poputchik

Hello,

We’ll be visiting Guaymas on Dec.28.  Is it going to be too cold for swimming and snorkeling? If water is warm enough this time of the year, could you recommend any beaches?

We’d love to do some sightseeing too on the way to the beach. So I’m thinking about hiring a local taxi driver/guide.

Any suggestions will be very much  appreciated as I can't find enough information about this port.

Hello,

Can  anybody who recently traveled to New Caledonia, please, advice regarding Mare beaches on Dec.26, 2018?  

Our ship (Noordam) offers only one option for this island – a bus transfer to Yejele Beach.  I worry that with almost 2000 passengers on board this beach will be overcrowded and we will not enjoy snorkeling there. Are there any other nice beaches we can go to snorkel?  

How difficult is it to hire a taxi at the port?  Some recent posts on TripAdvisor are saying that “all the transport is booked by the cruise so you will need to buy ship transfer, no private hire taxi's at the port”. But other posts (about 9-10 month earlier) suggested to hire  local guys to do a private tour on Mare, plus Enis Beach with no crowds.  I am so confused!  

We’ve done several Caribbean and Central America cruises and always prefer to hire local guides via TripAdvisor or taxi drivers at the ports of call.

Many thanks

We will be visiting Curacao for the first time on a Wednesday in December on our Carnival Horizon cruise. Family of 4, very fit/athletic and like to be active. Kids will be 14/11. Looks like we will be there from 1:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Looking for ideas other than sitting on the beach - something off the beaten path and exciting. We would like to explore the island and see it all! Looking for ideas!

Hello fitcruisecouple,

We recently returned from our ABC-islands cruise, sailed with Crown Princess. On Curacao,we did a full day private island tour with Taxi Max. It very affordable. We paid at the end of a tour.

We are in our mid-50s, very fit and active, our daughter is 15. We all love snorkeling and hiking.

Curacao with Taxi Max was definitely the highlight of our cruise! He was generous with his time and information. Max was a wonderful driver as well as tour guide and snorkeling instructor. Very professional, knowledgeable, engaging, well-spoken and exceptionally friendly. The tour never felt rushed and we enjoyed our time there.

I would suggest you contact Curacao Taxi Max directly for a quote. They will customize the price and the itinerary for your group depending on what you want to see and do and how much time you have. The owner Max is reachable on Whatsapp at +5999 697 6302. I booked our family's tour directly with him and he replied right away with his proposal. You might try his email too curacaotaximax@gmail.com.It takes him a little longer to reply via email (about a day).

Have a good trip!

We'll be with him on a tour tomorrow. Hope he's as good as you say.

Dear Hopetotravel, please, say "Hi" to Max from Svetlana! Certainly, you'll enjoy his tour. He is very knowledgeable, generous and kind person. Wish I could go back! Have a fun day with Max.

Want more info on taxi max for Curacao next month. Thank you

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Hello buoy87,

I would suggest you contact Curacao Taxi Max directly for a quote. They will customize the price and the itinerary for your group depending on what you want to see and do and how much time you have. The owner Max is reachable on Whatsapp at +5999 697 6302. I booked our family's tour directly with him and he replied right away with his proposal. You might try his email too curacaotaximax@gmail.com. It takes him a little longer to reply via email (about a day). Max is a great tour guide and snorkeling instructor. Have a good trip!

What did you pay for your tour? I’ve looked on trip advisor but no one mentions a price and he doesn’t have a website. Did you pay per person or 1 fee for his taxi and services?

I would suggest you contact Curacao Taxi Max directly for a quote. They will customize the price and the tour for your group depending on what your group is looking to do and how much time you have.. The owner Max is reachable on Whatsapp at +5999 697 6302. I booked our family's tour directly with him and he was very responsive.

How much was taxi max and what kind of things did you do?

Hi familycruzinnewbie,

All-day island tour with Curacao Taxi Max was a highlight our cruise. It was a long day but Max can customize it the way you wish. Curacao has a lot to offer so you really need a local guide to show you all the best places in the most efficient way.

Our itinerary included:

1) Visit to historical Willemstad - walking tour of all three parts - Otrabanda, Punda and Schaarloo. Visit to Floating Market

2) Visit Chobolobo distillery where they produce Blue Curacao liquor

3) Janthiel area with a breathtaking view over Spanish water and Caracas bay

4) Fort Beekenburg

5) Snorkeling at Tugboat Beach -our daughter favorite!

4) National Park of Liberty where the last battle took place between Dutch soldiers and the leader of the revolt Tula.

6) Flamingo Sanctuary and salt lakes

7) Asenshon National park to view sea turtles.

8) Shete Boka park

9) Fisherman's wharf to snorkelwith big turtles (my husband favorite)

Somewhere in between we had a wonderful lunch at Janchie's restaurant - the best Curacao local cuisine.

