Will be in Aruba in Jan. on a cruise for 12 hours. What is the best way to spend the little time we have there? Snorkeling? Island tour (what is there to see) or getting a day pass at a nice hotel on a nice beach (which hotel??). Thanks!

Depends on what your other cruise stops are.<BR><BR>We spent a week in Aruba and our favorite day was when we took a combination sailing/snorkeling trip.<BR><BR>HOWEVER - your cruise may stop at other islands with better snorkeling. It probably won't stop at any islands with better beaches. Aruba's beaches are awesome.<BR><BR>Our favorite stretch of beach was in front of the Manchebo, Bucuti, and Costa Linda. Second choice would be Palm Beach, where the mega-hotels are (Hyatt, Holiday Inn, etc.).<BR><BR>With one day on Aruba I would skip the island tour - I'm sure you'll be stopping at more scenic, more interesting islands.<BR>

Susan: Without hesitation, the best way to spend the day would be to go to Baby's Beach on the southern tip of the island to sunbathe and snorkel. The inlet is like a swimming pool and the last time I went snorkeling there it was really great. It is usually not real crowded but you will see other snorkelers swimming from the inlet through a break in the reef out into the bay where the fish are. You will have to arrange transportation but it would be worth it. Much better than sightseeing as the "sights" are not that impressive.

What about renting a jeep for a day to explore the island? Anyone done that before and where can I get a jeep close to the cruise docks?

We had a great time renting a jeep and exploring the beaches on the rough side of island. Very private lots of waves.

Hi Susan: You will luv Aruba. Renting a jeep is what many people do. You can see the sights and snorkel this way. Do see the natural bridge. The views are breathtaking. Other points of interest are the Casibari rock formation, the abandoned gold mine. There is a small church, the name of which escapes me, that has a beautiful hand carved altar (mahogany I think) that is hundreds of yrs. old and is a work of art. Do try to see that if you can. And shop till you drop downtown. Bon dia! BTW that is the local dialect (Papiemento) for hello or good day.

The touristy side of the island is very different from the side that you will take the jeep tour or actually rent a jeep. We started at the far end away from the high rises, saw the Natural Bridge, wildlife, and the beautiful waves on the rocks - much different than the beaches on the other side. We nded up in a 'dunes' area by the lighthouse. We walked on them and then drove over the lighthouse and had drinks and watched the mountain goats climbs on the rocks - from there you can see a wonderful view of Aruba. And, at the that point you are not far from the high rise or your way back to return the car. I have wonderful pics from that side of the island.

Of course, you can simply go to a beach behind one of the low rise or high rise hotels since you will not have that opportunity on the ship. Many of the beaches have tons of water sport rentals and there are beach bars on short boardwalks or behind each hotel. The beaches on the high rise side are much more crowded and you are going during peak season. If there is an opportunity to do a day pass at the Renassiance private island - I would do that as well. We rented the private villa on the island (they have pink flamingoes there. They have a family side and an adult side to the beach. The only way to the island is by a boat from the hotel (which is directly across from the cruise ships). I think it depends on how much you want to see or how much beach bumming you want to do.

Aruba is lovely.

Theresa

Hi~My husband &amp; I also went to Aruba for a 12 hour cruise ship stay. I would highly recommend renting your own vehicle, we had a tracker rented from the first lot to the right off the ship. It cost $90 for the day (had to be back by 6:00pm which was a disappointment, I'm not sure if they all work that way or not) I did see when we got back that most people had taken cheaper cars at $65 /day. (Saw the paperwork)We headed right for Baby Beach as everyone said it was best for snorkeling.....it IS beautiful, but if I had to do it over, I would go to Eagle beach instead (we did not have time for that)It is a good 40 minutes out to Baby, depending on traffic. I am a pretty strong swimmer, &amp; I was not interested in swimming thru the breakthru to see the fish, very choppy water. It's always very windy. The oil refinery is an unfortunate blight on this pretty area. We did stop at Charlies Bar, fun to see. The natural bridge is wonderful...the drive out is rough, but the sights are spectacular.
Before we went I was trying to gauge how much we would have time to do. I think we had a really good taste of the island. Did not do the pool, gold mines, or ashari(sp) rock formations.
Playa Linda is a great place to walk thru to get to Palm Beach. There is parking close by. We even had time to play slots at the Hyatt, I won a jackpot...which was fun!
Took the car back, returned to the ship, changed clothes &amp; then walked to Carlos &amp; Charlies, did a little shopping &amp; walked to the casino near the ship. There are phones to call home right at the pier at a reasonable cost, they do close at 9:30pm. Hope you have as nice a day as we did. This was our favorite port! Safe Travel!

Coming off a cruise ship, I'd probably explore Oranjestad for a while, maybe rent a car to bum around the island, but if I could swing it, probably do the submarine tour.

I second the comments about Baby Beach not really worth the time. It's okay, but Eagle Beach is nicer IMHO and without the trek through San Nicolas.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

There are more watersports and activities at the high rise area where Palm Beach is located.

We were just in Aruba for a week in early September. Our favorite day was renting a Jeep ($85/day) &amp; driving to see Casabiri rock formations &amp; Natural Bridge (gorgeous). Every other day we louged around Eagle Beach, which is supurb. Depends how adventurous you are feeling. We loved Aruba!