Aruba, Curacao, Grand Turk, La Romana

[jrmende63]

thanks for all the great info on this thread! We will be sailing on this intenerary Oct 2012, We are very excited to be sailing on this intenerary!

[luv_cruisin33]

We have been to Grand Turk...Loved the beach being so close to the ship. It was a little rocky but water was nice.

[cawagner]

we will be on the valor two weeks before you... Same itinerary also in our first aft wrap! We are in 7440.... Which aft wrap did you book?

 

7445 :d

[Mel23]

I am so, so excited that I chose this itinerary for our honeymoon on Freedom next October! I wish we could do the sunset dinner in Aruba, but we leave port at 4PM. :( Maybe we could do something like that Curacao (we don't leave until 11PM). Does anyone know if something like this is available there?

 

Thanks to those who posted their experiences at these ports! I'm really looking forward to more responses!! :)

[celticd1]

Great info so far. Keep it coming! :)

[Anyislandwilldo]

Back in 2010 on the Miracle when we docked in La Romana, we grabbed a bus at the port for $7.00 per person and rode the bus to Altos Chavon. We spent about 3 hours walking around and seeing the sights. You can google this to get more information on what is offered here. We are not beach people so it was a cheap way to spend some time on the island. The welcome center does not offer much in the way of souvenirs.

[logbook]

We were on this cruise in March 2011 - love it, booked again for next March.

 

In Grand Turk we immediately went to Margaritaville. It is right when we get off the ship. We went and found two lounge chairs right by the pool and spent a few hours there. I thought the pool was beautiful and we really enjoyed it there. It is free to get in there and you just pay for any drinks or food that you may want. It was a little pricey, but really nice. Jim had to drag me away to Jack's Shack to meet the rest of our roll call, but that was a good time too. Just a little "shack" on the beach, maybe a 10 minute walk down the beach. Had a nice bar and several little tables, all undercover. People were very nice. We didn't eat, but they did have food. Others ate and enjoyed all the food. Spent a couple hours there and headed back to the ship. A fun day!

 

In Aruba we went on a 3-4 hour bus tour. It was nice to see all around Aruba and it was fun, but we were wishing we were at a beach because it was so hot! Got off the bus (I think it was the Banana Bus that our group booked on our own from recommendations on this site) and walked around town. Ate lunch at Iguana Joe's which was only a couple blocks from the ship, which was really good and just did some shopping, stopped at a little restaurant on the water and had a couple drinks and headed back to the ship and hit the pool. I really like Aruba and am looking forward to going back and spending the day at a beautiful beach this time!

 

Curacao we had a great time. Did the Carnival Beach Fun By Boat tour. Just a quick (and sort of rocky!) boat ride to the beach by the Sea Aquarium where we picked two lounge chairs and a little table, got a free drink and just relaxed for a few hours. I remember the water being really nice and we could see the dolphins in the distance over at the Aquarium. Other people from our roll call were also there, and had just taken a taxi and saved a LOT of money doing it that way!! But we enjoyed the boat ride and seeing things along the water. They had a small gift shop, a bar and you could also order food. We didn't venture away from the beach, so I'm not sure if there was shopping or other restaurants in the area. We took our boat ride back, when on the ship and dropped off our stuff and went shopping. Lots of shops near the ship and we walked over the swinging bridge. Nice area. We liked it there!

 

Dominican Republic was a disappointment. Our group had made reservations at, I believe Dreams, and the resort was providing the bus and coming to get all of us when the ship arrived. The morning we were arriving and all meeting to get off, someone got an email that said the resort had to cancel and couldn't come and get us because they were not allowing any private buses/cars approach the pier - only Carnival buses and taxis. It was for security reasons that we never did get an explanation about, but that changed all our plans. Some of our group took taxis to the resort, but we decided it wasn't worth the risk of even getting off and not knowing what we were getting into. The people that did go, said the resort was nice... but we enjoyed a very quiet day at the pool. It was great actually. Not a lot of people around!!! But we were disappointed!! Not sure what we will do there this time! BTW, the resort gave all of a full refund of our deposit because they were not able to come and get us.

