Aruba Private Luxury Boat Tour

We booked a private boat tour for the day and, unfortunately, the experience fell short of what we expected, especially for the amount of money we spent. From the beginning, the energy and communication from the guides were very low. We were waiting by the boat for the captain when a man in regular clothes walked by us and simply said, “Are you ready?” He then got on the boat and started getting things ready, so we assumed he was our captain and that was our cue to board. Throughout the day, the two guides spoke very little to us and didn’t really engage with our group. We’re used to boat tours where the crew brings energy, interacts with everyone, and helps make the day fun, and that was definitely missing. We did stop at some really cool places to snorkel and hang out in the water, which we enjoyed. When we returned to the dock, we got off the boat without any information about our transportation back. We ended up waiting about 30 minutes for the bus to pick us up. I will say, our bus driver, Curly, was great! He had an awesome personality and was a whole vibe. We actually joked that we wished he had been on the boat with us all day because his energy would have made the experience so much better. Overall, for the price of a private tour, we expected more interaction, communication, and energy from the crew. Maybe the guides we had don’t normally do these tours, as the TripAdvisor photos show different guides who seem much more engaging and fun. The locations were beautiful, but the overall experience just didn’t match what we expected from a private tour at this price point.

I love to snorkel and be in the water. I try to do a snorkel tour on every vacation. This is BY FAR THE WORST SNORKEL TOUR EVER! I have never been treated so poorly or felt so unsafe and abandoned as on this tour. I would not recommend this tour, unless you want to disappear and never be seen again. My sister and I booked the Sunset snorkel tour with Around Aruba Tours on the Locura through our resort concierge. The tour was supposed to include 2 snorkel sites, drinks, snacks, and round trip transportation. The Locura boat captain, RJ, and first mate, Maui, spent more time partying and watching the final football (world cup soccer) game then they did leading the tour. They were drinking and dancing and flirting with some of the other tourists. At one point, both of them were partying on a totally separate boat. They left our boat and everyone on it, completely unattended. The tour included drinks, but we had to "bartend" ourselves as they did not even serve the drinks. The snack was one tiny slider and an orange slice. Additionally, we had to provide and gather our own snorkel gear and they didn't get in the water at all to help us snorkel. The first snorkel site was a wreck that was fun to see. The second snorkel site was a bay that didn't have anything worth seeing. We literally went to this stop just to party. If I wanted to party, I would book a booze cruise, but I booked a snorkel tour. It was a really unprofessional and unsafe experience. The round-trip transportation was horrible. It started when RJ was teasing me and refusing to confirm I had the right shuttle during pickup. But the worst part happened at the end of the tour. They dropped us off on the beach and said they would be back in a few minutes after anchoring the boat. They did not return for over 45 minutes. My sister and I and 2 other groups (8 people total) sat on the beach in the dark with no idea what was happening. We were ABANDONED FOR 45 MINUTES. We were about to find our own transportation when RJ finally returned. We are fairly certain that RJ and Maui were busy having sex with 2 of the girls who did not get off the boat at the end of the night. We could see where they anchored the boat and it wasn't far. But all 4 reappeared together. It was terrifying to sit on an unknown beach and feel abandoned. We specifically chose this tour because it was recommended by the resort and included round trip transportation. When I reached out to Around Aruba Locura, they never responded. I repeatedly tried to contact them and never got a response. The resort did end up giving me a full refund and informed me that they will not recommend this company again. But Around Aruba did nothing to keep me safe or respond after the tour. I would NEVER RECOMMEND AROUND ARUBA Locura or RJ and Maui! Worst tour I have ever been on!

If you’re looking for a private, affordable boat tour in Aruba, this is it! We had an incredible experience from start to finish. The crew was attentive, caring, and made everyone feel welcome and safe throughout the trip. It was especially kid-friendly, which made the day stress-free and fun for our whole family. The snorkeling was hands down the best I’ve ever experienced anywhere in the Caribbean—crystal-clear water, amazing marine life, and plenty of time to enjoy it. This was easily one of the highlights of our trip, and we would absolutely book this tour again. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Aruba!

The crew was super friendly and professional and brought us to an amazing snorkeling spot where we saw hundreds of fish! The boat is beautiful and pristine. Highlight of the trip.

This was a perfect day. The captain and the diver were amazing. They built the itinerary with us. We swam with 15 turtles.