10) Swim at Knip beach - one of our most beautiful natural beaches

We return back to the cruise terminal around 9 pm.

Max is great as snorkeling instructor, too. Not only he took us to several fantastic beaches away from the crowds, but he was snorkeling along with us.

Highly recommend him for your Curacao visit!

Have you checked out the Celebrity Silhouette sailing from December 21 to January 2, RT from Ft. Lauderdale? It goes to a variety of islands, not all in the Eastern Caribbean but with some considered to be in the Southern Caribbean, I believe? We've visited at least four of these islands previously, so I understand your desire to not revisit the same places, but our goal was to find a nice cruise that included both Christmas and NYE / New Year's Day (and not just one of those holidays), and to bring the whole family. With one daughter who will be a sophomore in college next school year, another will be a high school junior, and the little one in third grade, we have to travel during the peak holiday season (and pay peak prices), unfortunately. Perhaps that may be a consideration? Even if you visited some of the islands previously, there must be other attractions / things you could possibly find to do? Or just hang out on the ship or on a beach and relax!

Thank you, huangichen, for the great info! I just checked it and it looks great. You are so right, we visited all of these islands (except Dominica) bur definitely have not seen everything there. So may be will see you on board!

Don't do number 1. Wrong time of year.

 

Number 2 is nice in terms for the weather.

 

Number 3 is terrific. It is summer so no worries. But look at airfare because it can be high that time of year with people going to South America for the Holidays and/or going to the USA for the holidays.

 

Keith

Thank you, Keith1010, for your great response. Yes, Celebrity offers Argentina - Chile cruise on Dec.23 which will work time-wise. I will be checking the airfare.

I am confused. You said SE Asia was out-of-the question.

Dear 6rugrats, sorry for the confusion. Reading all the replies and advises made me realize that my only option (besides Hawaii) will be SE Asia. Can you, please, recommend any good Asian itinerary no longer than 7-9 days ? Also, I am not "beach only" person at all! Wherever we go, we try to spend on the beach no more than 2-3 hours. We usually find a private tour guide who will take us around the island (or city - like in Cartagena) for 3-5 hours (depending on the time we are docked there) and then ask him to drop us at the beach for a few hours. This is what I meant when asked for a "nice beach places" . I personally will be satisfied with just warm and sunny location (winter in Oregon is very bleak). By my husband and daughter are excellent swimmers and love snorkeling. Many thanks!

If you go to weather sites I think that you can probably anticipate some 'pleasant' weather during some of your days but it is not going to be like the Caribbean. I am not sure of your itinerary, but the nearer you are to Barcelona, the cooler it is. So some of your days will be spent in Okish climate.

In my opinion The Canaries are a good option for a winter break from a cold climate but not a destination for someone seeking guaranteed long days on the beach. Can you not persuade husband to go to Asia?? There are some wonderful destinations!!

I am interested to hear if others disagree with me.

Dear ollienbertsmum, thanks for your advice! Can you recommend any Asian cruise destinations suitable for a Christmas break and no more than 10 days? If we are going to fly that far to board a cruise ship, probably we'll stay at the final port for a few more days too. Many thanks!

We just sailed that same Number 3 Celebrity cruise this last Holiday.

I would NOT recommend it to anyone who wants a typical “Celebrity cruise” experience. There were over 500 unruly children, of all ages, many many large -20+- family groups, and the ship staff were, frankly, overwhelmed. The staff did the best they could.

The weather changed as we went south, around the Horn, and we experienced incredible natural wonder.

If you doubt my comments, please check the reviews posted on the CC site.

Sox59, I really appreciate your warning! We never yet cruised around Christmas and New Year so your advice is an eye-opener! Thanks! What about SE Asia? Hong-Kong - Singapore? Thanks!

If you want a warm and sunny beach vacation, suggest you consider a land vacation on Aruba.

Why not just do a western Caribbean or splurge and go on one of the luxury lines to the eastern Caribbean. I can pretty much assure you that the luxury lines will take you places that you haven't been and it is plenty warm to swim. We round tripped out of Bridgetown the week before Christmas this year on Silversea. You can also look at Sea Dream, Regent, or Seaborne.

Thanks for your prompt reply, zqvol! Luxury lines are a too expensive for three of us. And we already did Western (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan) and Eastern Caribbean. This is why I am looking beyond Caribbean region. Maybe SE Asia?

Hello, I would appreciate your expert advice regarding cruise itinerary selection for 2018-2019 winter break .

