Why do they even bother ? ....

[VTX-AL]

Sailing on the Island Princess this month from Fort Lauderdale, through the Canal and ending in Vancouver. The first port stop is Aruba with a five-hour stay. So, we get off the ship, walk into downtown Oranjestaad, maybe grab a coffee, drop some cash at the closest tourist trap, and then, allowing for a reasonable buffer before sailing, it's about time to return to the ship.

 

So, the question is: Why does Princess even bother with such a short port stop? Surely there's not much time for even a short excursion, beach visit, etc, re-fueling the ship can't be needed that soon either. Guess we will at least be able to say that we have "been to" Aruba ! :rolleyes:

 

...VTX-Al

[Ole Faithful]

Some cruisers just like to get off the ship and stretch their legs. Sea days can be a bit confining for some of us.

[cherylandtk]

While you will be disembarking in Vancouver, a lot of passengers will be disembarking six days earlier, in Los Angeles (San Pedro). And that means transporting passengers between two different US Ports, which means the PVSA is triggered which means the ship must stop at a defined distant foreign port which in this case means a stop in Aruba. So, it's a government requirement sort of thing.:)

[Cruise-Crazzy]

You can see the whole Island in 5 hours. It is a nice beach port.

[Thrak]

That is plenty of time to walk through town and arrive at a small but nice beach (with a bar) and spend a bit of time playing in the water. My wife enjoyed it quite a bit and there were actually very few people at that beach when we visited. A short but enjoyable stay in Aruba.

[thinfool]

The PVSA post above is the key.

 

Otherwise they could stop at Jamaica or Cozumel or Grand Caymen, etc.

 

Only the ABC islands and Cartagena are qualifying ports (per the PVSA) to allow ships to transport passengers from one US port to another.

 

Actually, any 'distant' port would qualify, but those listed above seem to be the ones preferred by most cruise lines.

[GRAYTech]

Short but sweet. 5 hours was enough time to take a walkabout through town, visit a few shops and enjoy lunch at one of the open air restaurants. The local folks are some of the nicest people we have ever met.

[floridalover5623]

That is plenty of time to walk through town and arrive at a small but nice beach (with a bar) and spend a bit of time playing in the water. My wife enjoyed it quite a bit and there were actually very few people at that beach when we visited. A short but enjoyable stay in Aruba.

I don't recall any beach that close by that you could easily walk to.

[skynight]

The Aruba stop from 7am to 12:30pm is a short stop, but many passengers will enjoy getting off the ship and walking around/shopping downtown for a few hours. You can walk the entire downtown area in less than an hour or so. Princess also wants to sell some tours. The island is small enough for a 3 hour tour.

 

The ship is not required to stop at Aruba to comply with PVSA regulations It will be making an additional stop in Colombia, South America. But, stopping in Aruba and Colombia gives Princess a cushion in case they miss one port.

[wrongwaywatson]

The Aruba stop from 7am to 12:30pm is a short stop, but many passengers will enjoy getting off the ship and walking around/shopping downtown for a few hours. You can walk the entire downtown area in less than an hour or so. Princess also wants to sell some tours. The island is small enough for a 3 hour tour.

 

The ship is not required to stop at Aruba to comply with PVSA regulations It will be making an additional stop in Colombia, South America. But, stopping in Aruba and Colombia gives Princess a cushion in case they miss one port.

 

If the 3 hour tour is run by someone named Gilligan or Skipper, run the opposite direction as fast as you can!

[OCruisers]

Love Aruba ... BUT not fond of those short "morning" port stops. :(

When/what is your next port stop after Aruba?

[Colo Cruiser]

Sailing on the Island Princess this month from Fort Lauderdale, through the Canal and ending in Vancouver. The first port stop is Aruba with a five-hour stay. So, we get off the ship, walk into downtown Oranjestaad, maybe grab a coffee, drop some cash at the closest tourist trap, and then, allowing for a reasonable buffer before sailing, it's about time to return to the ship.

 

So, the question is: Why does Princess even bother with such a short port stop? Surely there's not much time for even a short excursion, beach visit, etc, re-fueling the ship can't be needed that soon either. Guess we will at least be able to say that we have "been to" Aruba ! :rolleyes:

 

...VTX-Al

 

 

I said the same thing.

We had a 1pm departure from Cartagena to Aruba for the obligatory 5 hour stop and even arrived late.

I would have preferred to stay in Cartagena for the day. We had to cut our tour there way short. :(

[Thrak]

I don't recall any beach that close by that you could easily walk to.

 

Well... there obviously is one as we visited it. This lovely young lady

 

 

Sold me this beer

 

 

at the small bar on the beach. We found the beach by simply walking all the way through town. I had never seen beer in such small bottles. I think they were maybe 8 ounces and we bought a couple in town for $4.50 each and another one (for me!) at the beach bar for $4.75. Yikes! However, we always sample the local beer wherever we go. In Aruba your main choices for beer were either Balashi or Heineken. It is, after all, a Dutch island.

 

While walking through town don't forget to purchase a tee shirt that will shrink 2 sizes once you wash it. :p

[GUT2407]

If you dont like the stop, because it's too short or some other reason, either don't book the cruise or stay on the ship.

[GRAYTech]

If you dont like the stop, because it's too short or some other reason, either don't book the cruise or stay on the ship.

