Cybercsp Posted April 5, 2006 #26 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Will they take a credit card for the day pass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katef Posted April 14, 2006 #27 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Just wanted to post my thoughts about the Renaissance Island day we had. The island is absolutely beautiful, the 3 beaches are outstanding with plenty of shade trees, and we can't wait to go back. In fact, as soon as we got home, I started researching a land vacation there. We didn't know how much we would like it, so we took our time getting there and didn't have enough time to fully enjoy it . We won't make that mistake again!:cool: The snorkeling was good around the rocks, although the water was a bit stirred up that day and not as clear as we had hoped. As other posters have said, it's a great place to take kids swimming as the beaches are all surrounded by large rocks making it like protected lagoons. We loved watching the iguanas, parrots, flamingos and feeding the fish at the pier. The day pass includes lunch and the restaurant was very good. The portions were more than we could eat and the pina colada I ordered was perfect! One word of warning: We didn't book in advance and when we got the desk to purchase the day pass, they almost wouldn't selll them to us. The girl at the desk said something about not being able to sell the day pass when there is a cruise ship in port. She went into the back and came back saying she got approval to sell them to the 4 of us. If you're planning to go there, I would advise calling ahead or having an alternate plan if they won't sell the day pass that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makai4 Posted April 28, 2006 #28 Share Posted April 28, 2006 We were just there last week, and did not have the same experience at the desk. We said we were from a cruise and wanted to purchase day passes, and it was no problem. I guess it depends on who is working the desk that day. We were also the only ship in port that day, so maybe that also had something to do with it. I do have to say, however, that the woman at the front desk was not the friendliest or most helpful I've come across. She barely answered the one or two questions we had, and did so very grudgingly. We chalked it up to her having a bad day. Fortunately, we found the opposite to be true once we arrived at the island. The people working there were incredibly nice, helpful and friendly. It was one of the nicest days of the cruise, and I would love to go back and spend more than just a day there. Renaissance Island was absolutely beautiful, and peaceful. The only time we noticed any airplanes coming in was late in the day, around 4:00, but it was actually kind of fun to watch them come in for landing nearby. A gorgeous place that I would recommend to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tibear Posted May 4, 2006 #29 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Our group would like to visit this place on our cruise day in Aruba, but I would like more info on the layout of the island. Are there board walks on the islands between the beaches and the restaurant etc. One of our members has ms and needs assistance for long distances. Could we bring a scooter or wheel chair over on the boat? Any info in details would help us tremendously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torpeedo Posted June 3, 2006 #30 Share Posted June 3, 2006 We are also interested to know if they took a credit card??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zductive Posted June 3, 2006 #31 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Stopped at the Renaissance Island from the 21 May Destiny Cruise. Incredible, absolutely postcard quality! The water'scolor is so vibrant with the pink flamingos wandering around. Also, the iguanas are so interesting. I paid in cash but can'tsee any reason that cc wouldn't be accepted. The 50$ pp is a great deal. I was going to snorkel, float around, etc., but, after you get there andhavea couple of great drinks and a nice sandwich lunch, your going to want to just relax under a palm tree and let the day go by. It is very hot in Aruba this time of year. If your arrangements work out, you might want to go to the island later in the day. Most people clear out at 5. The last boat seems to run at 7pm. Many of my friends went on the drinking bus tour of the island's bars. For me, I enjoyed the island a lot more than I would have enjoyed the bars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKLI Posted June 6, 2006 #32 Share Posted June 6, 2006 They definitely do take credit cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag top man Posted July 17, 2006 #33 Share Posted July 17, 2006 We are on the AOS cruising toward Aruba right now and can't thank you guys enough for the good details on the island. Sounds perfect!! We will report tomorrow night on our adventure there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtCruiser1 Posted July 21, 2006 #34 Share Posted July 21, 2006 We are on the AOS cruising toward Aruba right now and can't thank you guys enough for the good details on the island. Sounds perfect!! We will report tomorrow night on our adventure there. Hope you had a great time and enjoyed the island! I can't believe it is almost 5 months since we were there :( I was going through cruise withdrawl and came on to read some new reviews :) I think this weekend we are going to start planning our next cruise ~ it's been too long-need a new cruise to look forward to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUNTDEBBA Posted July 22, 2006 #35 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Can you go later? Is there a half day price? Want to take one of the snorkeling tours but that leaves us with the rest of the day as our ship doesn't leave until Midnight. Want to spend it at a beach that is fun to swim and has a bar readily available:D If not here any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted July 24, 2006 #36 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Actually, the island is right across from the airport runway. So if you "walk" behind the beach so to speak, you'll see the runway. If the timing is perfect & your boat actually manages to cross with a plane coming in. Practically on top of your head. It's pretty wild! You are directly across where the plane turns around to take-off which is always in the same direction. You'll also see the planes land although there aren't many daily flights to Aruba. The planes then bank left if they are heading to the Eastern United States or right if they are heading out towards the Western United States (or so a pilot told me). On top of that, if you are an animal lover, you'll love the BIG lizards! When the lizards on the island (which can grow up to 3 feet) get too big, they catch them & bring them over to the island. People will feed them lettuce & such & they are fairly tame, although still wild. I have a photo of one that climbed on a woman's beach chair to share with her. It was hysterical & she got a kick out of it. Email me if you want to see it. Lizard was about 2 feet long. Beautiful creatures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag top man