What Can We Do In Aruba Besides Partying?

[Sun Lover]

My husband, myself and our two sons ages 17 & 14 are thinking of doing the Jolly Pirates excursion, which ends about 2 p.m., but our ship doesn't sail until 1 a.m. the next morning so we'll have a lot of time which we don't want to waste. Obviously, with the kids we don't want to hang out drinking at bars. It sounds like the only things very close to the pier are shopping and restaurants. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a beach that's easy to get to that wouldn't be too far from the pier? Let me know if you can think of any other activities we might do. Thanks.

[Lovethe water]

You can walk to the bus terminal from the dock, so grab a bus and go to the beach. Either Eagle or Palm, they are both nice. Short bus ride or grab a cab, about $6 to Eagle Beach. Enjoy, it is beautiful there,

[MNJewels]

I would recommend a Jeep Adventure Tour in the morning, then hang out at Palm Beach, and then a sunset cruise. That is what I did in Aruba and it was an incredible day. Probably the best time I have ever had in one port.

 

The Jeep tour was so much fun. We went to the Natural Pool, the Natural Bridge and other spots with great views. Palm Beach is very beautiful. Grab a cheeseburger and fries and eat a late lunch on the beach. Your teenagers will love the Jeep tour and the beach. We boarded the sunset cruise right at that beach. It was a beautiful night. The boat had a swing and all of the kids, teenagers and some adults took turns swinging out and into the water. I think we got back to the dock around 9:00 PM. Lots of laughs and some romance (if you want that!).

[lauren0309]

We just got back from our cruise today. In Aruba we rented a jeep wrangler. We took a drive to the Lighthouse, then to the natural bridge that collapsed, an old gold mine and then stopped at Eagle Beach which is beautiful. The island is very small so you can't get lost. It was alot of fun driving around on our own. At night we walked around town, stopped at a casino and then Iguana Joe's.

[sunlover5]

Lauren 0309, can I ask where you rented the jeep from?? Did you do it before you left or when you got off the ship and how much??

Thanks!

[lauren0309]

sunlover 5

 

We rented a jeep from Royal for $72.00. We reserved it online but if you want you can also rent as soon as you get off the ship. All the booths are lined up. If you pay by credit card it was $75 but we paid cash and saved a few dollars. We were satisfied with Royal. I have heard some of the other companies give you really beat up jeeps. Ours was in fair conditon. We had air conditioning, Automatic transmission. I would recommend Royal car rental.

[cruizenisgreat]

I would also recommend renting a car or jeep and just driving around. It is a nice drive to the lighthouse.

[Sun Lover]

MNJewels,

 

Did you do the jeep tour driving on your own or through a company? Did you set it up ahead of time before your trip or was it just something you did when you got off the ship? How did you get to Palm Beach at the end of the jeep tour? I was thinking of doing one of the jeep tours but after reading some of the posts, I was a little nervous about it since people were saying how rough it was and a few people even were injured from it. Also, from the pictures I saw of places they stopped, it looked like it might be kind of boring except for the natural pool. If you can give me some more details about it, I'd really appreciate it. My kids wanted me to sign up for it because of the off-road jeep thing, and my husband and I are in pretty good shape, but I do have minor back problems once in a while and I'd hate to have it be so rough that my back pain flares up and then it would put a damper on the rest of the cruise. Thanks for the information.

[Arubalisa]

My kids wanted me to sign up for it because of the off-road jeep thing, and my husband and I are in pretty good shape, but I do have minor back problems once in a while and I'd hate to have it be so rough that my back pain flares up and then it would put a damper on the rest of the cruise.

IMHO, getting to and from the Natural Pool is the hardest part of any 4 x 4 tour, whether on your own or with a tour company. The dirt path is heavily rutted and hence the need for a 4 x 4. It is a long, very bumpy ride.

 

FWIW, to see the rest of the island, excluding the Natural Pool, a 4 x 4 is not required. Ask anyone who has done it, getting to the collapsed Natural Bridge, Boca Prins or Dos Playa can all be done by car. There is a slight chance you would have problems with mud if the island has been rainy for any length of time, but the island IS a desert. If you stay on the MAIN path traveling to all of the major sights by car, again with the exception of the Natural Pool, should not be difficult or hard on one's back.

[dizzykat]

How is the road to the lighthouse? Do you need a 4x4 for that?

 

Also, is Baby Beach easy to find? Are there signs for it? How far off the road is it and is it easy to get to from the road? Is there any climbing involved in getting to it?

 

Thanks

Kathy

[Arubalisa]

How is the road to the lighthouse? Do you need a 4x4 for that?

No, a car is just fine, the road is paved the entire way.

 

Also, is Baby Beach easy to find? Are there signs for it? How far off the road is it and is it easy to get to from the road? Is there any climbing involved in getting to it?

Yes, there is one main road south from the cruise terminal which will take you towards the end of the island where Baby Beach is located. There are also signs which indicate the direction of Baby Beach.