 

Indeed, there are many, many options to choose from. The glass half-full theory also applies. Make the best of it, enjoy the heck out of it and you will have a good time no matter what you do.

 

Although my glass may no longer be half full for Grand Turk.

[Sackat60]

We just finished the SF to FLL 15 day Panama Canal cruise and everyone in our group of 10 agreed that several of the stops were too short, especially the Aruba stop.

 

However that one ended up probably my favorite. We were tired of big bus tours so our group just walked through the terminal and I found two guys with signs who said they would give the 10 us a two hour tour of the island highlights (in 2 vans) for $20 each person. I don't even remember the name of the company, but the tour was outstanding. It ended up being almost 3 hours and we saw the amazing rock formation, lighthouse, old cathedral, the hotel district, several beaches and got a really good narrative on the history, culture and lifestyle. The island is very small so it was plenty of time for an overview. Now I would really have loved more time to sit on the beach a bit, but we did manage to grab tiny beers at the lighthouse restaurant. The guides were funny and we all had a great time.

[GUT2407]

Indeed, there are many, many options to choose from. The glass half-full theory also applies. Make the best of it, enjoy the heck out of it and you will have a good time no matter what you do.

 

Although my glass may no longer be half full for Grand Turk.

 

 

I'm fortunate I'm yet to find a Port I feel that way about.

 

Keener on some than others, but if I don't feel like spending time in a Port I have an extra sea day and stay onboard.

[fishywood]

Both Aruba and Cartagena meet the distant foreign port requirement. Not all lines call at both on their Panama Canal full transits; Princess either (1) schedules both in case one call has to be cancelled; or (2) believes that most of us dissent from this thread an prefer two relatively short port calls to one long one plus one more day at sea.

 

What must also be considered is the port schedule in Aruba: no more than two large ships can dock at a time; on many days for one of the berths there is one from 7:00 to 12:30, a second from 2:00 until the evening, often as late as 10 or 11 PM. Princess chooses to book the early slot on their partial transit days, perhaps because they can only secure a longer slot a certain number of times each season and uses those dates for the eight night Southern Caribbean itinerary that covers the three ABC islands.

 

And making calls at both Aruba and Cartagena is an increasingly rare instance of non-economizing: for the westbound transit, getting from Ft Lauderdale to Aruba in roughly 60 hours, then Aruba to Cartagena in 18 uses quite a bit more fuel than if there was a the 2 PM-to-late call at Aruba followed by a sea day rather than Cartagena; the ship would have 32 to 36 hours to get from Aruba to the pilot station at the entrance to the Canal depending on how late they left Aruba. (Eastbound could be assumed a full day at Cartagena and no Aruba for the same savings).

 

Bottom line is that Princess is making a specific effort to have both those port calls on an itinerary that might otherwise have a run of five out of six days without any (though with the Canal transit day in the middle). THAT'S why they "bother" :rolleyes:

[Thrak]

If you dont like the stop, because it's too short or some other reason, either don't book the cruise or stay on the ship.

 

But... If you don't go ashore you will miss the blue horse statues!

 

 

For the "select few" there is also a Geocache hidden at the I<3Aruba sign. :)

 

[upwarduk]

 

 

 

Leaving the port of Aruba, the nearest beach is just out of town.

 

 

 

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[GRAYTech]

"Keener on some than others, but if I don't feel like spending time in a Port I have an extra sea day and stay onboard. "

 

 

You said it much better than I did. I try to live with my glass half full, just might be keener on ports other than Grand Turk.

Edited April 3, 2017 by GRAYTech

[VTX-AL]

If you dont like the stop, because it's too short or some other reason, either don't book the cruise or stay on the ship.

 

There is always one snarky responder ! I did not say or mean that I didn't "like" the stop. Quite the opposite and I would "like" to have been able to spend additional time there in Aruba. And incidentally, the cruise is 21 days with stops in seven countries, so Aruba is nice but not the only reason for this particular cruise.

 

 

And to the others: thanks for the informative responses, which help me understand why Princess "bothers" with such a short stop.

 

...VTX-Al

[ar1950]

BTW, if you don't plan anything on Aruba, look for the enterprising guy with the small van right outside of the port gate selling island tours for $15 or $20 (don't remember which). Bargain tour and he hit most of the spots that the ship tour hit for a lot less money. Well worth it and you still have time to wander around town afterwards.

 

YMMV

[RDC1]

 

 

 

Leaving the port of Aruba, the nearest beach is just out of town.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

The beach picture is the Marriott Renaissance. They used to allow people to go in and use the beach. No longer. They don't even allow beach passes. Last time there they have also gone the wristband route to keep people from sneaking in. Surfside beach is a little bit further. The Renaissance is about a 15 minute walk from the dock, Surfside is about a 30 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride.

[floridalover5623]

Well... there obviously is one as we visited it. This lovely young lady

 

 

Sold me this beer

 

 

at the small bar on the beach. We found the beach by simply walking all the way through town. I had never seen beer in such small bottles. I think they were maybe 8 ounces and we bought a couple in town for $4.50 each and another one (for me!) at the beach bar for $4.75. Yikes! However, we always sample the local beer wherever we go. In Aruba your main choices for beer were either Balashi or Heineken. It is, after all, a Dutch island.

 

While walking through town don't forget to purchase a tee shirt that will shrink 2 sizes once you wash it. :p

The only close on near town is by a large hotel & I didn't think it was open to the public.