Posted July 28, 2006 #37 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Just back from the AOS 7/16 trip and promised a report on the island. First, thanks to you CtCruiser and others for the tips and details...the day on the island was the perfect day for our first stop on our cruise. It really set the tone for all the rest of our port visits. We would not have had it without your help. Let me answer several questions that I see unanswered in the strand. confirmation - The resort takes credit for the day passes..we used AMEX (love those frequent flyer points). Tibear- There are boardwalks or sidewalks to get to all areas on the island and we had a person on our shuttle in a wheelchair and the crew took great care to help her load and unload at the dock. It was a bit of an adventure at low tide with the elevation difference between the dock and the boat. Auntdebba- The guy at the front desk said there was no half day option. The boat captain on the shuttle out of the hotel lobby (pretty cool) said that the last shuttle runs between 7 and 7:30 p.m. depending on the crowd. Most of the crowd on our day cleared out 5-5:30 and it got real peaceful after that for a couple of hours...paradise..just us and the iguanas and flamingos. Food service stops at 5:00 and the wait staff takes off. There were bar tenders there till six that we saw. SDwilson - no scuba or sailboard options on the island. The snorkelling was good for me, especially outside the jetty..very clear on the day I was there all day....for everyone, the deeper part of the cove on the adult side had a good number of sea urchins on the bottom...just a word of caution...I kept watershoes on when I was not wearing flippers. If you stay shallow and dont mind stepping through some rocks and coral pieces along the shore, its no problem to be barefoot. No problem trading floats (my daughter's favorite recreation) for snorkel gear on the day pass...staff on the island was very accomodating...they also have a souvenier and convenience kind of shop on the island that was open most of the day. The onion rings were great and appetizers were also a part of the free lunch package...the haagen daz bars for dessert were a nice added luxury touch. Like opadaking described, I thought there were just two beaches...one family and one "adult"...the one to the right as you come off the shuttle and across the bridge was described as the "topless" side...my daughter (18) and I went there for quiet and there were a couple of women that went topless but very discreetly. It was the smaller of the two beach areas. The restaurant was adjacent to the family beach area. A lot more action and noise on that side of the island as to be expected. There were waitstaff up and down the beach all day for food and drink orders. A very classy place and solid service experience from the Resort and I am in the resort management business and look hard at the details...A+. Blessings on your next adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OC PAT Posted July 30, 2006 #38 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Thanks Rag Top Man for filling in the pieces. OC Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Chris Posted July 30, 2006 #39 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Thanks for the great review of this island excursion- we have been considering this and i think you helped us make up our minds- do you have any photo's of the island? thanks chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingForward2 Posted July 30, 2006 #40 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Thanks to all who have visited and written about this island adventure! We did this on our July 2nd AOS cruise. It was exactly as described, easy as pie to get to the hotel, correct-the little boat ride was fun, the beach was beautiful (the best on our cruise), the food plentiful and great (including the large ice cream bar for dessert), the animals photo-worthy, etc. etc. etc. Two tips we used: we had purchased a Marriott gift card at our local grocery store (as we get store points for buying them there) and tip #2: we saved getting our drink for later in the afternoon after lunch (our waitress said no problem). For those that want a beach excursion, this is probably one of the best (imho) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean617 Posted August 3, 2006 #41 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Thanks for the review Rag Top Man. I'll be on the AOS the week of August 13th and I'm planning on doing this excursion. What was the price of the day pass? I read some where on here that it's now $60 PP, is that correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygf Posted August 5, 2006 #42 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums here. New to cruising as well, but this post reminded me of my trip to Aruba. I stayed at the Ren and loved it! I won the trip from the local radio station and went December 2004. I spent at least a few hours everyday on the private island. If anyone is interested in my photos or trip report from 2004, I can post a link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag top man Posted August 14, 2006 #43 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Sorry for the delay...we have been off in the Rockies on a 20th anniversary celebration....the pass is now $60 for adults and $40 for people 18 and under. Still a great bargain IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbob7 Posted August 16, 2006 #44 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Navygf, would love to see some photos of the Ren, particularly the island, if it's not too much trouble. Thanks, and welcome to the boards. bobj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygf Posted August 16, 2006 #45 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Navygf, would love to see some photos of the Ren, particularly the island, if it's not too much trouble. Thanks, and welcome to the boards. bobj Thanks for the welcome! :) Here's the link to the photos from my trip to Aruba. Just ignore the goofiness of the ones with me in them! http://yinyang.net/aruba2004/aruba2004.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanportia Posted August 16, 2006 #46 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Great pixt!!! I'll be there in about 66 days. Just wondering if there is plenty of shade to be had at the Ren Island? I really will need it along with my 55 SPF sun lotion!!! Joan Sail on................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbob7 Posted August 16, 2006 #47 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Thanks very much for the pix. Looked like a great time! We should be there just after New Years, can't wait. bobj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygf Posted August 17, 2006 #48 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Joan - there is quite a bit of shade on both sides of the private island. The sun is really strong there. I had my 45SPF with me, but my friend that went with me was going all out for baking and roasting in the sun. Enjoy your trip! bobj - have a fabulous time!!!!!! I wish I was still there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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