm Beach. Not sure we will have time for dinner without being too worried about our timing. If we are dropped off at the ship at 5-ish, probably the earliest we can be back on Palm Beach is 6 pm and we sail out at 8 pm. How about a quick street food vendor? I think I read that there are some available.

What is the Palm Beach area like? Sounds like shops, restaurants and streets full of people, street entertainers? Is there a spot you would recommend to stop for a drink and watch the sun set?

Thanks much for your help!

Lauri

[Hatteras51]

That is very great information! We will probably need to freshen up a bit after riding around on the trikes. It sounds like it is a quick cab ride back to Palm Beach. Not sure we will have time for dinner without being too worried about our timing. If we are dropped off at the ship at 5-ish, probably the earliest we can be back on Palm Beach is 6 pm and we sail out at 8 pm. How about a quick street food vendor? I think I read that there are some available.

What is the Palm Beach area like? Sounds like shops, restaurants and streets full of people, street entertainers? Is there a spot you would recommend to stop for a drink and watch the sun set?

Thanks much for your help!

Lauri

 

It looks like I was mistaken again. I thought you were leaving at 10:00, not 8:00. If that's the case, then I would just stay in town. Palm Beach is about a 15 - 20 minute ride from the cruise area, depending on traffic, and that's not going to leave you a lot of time. You could get drinks and dinner or a snack right there in town, and still see the sunset. Iguana Joe's is very close to the port. I'd also recommend The West Deck, which is past the Renaissance Hotel, right on the water. It is walkable, but you could take a taxi quicker and cheaply. You could also get a drink at Pinchos, which sits right on the water (just a little further out). There is a place in the Renaissance Marketplace called Cilo's, which is also a good spot. It is next to the marina, with nice marina views, but probably not the best sunset view. We always head into town a few times for dinner on each visit. It is a lovely place.

[lah66]

It looks like I was mistaken again. I thought you were leaving at 10:00, not 8:00. If that's the case, then I would just stay in town. Palm Beach is about a 15 - 20 minute ride from the cruise area, depending on traffic, and that's not going to leave you a lot of time. You could get drinks and dinner or a snack right there in town, and still see the sunset. Iguana Joe's is very close to the port. I'd also recommend The West Deck, which is past the Renaissance Hotel, right on the water. It is walkable, but you could take a taxi quicker and cheaply. You could also get a drink at Pinchos, which sits right on the water (just a little further out). There is a place in the Renaissance Marketplace called Cilo's, which is also a good spot. It is next to the marina, with nice marina views, but probably not the best sunset view. We always head into town a few times for dinner on each visit. It is a lovely place.

 

Nope...totally my fault. In my first post I said we were there until 10pm, but really we arrive at 10 am and leave at 8 pm. I like your ideas to hang out in the port area or just outside. We really just want to see the beautiful sunset and have a drink while doing so! I will copy your suggestions to my notes and research some of the places you recommended!

Thanks again,

Lauri

[remdog]

So to answer my own question, we docked at 7AM and left at 430PM, so we had a morning to do something else. So with our snorkel gear in tow, we headed north and spent the AM snorkeling. Then came back to the ship to drop everything off and dry off, grab lunch, and went triking in the PM. Worked out great! We took a cab up and the public bus back to the ship. Loved Aruba!