Deciding on renting a car in Aruba or Curaçao

We will be honeymooning on Serenade of the Seas December 10th. We have two long port days, one in Aruba and one in Curaçao. I was debating on which island to rent on. Which island has more to see and do? Should we just hire a driver for the day? I know renting a car isn’t too expensive. Sitting on the beach for us isn’t really a big deal since we live in Myrtle Beach... lol

Thanks!

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We are on Aruba now the buses are pretty easy to figure out and we have seen a lot of taxi’s here is a bus map just in case

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We are renting on Curacao. We don't get into Aruba until 11 am although we stay real late. We might decide to also rent on Aruba. We'll see. We like to go exploring on our own.

The main reason we are renting on Curacao is that there's less traffic and there are a lot of places to snorkel around the island. We are using http://www.advancecarrentalcuracao.com/

We just love renting cars and doing what we want especially the first time on an island. Once in a while we will grab a tour but not too often.

enjoy

We are renting on Curacao. We don't get into Aruba until 11 am although we stay real late. We might decide to also rent on Aruba. We'll see. We like to go exploring on our own.

 

The main reason we are renting on Curacao is that there's less traffic and there are a lot of places to snorkel around the island. We are using http://www.advancecarrentalcuracao.com/

 

We just love renting cars and doing what we want especially the first time on an island. Once in a while we will grab a tour but not too often.

 

enjoy

Thanks for the information re renting. Yes, we love renting a car as well, late 60's, love to meander and think this is the best way to do it!

Curacao is more spread out and is an easy drive (a bit of traffic in town but otherwise scenic) plus round abouts. We spend a land vacay there and HAD to have a car. Taxis there are very expensive. Aruba has a good bus system and taxis aren’t quite as much

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We would suggest renting on both islands :). Much of Aruba cannot be accessed by the bus line...especially if you want to drive around the lunar landscape-like part of the island. As to Curacao, it is a pretty long island and it can 2 hours+ just to get to the far eastern end. But when we go out to that far end it is usually to do some snorkeling and spend some time on several beaches. If you have no interest in that stuff you could just spend a day in town...which is all within walking distance of the ship.

Hank

We have rented cars on Aruba three times off ships, also taken the bus once. Both are great. Be sure to study the bus route schedule and pick the route you want. All the routes run in a circular pattern, departing and returning to the bus depot a block or so from the gate to the cruise ship area. The last time we used the bus (three years ago I think....) the cost was only $10 U.S. for the day, hop on/hop off as many times as you'd like. Keep in mind that the schedules are a bit fluid, to say the least, but a bus WILL come sooner or later, maybe as long as a half hour from when you begin your wait. Car rentals are easy too - there are a number of agencies that are recommended on this forum but we have always used one of the two outfits just outside the gate. No problems whatsoever, but know that these are not brand new vehicles. This past winter we rented a 2 or 3 year old Toyota Camry sedan for $60 for the day, plus gas. The car was clean and reliable and splitting the cost between two couples it was more than reasonable. Aruba is easy to navigate and having a car lets you get to any place you want. Highly recommended!

I’d rent for in Curacao as public transportation easy and cheap in Aruba.

Is parking a consideration in either location?

There is so much to see in Aruba that the buses don't go to.... we timeshare there so we always have a vehicle so haven't done any tours. Went to Curacao on a cruise a couple years ago and took a bus tour - very nice and saw lots and even had a little beach time with a good restaurant for lunch.

My vote.... rent in Aruba!