Walking "into" Aruba

[disneyloo]

I will be on the Coral Princess on May 3rd cruise and was wondering if you can walk into town from the ship. Have booked a few excursions to other ports we are visiting, but was wondering if it is easy to walk to any attractions and if there are local tour companies based on land that we could use to get a cheaper way to see the island with.

 

Thanks

[Oliver Sudden]

:D Although we consider Aruba to be one of the safest places in the Caribbeano, our advice is to book what you want through the ship. You will be "in town" as you leave the ship. You will not really have time to see much of Aruba in one port stop as there are many places of interest.

:( Without knowing your footwear habits, I would say that walking to places other than downtown is out. We've seen many blisterfooted cruises limping back to the ship.

:D Try the Paddock for lunch, a pleasant walk from the ship. They open at 11am, and the beer is both cold and delicious. It's an open air place, and can get quite breezy.

[disneyloo]

Great, thanks. Will definitely book a Princess excursion then. The landrover tours sound good, so you can see all the island. Or maybe the aloe vera/osterich farms etc? We are 26 and 30 so can manage any amount of walking.

[jmo1]

I never recommend ship based excursion, because they are usually crowded and cost twice as much as booking the same thing privately. This is especailly true in Aruba. Bus and taxi service are relatively inexpensive. If you want to explorer a lot of the island, you can rent a 4X4 Jeep Wrangler at the cruise dock for $75 per day, and go anywhere on the island including off-roading through the desert interior to the natural pool. If you don't want to go off-road, a standard car can be rented for about $50 per day.

 

If you want a guided tour, there are tour operators near the cruise dock. Here is a link to many Aruba tour operators.

http://www.nightspublications.com/aruba/activities.htm

[disneyloo]

Great. ABC Tours look very good.

 

Thank you

[Toscana3]

My husband and I stopped in Aruba a few months ago with Celebrity's Constellation. We decided not to book an excursion and walked around town all day. We were terribly sunburned and the beach would have been torture. The shopping was pretty good. We found a great place for lunch! It is called CocoPlum. It is on Main Street right across from Burger King. They have shaded outdoor seating, the prices were great, and the food was fantastic. Ask for specials that aren't on the menu. We each had 2 Balashi Beers, an entree, and an appetizer and it was less than $40!:)

[Coolcruise02]

Take the city bus for $2pp, round trip! The bus stop is just a couple blocks from the pier. (straight shot) They are nice Grey Hound type air conditioned buses with more windows. We went to the light house end of the island to a secluded beach (Arashi). The buses go by every 30-40 min. :)

[senior lady]

I will be on the Coral Princess on May 3rd cruise and was wondering if you can walk into town from the ship. Have booked a few excursions to other ports we are visiting, but was wondering if it is easy to walk to any attractions and if there are local tour companies based on land that we could use to get a cheaper way to see the island with.

 

Thanks

 

Hey disneyloo,

 

We've got a great roll call going for this cruise. Some of us have been chatting since last march. We've got our own website and pictures posted of all of us.

Please come and join us. We're going to have a great time!!!! look forward to meeting you.

[gtaylor]

Take the city bus for $2pp, round trip! The bus stop is just a couple blocks from the pier. (straight shot) They are nice Grey Hound type air conditioned buses with more windows. We went to the light house end of the island to a secluded beach (Arashi). The buses go by every 30-40 min. :)

 

We have to second that motion!

 

We, also, just took the city bus for the $2 island tour.

 

I found this map that shows the bus station, just across from the pier and the Royal Plaza Mall, where our friends have a jewelry store: Shiva's. Stop in and say hello from Gary and Mary Ann.

[Got2Cruise]

When you enter Aruba, you will walk through an immigration building. In this building there are tour vendors giving coupons for their tours. There is no reason to book in advance from the cruise ship. You will need transportation to get to any "attractions", but the ship docks directly in town. Taxis are plentiful and regulated in Aruba.

 

I will be on the Coral Princess on May 3rd cruise and was wondering if you can walk into town from the ship. Have booked a few excursions to other ports we are visiting, but was wondering if it is easy to walk to any attractions and if there are local tour companies based on land that we could use to get a cheaper way to see the island with.

 

Thanks