Excursions in Aruba & Curacao

[letsrun26]

Hey folks. My family and I are cruising on the Westerdam 12/6 to Half Moon Cay, Aruba & Curacao. The excursions on HMC are plentiful, but not much is offered (at least now) at the other two ports. Does anyone have suggestions for alternative excursions and/or companies to use? We've not been to these islands before, and with two kids in tow, I'm a little leary about the shoreside folks with their glassbottom boats, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Willsot]

In Aruba, we took the HAL "Ticket to Paradise" excursion to DePalm Island. The island is a bit tacky, but considering that there was an open bar and snacks (including burgers, fries),

the price was very reasonable.

 

In Curacao I suggest giving yourself enough time to explore Willemstad on your own. It is a nice port and very picturesque - great for colorful photos. We did also take a 3/12 hr.

"Curacao Beach Express" excursion which was fun.

[fann1sh]

Curacao/Willemstad is my favorite Caribbean stop.

 

I'm surprised HAL isn't offering a Curacao trolley on my upcoming Zuiderdam PCanal sailing. The company which provides the tour, Atlantis, is the same one who does the submarine tours HAL offers:

 

http://atlantisadventures.com/caribbean/curacao/activity-detail.cfm?eventID=58

 

Haven't taken it myself yet, but it looks a lot like the Key West Conch Train. I suspect it's a good orientation tour of the historic Punda area. Am booked for November.

 

On the Curacao board, "Curacao Actief" gets good reviews. Again, I can't recommend from first hand knowledge until after November:

 

http://www.curacao-actief.com/

 

People watching from a sidewalk cafe is still my favorite Curacao "sport".

[iflyrc5]

When we where in Curacao last year we found Casper Tours gave a great general tour of the island for about 3 hours at very reasonable price (I think it was $15 USD per person). They had a stand by the pontoon bridge - it was a small bus - maybe 20 passenger and the tour guide spoke very good english. Curacao is a great town for walking but need to take a tour to see the island. You can see some photos at the following link: http://www.pbase.com/iflyrc5/jan_08_galaxy_cruise

[momofmeg]

My hubby is interested in the scuba diving at those islands-any info?

[Copper10-8]

Willemstad, Curacao is a nice town to explore on your own. Walk the Koningin (Queen) Emma floating/pontoon bridge named after the current Dutch Queen's great-grandmother. It connects the Otrabanda district with the Punda (the side where the colorful Dutch-style houses are on) district. When it opens for ship traffic, the whole thing moves sideways and you can stand on it when it does this.

In the Punda district, you can look at the floating market, take in Fort Amsterdam which includes the governor's residence, walk around, do some shopping, sit on an outdoor terrace and grab a cup of coffee and/or a cold one. When you're done, take one of the two little passenger ferries which run a regular, free shuttle service between the two districts, back to Otrabanda .

 

 

 

 

[innlady1]

When we where in Curacao last year we found Casper Tours gave a great general tour of the island for about 3 hours at very reasonable price (I think it was $15 USD per person). They had a stand by the pontoon bridge - it was a small bus - maybe 20 passenger and the tour guide spoke very good english. Curacao is a great town for walking but need to take a tour to see the island. You can see some photos at the following link: http://www.pbase.com/iflyrc5/jan_08_galaxy_cruise

 

Thank you so much...I love your photos! Curacao is our favorite island, too.

[Huddler]

We would like to take a catamaran tour out for lunch and snorkling at either Aruba or Curacao. Which is the best Island to do a snokling excursion and which tour company would you recommend?

[NextOne]

I think that Curacao is the better choice for snorkeling and Curacao Actief offers a variety of choices with excellent guides. We're using them in November.

[jtl513]

It may be a little early to see the exact excursions that will be offered for your cruise, but for a general list of what is commonly offered go to THIS HAL PAGE and choose Willemstad and Oranjestad as the Ports. (No need to specify the "Destination")

Price key: $ = $50 or less, $$ = 50 to 99, $$$ = 100 to 149, $$$$= $150 or higher

[sevenseasnomad]

Cooper, thanks for the beautiful pictures. Now we are really excited, but our cruise doesn't leave for another 14 months. We too are interested in any advice about shore excursions for this port. Thanks.

[sevenseasnomad]

Oops, sorry Copper, got your name wrong above. My bad.:eek:

[Copper10-8]

Oops, sorry Copper, got your name wrong above. My bad.:eek:

 

No biggie!;)