Aruba photos, trip report + tidbits

[ebslc]

CC friends,

The pictures we took on Aruba during our recent Panama Canal trip are now completely assembled. If you are planning an excursion you may find the pictures and the information below useful. If you have been to Aruba, the photos may bring back some good memories.

 

Direct links to the albums can be found in my signature below. You get to all of my albums by going to the index page: http://picasaweb.google.com/ebslcc. Please note that NOT ALL of the pictures from our cruise are posted yet. Check back when you have time and when you want a feast for your eyes.

 

If you like Aruba, you may want to also check out my Huatulco pictures. Like Aruba, it's a beautiful port to visit.

 

It is best to view the pictures using the slideshow option. Just click on Slideshow button, full screen photos will play on your computer with caption. You can adjust the speed of the playback clicking on the + and - icons. Warning: there are A LOT of pictures in my albums! It will take more than a couple of minutes to see one slideshow.

 

Below are some tidbits based on our trip that may help you if you are planning a trip to Aruba:

 

- We felt very safe in Aruba. In Oranjestad there were no pushy vendors or beggars following us around like we have experienced in Mexican ports.

 

- The walk to town is not too far. ~ 3-4 city block long before you get outside the terminal area.

 

- Taxi fares are reasonable. They are fixed price. See one of the first photos in my Aruba album for the taxi rates (in October 2006).

 

- It may be fun to catch a local bus to go to one of the beaches or just to the high rise hotel area. The bus terminal is only a block from the cruise terminal entrance. The buses run pretty frequently. Fare is inexpensive - $2 US round trip! http://www.visitaruba.com/travel/getaround/buses_omto.html since the island is so small it is VERY hard to get lost!

 

- I think Aruba is the easiest and safest port to catch a good independent tour without worrying that you may be taken for a ride. I suggest going for a small island overview tours available just outside the terminal GATE past the car rental (see my photo album where the gate is). Find 6-8 people to go together or you just have to wait a little for the operator to get enough people for the tour. Cost for us was only $15/pp in a comfortable air condition van.

 

- INSIDE the terminal area there were tour operators selling tours for $20/pp. The dispatchers had a radio and someone who will walk you to the bus. We declined and we were glad we did. The bus was for ~50 passengers. It was only half full. Since we left the terminal late and not too many people were coming out it was probably a long wait before the bus got fill up!

 

- Our tour guide was excellent - he never stop talking. He knew of all the important people on the island politician, land and store owners etc. and pointed out their house to us. We probably saw 90% of what the cruise excursion offered and at a much more relaxed pace ... less people to wait around for to get back on the bus at the various stops! We had the option of butterfly farm stop at the end of the tour and then take a $10 taxi back to the ship when we are done. We opt out after passing by the place.

 

- You can have longer pre-arranged bus tours that cover more of the island. I found this link from Arubalisa on CC: http://www.watapanaaruba.com/dynamicPage.asp?id=102

 

- Don't just shop on the main malls on Smith Boulevard. There are more shops on the side streets e.g. Haven Straat and down to the local department store. There are more selections on the side street stores and the prices appear to be lower.

 

- If you like Gouda cheese from Holland, got to the Hong Hing supermarket on Haven Street - just a block behind the Royal Plaza sells them. There is a refrigerator full of many types of cheese imported from Holland. Small ones were ~$6. There were GIANTIC wheels available also. A picture of the supermarket (and not the cheese) is in my album.

 

- There is an Internet Cafe in Royal Plaza Mall. Artistic Boutique has FREE internet terminal. It's just a block from Royal Plaza (entrance is both on Shell Straat and the Renaissance Mall parking lot). It's GREAT, I got to surf the net for free while my wife shops at the store.

 

- On our bus tour we passed by countless number of timeshare resorts. We didn't walk the streets in the high rise or the low rise hotel/condo areas. I would imagine that like Hawaii there would be many vendors soliciting for timeshare.

 

- If you want to go on an independent snorkel tour you may want to search in the CC Aruba board and check the reviews. We passed by the Jolly Pirates and looks like everyone was having a great time!! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=117763

 

- For a bit of fun at the casino watch out for people passing out envelopes as you walk around town in Oranjestad. We got the envelopes near Diamond International. Inside were a $5 free play card for the Crystal Casino and a coupon for a free showing of a 45 minutes movie of Aruba at the Crystal Theater. It was HOT and stopping by the air conditioned Casino was a very nice break. They passed out free drinks as we play with their $5 cards. Many folks from the cruise were there and they said the odds are better there than at the ship (we are not gamblers). We missed the movie as we only had another hour to get back to the ship. The shows are once an hour. People coming out from the movie said that it was very good. We used the $5 card on the penny machines. Half the machines were penny machines! Another tip: press the pay out as you play and the coins will drop down instead of accumulating credit back to your card. My wife did this and won $3+ from the $5 card. I left mine on the card and eventually went down to $.10 winning which I cashed in.

