A Silly Question

[babs135]

which sounds even sillier as I type it. Are there no towns other than where the ships dock? Surely not everyone lives in Oranjestad but no one mentions it; actually no one even mentions Oranjestad. Perhaps beyond the port area there is nothing much of note.

 

Was tempted to delete this post as it reads so ridiculous, but I am curious.

 

Please don't judge me ;p and thanks in advance for any replies.

[NASCAR Bubba]

http://www.aruba.com/the-island

 

This should cover most questions.

[cb at sea]

Of COURSE there are other towns! Have you googled "Aruba Maps"? If not, do it! Get a guidebook! IT's always good to know something about the places you'll visit! It's just that most of the good stuff is in the main city!

[OCruisers]

http://www.aruba.com/the-island

 

This should cover most questions.

 

Agree, the above should cover what you're wanting to know where else folks live.

Aruba is a great place for beaches and water sports if you're interested in that sort of thing. :)

[babs135]

I did say it was a silly question :o

 

DH and I are not particularly into beaches or water sport and I was wondering what else there was to do. Looking at some of the excursions on offer and a greater proportion of them appear to offer things that involve some sort of water activity. I can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water (!) but would like the opportunity to explore.

 

Still I'm looking forward to visiting the island. Perhaps we should just head for the nearest bar :D. Is there a local drink I should try?

[NASCAR Bubba]

I did say it was a silly question :o

 

DH and I are not particularly into beaches or water sport and I was wondering what else there was to do. Looking at some of the excursions on offer and a greater proportion of them appear to offer things that involve some sort of water activity. I can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water (!) but would like the opportunity to explore.

 

Still I'm looking forward to visiting the island. Perhaps we should just head for the nearest bar :D. Is there a local drink I should try?

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=2

 

drink info is in the INFO section of this link, Trip Advisor is also a good source of info on all ports of call.

[Hatteras51]

This is not a silly question at all. There are a lot of small towns, but most are sleepy fishing villages, or residential towns, inland. There are tons of things to do that don't involve water. You can find a lot of land tours on this site. The are jeep tours, trike tours, segway, bus and private taxi tours. The wild side of the island is very interesting, with caves, gold mill ruins, wild donkeys, beautiful cliffs, rock boulders, etc. There is also a very nice downtown area with a trolley, shops, and restaurants.

[babs135]

This is not a silly question at all. There are a lot of small towns, but most are sleepy fishing villages, or residential towns, inland. There are tons of things to do that don't involve water. You can find a lot of land tours on this site. The are jeep tours, trike tours, segway, bus and private taxi tours. The wild side of the island is very interesting, with caves, gold mill ruins, wild donkeys, beautiful cliffs, rock boulders, etc. There is also a very nice downtown area with a trolley, shops, and restaurants.

 

Thanks for making me feel not quite so silly. Reading a lot of the posts here just got me wondering what I would find. Lots more than I thought by the sound of it. :D

[Rala]

I did say it was a silly question :o

 

DH and I are not particularly into beaches or water sport and I was wondering what else there was to do. Looking at some of the excursions on offer and a greater proportion of them appear to offer things that involve some sort of water activity. I can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water (!) but would like the opportunity to explore.

 

Still I'm looking forward to visiting the island. Perhaps we should just head for the nearest bar :D. Is there a local drink I should try?

 

Since you are not into beaches, water sports , can't swim and are apprehensive about being near water, perhaps a vacation on an ocean-going vessel that visits mostly islands which are surrounded by water is not the best choice for vacation for you. I certainly would not go all the way to Aruba (or wherever) to sit in a bar. Maybe an all-inclusive resort somewhere like the mountains or desert or even a road trip to an area you have never visited would work better for you. Whatever you do, enjoy!:)

[babs135]

Since you are not into beaches, water sports , can't swim and are apprehensive about being near water, perhaps a vacation on an ocean-going vessel that visits mostly islands which are surrounded by water is not the best choice for vacation for you. I certainly would not go all the way to Aruba (or wherever) to sit in a bar. Maybe an all-inclusive resort somewhere like the mountains or desert or even a road trip to an area you have never visited would work better for you. Whatever you do, enjoy!:)

 

I know, crazy isn't it? This is actually a cruise from Southampton to San Francisco and DH and I are really looking forward to the transit of the Panama Canal. Aruba is just one of a number of ports on the way and possibly the one that I'm struggling the most with in what to do. We don't sail until January and the ship excursions are not out yet. We tend to use them as a guide as to what we can do ourselves. Might just go for a wander and a drink. Any particular bar we should head for?

 

I would clarify that although I don't like water I love cruising. It's the only way to travel! :D

[OCruisers]

I know, crazy isn't it? This is actually a cruise from Southampton to San Francisco and DH and I are really looking forward to the transit of the Panama Canal. Aruba is just one of a number of ports on the way and possibly the one that I'm struggling the most with in what to do. We don't sail until January and the ship excursions are not out yet. We tend to use them as a guide as to what we can do ourselves. Might just go for a wander and a drink. Any particular bar we should head for?

I would clarify that although I don't like water I love cruising. It's the only way to travel! :D

 

Babs, even though the excursions for your sailing aren't out yet, you can see what Princess normally offers in your ports of call.

Go to the Princess Website ... click on Plan a Cruise ... then click on Shore Excursions and follow instructions giving your Destination as Caribbean ... and then pick Aruba as your Port.

LuLu

[knbcruisers]

I read somewhere else that there is a new walking tour of Orangestad run by a local company

 

 

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[awhcruiser]

I have an even sillier question. Why would you book a caribbean cruise if you aren't into beaches?

I did say it was a silly question :o

 

DH and I are not particularly into beaches or water sport and I was wondering what else there was to do. Looking at some of the excursions on offer and a greater proportion of them appear to offer things that involve some sort of water activity. I can't swim and am actually quite frightened of water (!) but would like the opportunity to explore.

 

Still I'm looking forward to visiting the island. Perhaps we should just head for the nearest bar :D. Is there a local drink I should try?

[bajae]

I have an even sillier question. Why would you book a caribbean cruise if you aren't into beaches?

 

 

 

This is what I did. I'm not really into beaches but I'm going on a Caribbean cruise because my Mother is joining us and we had to leave from Florida. But really because it is a cruise, I'm going on a cruise for the cruise. If I wanted to go to beaches I would just take a vacation to a beach.

 

In the OP case, she isn't going on a Caribbean cruise. Her ship just happens to be traveling through the Caribbean on the way to the Panama Canal. Ships haven't yet got the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ability to sprout wings and fly over the Caribbean Sea. [emoji12]

 

 

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[babs135]

I have an even sillier question. Why would you book a caribbean cruise if you aren't into beaches?

 

 

Did you not read the thread including Post #10? I'm not doing a Caribbean cruise but Southampton to San Francisco. Aruba is just one of the ports on the way.

 

BTW it's not that we don't do beaches, it just seems a shame to not explore somewhere we've not been before. I realise that some people will have visited these islands before and just want to do the beach, I'd probably do the same if I'd been before.

[jackier23]

You can do lighthouse, butterfly world, donkey sanctuary, rock formation, natural bridge, gold mine, or just take a taxi around the island door an hour. When you get back go across the street to Iguana Joes for some drinks (it's upstairs) sit outside and people watch. Shopping is all around that area or you could go uptown and do the same.

 

 

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