H2Otstr Posted January 31, 2009 #1 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I just booked a Jeep with Royal Car Rentals for March 2nd. Our ship is in port from Noon until 10 pm and the rental confirmation says that my rental is from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. Can times be changed for these rentals? I thought the rentals were for a 24 hour period. Royal has not been easy to deal with. I called first and was informed that a Jeep was available, then I booked on line, then received an email that no rentals were available. I called again and was told there was a mistake, was told I would receive an email confirmation right away. I received the email the next day with the limited time limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arubalisa Posted January 31, 2009 #2 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I would email them directly for clarification. Ardley is usally very good at responding to emails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2Otstr Posted January 31, 2009 Author #3 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Lisa, I did send an email requesting that my rental time be from Noon until sometime in the evening and was told that the representative that is on duty in the afternoon shift would decide when I had to return the rental. Do you, or any previous renters, have any idea how late the vehicles have been returned in the past? Thanks. Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arubalisa Posted January 31, 2009 #4 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Sorry, I don't know about returns while cruising. We have only rented from them during land vacations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ststop Posted February 3, 2009 #5 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I wouldn't rent a car on Aruba. No street signs anywhere and can get lost very easily. We were there last monday on AOS. Hired a taxi( Derek of Aruba Starz) Found him right outside the gate to the port. He was fantastic. Articulate, clean, took us anywhere we wanted to go. Even took us to Eagle Beach( recommended- Not crowded) and then returned 10 minutes before our designated time to pick us up. He was fantastic. I would have gotten lost roaming on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njs Posted February 5, 2009 #6 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I wouldn't rent a car on Aruba. No street signs anywhere and can get lost very easily. We were there last monday on AOS. Hired a taxi( Derek of Aruba Starz) Found him right outside the gate to the port. He was fantastic. Articulate, clean, took us anywhere we wanted to go. Even took us to Eagle Beach( recommended- Not crowded) and then returned 10 minutes before our designated time to pick us up. He was fantastic. I would have gotten lost roaming on my own. Agree - we stay for a wk when in Aruba so car rental return is not a problem. Buuuuuut, the lack of street signs is another issue altogether. Even tho the driving is on the same side of the road as you are used to it is still very confusing when you cant find street signs:confused: I would go with a taxi if just there for the day. Also, perhaps no one is in the pier office that late at night and that is why their cut-off time is 5pm. We have used Royal Car Rental and as far as we are concerned, they are the best (but that is for wkly rental) and we always got prompt email replies to our questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnivalman Posted February 6, 2009 #7 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I would say 5pm is the usual closing time. As other posters said, hire someone to bring you around. Going to the east side of the island with the rough terrain requires more than just a Yaris, (Aruba's official national car) since it's easy to blowout a tire. If that happens, there's lots of hotels to stay at. If you are really set on getting a car and concerned about the rental company, check who the Renaisance Hotel has in their lobby. However, you need to remember, they also go home at 5pm or so and the hotel has nothing to do with them. Even companies like Thrifty, National, etc. do not provide 24 huor service on the island. Since you do not arrive until noon and won't get off the boat until 12:30pm, that doesn't give you much time to go exploring on your own if you've never been in Aruba. Major signage is OK, it's the small stuff that will get you. There's a sign at the Valero circle stating Route 1B/airport telling you go left if you choose to avoid going thru town. The problem is that's the last sign you'll see. BTW, if you want a great steak dinner in town, make reservations at El Gaucho. Easily walkabale from the ship during daylight or just a $5 cab ride each way. The Argentinian beef is great!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruznkanuk Posted February 11, 2009 #8 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi, a lot of your questions are answered in this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=889056 We had a great time finding our way around and did not have much trouble, except right in the town. Having the 4 WD was crucial. However, I don't think it is worth the rental if your arrival time is after noon unless one of the rental companies has enough inquiries from people on your ship that they are willing to adjust their hours. We had reserved until 6 pm and when we arrived were told we had to have the car back by 5 which was a shame. We would have enjoyed another hour on the north shore. Hope you have fun whatever you do. Might be interesting if the folks who recommend taxi tours could give us some idea of the costs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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