 

- There is a coupon in one of the tour guides we picked up for a free $5 play card for the Crystal Casino. You just have to present your cruise pass card at the Casino. So if no one is handling out envelopes for the Casino you may want to check coupons in the Aruba tour guides that are available everywhere in town.

 

- Forget about getting a good price on electronics items in Aruba. I checked the prices for digital cameras and you will get a much better price shopping online in the U.S.

 

- Almost everything in Aruba is imported! There are some unique imports from Holland. Simple example: some refrigerator magnets we picked up were made in Holland!

 

- The official currency is Aruban Guilder however US dollars are used everywhere. Some local shops (e.g. the shirt factory we stopped at) had to use a calculator to convert currencies for some items sold there.

 

Below is a list of good links on Aruba:

 

http://www.aruba-travelguide.com/cruise_ships/ - has schedules of cruise ship arrival on Aruba. With this you can figure out how many other ships will be docked when your ship arrives. e.g you may want to get off the ship EARLY if one of the mega (3000+ passenger) ships arrives after your ship.

 

Local specialties & handmade items?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=440935

 

Aruba what to do with one day and limited mobility

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=421192

 

Cruise Critic's Arubalisa has a lot of good posts. Check them out: click on her name in one of her post and select Find all posts by Arubalisa.

 

http://www.visitaruba.com/index.html

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=296807

 

http://www.arubatourism.com/

 

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/aa.html

 

http://bb.visitaruba.com/ Aruba Bulletin Board

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/ebslcc - my photos on Aruba and other travel photos.

 

Also, check links in my signature for other trip reports & tidbits.

 

Enjoy!

[lauren0309]

Thanks for all your time putting this all together with tidbits and pictures of Aruba. I will be there very shortly and will remember some of your advice.

[poorsusan]

Thank you for your photos- made me even more homesick for Aruba. Haven't been there in 2 years!

 

We have a time share in LaCabana on Eagle Beach....we have been going to Aruba since 1993.

[Arubalisa]

Thanks ebslc, what a great reference for first timer's to Aruba!

[Arubalisa]

With winter coming up and lots of cruisers heading to Aruba, I thought I would mention this thread as a great reference for those looking for info and not knowing where to begin.

[gadiamondgal]

What will the temperature be like early December? thanks for all the information! We can't wait to see Aruba for the first time!

 

Marsha

[Arubalisa]

What will the temperature be like early December?

December weather

Average high temperature 87 F.

Average low temperature 76 F.

Average temperature 80 F.

Average water temperature 81 F.

Average rainfall 3.3 inches (20.3 inches annual)

[NZYU]

Lots of great photos and information.

I especially liked the captions under your photos and the links.

 

You really went to a lot of work to help others. Thank you!

[Martin and Lindsey]

We were wondering about booking a cruise that goes to Aruba.

I think you just convinced us. Many thanks! :-)

[love2vacation]

Your pictures are great. Thanks for all your information- we are doing our own thing on Aruba - sounds like this is a good plan. Hope we can connect with your guide.

 

I LOVE your coconut monkey. I have to get one!!!:D

We have coconut birds from St. Lucia so we can add the monkey and start a collection!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are in the process of booking a cruise that goes to Aruba. Your pictures were great! After the excursion I would love to go to a beach. Are there any good snorkeling beaches around? Or, would the tour driver drop you off at a beach and pick you up later? We did that in St. Thomas - it worked out nicely!:)

[mdcruzer]

Quote from original post:

 

"I think Aruba is the easiest and safest port to catch a good independent tour without worrying that you may be taken for a ride. I suggest going for a small island overview tours available just outside the terminal GATE past the car rental (see my photo album where the gate is). Find 6-8 people to go together or you just have to wait a little for the operator to get enough people for the tour. Cost for us was only $15/pp in a comfortable air condition van."

 

The original post was from a couple of years ago and just wondering if anyone has done this lately? What are the current prices?

We haven't decided on a tour yet and it would be nice to just get a quick one at the pier.

[CornellWisconsin]

great aruba overivew, we're going there in Sept!