Adventure of the Seas

[mamabean]

I am going on the Adventure on Jan. 30th. What is the best thing to see in Aruba and Curacao.
We have cruised before and do not enjoy ship shore excursions. We prefer to do it alone.

[mamabean]

I am going on the Adventure on Jan. 30th. What is the best thing to see in Aruba and Curacao.
We have cruised before and do not enjoy ship shore excursions. We prefer to do it alone.

[NancyN]

There is tons of information on activities and excursions to do on your own at our sister site PortReviews.com. Here are the links to both of the ports you are inquiring about. I am sure you will find many ideas there:

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Aruba.htm

http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Curacao.htm

Hope that helps.
Nancy

Curacao ranks as one of my favorite places to go to. I fly there at least once a year for the past 15 years. A casual walking tour of the downtown area (punda)is a must. You will see the fisherman and boats that come from Venezuela, about 70km south. They will have fresh fruits, etc. for sale. Best not to eat any. The milk is in square cartons, on the shelf, not refrigerated. If you like milk, it's a must have. And the water. Drink the water! I don't particularly care to drink water, but Curacao has the world's finest desalinization system, taking salt water daily and turning it into the finest water ever. I know first hand, as I was involved in the sale and installation of the water plant facilities. Walk across the floating bridge, to the other side of the island, called Otrobando. Just to your left is the old fort, built to guard against attacks. It is now a restaurant, owned by a close friend. He brings chef apprentises from Holland, they stay 2-3 years perfecting their skills. You can see a cannonball stuck in the wall there, also. And the beaches are not to be missed. One thing you will find is Curacao is less commercialized than Aruba. A great place to visit.

David

[Giventofly]

I just got back from both islands. This time there, in Curacao, we went to the Sea Aquarium. It's a 15 dollar cab ride, and 15 per person to get in. You can easily spend all day there. They have dolphin shows, and sea-lion shows. They have 15 nurse sharks in a fairly shallow pool. If you get there early enough you can see them feed. At the gate, you get a map, and a schdule. They also offer extra fee activities, like dolphin encounters, shark and sea turtle scubas, etc. I would also recommend that you explore the shops in Willemstad. Some good deals to be found.

Aruba.....take an off road vehicle adventure of some sort. I prefer the ATV one, (i used http://www.ranchonotorious.com/quadracer.shtml ) . These take you to the windward side of the island, that has NO commercialzation at all, and is an amazing desert landscape(it has no buildings at all for miles at a stretch).

Curacao and Aruba are my 2 favorite islands. David Landry is correct about the Commercialisation of aruba. Much more hotels, high rises, casinos, and the like.

Curacao has beautiful dutch influenced towns. Brightly colored houses, and the magnificant Queen Juliana Bridge. Curacao is more industrual than aruba, though. It's cool at night to see the giant flames coming off of the smokestacks casting orange flickers skyward.

David Landry.....Just Curious about your advice... the only rule of traveling that is more important than "don't drink the water" is "don't drink dairy products". Is this really a good idea? Un refrigerated milk in a foreign island nation? eek! Is it really ok?