KaiBlue

Thanks for the info @Sarahg0915! I think we get there around 1 (so was thinking maybe 2 would be the earliest we could get to the beach) and leave around 10 or 11pm. Good to know that going back and forth is doable. Maybe we will just go and know that we have the flexibility to return to the ship if we want. Where did you ask for the taxi to drop you off in Palm Beach? Per the OP's question, did there seem to be anything to do near the port in the evening?

We are in Aruba late on an upcoming cruise and had read that many of the restaurants and shops by the port close down early and that Palm Beach is the place to go. Anyone experience this recently? We get to the island late to begin with so was thinking of just going directly to Palm Beach to get in a few hours of actual beach time, then grab dinner/shop there before heading back to the port (was looking at the Arubus for transportation).

@delacruz I think we are also on the 7th floor (haven't committed this to memory yet!) in a balcony but not the terrazza area (couldn't justify the extra expense so you will have to let us know if it was worth it or not!). We are Trina & Steve and we booked this cruise about 1.5 years ago and can't believe it is finally here! Not celebrating anything other than our daughter is getting married this summer so this will be a nice break from all of the wedding planning and of course getting away from our jobs for 2 weeks. I think this will be our 19th cruise overall (with Carnival now being the most, followed by RC). Carnival has been having some good deals since the restart and we really enjoy the fun vibe on their ships. But we've never had a bad cruise so we kind of just pick the cruise typically based upon ports/time of year with the exception of a few that we went on just to experience a line's mega ship. Very much looking forward to seeing this ship as it looks so different than anything we've ever been on. We also like to dance (we aren't good at it but we do it anyway!) but might be skipping the sailaway this time because I want to experience the NYC skyline/statue of liberty. This weekend I have got to finish packing!! A job that I love:)

We got the 10am slot as we could check in 2 days prior, but there is no way we will be on board anytime remotely close to that if recent embarkation stories are to be believed. I read of one person with a 10am arrival but they didn't get on board until 1pm (note to self - eat a decent breakfast!).

@tweety33We have decided to stay with the tour. From all that I have read, the DR has long had a strong border due to the troubles in Haiti and the need to control the flow of people wanting to come across. They have stepped up their border patrols since all of this recent violence has erupted. I have a friend who recently attended a wedding in the DR and she said you would have never known anything was amiss. We have traveled to parts of Mexico where we have had to pass through check points manned with people with assault rifles. While unnerving to see, I was glad they were there. We will have a local guide on this tour which also gives me comfort. It is a very personal decision - if I was too anxious to enjoy the excursion then I wouldn't be going because what would be the point? I've made that call on several occasions when my kids were little - fearful of trying to watch them in what seemed like a less-than-safe area so we just didn't leave the port area. We still had fun so I'm sure you will make the most of whatever you decide!!

We hope to be able to walk to the port as well. It's about .8 of a mile so doable as long as it doesn't downpour! We get free laundry as well and I'm going to take full advantage of it and hope to pack in just 2 carry-ons and 2 backpacks. We shall see. Shoes and toiletries are always the issue:( I started laying out clothes last weekend so need to start the squishing process to see how much I can fit in! We will see you at the Atrium bar on Tuesday!

@FineArtsMama We toyed with the idea of going to see a broadway show but decided we just wanted a few days of 'roaming' and no deadlines. We fly in early Saturday morning so will have 2 full days to just do as we please. The last few weeks have been pretty brutal with work/family stuff so this cruise can't come fast enough for me! Started to look at some videos of the ship and getting super excited! We had seen a few early on before we booked this cruise (which was like 18 months ago). Crazy that it's almost here.

My husband doesn't drink and I want to say most were $8 on our cruises last year - more if you have one done at Alchemy with the Lyre's nonalcoholic spirits (think those were $10?). Those are quite good actually in my opinion. Give you more of the liquor essence as most of the other mocktails (daiquiris etc) are so sweet. If you google it I'm sure some drink menus will come up immediately and you can take a look at some of the offerings. And if you aren't sure a drink can be made without alcohol, just ask. Most of the bartenders are willing to come up with something for you!

We had dinner in the Pride steakhouse late August '23 (before you) and it was wonderful. Wondering if you just caught them on a bad night? We both had the filet and it was just as good as other Carnival steakhouse experiences for us.

In my very limited knowledge of how Princess does things (working up to our first Princess cruise next year and starting to do some early planning), you can't use their cards for extras (no option to use them for excursions, wifi, gratuities that I wanted to pay now to lock in the rate). Seems like you can only pay the cruise portion itself with gift cards. But I do find the entire Princess online/app experience to be completely nonintuitive so perhaps I'm missing something.

I also booked directly with Princess and have seen the option to add the transfers after logging in and selecting 'manage this booking' or something like that. But it's kind of hidden under the 'flights' tab - just have to scroll down and it's below the EZAir section. For other lines it's been under 'excursions' so it took me a bit to find it for Princess.

When we get on an excel class ship, we head straight to Big Chicken since we really enjoy those and they aren't available on many ships. Java Blue Cafe has a grab and go section to the left of the counter where they will have a limited selection of items throughout the day (no upcharge). I stopped there quite often to get a bowl of granola (love Carnival's granola) and fruit for breakfast or to save later for a snack. A few non-food tips - seems to us that on these larger ships the mid-ship elevators can have a pretty big wait time. We would just walk to the forward or aft elevators and then had no problem. If you are into comedy, the line will start to form before the show and you might be thinking you won't get in but the space actually holds a lot of people. And the shows in the Grand Central atrium section do fill up well before the show and you will want to make sure you get a decent seat (the sight lines are very limited on some of the seats).

Works for us as well! If it's too busy, we will just go somewhere else! I had to laugh at the chair hog comment @delacruz:)

We are booked on the 9:30 Dominican culture excursion and would enjoy meeting up with everyone beforehand perhaps for a drink? Never been on the Venezia so not sure where to meet but perhaps we pick a bar and set a date/time for those interested.

We are headed to Aruba next summer and have a 1pm -10pm port stop. Will have our young adult daughter with us, so was thinking of going to Eagle Beach for a few hours, then head over to Palm Beach where the action is. We have previously been to Palm Beach (it was very crowded that day) and it sounds like Eagle might be more relaxing for the day time. I've also read that the cruise port doesn't have much open later in the night (thus why we were thinking of heading to Palm). I'm confused however on the Arubus routes and the best way to navigate this plan. I've heard that the stop for Eagle Beach is after the bus goes all the way around the route (after the Palm Beach stop). I can't seem to figure out the maps on the official Arubus website. Is it true that to go to Eagle, we would have to ride the bus all the way up to Arashi/Marriott, and then back again? If so, then to get to Palm Beach from Eagle, perhaps a taxi makes more sense so we don't have to get on the bus, head back to the Oranjestad station and then head back out from there? We would just get a one-way ticket on the bus then (from Oranjestad to Eagle). Another question for the experts here is where to get off at Eagle Beach - seems like there is stop near the Amsterdam Manor that more people talk about. Will we have an issue renting chairs if we don't get there before 2pm? We are prepared to just lay on the sand if need be but was curious whether anyone had any real-life experience. Appreciate any help....