Oranjestad Aruba Cruise Port Guide for Families
Updated: 4 hours ago
Aruba is well known as a resort destination, especially for romance and underwater adventures, but my giant Griswold-style family cruise vacation wasn't really the best for accommodating romance or dive trips, so we had to do some research.
I was always under the impression that Aruba was really posh and out of reach for a family crowd - but man was I dead wrong. It was completely unlike everything I had always imagined.
Aruba, yes romantic in its own right, is actually full of adventurous pursuits, outdoor treasures, ancient and historic destinations and charming locations.
Below I'll share with you the best way to spend one day in Aruba from the cruise ship, where we stopped, and tours that can take you there. But first, let's learn a little bit about the Oranjestad Aruba cruise port.
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Oranjestad Aruba Cruise Port
What's in Port
If you are expecting a tropical, lush, and let's be honest, expensive Dutch cruise port in Oranjestad, you may be surprised by what you find.
Instead, find in the immediate port a bustling Bahamian style greeting - not high brow, but not run down either. Buses and tour companies will wait as you exit your ship, leading out to the "I Love Aruba" sign, where you can meet other tour operators.
Once you leave the immediate port area, there is a straw market across the street and more kiosk style shopping further along the waterfront about a one mile walk.
Venturing out of the town is when the landscape really gets interesting. Getting only 13 inches of rain per year (during the hurricane season), I was surprised - no, I was shocked - by the high desert terrain.
Every inch of foliage is covered in green - and not palm trees or tropical plants - but with cactus! Cactus grows everywhere, feeding the island's ecology acting as an important part of the food chain in Aruba, right down to the bats in the caves!
The soil is sandy and clay-like with tremendous natural rock formations along the island's shores.
Breathtaking, unexpected, and adventurous are all great terms to describe the uniqueness of Aruba.
Cruising to Aruba
Like many of my cruise guides, I'll first share with you a link to cruise deals to Aruba.
You likely already have your tripped planned, but if you're looking to compare pricing or share with friends, by all means, visit this link for cruise deals, or venture over to my related page about how to book discounted cruises.
Before traveling to Aruba, you may want to consult the website whatsinport.com, who is my go to first stop for basic port information.
Prepare yourself for a smallish destination, as Aruba is an island only 20 miles long and 6 miles wide, so much like cruising to Cozumel or the Bahamas, this is an easy driving around day. Many may venture to rent a jeep or ATV and wander about, or others may stick to tours. It all depends on your style of travel.
Let's learn more about the tours and activities you can do in Aruba with kids, below.
Aruba With Kids? Who'd Have Thunk?
It's so easy to hop on a cruise ship from a cold weather destination without a plan, thinking well, there's a beach so I'll do that. Kids love the beach right?
I know it's hard to believe, but I hate sitting on a beach. There is no better way to waste a port day, in my opinion. A beach is a beach (maybe I'm jaded, I'm from Florida), but the (mildly) Dutch influenced port of Aruba has much more to offer.
In order to see what the culture and island of Aruba are all about, I highly recommend that you venture beyond the beaches (the ones near the port didn't look that amazing anyway).
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I'll give you all the details below (including a driving itinerary map!) but, if you are short on time:
With swimming, caves, a BBQ lunch and the best all around highlights tour, if it is available for your dates, snag it. Unfortunately it wasn't available for us on Christmas Eve day, but these other options below are perfect for DIY with a jeep rental, or on the provided tours.
Visiting Oranjestad cruise port will undoubtedly be an adventurous day out with kids, so I'm sharing with you the best way to do it:
The Best Way to Spend One Day in Aruba From Cruise Ship
Step 1: Rent a Jeep
We booked ours easily by email with JeepAruba.com. They also operate at Rentandgoaruba.com. The cost was $275 for the day (9am to 5pm) and they provided a car seat for my daughter. We used our credit card for insurance coverage but you can also pay in cash.
Pick up was smooth and easy - but be sure to answer any strange phone calls coming in from WhatsApp or otherwise around your meeting time. This is how they'll get in touch with you if they need to call.
