Guides
ABC Islands by Cruise: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao from Fort Lauderdale or Miami, 8-10 Nights (2026 Edition)
- Safety: U.S. State Department: Aruba Level 1 (reissued 2024-08-19), Curaçao Level 1 (2026-08-20). Bonaire's page was not reachable; check travel.state.gov.
When to go
The islands sit south of the main hurricane belt, so they stay sunny nearly year-round. Winter is the most popular season and the most expensive; fall is cheaper but is also the Caribbean's storm season, so itineraries can be rerouted. Check the line's itinerary page for your dates and the National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov) before you sail.
Where to stay the night before
Fly in a day early. Port Everglades sits beside FLL; most hotels in the Fort Lauderdale area run shuttles or are a short rideshare away. For PortMiami, downtown Miami and Brickell are close. Hotel programs: check the chain's own map (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG all list Fort Lauderdale and Miami options) rather than trusting a third-party list.
Rough cost, three ways
- Shoestring: An inside cabin, the free dining room, DIY on every island with public buses, a beach day and a packed lunch. Fill your own fare from the line's booking page.
- Middle: A balcony cabin plus one ship excursion and one DIY island day. Add the drink package only if you will really use it.
- Treat yourself: A suite, specialty dining and private tours on all three islands.
Use the line's booking page for fares (never trust an old screenshot); add the Arubus day pass, the Bonaire nature fee if you snorkel, and tips.
Entry rules
You normally need a passport for a Caribbean cruise, though US citizens on "closed-loop" cruises may sometimes use a birth certificate and photo ID; confirm on travel.state.gov and with your line. Aruba and Curaçao ask many arrivals to complete online forms; for cruise passengers, your line usually handles it. Check each government's official page before you sail.
Three free things
- Eagle Beach, Aruba: wide, white and public; the Arubus public bus runs to it from the Oranjestad terminal.
- Kralendijk waterfront, Bonaire: a flat, shaded walk next to the pier, with the island's flat-topped houses and a quiet sea.
- Queen Emma Bridge and the Handelskade, Curaçao: the floating pedestrian bridge and the pastel Dutch waterfront cost nothing.
The three islands in a paragraph each
Aruba. The liveliest of the three. The ship docks in the middle of Oranjestad, a pastel Dutch-colonial town with shops, a harbour and cafes. The best beach, Eagle Beach, is a short public-bus ride away. It is dry, sunny and windy nearly every day, which makes it a comfortable first stop.
Bonaire. The quiet one. Kralendijk is a small waterfront town and the island is known for clear water, shore snorkeling, salt pans and flamingos. Services are simple, the pace is slow and the big attraction is the sea itself. If you snorkel in the marine park you may owe a nature fee; check the official STINAPA page for the current amount.
Curaçao. The most urban. Willemstad is a UNESCO-listed Dutch harbour town with the floating Queen Emma pedestrian bridge, a pastel Handelskade and a famous floating market. It is great on foot, and it is worth a taxi for caves or beaches if your time in port allows.
A day in port, in five lines
- Check the all-aboard time in the daily planner the night before and set two alarms.
- Be off the ship within the first hour for the cooler air and shorter lines.
- Carry small US bills, a water bottle and a copy of your passport; leave valuables in the cabin safe.
- Do one thing well rather than three things badly.
- Start walking back to the pier at least an hour before all-aboard.
Money in a sentence each
Aruba: US dollars work nearly everywhere and the local currency is the florin. Bonaire: US dollars are the currency. Curaçao: US dollars are widely accepted, and the local currency is changing, so confirm the current state on the central bank's official site. Use a card with no foreign transaction fee and carry a little cash. Bus fares and park fees change; check the official pages in the full guide.
What is not worth it
Booking three ship excursions on three consecutive days. Pick the one island where the sights are far from the pier (usually Bonaire's south or Curaçao's caves) and walk the other two.
Packing the short list
Passport, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, water shoes, a mask you trust, a light long-sleeve shirt and a small day bag. Leave jewellery at home; you will want the pockets.
Upgrade to the full guide
The $4.99 full guide has clock-timed days for every port, pier maps, pre/post hotel base cards, insider moves, rain plans, a points playbook for flights into FLL and MIA, a cost sheet and a one-page printable.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
We checked the official pages cited here on 2026-10-17. Cruise itineraries, port calls, fees, bus fares and nature-park charges move often, and a line can swap ports after you book. Confirm every itinerary detail in your booking or the line's app, and every fee on the official page named beside it, before you sail.
At a glance
- Homeport: Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) or PortMiami; the airports are FLL and MIA.
- The route: 1-3 sea days out, usually one stop at a Dominican Republic, Grand Turk or private-island port, then Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao in a row, then 2-3 sea days home. Exact ports vary by sailing; confirm in your booking.
- Who sails it: Typically Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival run southern Caribbean loops that include some or all of the three islands. Not every line does every year.
- Currency: Aruba uses the Aruban florin but takes US dollars almost everywhere; Bonaire uses US dollars; Curaçao is changing from the guilder to a Caribbean guilder (see the Curaçao section).
- Weather: Hot, dry and breezy on all three islands compared with the rest of the Caribbean, and hurricanes rarely reach them. Check the sailing's season and any weather notices.
- Biggest mistake: Cruising all three islands on ship excursions alone. Each has a walkable pier and an easy DIY plan.
<!– Check this on the official page before you book.