1st time cruise on AOS in November

[cruser2]

We are cruising to southern Caribbean for the ST time and are interested in snorkeling. What excursions are recommended and which port (Curacao, St. Maarten, Aruba, St. Thomas). We also would like to do some sight seeing and shopping. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Should we stay away from any areas? :)

[megr1125]

Can't help with snorkeling...but AOS was our first cruise..with that itinerary.

 

We had been to aruba before so i just shopped....it is a long port call so you can do a lot.

 

 

I recommend Wix tours

http://www.wixtours.com

 

we used them for an island tour...smaller comapny than depalm, very nice, reasonable prices.

 

In curacao we got a tour on the pier....nice, but it was bilingual and too much of it was in spanish. Don;t miss the curacao factory though....YUM! The floating bridge is fun to walk over....nice shops....

 

 

St thomas...just shopped and rode over to the marriott because my aunt and uncle love it there......

 

 

St maarten...did the tour of both sides of the island through the ship....not too expensive and very informative. Don't miss the guavaberry store...yum!

 

The ship is beautiful....it was my favorite itinerary-i just didn't care for san juan.

 

if you follow the link below you can see my pix on webshots....if you have other questions feel free to ask.

[Vacation Nut]

We did this cruise in August 2005 and absolutely LOVED it, our best yet. Anyway, I really like San Juan and we had a lovely lunch in a small courtyard restaurant there after touring El Morro by ourselves.

 

Aruba - we rented a jeep at the pier ($60) and set off round the island. We understood that the southern end had good snorkeling, but we didn't make it that far as there was so much to see and lovely beaches to visit in the north.

 

Curacao --- boy it was hot there in August. We just went over to the town for a couple of hours.

 

St Marteen - went to Orient Beach on a tour, but no snorkelling, good waves for body surfing.

 

St Thomas - taxi to Magens Bay - a little snorkeling, but mostly just a lovely calm bay to cool off in.

 

I agree that the ship is beautiful, the entertainment was great. Our cruise director was Richard Spacey and he was very funny. Have a wonderful time.

[GMoney]

Try Buck Island Sail n Snorkel on St. T. The snorkelling is very good and the sailboat ride is great too!

[cruser2]

Thank you for the great info. Will put it to good use.

[letsgocruzing]

In St. Thomas, a great place for snorkeling (right from the beach) is Coki Beach. It is approx. a 30 minute cab ride from the dock. The beach is used mostly by locals and is very beautiful and quiet. The Dolphin Academy in Curacao is a fun excursion. Swimming with the dolphins(although quite expensive) is worth every penny. In Aruba, the off road adventure around the island is very interesting and fun. The shopping for souvenirs seemed to be the most reasonable in St. Martin and especially St. Thomas. Whatever you do, you will have a great vacation!!

[EggDropErin]

For shopping, I love St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I found St. Thomas had a better selection of jewelry and specialty things...such as a store just for dogs. I found that St. Maarten had cheaper alcohol and cigarettes (not a smoker, brought some home).