Cruise History of Aruba

Cruise tourism to Aruba started in the early fifties with the visit of the m.s. "Libertador", a combination cargo/passenger ship pertaining to the K.N.S.M. (Royal Netherlands Steamship Company, now the Nedlloyd Line).

The first all-passenger ship, the "Tradewind", called in Aruba for the first time in 1957. A BBQ with entertainment was organized at the Aruba Palm Club to welcome the cruise passengers and also to introduce the first luxurious hotel, then under construction, the Aruba Caribbean Hotel which opened in 1959 (now, completely renovated, it is called Radisson Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino).

It was however the "Santa Rosa" and the "Santa Paula" of the Prudential Grace Line that started the regular Thursday visits to Aruba in 1958.

In early 1958 the luxurious new Santa Rosa made her first call to Aruba and had on board a full complement of 200 tourists and the crew of 250 who were escorted into the harbor by a large number of motor and sailing vessels. The passengers were offered Aruba cocktails - a very special tropical drink of coconut milk and gin. Touring of the ship was possible between five and eight and thousands of people got a first hand glimpse of the ultra luxurious ship. The $25 million dollar ship was 584 feet long, measured 20,000 tons and had a cruising speed of 20 knots.

Her sister ship, Santa Paula, followed her during late 1958.

In the early sixties the m.s. "Oranje Nassau" and the m.s. "Prins der Nederlanden" continued the tradition of the K.N.S.M. by bringing to the island both cargo and passengers (immigrants and tourists), mostly from Europe.

The growth of cruise tourism was remarkable during the seventies, because it was during that period that Aruba started to receive the visits of the bigger cruise lines, such as Italian Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Costa Line, Sitmar Cruises, Princess Cruises, Carnival Crusie Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

It was in the eighties that more cruise lines started to show their interest in Aruba, such as Chandris Line, Sun Line, Royal Cruise Line, Majestic Cruise Line, and the Russian Black Sea Shipping Co.

Analysis of the cruise data over the past twenty years indicates that Aruba had a significant growth and coped with challenges.The cruise tourism went through ups and downs, yet Aruba remains the preferred destination among the cruisers. Aruba closed last year 2007 with 481,775 cruise guests.The outlook for 2008 is steady.

With the dynamic and exciting beautification and renovation plans of the Aruba Ports Authority, Aruba Cruise Tourism is very optimistic, that Aruba will stay the preferred destination of all respected cruise lines.

Aruba welcomes you and all the respected Cruise Lines, the cruise ships, the crew and passengers and will continue to offer the best experience of the Caribbean.

Bonbini - welcome