Monica Pileggi

I normally don’t book a shore excursion with the cruise ship. I find them to be too expensive, especially since one can plan their own tours in advance and share the expenses with one to three other couples. Tony wanted to do the Atlantis submarine tour. After checking on line, I discovered the prices were the same, so I pre-booked this tour with Princess.

After breakfast in the dining room where Tony enjoyed the eggs benedict, we met Fred and Lois and the rest of the tour group at 9:50am in the terminal. On board a small boat, we headed out past the airport to an area where we waited for the submarine to emerge. It was a small submarine, holding 48 passengers. We were a group of 36. Our dive lasted 40 minutes and we saw a variety of fish. Also, two ships had been sunk a few years previously. I spotted a tire, to which Tony said, “That’s a tire for an airplane.” It was a neat ride, though I was a little nervous being underwater.

Back on the ship, we changed into our bathing suits, met Fred and Lois at the terminal, and walked into town. Aruba has changed quite a bit since the last time we were there (1997?). There were many shops, restaurants, and casinos. Lois and I bought black carrying bags for $5. We saw them everywhere. After purchasing some bottled water, we took a taxi to Palm Beach to Moomba hotel to enjoy the afternoon there. Right on the beach was a restaurant with a thatched roof. We were hungry, so we had lunch – Mexican chicken wraps. Talk about Island Time! It was the slowest service ever! The sandwiches were very good, as well as the tropical drinks.

Check out the shore excursions available in Aruba.
Aruba Shore Excursions

Ask a Question About a Caribbean Port