ABC Jeep Safari

[lazygal]

and I'm still unpacking............... The tour was good and worth the money but not as great as the first time around. Our guide was rather burned out and only acted as a guide to those in his jeep (some obnoxious drunk women looking for trouble)

The jeeps were automatic and all had covers from the sun - unlike the last time.

If you want to ride with the guide, you must make the request at the time of your reservation.

I was very upset at the natural pool. Having done this tour before, I know that a guide was always at the pool to help you into the water and pass out snorkle gear. It can be very dangerous and no one from the tour company was there to tell you how to get into the pool or help. Someone could have been seriously injured. When you get to the pool, ask for the snorkle gear as advertised before heading down the steps. None was offered.

I wanted to know if the gear would be offered later at Baby Beach and the guide said yes, but the people in his jeep said they saw no gear. I wondered if it was stored at Baby Beach. I was upset because I left my gear on the ship.

Drinks are also advertised, but only the people in the guide's jeep were getting them. We watched as the previously mentioned drunk woman was throwing out water from her water bottle to refill it with fresh while we watched in shock. Having had enough, one woman from our group asked for drinks and was taken aback by the guide's attitude, but she persisted and got Cokes for all of us in our jeep - six total.

This was our second time on this tour. The first time was fantastic, so this was a bit of a letdown. There was our group of six from the ship and four other jeeps from hotel clients. It was still fun and worth the price and yes, I would still recommend it for first timers as a way to see the entire island and have a bit of adventure.

The snorkling at Baby Beach was very good, but I would have preferred to cut short some of the other stops to have more time to spend there.

[Pickles61]

[quote name='lazygal']and I'm still unpacking............... The tour was good and worth the money but not as great as the first time around. Our guide was rather burned out and only acted as a guide to those in his jeep (some obnoxious drunk women looking for trouble)

The jeeps were automatic and all had covers from the sun - unlike the last time.

If you want to ride with the guide, you must make the request at the time of your reservation.

I was very upset at the natural pool. Having done this tour before, I know that a guide was always at the pool to help you into the water and pass out snorkle gear. It can be very dangerous and no one from the tour company was there to tell you how to get into the pool or help. Someone could have been seriously injured. When you get to the pool, ask for the snorkle gear as advertised before heading down the steps. None was offered.

I wanted to know if the gear would be offered later at Baby Beach and the guide said yes, but the people in his jeep said they saw no gear. I wondered if it was stored at Baby Beach. I was upset because I left my gear on the ship.

Drinks are also advertised, but only the people in the guide's jeep were getting them. We watched as the previously mentioned drunk woman was throwing out water from her water bottle to refill it with fresh while we watched in shock. Having had enough, one woman from our group asked for drinks and was taken aback by the guide's attitude, but she persisted and got Cokes for all of us in our jeep - six total.

This was our second time on this tour. The first time was fantastic, so this was a bit of a letdown. There was our group of six from the ship and four other jeeps from hotel clients. It was still fun and worth the price and yes, I would still recommend it for first timers as a way to see the entire island and have a bit of adventure.

The snorkling at Baby Beach was very good, but I would have preferred to cut short some of the other stops to have more time to spend there.[/quote]

Thanks for the update - I'll be on a tour with them 2 weeks from today :) I requested to go with the guide so I guess I'll be the one getting all the drinks :confused: No, actually I'll be on the tour with my Mom and 2 boys 7 & 12 so I'll be drinking water. I wasn't sure if I should take our masks and snorkel's with us but since reading this I will. Who was your guide? Glad you still recommend them, hopefully I'll get a better guide, I am really looking forward to this trip.

Any other suggestions? Should we wear sneakers or water shoes?

Thanks
Mindy

[lazygal]

Wear what you are most comfortable with. There is little walking on this tour. The steps down to the natural pool is the only challenging part for some people. Should be no problem for you.

I don't think there are any alcoholic beverages. It was the water and soft drinks that were not being shared. I don't even know the guide's name. He may have been better if the one woman was not monopolizing all of his time, but then he should have controlled that situation, and there should have been a second guide.

Good luck on your tour.

[andnickali]

Thanks for the update- I'm also going with Pickles61 on the same tour with my family of 10 :eek: ........ I must say I am a little leary after reading your post, after I've read so many good things (and apparently you had a previous trip that was better). I can only hope that the tour operator was having a bad day??????


How was baby beach? Are there waves or is it calm- I'm assuming it is calm because you can snorkel. Also, how was your lunch and where/when did you stop to eat?

[lazygal]

I'm sure you will have a great time, just know to ask for drinks, cold water and snorkle gear if it is not being offered. Like I said, our guide was monopolized by the woman in his jeep (she made it a rough day on everyone) and the rest of us followed along in our jeeps. On this day, there was no guidance - we were on our own.

It is still a great day for the price. Having done it before, it was easy to make comparisons. Lunch is at an outdoor restaurant. Chicken and ribs - by then you are starving.

