Just returned

We had a ball in Aruba.

Aruba Lisa and others - thanks for the info on the beaches. We took a bus to Palm Beach and loved it. We even tried Parasailing which is a total blast. One more thing I can scratch of my list of things I want to do in my life - it was awesome.

We went back to the ship and freshened up and then hit the shops and the casino near the dock. When we got off the ship in the morning a young girl was handing out info on the casino and it included casino cards worth $5 that we used on the slots - we won for a while but then we lost - oh well, we won on the last day on the ship.

Thanks again for all the help. Last time we were in Aruba we rented a car but the bus was much easier and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time, even if you were not lucky enough to bring home the casino. :p :D

Where do you get the bus to Palm Beach? How often does it run? What is the cost? Does it stop at the butterfly farm? Thanks for your help.

Where do you get the bus to Palm Beach? How often does it run? What is the cost? Does it stop at the butterfly farm? Thanks for your help.

My questions, exactly!

We had a ball in Aruba.

 

Aruba Lisa and others - thanks for the info on the beaches. We took a bus to Palm Beach and loved it. We even tried Parasailing which is a total blast. One more thing I can scratch of my list of things I want to do in my life - it was awesome.

 

We went back to the ship and freshened up and then hit the shops and the casino near the dock. When we got off the ship in the morning a young girl was handing out info on the casino and it included casino cards worth $5 that we used on the slots - we won for a while but then we lost - oh well, we won on the last day on the ship.

 

Thanks again for all the help. Last time we were in Aruba we rented a car but the bus was much easier and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

Hi Aruba Lisa, Can you give me some more bus info. What did it cost to go to Palm Beach and where did you get the bus? Can we each take a carry-on with snorkel gear, towels, etc. onto the bus? Is there food, changing rooms, showers at Palm Beach? Can we rent lounge chairs and umbrellas? How much, do you remember? Sorry, hope I'm not asking toooo many ??? :D Would like to share your reply with others going with us on the RC Grandeur of the Seas in April to Aruba. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Aruba Lisa, Can you give me some more bus info. What did it cost to go to Palm Beach and where did you get the bus? Can we each take a carry-on with snorkel gear, towels, etc. onto the bus?

The bus station is about a 2 city walk block walk from the cruise terminal Arubus

Public buses are always an option! $1.15 per person

Is there food, changing rooms, showers at Palm Beach? Can we rent lounge chairs and umbrellas? How much, do you remember? Sorry, hope I'm not asking toooo many ??? :D Would like to share your reply with others going with us on the RC Grandeur of the Seas in April to Aruba. Thanks in advance for any help.

There is tons of info at the threads below on Palm Beach.

Question about Palm Beach?

Photos of Eagle or Palm beach

Aruba photos, trip report + tidbits

Lunch at Eagle or Palm Beach?

Aruba Beach~Help!

Arubalisa, question about beach

Suggestions for inexpensive way to spend our day..

There are no showers per se, however most of the resorts have rinse showers at the edge of the beach and their properties. Could duck into one of the resorts rest rooms to change.

Each resort also has a beachside restaurant in one form or another.

Also for lunch there is also the Pelican's Nest http://www.pelican-aruba.com/dining.html

Moomba http://www.moombabeach.com/default.asp

On De Palm Pier- Bugaloe Bar and Grill or Flavors which offers among other things Dunkin Donuts Coffee

For a group of people, if you did not all want to take the bus, a taxi ride to Palm Beach is $10 each way, per car, NOT per person with a maximum of 5 people.

Any other specific questions, just let me know and I will try to help you all I can.

Hi, we just got back from an 11 day cruise on the Empress of the seas that included Aruba. The bus is $1 per person and you catch it on the main street in Aruba just 2 blocks from the cruise pier. We took the bus back from the beach and we had our snorkel gear with us. There are all kinds of restaurants and hotels in that area with many restroom facilities. We got to the beach between the Riu resort (that is just being built) and the Sheraton hotel. You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas there or you can walk left and there is a hotel down the beach where we used their chairs for free. Hope this is helpful.

We got to the beach between the Riu resort (that is just being built) and the Sheraton hotel. You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas there or you can walk left and there is a hotel down the beach where we used their chairs for free. Hope this is helpful.

There is no Sheraton on the island, perhaps the Westin or the Radisson?

Thanks for all the helpful info. I have been concentrating on the Roll Call boards for our upcoming cruise and decided to check some other message boards out, glad I did. Now I have to keep going back and forth each day between the M&M for my ship and the port boards but sooo worth it. Thanks!

Thanks for all the helpful info. I have been concentrating on the Roll Call boards for our upcoming cruise and decided to check some other message boards out, glad I did. Now I have to keep going back and forth each day between the M&M for my ship and the port boards but sooo worth it. Thanks!

Shadowtiger would it be easier for you to have the posts emailed to you all together at once in a digest form? I just typed up these directions for my Mom for her roll call subscription:

go to top of page

forum tools

subscribe to forum

for notification type

daily updates by email (or whichever type you choose)

Shadowtiger would it be easier for you to have the posts emailed to you all together at once in a digest form? I just typed up these directions for my Mom for her roll call subscription:

go to top of page

forum tools

subscribe to forum

for notification type

daily updates by email (or whichever type you choose)

Thanks Arubalisa, getting emails now. easier than scrolling all over the site.

You are such a help here, hope I haven't been too much of a bother.

Thanks Arubalisa, getting emails now. easier than scrolling all over the site.

You are such a help here, hope I haven't been too much of a bother.

You are very welcome and it was no problem at all. Like I said I had just finished typing up the directions for my Mom. She is going on her 5th cruise in 16 months and I have finally convinced her to join cruise critic and participate in some of the forums.

You are very welcome and it was no problem at all. Like I said I had just finished typing up the directions for my Mom. She is going on her 5th cruise in 16 months and I have finally convinced her to join cruise critic and participate in some of the forums.

5th in 16 months!!!! What a lucky lady, she will surely be an asset to other members here. (not unlike her daughter, I'm sure) Can't wait to hear her remarks. What message board will she most likely reply to?

My Mom has been watching and made a couple of posts over at British Isles/Western Europe and of course her roll call (I think she is a "watcher" there). Of the 5 cruises, she, my Dad and grandmother have done the Galaxy twice, Pride of Hawaii which they disliked the most out of probably close to 20 cruises over the years, and Carnival which they loved!! Celebrity is still their favorite though (Westerdam Transatlantic, was also a big fav) and they are sailing the Century Transatlantic at the end of April.