 

After reading all these posts, I want to look into the sunset dinner in Aruba.... that would be something different.

[almondglaze]

Please keep these coming. I'm not a beach person so any reviews of tours, especially the Carnival excursions will be greatly appreciated.

[Scottee25]

I will be doing this itinerary in October 2012. Our itinerary actually has us in Curacao from 2PM-11PM which appears to be in contrast to other itineraries that have Aruba as the afternoon/evening port.

 

I am curious why everyone thinks DR is a throw away port? Maybe to those of us in North America, we have a perception of the Dominican Republic, but DR is actually a very popular vacation spot for those outside of NA and even more so for those that live in the Caribbean. It seems like most people do Dreams while in port. However, if you are not into beaches, Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World. Carnival has 2 different excursions that go to Santo Domingo (I would only do such a trip as a Carnival sponsored excursion). Appears the biggest difference between them is one offers lunch while the other does not. Being able to see the oldest city in the New World is something I would consider pretty historically significant. Carnival also has an excursion that visits the Taino indian (the native indians of the Caribbean at the time of the New World discovery) caves that I am sure could also be historically significant.

 

I am still at a loss as to what to do in Grand Turk. It looks like this place is nothing more than a beach/bar port. With 3 Sea Days in the itinerary, I would really like to find things a bit more adventurous to do. I see there is an excursion riding dune buggies across the island. I have also seen that there are a few small museums on the island. I still have close to a year so I am sure we will find something to before we set sail.

 

I have a handful of things I am considering in Aruba but havn't put together a formal plan yet. But I was thinking maybe some horseback riding, visiting the donkey santuary (my wife would love that), seeing the lighthouse(s), the natural bridges, the caves, possibly the gold mill ruins. More along the lines of an Eco tour of the island.

 

I have found very little information on Curacao though I have found some. I am with the others that would like to find some sort of sunset activity to do since we will be in port until 11PM. I have come across a tour operator that does a sunset cruise that includes a buffet style dinner on a beach. I havn't contacted them yet but their website says that it is a chartered tour and there is a $$$ minimum for the charter. Over the coming months I will try to touch base with them to see if I can get more details. This tour also has snorkeling tho I thought this was a bit odd for a sunset dinner cruise. Also, it seems to leave (4PM) and return (7:30PM) pretty early. Not sure if they would be willing to alter that due to the time we are in port.

 

My wife and I have not really been beach people since we had an unfortunate sunburn incident on a cruise several years ago. Since then, we have prefered to engage ourselves in more active activities. We did a lot of snorkeling, zip lining, horseback riding, and hiking on our last vacation and really enjoyed it. We don't mind being in the sun or in the water, but if we are, we like to be active. If we are going to lounge someplace, we prefer it be in the shade :)

[AmandaKaye79]

In DR, I think the tour of the caves sounds really fun. I also agree with the previous poster about the chance to see the oldest city in the New World. I would like to think it would be neat, although I haven't found any reviews or information on either of these posts. I can't really imagine why people waste money to go to Dreams-- you can get a free pool and food by just staying on the ship. And going to a place like Dreams isn't really experiencing anything on the Island. You can go to one of those resorts anywhere. (just my opinion)

In Aruba, we are thinking of the ABC Jeep Tour. It sounds really fun and they take you to Natural Bridge, Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, Arikok National Park, Ayo Rock Formation, Donkey Sanctuary and the famous Natural Pool for swimming and snorkeling. For the half day the cost is $75 and I belive you can get a small discount by booking online.

I don't know what to do in Curacao yet...But I would like some ideas. We are in this port from 2pm-11pm.

Grand Turk will most likely just be a beach day for us.

[cruises42]

Please keep these coming. I'm not a beach person so any reviews of tours, especially the Carnival excursions will be greatly appreciated.

 

I'll second this request.

[blue_water]

Please keep posting. We are doing this cruise in July 2012. I haven't been able to find much information at all. Neither of us are big drinkers so paying for an all inclusive package at dreams for LaRomana doesn't really interest us. Has anyone done anything other than Dreams in DR? I would love to hear more suggestions for the other ports as well.

