The short answer: Baby Beach sits at the far southern tip of Aruba, about 25 km from the cruise terminal — a 37-minute drive on Google’s usual-traffic estimate. The official taxi fare is $68 per car each way for up to four people, and there is a weekday-only bus route for $2.60 a ride that changes at San Nicolas. It is the furthest of the classic beaches from the ship, so it only makes sense on a longer port call. Here is exactly what each option costs and when the last bus leaves, checked September 2026.
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The taxi: $68 per car, about 37 minutes
Aruba’s taxis run on fixed government fares, not meters. The Government of Aruba’s official fare calculator at taxi.aw (rates valid from 20 May 2026) puts Cruise Ship Terminal to Baby Beach at $68 / Afl 122.40 per car, for one to four passengers. A fifth, sixth or seventh passenger adds $3 each, and a flat $5 surcharge applies on Sundays, official holidays, from 24 December to 1 January, and between 11pm and 7am — so a Sunday port call pays $73.
The ride is about 37 minutes each way via Route 1. A round trip for a group of four works out at $136 per car — $34 each — which is the simplest way to do this trip on a port day. Taxis do not routinely wait at Baby Beach, so agree a pickup time with your driver before they leave, or take the driver’s number.
The bus: $2.60 a ride, weekdays only, two buses each way
There is no direct bus from the port to Baby Beach. The trip is two legs: first an ArubusL2 or L3A from the Oranjestad bus terminal — a 550 m, seven-minute walk from the cruise terminal gate — to the San Nicolas bus station, then the L900 shuttle from San Nicolas to Baby Beach via Seroe Colorado. Singles are $2.60 (Afl 4.50); four of them make the round trip $10.40, or a $15 day pass covers everything if you plan more hops.
The L2 leaves Oranjestad roughly hourly at half past the hour from early morning until late evening. The L900, on Arubus’s published timetable (checked September 2026), runs Monday to Friday only:
| Leaves San Nicolas bus station | Leaves Baby Beach |
|---|---|
| 10:40am | 10:55am |
| 11:40am | 11:55am |
| 12:40pm | 12:55pm |
| 1:40pm | 1:55pm |
| 2:45pm | 2:55pm |
| 3:40pm | 3:55pm |
| 4:40pm | 4:55pm |
Three things matter in that timetable. The first L900 of the day is 10:40am, so there is no point rushing off the ship at 8am for it. The last bus back from Baby Beach is 4:55pm — treat it as a hard deadline and be at the stop early. And because the L900 shows no Saturday or Sunday departures at all, on a weekend call the bus only gets you as far as San Nicolas town; from there it is a taxi or nothing. Allow a generous connection in San Nicolas rather than gambling on a tight change — the L2 makes a lot of stops on its way south.
Can you walk, or rent a car?
Walking is out of the question — Google puts the cruise terminal to Baby Beach at around five hours on foot, in full sun. If you would rather have your own wheels for the day, our own car rental desk meets you at the cruise port: you pay a 13% reservation fee online to hold the car and settle the rest when you collect it, and you can fit Baby Beach, San Nicolas and a second stop into one loop. For a closer, simpler beach day from the ship, Eagle Beach is a $28 taxi and Palm Beach is $33.
Make San Nicolas part of the trip
Baby Beach’s only real drawback from the port is the distance, so make the corner of the island pay for itself. San Nicolas — the town every route passes through — has the island’s best street art, and it eats well and cheaply: La Belle Creole does a Creole oxtail locals rate (open Monday to Saturday, 8am–8pm), and Groteberg Snack fries the island’s best-loved johnnycakes if you pass through in the morning. Murals, lunch, then the lagoon is a genuinely good port day.
When you get there
Baby Beach is a sheltered half-moon lagoon — shallow, calm water inside the reef, which is what makes it worth the ride for families and anyone who wants to float rather than fight waves. Our full Baby Beach guide covers the beach itself in detail. For what else fits around your hours ashore, see the cruise port guide and cruise excursions by time in port.
Our verdict
With three or four people, take the taxi both ways: $136 per car split four ways is $34 each for the island’s calmest swimming and a look at San Nicolas. Solo or as a couple on a weekday with a long port call, the bus works and costs about $10 round trip — as long as you respect the 4:55pm last departure. On a weekend call, or a short one, skip it: the $28 ride to Eagle Beach buys you more beach time for less money and less risk.
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