De Palm Island — Attraction in ABC islands

Why do I rate 2 stars? To summarize, I wasted 7 hours on the island/full day of our trip not to mention almost $300. 5 of those hours were spent sitting in a chair waiting to leave. Best part of the trip was the ride on the bus to de palm, our driver, Jose was great. He told us lots of fun facts and was a lot of fun. Welcoming team on De Palm- fantastic as we walked up, the manager tried to be helpful, those working the food and drinks were friendly… anyone else you may encounter is not as friendly which is not the norm for Aruba.

#1 Premium seating- because I was honest about my child being 9 and not 10 they cancelled on me. After checking in, I noticed there were children of all varying ages in premium seating, most much younger than 10. It doesn’t pay to be honest. #2 Seatrek - they cancelled on us at check in for us having asthma although our doctor cleared us. Understanding they don’t want to put our health at risk- waivers were completed 4 months in advance, we could have been contacted prior and I would have cancelled the entire excursion as this was the only reason we booked the trip. They did say I would be issued a refund which did not happen while I was there so I’m following up on that. The manager did try to make us happy with a flamingo “encounter”- the birds were brand new, skittish and it wasn’t even worth the few pictures I took. Last year we were up close and personal with them so we had high hopes for an “encounter” but it never happened. They had to be chased around by a lifeguard and didn’t come close. #3 Ice cream bar- closed. There was a woman sitting there, there’s a sign with prices but for the second year in a row still not open. #4 Many palapas were missing the grass, just a bald frame. It happens, I’ve watched the daily upkeep at our resort. They replace missing pieces as soon as it happens to maintain everything. The island shows some maintenance needs.

This was more than a very disappointing experience. This was our second trip to De Palm, needless to say it was worse than the first and we will not return. It’s definitely gone downhill. I would rate it 1 star but I did come across a few really great people overall and they deserve the credit, my experience overall was less than 0.

My suggestion to anyone looking- talk to your hotel concierge about local excursions that last 3-4 hours. Boat trips, 4 wheeling, etc.. they surpass this and don’t compromise the day leaving you stuck on an island. Local trips are much more fun and personalized in care and...

Trust the reviews that are 3 stars and below. We didn’t and boy did we regret it. First off, the island is small. We went on a day that wasn’t that busy and felt crowded as they try to pack as many people into a tiny space as possible. This place would be ok if you have 6-10 year old children, and that may be pushing it. There isn’t a basketball court as advertised, the water park is for children, the volleyball court is simply a basic net just thrown up between the back of a building and the “oh so exciting” zip line. More to come on the zip line. The banana boat is not what you would expect if you were planning on it being anything like those in the palm beach area. It’s slow and provides little to no excitement. A small child that rode with us asked the ride operator “ that’s it? It’s so slow!” The zip line isn’t tall or long. You climb approximately 3 flights of stairs and zip down what appears to be about 50yards of cable at a slow pace. We originally wanted to Snuba or Sea Trek, however everything else was so disappointing that we didn’t want to waste the money. We didn’t get a chance to snorkel but it appeared to be the busiest attraction on the island, but honestly there are great places for snorkeling all over the island of Aruba that can be done for free. You must rent lockers to secure your valuables while on the island, $5 fee for the key and a $10 deposit. This after paying $112 per adult for a full day. One would think a locker would be provided. Food and Drink - The breakfast and lunch buffets were pretty standard fare one would expect in an all inclusive setting. The “open bar” was a joke in every sense of the word. The alcohol put you in the mindset of those days in college when you bought the cheapest alcohol imaginable. The “bartender” wasn’t friendly and treated everyone like a cog in a machine. As I stated before we paid for a full day which is stated to be from 9am until 4:45pm, we were more than ready to leave at the half day mark of 2:15pm. In fact, we were counting down the time to go back. We had a Horrible time!! I can’t recommend that anyone attend this excursion. There are many reviews like mine. Please trust they are true. The saddest part was that the best part of the day was the ride to the ferry to the island from our hotel when our wonderful driver gave us a brief history...

Having read numerous reviews, we went with somewhat low expectations of what the staff/service would be like. We were pleasantly surprised by the overall friendliness of the staff! We had a great expereince, but could see how some have been disappointed (keep reading)! Upon arriving at De Palm Island we had a friendly greeting and instructions by a staff person. We were on the first ferry and were able to quickly secure 4 chairs under a canopy on the beach. From there we grabbed breakfast and then were first in line for the zip line and first in line for the air jumpers.

By 11am we had gone snorkeling, zip lining, had a banana boat ride, and did the air jumpers! We learned the day we went wasn't busy at all (we went on a Friday in March). This allowed for us to participate in everything several times, including snorkeling 3 times throughout the day. If we didn't have 2 children, it probably wouldn't have been worth it. But our children had a blast and we were able to enjoy most everything with them!

Who will enjoy it most? Families with children at least 6 years old, but ideally between 8-14. Also groups would enjoy it especially if you enjoy snorkeling. For us what made it worth it was the good/easy snorkeling for kids/beginners, all inclusive food & drink, being able to zip line, do banana boat rides, and air jumpers....while having ocean/beach/water slides right there too.

Who may be disappointed? People going on Wednesdays (busiest day because of cruise ships) or weekdays (Fri-Sun least busy) or people going in the summer in general. We don't drink, but the alcoholic beverage options seemed minimal. Also if banana boat rides, zip lines, and water slides aren't exciting/valuable/meaningful for you, then you are paying a lot of money to eat and drink and do a little snorkeling. In particular if you are already on a beach resort with food included, this could feel like a waste to you.

For us it was a great experience! But we weren't staying at a resort, we had kids the perfect ages to enjoy all the experiences, and we went on a day with almost no one there (I estimate 25-30% of capacity). All those things made it an excellent day and a good value. I could see how on busy days it could be frustrating to be there, especially...