Suggestions for 8 day So. Caribbean on the Magic

Hey all, my girlfriend and I are embarking on an 8 day stopping in Aruba, Curaçao, and Grand Turk on August 26th. We have NO idea what we want to do in port at any of the stops. I'm a frequent cruiser, but this is the first time I've been without my family (my dad is usually in charge of planning). We usually go the route of just hopping off and finding a cab/bus to take us somewhere or finding a destination within walking distance. Does anyone have any suggestions? A excursion through Carnival would be fine too, but I haven't seen any that particularly jump out at me for their prices. I am a bit nervous about venturing out on my own without guaranteed transportation back to the pier. Also, could someone suggest a good 'snooze and cruise' hotel in the Canaveral area? Thanks for any help.

In Grand Turk, get a golf cart. Rent it ahead of time to secure one. Karib, Wet Money, Nathan's & Max Karts are the vendors there. Very small island, easy to do by yourself.

Go to Cruise Critics ports of call forum, very good info there...

I like the Trolley tour. Short. Very informative. Not expensive. Can leave you in safe Downtown to shop and sight see.

Beaches are lovely. but the wind blows all the time. I like it. But if I was wet.........don't know.

Islands are prosperous. Clean. Safe. I love going there.

Hey all, my girlfriend and I are embarking on an 8 day stopping in Aruba, Curaçao, and Grand Turk on August 26th. We have NO idea what we want to do in port at any of the stops. I'm a frequent cruiser, but this is the first time I've been without my family (my dad is usually in charge of planning). We usually go the route of just hopping off and finding a cab/bus to take us somewhere or finding a destination within walking distance. Does anyone have any suggestions? A excursion through Carnival would be fine too, but I haven't seen any that particularly jump out at me for their prices. I am a bit nervous about venturing out on my own without guaranteed transportation back to the pier. Also, could someone suggest a good 'snooze and cruise' hotel in the Canaveral area? Thanks for any help.

We are doing this same cruise next month. I would welcome any suggestions too. And, if anyone has done this route this year, could you please post copies of the menus.

As far as hotels...try either the Days Inn or Best Western in Cocoa Beach. Both have free parking and shuttle service to the port and are reasonably priced.

We are doing this same cruise next month. I would welcome any suggestions too. And, if anyone has done this route this year, could you please post copies of the menus.

 

As far as hotels...try either the Days Inn or Best Western in Cocoa Beach. Both have free parking and shuttle service to the port and are reasonably priced.

We are on the same cruise! Following thread.

We usually just do beach days at those ports. In Grand Turk you can get off of the ship and there is a free beach right at the port with free chairs and umbrellas. In Aruba we take the public bus to Eagle or Palm beach. The bus is very convenient and easy to follow. Google maps shows where the bus stops are.

In Curacao we took a taxi to Mambo Beach. There's a nice beach there with snorkeling available from the shore, lots of little shops, restaurants and bars.

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I have a trip report in my signature, for this exact cruise. And we stay at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral.

Hey all, my girlfriend and I are embarking on an 8 day stopping in Aruba, Curaçao, and Grand Turk on August 26th. We have NO idea what we want to do in port at any of the stops. I'm a frequent cruiser, but this is the first time I've been without my family (my dad is usually in charge of planning). We usually go the route of just hopping off and finding a cab/bus to take us somewhere or finding a destination within walking distance. Does anyone have any suggestions? A excursion through Carnival would be fine too, but I haven't seen any that particularly jump out at me for their prices. I am a bit nervous about venturing out on my own without guaranteed transportation back to the pier. Also, could someone suggest a good 'snooze and cruise' hotel in the Canaveral area? Thanks for any help.

How can people that don't know you pick excursions for you.

Hi, my husband and I are on this same exact cruise and I agree we had a hard time deciding what to do, nothing looked particularly exciting. We have decided in Grand Turk to not pick an excursion as I have heard it isn't necessary. It will be a beach day for us. In Aruba we decided on the Kukoo Kunuku Open Air Bus and Beach Break. Seemed like it would be fun and another nice beach day. Not sure what we will do at night, or why we are even there til 10pm, as I have heard things close down pretty early. In Curacao we opted for the Discover Curacao Island Tour as it includes the stop at the Curacao distillery and tasting, the only thing I was for sure interested in. As for a hotel I booked Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach which included a park and cruise. This is our first time leaving from Port Canaveral so I cannot really comment on whether it was a good deal on the hotel but seems good from the reviews I've read.

