Aruba - Any Suggestions?

[Arlenedow]

We'll be on the Volendam sailing March 30th and would like to know if anyone has any suggestions of what to see and do in Aruba? :confused:

Thanks,
Arlene

[trubey]

Arlene,

Have you tried the Ports of Call forums? The people on that board are from all the different ship lines and so you might have better luck. Susan.

[CruiserBruce]

The Pirate Swim/Sail/Swing excursion (essentially a party boat) was great fun when we were there on Rotterdam in Dec. A good crew, great places to swim and snorkel, and of course, all the other treats. Just the right amount of rowdiness for all ages (and we had people from 10 to 80 on board).

Bruce

Still over 2 years to the Med, May 2007!

[aaannnthony]

If you're into snorkeling, rent a car and go to Baby Beach, about a 30-40 minute drive.....get good directions, it's not easy to find the first time, you'll enjoy. The rental's about $35, so find another couple and share the cost!

[Nautical Wheeler]

Unless you want to do the usual shopping thing..........rent a car and travel around the whole island. We did this and came upon caves, natural wonders, historic churches (with a litter of puppies taking refuge) and beautiful beaches.
This was one of the best "island things" we did.:)

[Nautical Wheeler]

The rentals are very reasonable and are less expensive than the "tours". We made our reservations on line before we left home.

[OCruisers]

Arlene .... What we think many others would enjoy most about this excursion is seeing all of the "Friendly Blue Parrot Fish" with so little effort. :)

DePalm Island "Ticket To Paradise" (Click for Review) (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=134665)

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[Islandbuoy]

We did a catamaran snorkel & beach (snorkel @ a sunken German ship) and both DW & I loved it.

[Arlenedow]

Thank you everybody for your replies. :D DePalm Island sounds great and it sounds like you don't even have to snorkle to see the parrot fish.

Arlene

[gaylenhazel]

We did the jeep island tour. It ended up with lunch and snorkeling. It was awesome! That was 2 years ago.... oh how I'd love to be there again.

[MandyGirl]

Like others in this thread, we rented a jeep for the day and explored the island. It was most definitely an enjoyable day! :)

[BellaBaci4]

What are your favorite things to do? Are you looking for a beach day? How much time do you have? Post your answer, I'll be happy to make suggestions. We have been going to Aruba for over 20 years.

[Arlenedow]

BellaBaci4

We love the beach but when it is our first time on an island (we have not been to Aruba) we like to do a good sightseeing tour so that we can learn what the island is all about. I have seen a tour called the Banana Bus but have not been able to find any comments on it. Do you know anything about it? We hate crowded big bus tours and would love to find a local tour operator that takes 2 to 10 people.

I guess what we'd like to do is a sightseeing tour and then, if there's time, go to a beach. What do you think about DePalm?

We'll be in Aruba 4/2 from 7am until 6pm.

Thanks for your help.
Arlene