 

We're also hitting La Ramona for the first time in April on the Freedom and looking for additional options. I researched excursion options on tripadvisor and shoretrips and one repeated recommendation was to get a driver to Bayahibe and see the village and use the beach there. Someone mentioned the Seavis tours in Bayahibe was wonderful in setting up a nice day over to Saona and Paradise Beach and I need to see if that's the same place. We sometimes stay at AI resorts and would prefer not to go that route here if possible.

 

But try those sites to learn more about the area, the Chavon River cruise is also popular (Apocalypse Now, King King filmed here).

[billfish]

Thanks! I've heard similiar stories about the "taxi gate police" in La Romana. Appreciate your input. :)

 

 

 

Debbie

 

 

Tracey { Froggy 4 } did a great job putting the Dreams trip togeather for last years cruise. Trust her you do not want to deal with anything other than the Gate Police

[bills blasters]

We were just in Cruacoa and Aruba in January. At both places we did not have anything booked in advance. We got off the ship and left the port area and were able to bus tours privately. They were $20 at each place. I think they charged less for the kids. It was a 3 hour tour that let us see most of the sights of the islands. They give you the option of dropping you off at the beach or shopping areas and getting a taxi back to the port.

Curacoa had a lot of neat shopping areas very close to the pier and lots of restaurants. When we got off the bus we just walked around the shops.

We had someone on our roll call do the passions on the beach sunset dinner. They loved it.

In Grand Turk we rented golf carts. We just rode from one end of the island to the other. Stopped along the way to look at the sights. It was a lot of fun, but there really isn't a lot to see in Grand Turk. It is a very small island. We went to the Lighthouse, which was nice, but kind of a dissapointment. We thought we could go up into the lighthouse and see some great views. You can't. Other than that, we really didn't see much as far as sightseeing areas. We did stop at a beach and get some nice seashells

I loved that schedule. We were lucky and went to Catalina Island instead of the DR. We had done the DR the year before, so we really did not want to go back there.

Claudia

[w8ing2cruz]

Our experience with the Natural Pool :o

 

In Aruba, we are thinking of the ABC Jeep Tour. It sounds really fun and they take you to Natural Bridge, Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, Arikok National Park, Ayo Rock Formation, Donkey Sanctuary and the famous Natural Pool for swimming and snorkeling I would be very surprised if you were able to make it to the Natural Pool. We tried twice by vehicle and the roads were not condusive to our getting there. Third time's the charm - we went horseback riding and that was PRETTY darn hairy getting down to the pool. It is a beautiful site to see but very difficult to get to. For the half day the cost is $75 and I belive you can get a small discount by booking online.

 

[golfadj]

Debbie

 

 

Tracey { Froggy 4 } did a great job putting the Dreams trip togeather for last years cruise. Trust her you do not want to deal with anything other than the Gate Police

 

 

Bill

 

What is the gate police?

[lnew1gd1]

In Grand Turk, while riding around on the golf carts we found a fabulous beach and bar and stopped there for a while. It was beautiful. Bohio Resort, small, no cost to stop and enjoy.

 

 

We loved Grand Turk! Here is a link to our pics. https://picasaweb.google.com/107168521766012889891/Feb9GrandTurk?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 

OHHHH, the very best Conch Fritter I've ever had anywhere were had here in Grand Turk in the old town...at a bar on the right side of the street as you are driving away from the cruise port. Sorry, wish I could remember the name of the place. They have a sign outside that says "best Conch fritters" and it's the truth. This is what it looked like outside.

[lnew1gd1]

Bill

 

What is the gate police?

 

Stu, when we tried to get out of the fenced in port area in La Romana to get to our bus for the transport to Dreams, the" Gate Police" wouldn't let us out or the driver in so that we could board the private hired bus! Held us up for quite a long time.

[debster11]

Hate La Romana. Would never go there again and if I did I would stay on the ship or go to the AI. When the bus dropped us off in the middle of town I wanted to get back on! This was the first place that I was actually afraid for my safety. Others may not feel that way, but I hated that place.