Hey all, my girlfriend and I are embarking on an 8 day stopping in Aruba, Curaçao, and Grand Turk on August 26th. We have NO idea what we want to do in port at any of the stops. I'm a frequent cruiser, but this is the first time I've been without my family (my dad is usually in charge of planning). We usually go the route of just hopping off and finding a cab/bus to take us somewhere or finding a destination within walking distance. Does anyone have any suggestions? A excursion through Carnival would be fine too, but I haven't seen any that particularly jump out at me for their prices. I am a bit nervous about venturing out on my own without guaranteed transportation back to the pier. Also, could someone suggest a good 'snooze and cruise' hotel in the Canaveral area? Thanks for any help.

How can people that don't know you pick excursions for you.

They can't, obviously. The can make suggestions, however, which is what I asked for. Thanks to all those who have done so, very helpful so far.

In Canaveral we always stay at Radisson at the Port. I wont go into the long story behind them, just that we have used them a lot of times and they have ALWAYS provided the best service and a great prices.

I have only been to Grand Turk. If you like just simple beach days, walk down to Jacks Shack down the beach to your left when walking from the ship. Great food, good prices for drinks and a beach view that is less hectic than nearer to the ship.

In Canaveral we always stay at Radisson at the Port. I wont go into the long story behind them, just that we have used them a lot of times and they have ALWAYS provided the best service and a great prices.

 

I have only been to Grand Turk. If you like just simple beach days, walk down to Jacks Shack down the beach to your left when walking from the ship. Great food, good prices for drinks and a beach view that is less hectic than nearer to the ship.

Heard of Jacks Shack and was considering that already. I think we'll do that. Thanks!

I have a trip report in my signature, for this exact cruise. And we stay at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral.

Any chance you have pics of all the menus?

In Aruba we did Trikes Aruba. It's a bit pricey, but a one-of-a kind experience. DH didn't stop smiling for days. This is not a rent and go on your own. There are several other bikes with a guide leading the way in a dune buggy and one following up to keep the group together. Whether you ride a motorcycle or not, it is a breeze to do and it is one of our top five excursions..

We also recommend Jack's Shack for a nice beach day.

In Curacao we walked away from the port area to the town, crossing the amazing bridge, for shopping.

Radisson is our hotel of choice and the night before the cruise, we walked over to the Preacher Bar for drinks and dinner at a mostly local spot.

Grand Turk - plan on a beach day. If you are interested in snorkeling, I would look on the ports of call board for a private provider. We did a Carnival one that took us to the wall (4000' drop very near shore) and while the snorkeling was good, there were just too many people in one area. Plus, they had many that had not snorkeled before. The other great thing to do here is take the tram around the island. You walk to the left off the pier down the beach and will find them as soon as you leave the port property.

Aruba - we really loved the off road island tour in the giant hummers. They stopped at a few places before taking you to the north shore - a totally protected and undeveloped rocky coastal area with natural bridges and blow holes. The off road portion was great - tons of bouncing around and we were laughing up a storm. We were back with plenty of time to put the kids on board and really enjoyed walking the market and having some great snacks and really powerful drinks at Iguana something....

Curacao - I couldn't find anything that really interested us so we took an island tour we negotiated after getting off the ship. It was OK and nice to get an over view of the island. But to me the highlight was walking to the fort (now shops) and across the floating bridge to explore this Dutch architecture town.

Any chance you have pics of all the menus?

Nope! Never really saw a reason to. I didn't really care what was on the menu ahead of time, I just find something to eat. LOL! I know people like to know ahead of time, but it doesn't change the fact that we'll eat in the MDR anyway. We don't do the specialty restaurants, never felt it was worth the money.

We like Jack's Shack in Grand Turk. We go play with Topher on the beach. Just walk off the ship & head to the left, past Margaritaville. (I think that's what was there)

In Curacao, we found a cigar bar that had $5 mojitos. They were delicious & their ventilation system was excellent. There was also a restaurant that we went to at night that had an excellent view of the ship. I think those places were all at Rif Fort.

In Aruba, we went scubadiving, so didn't see lots of the island. We just wandered around near the port since we didn't have a lot of time left.