Depalm ISland.....Aruba

[whatcruiseisnext]

Should we go? I haev read the reviews and they are extremely mixed. One reivew will rave about it and the next one will say how awful it is. We have been to Aruba many, many times and usually go to Palm beach or eagle beach for the day. Just wondered if maybe we should try Depalm Island? Opinions , please.

[RickEk]

Should we go? I haev read the reviews and they are extremely mixed. One reivew will rave about it and the next one will say how awful it is. We have been to Aruba many, many times and usually go to Palm beach or eagle beach for the day. Just wondered if maybe we should try Depalm Island? Opinions , please.

 

A friend of mine was there a couple of years ago and said that he had the best time. The water park was a blast, the beach was nice, the food was good. I believe he said it was the best excursion they had on that cruise.

[jean s]

We have also read the mixed reviews forthis tour. I signed us up for this excursion in February so I would love to hear more reviews on this excursion.

[Gazelle2]

We are currently aboard the Emerald Princess and did the DePalm Island excursion with the added Helmet Dive last Thursday.

 

We enjoyed the excursion very much. The only downside we found was that, by adding the helmet dive the rest of your time on the island felt a little rushed. The helmet dive was still much better than the SeaTrek helmet dive we did on Cozumel five years ago.

 

All in all, we would recommend the DePalm Island excursions.

 

Gazelle2

[2little time]

Should we go? I haev read the reviews and they are extremely mixed. One reivew will rave about it and the next one will say how awful it is. We have been to Aruba many, many times and usually go to Palm beach or eagle beach for the day. Just wondered if maybe we should try Depalm Island? Opinions , please.

I guess it depends on what you expect for what you pay. Our friends just got back from their cruise and went to DePalm Island. They said it was pretty run down and the food was awful. The water was lovely but they felt they could have done that for free. Hope you have a nice cruise.

[ubouu]

De Palm Island is owned by De Palm Tours. http://www.depalm.com

They own the ferries which depart from south of the airport.

You must purchase one of their packages http://reservations.aruba.com/servlet/aruba.QS to even get onto the ferry to get to the island. Scroll down towards the bottom of the reservations page to De Palm Island By Bus(full day)

 

For additional info see

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/tags.php?tag=aruba+de+palm+island

[Arubalisa]

For additional info see

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/tags.php?tag=aruba+de+palm+island

 

I wrote that way back in '09. ;) :) Tags no longer work

 

The food concession at De Palm Island is now being taken over by the owners of Amadeus Restaurant.

[ubouu]

I wrote that way back in '09. ;) :) Tags no longer work

 

The food concession at De Palm Island is now being taken over by the owners of Amadeus Restaurant.

 

Yes your right that's where I got it from.

[whatcruiseisnext]

I am aware of how to get to DePalm island. I am looking for some honest input from people who have been there. In my answers here, one person responded taht they had a great time and another that is was run down and the food was awful. Hmmmm.....just like the reviews on tripadvisor. Any other input? We are going also in February and are not sure if this is a worthwhile excursion or not.

[doublemm16]

I am aware of how to get to DePalm island. I am looking for some honest input from people who have been there. In my answers here, one person responded taht they had a great time and another that is was run down and the food was awful. Hmmmm.....just like the reviews on tripadvisor. Any other input? We are going also in February and are not sure if this is a worthwhile excursion or not.

I have been there twice. My most recent trip was this past July, and I am sure I will be returning next July. My family loves it....why? Because we go with my 6 year old nephew and 2 year old niece for the half day package. It has a water park that they both love, as well as snorkeling, and a beach for swimming, and for the adventurous adults, a banana boat ride. All included in the price. As for the food, it is not 5 star cuisine, but it is acceptable. Last July, we had breakfast (this consisted of pancakes, sausage, bacon, potatoes,fruit, cereal, eggs, yogurt and other things I cannot recall). We also had lunch. Again some hot dishes, and salad was offered. If that did not interest you, hot dogs, hamburgers and fries were offered in another location. Drinks (both alcoholic and non were also included in the price).

 

Excursions in general are not inexpensive. I stay in a timeshare in Aruba, I have never been there on a cruise. But, I have been on a half day jeep tour by myself, as well as DePalm Island. I think you get a good experience for the price at DePalm. However, if you are just interested in swimming at a beach, you may be better off skipping this excursion.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy Aruba. I love it there, so much so, I decided to buy my own timeshare instead of staying with family. It is now an annual trip.

 

Mindi:D