gakawgirl

looking at going on NCL Pride of America in 2020. unsure of month. can anyone give me an idea of how possible ways to do airport transfer other than thru NCL? also what hotels are close to port. have never used a travel agent and thinking I may need to this time. thank you.

On 9/9/2018 at 4:48 PM, Donh44 said:

 

 

You can. Somebody was misinformed. This is one of the perks that you pay for when purchasing FTTF.

what is FTTF?

I seem to recall reading post with some great tips right after  boarding ship. where to get lanyards, where to have ship cards laminated, etc. can anyone point me in the right direction? thanks!

I am looking at the in room  beer packages. 4 Coronas for $21 sounds cheaper than any bar or restaurant at home. I enjoy Blue Moon but it  is not offered in a package. does anyone know the  actual beer prices at the bars? 

I added  the Value Pkg. planaeverl days ago  but have not done the "shopping cart check-out" yet.  with 4 sea days thought it might come in handy. my question is this: why is it listed under DH name and not mine? I have made all arrangements, reservations, form-filling, CC info etc. not a problem but he will not be using it I am sure. do not want to have to locate him on ship if there is a problem with pass words, security questions etc. 

thanks so much for the info. much appreciated.

will I be able to get a glass of water without being charged? I know you can purchase bottled water for your cabin. $4.50 a six pack. so that would be $18 a case. price gouging...surely not...

have read where some have resealed( with glue?) mouthwash bottles. don't know if it works. we will be sailing for 8 days. do not  think 2 of us would drink enough alcohol to equal the amount of a beverage package. $ 816 and thats with the pre-sail discount.

do I need to purchase a WiFi package while cruising and visiting the islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk? should I be able to at least take pictures with my phone or should I take a camera? 

we did a zip line/ ropes adventure with beach day

it is nice to have the beverage package but $57 a day per person on an 8 day cruise is gouging to me.

does anyone know how to contact Karib golf cart rental? the website I found is "under construction". will be in Grand Turk in Nov. and golf cart sounds like the way to go. are there any other agencies? my husband is not a very good swimmer but he does like to snorkel. where would a shallow, calmer beach be? thanks.

Hilton is right next door to Pirate bay. Taxi price to Pirate bay is $4 per person and 10 min ride. Very close to where ship docks.

Jay's Aruba car rental site states you cannot go to Natural Pools. if we can still get reservations for ABC we will take our chances on them waiting for us to disembark. I have read differing views on how dangerous the pools are. DH is very experienced driver from ATV, motorcycle, RV commercial tractor trailer to anything in between. guess it would nice for him to sit back, relax and leave the driving to someone else for a change.

which Jeep rental companies allow you to go to the Natural Pool? anyone know if Royal or Jay's does?

Of course your booked private/confirmed tour is going to wait for you. We were just ported in Aruba (RCI Freedom) and Aruba was a quick easy port to get off in.

haven't started study on what to do on Grand Turk. why are golf carts needed?

our ship comes into Aruba at 1pm. if our 2pm scheduled jeep tour picks up at the cruise terminal would we make it on time? ABC tours has said they usually wait for tour members. has anyone done this before?

Moomba is in Palm Beach. It is much more congested than Reflexions, which is on Surfside Beach. If you want lots to do, go to Moomba. If you want a more secluded day, go to Reflexions. Just know that Reflexions is pretty small, and very close to the airport. You will hear planes taking off and landing throughout the day. I personally enjoy that, but some people are bothered by that, so take that into consideration.

do the buses or trolley go to Surfside Beach?

None of the buses can go to the natural pool. That can only be accessed by a 4 wheel drive vehicle. It is a very rough ride.[/quote

thanks for the info. looking at jeep rentals and tours. looks like jeep tours typically leave before we come into port at 1pm. thanks again.

Cruising to Aruba in November and trying to narrow down where to go....thoughts of Moomba vs Reflexions ??

We just got back and I would second this. The local bus terminal is across the street from Diamonds Int'l as you walk out of the port parking lot. The private buses are the little vans and are not airconditioned. They want $5 each way. The local bus is a large transit/Greyhound type airconditioned bus. The price 2 weeks ago was $2.50 one way or $5 RT. You pay your fare at the ticket booth (wooden booth with the window facing the fence - kind of easy to miss) and they give you a card to swipe. #10 bus loads right beyond the ticket booth.

 

This bus stops first at Eagle beach then proceeds to the hi-rise area and Palm beach. It stops at the beach access that leads to the pier and Bugaloe bar. There were men offering chairs and umbrellas for $15. We weren't fond of the area - water rentals, overpriced bar, lots of people.

 

We walked right and went farther up the beach and put our towels down in a shady area behind the Royal timeshare papayas and chairs. This is a lovely spot with both sun and shade (the Royal beach bar is there - just a shack with bar stools and a foot wash on the side which we used when we left). The malecon is directly behind.

 

After we got settled we walked around a bit. It you cut through the Playa Linda resort a little farther up the beach or we walked on the malecon, there is a convenience store attached to the front. My son bought beer for I believe $18 for a 6pk. He bought IPA's so reg. beer may be cheaper. We spotted a dunkin donuts attached to the back of another hotel on the walk back and I got an iced coffee. They also gave us ice for our beach bag full of beer.

 

We exited the same way we came, waited at the sidewalk bus shelter (across from a I <3 Aruba sign) and took the bus back to the port. Super easy!

that sounds like something we would be interested in. husband cannot take much sun so thanks for the shade tip. do the buses go to the Arikok Nat'l. Park? interested in going to the Conchi Natural pool.

Drove down to the Natural Pool.

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where did you rent the jeep and what was the cost? thanks!

has anyone taken the Arubus to tour the island? if so, how far do they go around the island and what is the cost? thanks.

The big bus is actually a great tour (comfortable and air conditioning)....Just outside the port terminal you will see a vendor offering these round the island tours for $20.00pp....We don't usually do the big bus tours but this worked out so great and easy...Towards the end of the tour those that wanted could opt to be dropped at the beach area and told the time and where to be picked back up or you could opt to be dropped back in town...we opted for this.

where does this tour take you and how long are you at each location? do they stop at any restaurants?