[Sun Lover]

Arubalisa,

I'd like to ask your opinion about the Jolly Pirates excursion or renting a jeep on our own or doing a jeep excursion through a private operator. Which of these activities do you think boys ages 17 & 14 would like best? I originally was looking into the jeep 4x4 off-road tour but a lot of people complained about the roughness of the ride and also when I checked into where they went, it just looked like it would be kind of boring for kids as far as what they would see. Do you think they'd like Jolly Pirates or is it more for younger kids? If we did Jolly Pirates until 2 p.m., would you suggest we just hang out at the beach the rest of the day or still try to do the jeeps? Jolly Pirates leaves from MooMba's right on the beach and we were thinking of doing the excursion and then just hanging there at the beach the rest of the afternoon and having dinner there and maybe staying to watch the sunset. I'd like to hear your opinion, though, before I go ahead and book something.

[Arubalisa]

Arubalisa,

I'd like to ask your opinion about the Jolly Pirates excursion or renting a jeep on our own or doing a jeep excursion through a private operator. Which of these activities do you think boys ages 17 & 14 would like best? I originally was looking into the jeep 4x4 off-road tour but a lot of people complained about the roughness of the ride and also when I checked into where they went, it just looked like it would be kind of boring for kids as far as what they would see. Do you think they'd like Jolly Pirates or is it more for younger kids? If we did Jolly Pirates until 2 p.m., would you suggest we just hang out at the beach the rest of the day or still try to do the jeeps? Jolly Pirates leaves from MooMba's right on the beach and we were thinking of doing the excursion and then just hanging there at the beach the rest of the afternoon and having dinner there and maybe staying to watch the sunset. I'd like to hear your opinion, though, before I go ahead and book something.

Funny you should ask...I have an acquaintance who was in the same situation as you with her 2 sons, ages 17 & 20. They decided to go with Jolly Pirates and had a wonderful time-- the boys especially had a BLAST on the rope swing! If you perform a search here in the Aruba forum, you will see nothing but positive comments about the Jolly Pirates. It is small operation owned by a husband and wife team.

 

My suggestion if you wanted to see a little of the island (at 26 miles long it is not THAT big anyway) is to leave yourself enough room in the a.m. before you have to meet at Moombas (for the JP). Hire a taxi from the cruise terminal and ask the driver to take you for a ride up the coast to the California Lighthouse with a stop for photos and then have him/her drop you off at Moombas.

 

When your cruise is over, Mom and Dad could relax on the beach at Moombas and the boys could swim or take in some waterports. Sunset from the beach or one of the many beach bars is also a wonderful idea as well as dinner at Moombas or the Pelicans Nest just a short walk down the beach.

[Ocean State]

Thanks for sharing all of your tips - we thought of doing the Jolly Pirates with our 2 boys (ages 7 and 9) but we have never snorkled before and aren't strong swimmers either...we wondered if we would enjoy it.??.. And I also wanted your thoughts on going to Renaissance Island, and hanging there for the day - but I understand the hotel has to be less than 90% occupied, so you can't really plan it in advance. Thanks for your thoughts...:)

[Sun Lover]

Arubalisa,

Thanks so much for your advice. I am going to book the Jolly Pirates trip. I like your suggestion about getting a cab and going down the coast to the lighthouse beforehand but our ship docks at 8 a.m. and I'm not sure we'd have enough time. If we wanted to get a cab to do that after Jolly Pirates, could you give me an idea how much it would cost, where we should go, and if we need to negotiate the price of the cab with the driver. Are there set rates? Should we ask before we get in how much it will be? Do you know if the cabs are priced per person or per cab?

[Arubalisa]

Thanks for sharing all of your tips - we thought of doing the Jolly Pirates with our 2 boys (ages 7 and 9) but we have never snorkled before and aren't strong swimmers either...we wondered if we would enjoy it

There is a very positive thread about Jolly Pirates at JOLLY PIRATES is the BEST ( 1 2 3) I think it would give you a real good "feel" for what the excursion is all about. JP is definitely a family excursion and they do supply snorkel vests. You can contact the husband and wife team who own JP at jollypirates@setarnet.aw I am sure they would be more than happy to answer any/all of your questions.

.??.. And I also wanted your thoughts on going to Renaissance Island, and hanging there for the day - but I understand the hotel has to be less than 90% occupied, so you can't really plan it in advance. Thanks for your thoughts...:)

This is a "first class" way to spend your day, but with the question of actually being able to do it, you would need to have a "plan b" for your day. I am sure JP's has a cancellation policy but I do not know the specifics. Again if you email them, they can fill you in on those details.

[Arubalisa]

Arubalisa,

Thanks so much for your advice. I am going to book the Jolly Pirates trip. I like your suggestion about getting a cab and going down the coast to the lighthouse beforehand but our ship docks at 8 a.m. and I'm not sure we'd have enough time. If we wanted to get a cab to do that after Jolly Pirates, could you give me an idea how much it would cost, where we should go, and if we need to negotiate the price of the cab with the driver. Are there set rates? Should we ask before we get in how much it will be? Do you know if the cabs are priced per person or per cab?

From Palm Beach to the lighthouse would be about $11 each way. http://taxiaruba.com/new/farelist.html Fares are set by the government, are non-negotiable and are per car NOT per person. They do charge a couple of extra dollars for Sundays and nights http://taxiaruba.com/new/policy.html.

 

IF you were off the ship at 8 a.m. you would have time to head up to the lighthouse, get out, look around and take some photos, before your sail. Much after that, I personally would not want to cut it that short. If you decide to go in the a.m., just explain to the taxi driver what you want to do and what time you need to be at Moombas.

[Cruise with the wind]

This thread has been a big help thanks to all.