Baby beach is a calm, shallow wonderful beach. It is a little choppier by the reef where the snorkling is. You might want to sneak some rolls from the ship in a ziplock bag to feed the fish. If your guide doesn't tell you where to snorkle, head to the left and the reef.

Seriously, our guide was non-existent with the information. Guess he was having a very off day. Again, with the money brought in by about 40 guests, there should have been two guides.

I took a soft side cooler filled with ice, water and a washcloth from the ship. It was a lifesaver as it is hot, dusty, and dirty. Maybe swim shoes would be best, and dark colors. Your white sneakers will never be the same.

[andnickali]

The soft sided cooler is a great idea, I think I will put that on my list of things to pack.

I would have to agree with you, 40 people on a tour at $60 a piece is $2400 for one day- you would think that after expenses (lunch and drinks) the least they could do is put one more driver/guide in the group. I would think that one guide for every 2 jeeps would be a minimum.

We are looking forward to seeing the island. We like to have something planned when we are traveling with our kids and this seems perfect. Baby Beach sounds wonderful. I really like to snorkel off the beach- much less choppy then out in the open water, and since my kids like to snorkel without a vest I feel a little safer with them in the shallower water.

I'll make sure I post back when we return.

[sumfun2]

We did the ABC tour last week, and it was a lot of fun. The ride to the natural pool was definitely "off-road" but very enjoyable. You would never find it on your own, because there are lots of trails and no road signs.

There were only 2 jeeps on our tour, and we sat in the one with the tour guide. He didn't really say much until we reached each destination and he could address everybody from both jeeps. He did offer water and soft drinks and mask and snorkels to everybody (at the natural pool and Baby Beach). However, he did not walk down to the pool with us. We were able to find it easily, though, because the 1/2 day tour was just leaving as we got there.

[wendyjg]

We did the half-day tour last week with ABC tours and Gabriel was our guide (I know he loves to read about himself on here!). We had a great time!! My husband drove our jeep and he did a fine job. The jeeps are very comfortable (built with padding on the bottom and the back) and very able to get around off-road.

I would like to say that drinks were available to us at every stop, our guide went with us to the natural pool and offered snorkeling gear, and gave us plenty of info about Aruba and the places that we went. Good job Gabriel. You're the best.

About the natural pool - there are a lot of steps and getting in and out of the pool is a bit tricky, BUT I did it and I do have trouble doing a lot of steps (muscle weakness). Also there were several "older" people in our group who did it. Give it a go!! We also arrived at the pool when no one was there and it was nice being the only ones at the time. On our way out there were many people arriving. Good timing.

Half-day was plenty for us, but I'm sure the full day is a blast too.

I recommend ABC tours!!

Wendy

[andnickali]

I'm just back from by cruise to Aruba and the tour with ABC. We did the full day tour with a total of three jeeps- the guide jeep, mine (with 9 from my family), and a third with about 7 people. The guide we had did provide us with some information on each stop, but was not an extra bubbly type person (but men generally aren't ;) )- he was nice enough though and gave us plenty of time at each stop to take pictures and look around.

The tour began on-road for two stops and then we proceeded to go on back dirt roads along the northern coast. The area is absolutely beautiful and seeing it as you bump along is enjoyable. On this part of the tour there were quite a few other 4-wheel drives (rentals and tours), but it was not crowded. I noticed what must have been the cruise excursion- there were like 20 jeep wranglers all in a row- I was glad I was not part of that pack. Along the north coast is where you stop to see the collapsed natural bridge.

After getting back on the paved road we stopped it the ostrich farm- which I thouht was a great place. The ostriches are very entertaining and the guide gives you a nice informative tour of the place. They provide plenty of food to feed the ostriches or you can buy bowls at the entrance for $1 (which I did before I realized that the food is all along the way).

Next, back to the dirt road and to the natural pool. Let me tell you this is definitely off road- there are huge rocks and ruts all over the hill you climb. And, although there aren't any cliffs around the tour leads you up some steep hills. I was glad I wasn't driving!!!!!! The natural pool is beautiful. To get to it there is a set of steps made out of the rock bed- I would say it is equivocal to 4 flights (distance wise) but they are misshappen and you have to be careful of your footing. Once at the bottom it is a flat area. To actually get into the pool you have to climb your way around the volcanic rocks- they aren't high off the ground, and are for the most part dry, but they are tricky and you have to have shoes on for sure if you don't want to get scraped up (which I didn't!!!!!). Once around the rocks the pool is not very large- the rocks at the entrance are very slippery. The trip down to see the pool is well worth it. The area is protected by huge volcanic rocks that shield the area from the open ocean. When the waves crash up against the back side the water comes spraying down into the pool. Very cool!

After the natural pool we stopped for lunch- nothing to brag about, but it was food. Then it was onto the caves- interesting.

Baby Beach was very nice- clear water and some pretty good snorkeling over by the rocks. This was the last stop and then we went back to the ship.

Overall, the tour was well worth the money. We were not at all disappointed with our decision to use ABC.