Going to Aruba and possibly onwards to Curacao?

[alam555]

So I am headed out again alongwith my 4 yr old and a moderately pregnant wife(6 months). Just bought tickets to Aruba because of a deal. However, now I am debating continuing onwards to Curacao since several of my colleagues have recommended that as a top dive spot especially with family.

From initial research it doesn't seem like Aruba has the best of dives with some exceptions certainly.

So my fellow divers, Should I stay in Aruba if to dive is one's passion? OR
should I go to Curacao(and can I?)?

In Aruba, we were considering all inclusive like the DIVI DIVI, so any thoughts on their dive center?

thanks

alam

 

[ronbeau]

So I am headed out again along with my 4 yr old and a moderately pregnant wife(6 months). Just bought tickets to Aruba because of a deal. However, now I am debating continuing on wards to Curacao since several of my colleagues have recommended that as a top dive spot especially with family.

From initial research it doesn't seem like Aruba has the best of dives with some exceptions certainly.

So my fellow divers, Should I stay in Aruba if to dive is one's passion? OR
should I go to Curacao(and can I?)?

In Aruba, we were considering all inclusive like the DIVI DIVI, so any thoughts on their dive center?

thanks

alam

Actually, I am in a similar situation as you except my wife is not pregnant. My wife does not dive and my daughter will be getting her certification Memorial Day weekend.

As A result we determined that all-inclusive were the best choice for us.

We found that Breezes Curacao was much less expensive than a lower rated resort on Aruba. I had frequent flier miles to get me to Aruba (US Air does not fly to Curacao).

The flights from Aruba to Curacao are $275 per person. Even after paying for 3 tickets from Aruba to Curacao it was still cheaper than Aruba.

Continental and American airlines fly directly into Curacao from the US.

It might be worth considering as long as you don't get hosed by switching plane reservations.

 

[ronrosa]

So I am headed out again alongwith my 4 yr old and a moderately pregnant wife(6 months). Just bought tickets to Aruba because of a deal. However, now I am debating continuing onwards to Curacao since several of my colleagues have recommended that as a top dive spot especially with family.

From initial research it doesn't seem like Aruba has the best of dives with some exceptions certainly.

So my fellow divers, Should I stay in Aruba if to dive is one's passion? OR
should I go to Curacao(and can I?)?

In Aruba, we were considering all inclusive like the DIVI DIVI, so any thoughts on their dive center?

thanks

alam

Have you priced how much it would cost to get to/from Curacao/Aruba ? I liked Curaco diving a lot more than Aruba, but since you already bought tickets to Aruba the additional time and costs might not be worth it.

 

[alam555]

I have priced aruba - curacao round trip and its 183 adult and 132 child onboard DAE . So Ronbeau be sure to check out the airline because you seem to be getting a higher fare. And they have frequent flights between the two airports.

So I have pretty much decided to go to curacao, because my connections are actually not that bad and the timing works out well. Now I need to find a place to stay in Curacao? Breezes?

 

[whitelief]

We spent five nights in Aruba last week (2/17-2/22). Stayed at the Holiday Inn on Palm Beach end. Ok diving right out front. The wreck of the Antilla and the Pedernales, Malmok Reef with the Debbie II, an oil tanker sunk as a reef, and some other spots. Much better was the South Coast, with deeper dives, drift diving, and much more interesting reef formations. Water temps 78-80.

We dove with Aruba Water Sports and Pelican Divers. I liked them both. Pelican runs larger boats, so there is a risk of being slowed down by people less experienced than you are. It happened to us: We had to wait for two folks who started off too bouyant, then could not stay off the bottom. It was painful to watch one of them thrashing through some corals. Aruba runs an inflatable right off the beach. We dove with JT and Eugene, both great guides. There were never more than four of us on the boat (including the guide), and usually it was just three on the dive. But Aruba Water Sports doesn't really seem set up to go much past the Palm Beach cove. We did a night dive with them too. Terrific.

The visibility was definitely off last week.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, which was basic but certainly decent.

In short, I recommend Aruba highly. Keep in mind this was our first Carribbean diving. (We are experts on Rockport, MA, which is a tad cooler.) PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Damselfish]

I have priced aruba - curacao round trip and its 183 adult and 132 child onboard DAE . So Ronbeau be sure to check out the airline because you seem to be getting a higher fare. And they have frequent flights between the two airports.

So I have pretty much decided to go to curacao, because my connections are actually not that bad and the timing works out well. Now I need to find a place to stay in Curacao? Breezes?

I suppose Breezes would be the choice if you really want the classic all-inclusive experience, but it won't get you the best diving in Curacao. If you were both diving I would say Habitat or Sunset. You might want to look into the Marriott as a very nice all around compromise if it's in your budget.