“Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama…”

ARUBA, You have my heart!

One of the ports of call on our Southern Caribbean cruise was to Oranjestad, Aruba! We docked early in the morning and were in port until early into the evening, so we really had a full day to spend in Aruba.

One of the main reasons we chose a Southern Caribbean cruise was because of the amazing itinerary that Royal Caribbean had put together for this sailing. Aruba was one of the stops I was the most excited for because of these….

Yep, Flamingos!! Flamingos have been living in Aruba for a while now. Almost 15 years ago, flamingos made their home on Renaissance Private Island, living directly on the beach and fla-mingling (see what I did there..)  with visitors!

  

It is most important to plan ahead when visiting Aruba if this is on your “Must See” list. Renaissance Private Island is not actually open to the public and is privately owned by Renaissance Aruba Resort. There are 2 ways that you can go about visiting the flamingos if you only have 1 day to visit Aruba.

Option 1: Day Pass for Renaissance Island

Guests of Renaissance Aruba Resort have free access to the island, but if you aren’t staying here, you can opt to purchase the day pass for $125 and visit the island as a non-guest. In the past, you would have to show up to the reception desk the morning that you wanted to visit and hope that you were one of the lucky ones who had made it early enough to purchase a pass before they sold out for the day. Now, there is a special website that allows you to pre-book your passes for the day before your visit. Registration starts at  7 AM and passes are gone typically within a few minutes! This makes it so much more convenient than having to show up the morning you want to visit the island and trying to get a pass before everyone else. Since the “old” way was the only way when we visited Aruba, we opted for the second option in order to ensure we could visit the flamingos on Renaissance Island.

Option 2: Book a Room at Renaissance Resort & Casino.

We booked a room for the day/night that we were in Aruba. Even though we weren’t spending the night at the resort, we checked into our hotel super early and were given our access cards right away for the private island. We went directly on the boat that takes you to the island and were on our way. The only way to get to Renaissance’s private island is by boat, and it leaves from the lobby of the hotel every 15 minutes. It is rather loud when it pulls up in the open-air lobby, so it’s not hard to spot it!

While children are allowed on the island, they are not allowed at Flamingo Beach at all times. The hotel has maintained minimizing the disturbance of the flamingo population, so they only allow children on Flamingo Beach for an hour from 9 AM to 10 AM. Children under the age of 12 are free, so you only need passes for adults if you have children younger than that. Once the hour is over, you will be directed to the other side of the private island where they have the family beach. This beach is still so nice and spacious, that you and your family will enjoy spending time here as well. There are clean restrooms and a restaurant nearby, so there is still plenty of action for your family once you leave Flamingo Beach.

For adults spending their day on Flamingo Beach, make sure to get their early! When Dan and I arrived, we were 1 of 4 couples who were also there, so we had plenty of chairs to pick from. By the late morning/early afternoon, all the chairs were taken, and it was much more crowded. Flamingo Beach is a full-service beach, so it includes chairs, towels, and bathrooms included in your pass price. There is a bar and restaurant, but just know prices are a little high for drinks.

When visiting with the flamingos, I learned right away that the flamingos hate when people follow them or chase them down. I watched so many people attempting to do this and they were straight-up annoyed. I actually went away from the crowds and just sat in the water and the flamingos came over to me! They wanted away from the crowds and action and came directly towards me. It was so cool! There is a small vending machine that does sell food for the flamingos, so that definitely entices the flamingos to come over to you if you are holding food! The vending machine only takes US quarters, so you will have to bring them with you or try changing out dollars at the bar.

After getting all of our photos with the flamingos, we spent the day laying on the beach, enjoying the water, and just relaxing the entire day. We ate a late lunch at the Papagayo Bar and Grill. This overlooked the family beach on Renaissance Island, and the views are so pretty! After our lunch, Dan was wanting to watch the Manchester United soccer match, and since we knew they wouldn’t be showing the match on the ship, we went back to our hotel room and got to actually enjoy the room and air conditioning while he watched the match. The hotel was clean and the rooms were spacious and nice and old thanks to working AC. :) Once the match was over, it was time to get back to the ship. This was the BEST way to spend our 1 day in Aruba and I would definitely go back to visit for much longer in the future!

Getting to Renaissance Aruba Resort from the Aruba Cruise Terminal:

This was an easy walk from the cruise ship terminal to Renaissance Aruba. You will exit the terminal and make a right onto Lloyd G. Smith Blvd. You will walk about 5 minutes and the destination will be on your left! Easy peasy and you don’t have to pay for a taxi!

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly