Pirate Ship Party Cruise In Aruba: Is It For You?

What Is A Pirate Ship Cruise In Aruba Actually Like?

A pirate ship cruise in Aruba is a themed sunset sail on a pirate-style schooner, complete with rigging, skull-and-crossbones branding, an open bar and a crew that plays up the bit. Jolly Pirates Sailing Cruises & Snorkeling operates the two listings covered here: a 2-hour family-friendly sunset sail from $70 per person, rated 4.6 from 476 reviews, and a 3-hour adults-only dinner sail from $125, rated 4.9 from 60 reviews.

The schooner is a real sailing vessel, not a prop. Both listings describe a pirate-style schooner with rope swings, two onboard restrooms on the sunset sail, and a crew of professional guides who run the entertainment as much as the boat. The vibe lands somewhere between a floating beach bar and a floating theater: music, drinks, a swinging rope off the side, and a crowd that came to be part of a show. Guests who want silence and a champagne flute should read no further, because this is not that boat.

What the pirate ship gives up in polish it pays back in energy. Aruba's other sunset options, from the big catamarans out of Palm Beach to the small trimarans, tend toward relaxed cruising with drinks. The pirate ship leans the other way: the operator's own page frames the sunset sail as family friendly with drinks included, and boards passengers at MooMba Beach beside the Skull and Crossbones Pirate Shop, which tells you exactly how seriously the theme takes itself. For a fuller comparison of themed boats against catamarans and standard sailboats, the catamaran versus sailboat versus pirate ship guide breaks down the differences boat type by boat type.

The honest framing is this: the pirate ship cruise is a party product with a sunset attached, not a sunset product with a party attached. Readers whose priority ranking starts with "romantic" or "quiet" will be better served elsewhere on this site. Readers whose ranking starts with "fun" or "the kids will lose their minds" are in the right place, and the rest of this page is for them.

Is The Jolly Pirate Sunset Sail Family Friendly?

Yes, the Jolly Pirate Sunset Sail with Open Bar is listed as family friendly, runs 2 hours from $70 per person, and is rated 4.6 from 476 reviews. It carries up to 40 guests, includes an unlimited open bar, with food listed as excluded. Hotel pickup is not included, and no free cancellation is listed, so check the terms before committing.

The family-friendly question matters more here than on a standard catamaran, because the pirate theme is aimed squarely at children. The rope swing is the signature attraction, and the crew works the pirate bit with a young audience in mind. A 2-hour sailing window is also about the right length for kids: long enough for the sunset to arrive, short enough that nobody stages a mutiny over a missed bedtime. For families weighing the full landscape, the sunset cruise with kids guide covers age policies and practical logistics across the island's options.

Pricing is per person and shared, like nearly all of Aruba's themed sails. At from $70 per person, the sunset sail sits below several of the island's large catamaran sails, which run from $89.99 to $114 per person for comparable 2-hour open-bar trips. What you trade for the lower price is polish: the pirate schooner is a working themed vessel, and the listing's inclusions are guides, unlimited drinks, the rope swing and restroom access, with food and souvenirs excluded. Gratuities are also excluded.

The listing carries no free cancellation claim, which distinguishes it from many of the island's catamaran sails. Treat the booking as closer to final when you make it, and confirm the boarding details on the operator's live listing before you go.

For readers deciding between the family sail and its adults-only sibling, the distinction is sharp. The sunset sail is the daytime-energy product turned toward dusk: kids, rope swings, open bar, 40 passengers. The dinner sail, covered in depth below, is a 3-hour barbecue-and-DJ evening for up to 50 adults. Same operator, same pirate DNA, very different crowds, and the price gap between them, $70 versus $125 at the from-price, reflects the dinner and the extra hour as much as the age policy.

What Happens On Board A Pirate Sunset Sail From Palm Beach?

Boarding is at MooMba Beach on Palm Beach in Noord, beside the Skull and Crossbones Pirate Shop, with the operator advising arrival 30 minutes before departure. The sunset sail runs 5:30 to 7:30 pm and lasts 2 hours. On board: an open bar, a rope swing, music, two restrooms, and a crew of professional guides running the theme. Food is not included.

The schedule detail comes from the operator's own page for the sunset sail, which lists the 2-hour window and the 30-minute-early arrival advice. That boarding buffer matters on Palm Beach: MooMba Beach sits in the heart of the high-rise strip, and finding parking and the pirate shop's spot on the sand takes longer than the map suggests. The Palm Beach piers guide maps the neighborhood's departure points so you can see how close, or not, your hotel is to the beach in question.

The on-board sequence on a typical themed sunset sail is simple. The boat leaves the beach, the bar opens, the crew runs games and rope-swing sessions while there is daylight, and the boat positions itself off the coast for the sunset itself. Sunset over Palm Beach falls between roughly 6:11 pm and 7:09 pm depending on the month, earliest in November and latest in July, so a 5:30 pm departure catches it in every month of the year. After the sun drops, the sail back is music, drinks and whatever party the crowd makes of it.

What you should not expect is a meal or snorkeling. The sunset sail listing excludes food outright, and no snorkel stop appears on it. If swimming matters, the operator's daytime snorkel trips are the product designed for that, and the island's snorkel and sunset combo guide covers the sails that genuinely pair both in one trip. The pirate sunset sail is a drinking-and-swinging product, full stop.

One more practical note: the Jolly Pirate listings do not include hotel pickup. You make your own way to MooMba Beach, which is easy from anywhere on Palm Beach and a short drive or bus ride from Eagle Beach. Readers staying further afield can use the getting to a sunset cruise from Eagle and Palm Beach guide for the logistics.

How Much Does A Pirate Ship Cruise In Aruba Cost?

The family-friendly Jolly Pirate sunset sail costs from $70 per person for 2 hours. The adults-only pirate dinner sail costs from $125 per person for 3 hours with a barbecue dinner and DJ. A Havana-themed party catamaran alternative runs from $84 per person. All are shared, per-person prices; themed private charters in Aruba start far higher, from $550 per group upward.

Price is where the pirate ship earns its keep. Set against the island's mainstream sunset sails, the Jolly Pirate sunset sail is one of the lower entry points among the well-reviewed options, and the dinner version undercuts or matches several of the island's dedicated dinner cruises, which run from $109 to $180 per person. The trade is theme over refinement: you are paying for energy and inclusiveness of drinks, not white-glove service.

Note the review bases when you read those ratings. The sunset sail's 4.6 comes from 476 reviews, a solid pool. The dinner sail's 4.9 comes from 60 reviews, a smaller but respectable pool. The Havana-themed cruise has 5 reviews, which makes it a new or thinly reviewed listing; no star claim belongs to it yet, and buyers should weigh it as an unknown quantity rather than a proven one.

The pirate dinner sail is not the only game in town if you want food with your sunset. The Red Sail Sports dinner cruise, a 3-hour luxury catamaran trip with a three-course buffet and full open bar, is rated 4.8 from 456 reviews and runs from $137 per person, departing Piet's Pier Bar on Palm Beach. It is the polished counterpart to the pirate barbecue: same idea, opposite register.

For party travelers who want the open-bar energy without the pirate costume drama, the Octopus Aruba happy hour cruise is the island's other strong option. The Noord listing runs 2 hours from $89.99 per person, rated 4.7 from 300 reviews, on a trimaran or catamaran carrying up to 34 guests with an open cocktail bar, afternoon appetizers and a souvenir included. It is a smaller, tighter party than the pirate ship's 40-person deck.

Budget planners should also budget the extras. Gratuities are excluded on the Jolly Pirate listings, food is excluded on the sunset sail, and souvenirs are sold on board. Tipping is not mandatory in Aruba; the tourism authority's guidance notes that some venues add a service charge for groups, but no percentage belongs to cruise crews as a rule, so tip as the service warrants and carry cash for it.

What Is The Adults Only Pirate Dinner Sail Like?

The Adults Only Jolly Pirate Sunset Grub and Grog Dinner Sail runs 3 hours from $125 per person, rated 4.9 from 60 reviews, departing MooMba Beach in the Hadicurari area of Noord. It includes a barbecue dinner, alcoholic beverages, rope swinging and a live DJ, with up to 50 guests. Towels and swimwear are on the exclusion list, and no free cancellation is listed.

This is the pirate ship with the kids removed and the volume raised. The listed inclusions tell the story plainly: barbecue dinner, alcoholic beverages, rope swinging, live DJ. The dinner window is longer, 5:30 to 8:30 pm per the operator's party dinner cruise information, which puts the return to shore well after dark. It is a genuine evening out rather than a sunset appetizer, and the 4.9 rating from 60 reviews, while from a smaller pool than the family sail's, is the strongest score of any pirate-listing option covered here.

The adults-only label is the whole product decision. Travelers without children get a themed party that runs louder and later than the family sail, with dinner anchoring the middle of it. The barbecue format, rather than a plated dinner, matches the register: this is finger food and beer energy, not a candlelit table. Readers comparing it directly against the island's plated and buffet dinner cruises can weigh it in the sunset dinner cruise guide.

One planning caution: as with the family sail, no free cancellation is listed for the dinner sail, and hotel pickup is not included. Boarding is at MooMba Beach in the Hadicurari stretch of Noord, and the exclusion list asks passengers to bring their own towels and swimwear. Check the live listing for the current departure details before you plan the evening around it.

Where Does The Pirate Ship Leave From And How Do You Get There?

The pirate ship boards at MooMba Beach on Palm Beach in Noord, beside the Skull and Crossbones Pirate Shop, and the operator advises arriving 30 minutes before departure. MooMba Beach sits roughly 3.1 km from the Antilla wreck site as the crow flies, in the middle of the high-rise hotel strip. Hotel pickup is not included on either Jolly Pirate listing.

Location is a quiet advantage for the pirate ship. MooMba Beach is one of the easiest departure points on the island to reach: it is central to the Palm Beach high-rise zone, steps from MooMba Beach Bar & Restaurant, and a straightforward drive or bus ride from the Eagle Beach hotels.

The distances involved on the water are short. As the crow flies, MooMba Beach sits about 3.1 km from the Antilla shipwreck site and a few kilometers from the calm stretch of coast where sunset sails typically drift. The sailing route on any given night depends on conditions, and Aruba's trade winds, strongest in June and lightest in October and November by monthly means, shape both the route and the feel of the sail. The island's marine weather is forecast by the Departamento Meteorologico Aruba, whose marine forecast page is the local reference for sea state.

Cruise-ship passengers can reach MooMba Beach from the Oranjestad terminal, but timing a 5:30 pm departure against a ship's all-aboard time is a calculation only you can make. Check your ship's all-aboard time before booking any evening sail, and read the sunset cruise guide for cruise-ship passengers for the fuller logistics.

What Should You Know Before Booking A Pirate Sail In Aruba?

Know five things: no free cancellation is listed on either Jolly Pirate listing, hotel pickup is not included, food is excluded on the sunset sail, the weather can change quickly, and the theme is loud by design. Sunset times shift about 58 minutes across the year, from about 6:11 pm in November to about 7:09 pm in July, so the sailing time you experience depends heavily on your travel month.

Weather is the one factor no operator controls. Aruba sits outside the hurricane belt and has had no direct hurricane hit since 1851 per the Aruba Tourism Authority, but hurricane season, 1 June to 30 November, can still bring gusty winds, heavy showers or flat calm, and small-craft advisories do happen. Trade winds blow from the east and northeast all year, and the leeward coast where the pirate ship sails is typically the sheltered side. The practical version: check the forecast a day out, and trust the operator's judgment on go or no-go.

Packing is simple. Swimwear if the rope swing tempts you, a towel since the dinner listing excludes them, cash for gratuities and souvenirs, and reef-safe sunscreen: Aruba bans sunscreens containing oxybenzone, so a mineral formula is the safe choice. ID matters too, since the cruise operator sets its own age rules and the dinner sail is adults only. The full kit list lives in the what to wear on a sunset cruise guide.

Booking timing deserves a sentence. Booking a few days ahead, and checking the live listing for the current departure time, is the sane pattern.

Is The Pirate Ship The Right Party Boat For You?

It is, if you want a themed, high-energy, open-bar evening and either have kids or definitively do not. It is not, if you want quiet romance, a plated dinner, snorkeling or a small-boat feel. The honest alternatives are a catamaran dinner cruise for polish, the Octopus happy hour sail for a tighter party, or a schooner snorkel cruise for adults who want calm plus swimming.

The decision matrix is mostly about register. The pirate ship is theatrical and social; the luxury catamarans are breezy and polished; the small boats are intimate. Within the party lane itself, there is a further split between the pirate theme and the island-party theme, and the Havana-themed sunset cruise from Pelican Adventures is the notable alternative: from $84 per person, 2 hours from Pelican Pier, with an open bar, Cuban hors d'oeuvres and a salsa lesson included, and free cancellation listed. Its review pool is thin, five reviews, so treat it as a promising unknown rather than a proven quantity.

For adults who want the evening-party energy but with snorkeling and a slower heartbeat, the Flagship-Aruba adults-only schooner cruise is a different animal entirely. It runs 3.5 hours from $69 per person from Hadicurari Fishermen's Pier, with snorkel stops at the SS Antilla wreck and Boca Catalina, an open bar of local drinks, light bites and a rope swing, aboard a classic schooner. It is a new or thinly reviewed listing with a single review, so no star claim attaches to it, but the format, adults-only plus wreck snorkeling plus sunset, exists nowhere else on this list.

Whatever you pick on Aruba Sunset Cruises, book the boat that matches your crowd, not the crowd you wish you had. A quiet couple on the pirate deck is a long two hours, and a birthday group on a romantic catamaran is a wasted DJ.

Common Questions About Pirate Ship Cruises In Aruba