Island Guide
Aruba
One Happy Island - and one of the few Caribbean ports you can count on for sunshine in September.
Where the ship docks
Oranjestad cruise terminal, right in town. You can walk off the ship straight into shops and restaurants - no tender, no long taxi ride.
Language
Dutch and Papiamento are official, but English is spoken essentially everywhere, and Spanish is common too.
Currency
Aruban florin (AWG). US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, and cards are widely taken.
Weather
Aruba sits below the hurricane belt, so it is one of the most weather-reliable Caribbean ports year-round. Constant trade winds keep the heat comfortable.
Worth your day ashore
- Eagle Beach - wide, white, and home to the famous fofoti trees
- Palm Beach - the busier resort strip, with watersports and beach bars
- Arikok National Park - desert landscape, caves, and the natural pool
- The California Lighthouse at the island's northern tip
- Baby Beach - shallow and calm, the best choice with small children
- Oranjestad's pastel Dutch colonial architecture, walkable from the pier
Certified in this destination
Katie is an Aruba Certified Expert - she has completed the island's official destination training, so the advice here is backed by more than a guidebook.
Good to know
- Aruba is dry and desert-like - cactus, not rainforest. Bring more sunscreen than you think you need; the trade winds hide how strong the sun is.
- Because the port is in town, Aruba is one of the easiest islands to do independently rather than on a ship excursion.
- The bent divi divi trees always point southwest. Locals will tell you they are a natural compass, and they are right.
Aruba brochure
Katie's printable guide to this port. Coming soon — drop the PDF at
assets/downloads/aruba-guide.pdf and this becomes a download
button.
Sailing to Aruba?
Katie will tell you which itineraries call here, how long you get ashore, and whether the excursion is worth booking through the ship.