The Jeep was clean and in good condition - no complaints!
Step 2: Make a Plan in Advance
Below I've detailed all the best spots to stop at on the island with only one day in Aruba. You won't be able to do them all!
If you want a copy of my Google Maps itinerary, which includes 10 hot spots on the island, click here to sign up for my email list and be sure to request the Google Map link for one day in Aruba.
Step 3: Execute!
Here's the list of great spots to visit, below, along with optional tours to take the guess work out for you.
Top Destinations to Visit in Aruba with Kids
Visit the Aloe Factory
See how aloe is harvested and it's amazing healing properties. Take this tour to see many of the places on this list, including the Aloe Factory.
See Aruba's Natural Rock Formations and Caves
Some of the relevant places you could visit are:
The Casibari Rock Formations
Ayo Rock Formations
Natural Bridge
Conchi Natural Pool (great for swimming)
Quadirikiri Cave
Fontein Cave
See many of these destinations inside Arikok National Park. Learn more about jeep tours at the button below.
Ayo Rock Formations
We visited Ayo, and it was really cool for those who don't mind a bit of uphill hiking. Worth about 30 minutes, you'll hike up to a strange formation of boulders where you can squeeze between narrow cracks and wind around rocky corners.
It's very unique, and holds great historical value - you can even see ancient paintings in the rocks!
P.S. This park is free to visit!
Arikok National Park
At the entrance of the park, park your car and go into the Visitor's Center for tickets. Do not approach the gate booth - you will get turned around until you have tickets.
Inside the Visitor's Center is a bathroom, some exhibits, and a refreshment stand. Note that this is one of the only things we had to pay for in Aruba - most other attractions are free.
Also, ATV's are NOT permitted in the park.
Visiting Park Attractions
Choose your adventure. We chose to do two caves, the fish pedicure, and a stop off at the overlook.
If you are into 360 cameras (I just got my Insta360 camera that day for this trip), you'll want to bring it to this park.
Visiting the Caves at Arikok National Park
If you go, ask for the free tour from one of the guides waiting at the entrance to each cave. They are both quite impressive and you'll get more from the experience with the guide.
They'll walk you through the cave structure (along with helpful illumination), point out ancient cave paintings, and give you a bit of history through storytelling.
Keep in mind, a tip is welcomed for their service.
Get a Natural Fish Pedicure
I love doing this all over the world I tried it the first time in a shop in Bali, and then have a very memorable experience of getting my feet nibbled at in a stream in Oman.
The kids will love this, but it is a secret spot in Aruba so you'll have to take a tour or know where to find it in the Arikok park!
The little fish provide a relaxing little nibble, but there are larger fish in the pond too that really go to town! Expect screaming, laughter and endless fun.
Studio Murano Art & Restaurant
Visit on a Jeep Adventure tour, along with the donkey sanctuary (below), and most of the above locations as well! Make beautiful glass art as part of your fun tour day.
For us, we stumbled on this place quite by accident. I am SO glad we did. The food in the restaurant was outstanding, and we enjoyed a demonstration of glassblowing for free after our meal.
Aruba Ostrich Farm
These zany birds are really entertaining. Feed them, learn about them, and then have lunch in their lodge restaurant and enjoy some shopping in their art shop.
Take a tour if you want, which can be booked at the link here.
Donkey Sanctuary
A sure-fire hit with children and adults, this charming spot is free to visit. See roaming cats (up for adoption or just beloved pets of the owners), or feed the donkeys for as little as $1.
Stay 25 minutes and enjoy their slobbering nibbles, visit the gift shop, or have some refreshments and kick back.
This is a lovely spot on shouldn't be missed.
Aruba Atlantis Submarine Tour
This is still memorable from when I did it in Hawaii, and I was just a tot. Your kids will love this.
Get onboard a submarine and submerge to 130 feet below the surface to see ocean life all around you. Peek through portholes to see shipwrecks, coral, colorful fish and more.
If you aren't too keen on being completely underwater, try taking a 'Semi-Submarine' tour. Part above water, and the other part 5 feet below water, you don't need to envision whatever horrors you may envision by being completely submerged.
