Celebrity Aruba excursions

[pabooker]

There are three sunset cruise excursions offered in Aruba on our upcoming Celebrity reflections cruise; Sunset Schooner Cruise, Aruba Sunset Catamaran Cruise, Aruba Sunset Cocktail Cruise.  Looking for help in deciding which one to book.  We are looking for a relaxing trip rather than a party boat. Thanks in advice for any advice.

[mayleeman]

We just booked ABC cruise for January 2021, so I will look forward to the info you get on this. When is yours?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Be sure to check the Ports of call threads

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[pabooker]

mayleeman

We just returned from our cruise.  After talking with excursion desk and other cruisers we decided to forgo the sun sailing as it seemed like we would be paying for Rum punch we weren't going to drink.  Instead we made reservations on Open Table for Passions on the Beach.  It is a $15 cab ride or a $2.60 per person bus ride from the cruise port.  We arrived at 6:00 for a drink and enjoyed the sunset from the beach.  Good food, good service. Will do again if we return to Aruba.  

[Want2Cruise 701]

We did the cocktail cruise.  It was a catamaran.  I wouldn't do it again.  It wasn't a party atmosphere at all.  The problem we had was that it was a very large catamaran so it wasn't intimate.  There were a lot people.  Except for the sunset, it wasn't very picturesque.  Aruba isn't the prettiest island.  It's flat and desert like. 

 

We also had reservations at Passions and Barefoot since we couldn't decide.  In the end, DH and DS wanted the catamaran so we cancelled the dinner reservations.  We ended up having dinner near the port after the sail since we were hungry.  Wish we did the nice dinner at either Passions or Barefoot with the sunset instead. 

[mayleeman]

On 3/4/2019 at 9:45 PM, pabooker said:

mayleeman

We just returned from our cruise.  After talking with excursion desk and other cruisers we decided to forgo the sun sailing as it seemed like we would be paying for Rum punch we weren't going to drink.  Instead we made reservations on Open Table for Passions on the Beach.  It is a $15 cab ride or a $2.60 per person bus ride from the cruise port.  We arrived at 6:00 for a drink and enjoyed the sunset from the beach.  Good food, good service. Will do again if we return to Aruba.  

Thank you for that information. We switched our ABC cruise to the Equinox in November 2020, and it is 2 days shorter. Eliminates Cartegna and makes Aruba only a day, not overnight.

 

So, dinner cruises or visits to nice restaurants are out for us. But, we went there 12 years ago on a timeshare exchange and ate in some great places. This info is too late for you, but might be helpful if anyone going there catches this thread. There was one that was built out over the water, and you could look down between the decking and see the fish in the lit water underneath. Fun steel band. That name escapes me but it was real close to downtown near the airport. I think it may be closed now, but if we were overnighting that is where we would go. I would check the local tourist publications to find out.

 

The best was a place called Flying Fishbone, which reviews on line say is a 25 to 40 dollar cab ride depending on where you start (we had a car). Just like your pictures--feet in the sand, sunset, torches, food just amazing. Worth it in our view but Passions sounds handier to cruisers.

 

Aruba was where my wife first discovered she could snorkel after years of believing she would panic from claustrophobia. We snorkeled above a WWI shipwreck (freighter) and watched the scuba divers having a closer examination. Aruba has a number of those.

 

A cool trip--but you are right about Aruba itsel. Not an attractive landscape!

[Hlitner]

One nice facet about Aruba is that some of the most popular tourist beaches (i.e. Palm, Eagle, Manchebo, etc) are all on the western side of the island.  If you are on any of these beaches at sunset you can get a spectacular view (if the weather cooperates) and might even see a bride (in wedding gown) in the sand having her picture taken with the sunset as the background.   

 

Hank