 

The only cool thing was when we were docked you could see all the kids playing baseball. There were baseball fields everywhere. This is just my opinion.

[golfadj]

Stu, when we tried to get out of the fenced in port area in La Romana to get to our bus for the transport to Dreams, the" Gate Police" wouldn't let us out or the driver in so that we could board the private hired bus! Held us up for quite a long time.

 

More and more I wonder why Carnival insists on taking us here. Coming to the conclusion this should be a very quiet sea day for us.

[Frequent Floater]

I hate to see the negatives about the port in La Romana. It is like many other industrial ports. It is another cruise ship companies port, therefor their rules. Only their ships tour vendors are allowed to come directly into the port area. Once you know that, you know what to expect. Our cruise stop there was some of the first so it was trial and error finding reviews from other cruisers to tell us about it.

The walk to the taxi's is not that bad. Once you know what you are doing and ask others about the taxi fares you will be prepared. Seavis told me is SHOULD be $10 per person round trip. Once we got to the gate I told the gate lady I needed 4 vans with 10 pax each which filled the van. The gate lady (police) said it was $150 per van, so this was the standard rate apparently back in March.

I am sure for those that take some extra time to research things on the web, you will be so happy to get off the ship and see this beautiful place. I spent hours checking everywhere and found trip advisor to have some really good into.

I am sure the gate police are getting better aquainted with the process of handling those pax that are wanting to use the taxi service. It did take us a few extra minutes with the language barrier but all in all it was just fine.

Bayahibe is a 25 minute ride from the port for those that would like to do a tour on own. I agree that going to Dreams is just like staying on the ship but much less expensive. If you are beach people, try to get to one of the beachs from Bayahibe. They are beautiful!!

Saona is a small beach village and the residents are so friendly.

Paradise beach is, well paradise. A nice snorkeling "pool" just near the part of the beach where the Pirates of the Caribbean jungle scenes were filmed.

Think it was over 30-45 minute boat ride, I really can't remember for sure but do know it was quite aways. We also stopped a few times to get some history and play with the starfish on a sand bar.

I do not know if there are private boats that can take you there, we used Seavis which had good speedboats to get there and back. I am sure they can help set up other smaller tours as well since they have boats that take up to 24 pax. If not they are good to suggest other options with other vendors.

[comeon530]

This is my favorite itinerary and I cannot wait to do it again! We missed Grand Turk due to high winds, but here is what we did in the other ports:

 

Aruba: The Kukoo Kunukoo tour and beach break. It was a slightly silly, but fun way to see the island highlights and a very nice beach with calm water. The beach chairs were a bit crowded, but bathrooms were clean.

 

Curacao: Trolley tour. This is a great port to walk and shop. My favorite port by far of those I've visited.

 

La Romana: Boat ride to Catalina Island. Most beautiful beach I've ever seen. Lovely place. Nothing to do right at the port except for one duty free shop. We enjoyed sitting on our balcony watching youth play baseball across the way. They had some very nice ball fields for what looked like such a poor town overall.

 

One thing we learned: in Aruba and Curacao, don't expect to negotiate prices. The vendors there were not pushy, and seemed offended if you asked for a lower price.

[billfish]

Bill

 

What is the gate police?

 

 

The security at the port controls all the movement of taxis and transportation in and out of the gated area at the dock. Last year we had a luxury bus outside the gated area . We were not allowed outside to get on the bus I thought it was going to end out in a fight. We were delayed by 45 minutes waiting to get on the bus.

 

 

Would have been alot easier to play by their rules

[LKYGSR]

More and more I wonder why Carnival insists on taking us here. Coming to the conclusion this should be a very quiet sea day for us.

 

 

LRDR: It will be a sea day for us. I'm beginning to think Carnival takes us here to increase THEIR REVENUE, because no one will get off the ship. Just another sea day for them and less fuel expense.

 

As far as the other islands, keep the posts coming, loving it! We sail in March!

[momof4boys]

Frequent Floater: Where are the beautiful pictures from in your signature? They are amazing!!