Go topside as needed, or down below to see some amazing shallow reef sites, like the Antilla, a shipwreck of a WWII German vessel, sitting at about 60 feet below the surface.
The other great thing about the semi-submarine tour is that it is 'semi price' compared with the Atlantis sub. Just food for thought!
Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins
Great for a quick photo stop and to poke around the ruins of an old mill.
Stop at a Resort for a Day Pass
You will see I've added a resort to the driving itinerary map (remember to email me if you want a copy), and at a resort you can have a relaxing lunch, rent a cabana, go in the pool, etc. It's not my favorite thing on this list, considering all the amazing unique Aruba offers, but it is definitely a choice for families who like to relax on the shore!
The Butterfly Farm
Pretty much what it sounds like, but it's serene and great for kids. Visit on this tour.
Baby Beach
The classic stop in Aruba for beach time, snorkeling and relaxation, without eating up the whole day. There's a thatched roof/palapa bar and restaurant on site for those looking to indulge versus sunbathe. ;-)
Additional Thoughts and Tips for Visiting Aruba
Dutch Aruba
Silly me, I thought Aruba was Dutch. In fact, there was little Dutch influence. We saw bitterballen (delicious, below) at lunch and other fried Dutch treats, but mainly the Dutch influence was a whisper of the past.
Instead, we found more Venezuelan influence in the cuisine, being right next door.
Safety in Aruba
Don't even think about it. It's safe. We had a lovely time and never felt unsafe whatsoever.
My Aruba guide provided by my rental car company says you can drink the tap water in Aruba safely. But, I'm on the fence about that so you decide. Here's my guide on safely drinking tap water abroad if you want some extra perspective.
Tipping in Aruba
Tip if you like. They expect it from tourists at restaurants and in tours if the service was above and beyond.
Shopping in Aruba
Even though we visited on Christmas Eve day, all the shops were open. We even visited a large grocery/department store on the island for some local flair, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Look up the SUPER Do It Center to add this to your itinerary.
Also, just outside the Oranjestad cruise port you can cross the street to find strip mall shops and a good sized straw market.
The straw market is extremely well priced, with baseball hats for $5 and $6 and other trinkets and souvenirs to shop for.
An Aruba bracelet with seashells is only $2 or $3 and there's lovely island dresses and men's button up shirts to add to your cruise wardrobe too.
If you need refreshment before walking back to the ship, there is also a little kiosk to get a cold beer, soda or even a coconut.
I thoroughly enjoyed this market, and it was a low-haggle, low-stress environment. Just remember to bring your small US bills for currency.
Currency Note: Aruban currency is the florin, which you may encounter in stores like Super Do It. Pull up an app on your phone to convert, but in general consider 2 Florins to 1 USD as a close guestimator. So if you buy socks (my poor husband didn't pack enough for the trip) at 12 Florins, you are paying around $6 for the socks.
What to Wear in Aruba
Ack, and while I am looking at this photo above - I have to tell you, it was hot in Aruba. And dry. Don't forget the sunblock and cover up your shoulders!!!
I recommend a cooling UPF 50+ cardigan (also a great double for cruise ship dinners) and these adorable UPF 50+ wide leg cooling pants. It's dusty and hot, so these are great base layer options.
Driving Around Aruba
Note that the island is always quite breezy, so bring a tropical gaiter or handkerchief for your face if in an ATV or open-air vehicle, along with a windbreaker jacket.
Terrain can often be dusty or bumpy, so take it easy on the roads!
Here's a few extra traffic rules to keep in mind from the map the rental company provided me:
Driving is on the right
Speed limits are in KM per hour
Right on red is prohibited
One Happy Island
Called "One Happy Island", Aruba is truly a gem waiting to be unearthed. I always assumed that Aruba was an uppity, stuffy resort island meant only for the rich resort crowd. Boy, was I wrong. One day was definitely not enough. I can't wait to return!
Headed to other Caribbean ports?
I've got you covered with more things to do and cruise port guides:
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