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Oranjestad, Aruba
One of the easiest ports in the Caribbean to do on foot, with published taxi fares and a cheap bus to the famous beaches.
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| Getting ashore | Ships dock. The port has five cruise berths, including two mega berths of 1,910 feet each with their own terminals. |
|---|---|
| Into town | Five to ten minutes on foot to Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard, depending on your berth |
| Nearest beach | Surfside Beach, about a 15-minute walk. Eagle Beach is about a ten-minute drive. |
| Currency | Aruban florin, with US dollars widely accepted |
Taxi fares, published by the government
Aruba publishes an official tariff, and taxis have no meters. From the cruise terminal:
| Oranjestad | $10 |
|---|---|
| Eagle Beach | $28 |
| Palm Beach | $33 |
| Airport | $20 |
Minimum fare is $10. Add $5 between 11pm and 7am, on Sundays and holidays, and from 24 December to 1 January. Extra passengers beyond four cost $3 each, and extra luggage $3 a piece. Licensed taxis carry TX on the plate.
The bus, which is the value play
Arubus runs from the Oranjestad station. A single trip is $2.60, a return card $5.00, and a day pass $15.00, payable in cash on board. Line 10 serves Eagle Beach, Palm Beach and Arashi Beach along the hotel strip.
Accessibility, which Aruba actually publishes
The tourism authority maintains a list of providers, which is unusual and useful. Beach wheelchairs that roll over sand and float in water are rented and delivered by Adapted Happy Wheels and by Essential Health Supplies, which also rents scooters and delivers free to hotels. LiteLife Medicab runs four vans with hydraulic lifts and one with a ramp. We Welcome Wheelchairs handles accessible transfers and tours. Book these before you sail rather than on the day.
Where these facts come from
- Aruba Ports Authority, Oranjestad
- Aruba Tourism Authority, cruise port
- Aruba official taxi tariff, May 2026 (PDF)
- Aruba Tourism Authority, taxis
- Arubus, fares
- Arubus, FAQ
- Aruba Tourism Authority, special needs services
Ports change their rules and their prices. Check the official pages above before you sail.
Independent tours usually cost less than the ship's, and are often run by the very same local operator. Look for a listing tagged Worry-Free Shore Excursion — Viator backs those with what it calls a "Back to Ship Guarantee," which is the bit that takes the worry out of booking on your own.
- Viator publishes 400,000+ travel experiences
- Full refund on most experiences cancelled at least 24 hours ahead
- Back to Ship Guarantee on Worry-Free listings
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. How excursion booking works.
Search Aruba tours on ViatorStairs, gangways, tenders, long piers, a cane on bad days. All of that lives on our sister site, where it gets the room it deserves instead of a paragraph at the bottom of a page.
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