Sailing on Carnival Miracle 8-Day Southern Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale, I welcome your suggestions and tips for Grand Turk, La Romana, Aruba and Curacao. Have done many cruises but this is a first time to these ports of call. Prefer non-ship excursions and going down the road less traveled.
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There should be plenty of cabs/private operators on the dock so you should be fine. I would look up what the attractions are on each island which wouldn't be hard to do, then see what appeals to you and cut a deal when you get off. You can also consider renting a car.
You can also search here under "destinations" for tips. Cheers, Larry
cruisecritic.com
good reviews on each port. For $35 per half day usually find a knowledgeable driver/guide and DIY to save. Grand Turk nice beaches ok flat not touristic. La Romana have flown into and
stayed at Casa de Campo prettiest there, Aruba Palm/Eagle beach Hyatt Regency my fav and great diving. Curacao cute little Dutch vibe and good diving. vacationstogo.com good port info too.
Happy Trails!
Thanks for tips...
In Grand Turk... Just hanging at Cruise Center.. Magaritaville $6 Beers but down the beach local food and beer much cheaper.
Beautiful beach areas
Here are some thoughts on the ports (and links to the specific posts in my blog):
GRAND TURK: Instead staying at the cruise ship center, walk to the right to the point and see if you can find a nice conch shell to take home. Then return, walking past the cruise ship center, to the Local Village Bar and Restaurant (they were offering half price drinks as a crew special, but extended that pricing to us as well) or further to Jack's Shack (more crowded; smaller place)... http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/grand-turk-beautiful-by-nature.html; and video: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/video-grand-turk.html.
ARUBA: for a first timer, I'd suggest renting a car and driving around the island; you can stop at any of the beaches for a swim and see some interesting things along the way. The two sides of the island are quite different. On our last trip, we utilized the public bus to go to two beaches -- Boca Catalina for snorkeling, and Eagle Beach for swimming ... http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/aruba-one-happy-island.html; Video: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/video-aruba.html
CURACAO: we rented a car for our day in town and went to Playa Cas Abou and then returned to explore the town ... http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/curacao-real-different.html; part II of the post: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/curacao-part-ii-willemstad-world.html; Video: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/12/video-curacao.html
Have a great time.
eenusa,
Thanks for the post... Unfortunately, I started the thread too late but hopefully others will benefit from your good info.
In Grand Turk, stopped at Magaritaville for just a few and then found one of the local spots you mentioned.
In Aruba, did a private brief tour US$20 per person then hangout at The Hyatt beach area.
In Curacao, walked around. The coolest thing was being on the walking bridge while it was being repositioned to allow boats to navigate around it