I am well aware that it might be one of the most expensive periods to go but our daughter is still in High School which significantly limits our possibilities. Next year it will be Dec.21 - Jan.6. December of 2018 is also our 30th anniversary so my husband and I really want it to be something special. We've already done Caribbean cruises three times visiting most of the islands, done ABC Islands cruise with Princess in 2017, done Panama Canal with Norwegian and loved all of those trips! So here is my problem - I'd love to go on a cruise where it will be warm and sunny so we can spend some time on the beaches. But we can't go on any cruise longer than 15 days because of our daughter's school schedule. And my husband does not want to fly too far from home (we live in Oregon) so South East Asia is out o questions for us.

We are considering three options:

#1. 10-days Canary islands and Morocco from Barcelona (but I am afraid that Canary Island will be not warm enough to swim in December)

#2. Cruise around Hawaii with Norwegian (cruise itself seems to be exceedingly expensive around Christmas-New Year but with airfare and hotel stay on the island it becomes much more expensive than other destinations)

#3 - Chile &Argentina Cruise (Celebrity?) . The last one leaves from Buenos Aires on Dec. 23 and comes to San Antonio, Chile on Jan. 6. Two big concerns with the last one - flying to Buenos Aires and back home from Chile and weather in December. December is summer in South America but still it is far from equator so I am concerned if there is a chance to swim at the beach all while on this cruise?

Any other warm places to go in December ? I would love to go to South America from a US port or coming back to US port to eliminate one long flight. Many thanks!

Hello, I would appreciate your expert advice regarding cruise itinerary selection for 2018-2019 winter break .

I am well aware that it might be one of the most expensive periods to go but our daughter is still in High School which significantly limits our possibilities. Next year it will be Dec.21 - Jan.6. December of 2018 is also our 30th anniversary so my husband and I really want it to be something special. We've already done Caribbean cruises three times visiting most of the islands, done ABC Islands cruise with Princess in 2017, done Panama Canal with Norwegian and loved all of those trips!

So here is my problem - I'd love to go on a cruise where it will be warm and sunny so we can spend some time on the beaches. But we can't go on any cruise longer than 15 days because of our daughter's school schedule. And my husband does not want to fly too far from home (we live in Oregon) so South East Asia is out of questions for us.

We are considering three options:

#1. 10-days Canary islands and Morocco from Barcelona (but I am afraid that Canary Island will be not warm enough to swim in December) #2. Cruise around Hawaii with Norwegian (cruise itself seems to be exceedingly expensive around Christmas-New Year but with airfare and hotel stay on the island it becomes much more expensive than other destinations) #3 - Chile &Argentina Cruise (Celebrity?) . The last one leaves from Buenos Aires on Dec.23 and comes to San Antonio, Chile on Jan. 6. Two big concerns with the last one - flying to Buenos Aires and back home from Chile and weather in December. December is summer in South America but still it is far from equator so I am concerned if there is a chance to swim at the beach all while on this cruise?

Any other warm places to go in December ? Many thanks!

Hello, I would appreciate your expert advice regarding cruise itinerary selection for 2018-2019 winter break.

I am well aware that it might be one of the most expensive periods to go but our daughter is still in High School which significantly limits our possibilities. Next year it will be Dec.21 - Jan.6. December of 2018 is also our 30th anniversary so my husband and I really want it to be something special. We've already done Caribbean cruises three times visiting most of the islands,done ABC Islands cruise with Princess in 2017, done Panama Canal with Norwegian and loved all of those trips! So here is my problem - I'd love to go on a cruise where it will be warm and sunny so we can spend some time on the beaches. But we can't go on any cruise longer than 15 days because of our daughter's school schedule. And my husband does not want to fly too far from home (we live in Oregon) so South East Asia is out of questions for us.

We are considering three options:

#1. 10-days Canary islands and Morocco from Barcelona (but I am afraid that Canary Island will be not warm enough to swim in December)

#2. A week-long Cruise around Hawaii with Norwegian (cruise itself seems to be exceedingly expensive around Christmas-New Year but with airfare and hotel stay on the island it becomes much more expensive than other destinations!

#3. Chile &Argentina Cruise (Celebrity?) . The last one leaves from Buenos Aires on Dec.23 and comes to San Antonio, Chile on Jan. 6. Two big concerns with the last one - flying to Buenos Aires and back home from Chile and weather in December. December is summer in South America but still it is far from equator so I am concerned if there is a chance to swim at the beach all while on this cruise?

Any other warm places to go in December ? Many thanks!

Our Aruba stop (Nov.22, 2017) was longer (8 am 10 pm) so we had a superb 3 hour island tour with Sonny Binns. After the tour, we asked him to drop us at Boca Catalina where we snorkeled for several hours. It is the great place and my husband and our teenage daughter had a blast! A lot of fish there. Very little people, no fellows from the cruise ship at all, probably they all were at Eagle beach. Boca Catalina has no amenities, but nearby Arashi Beach (5 min. walk) has everything you need. We took public bus #10 back to the terminal, but the ride was almost an hour long.

We had a very similar situation while doing ABC islands cruise two weeks ago. My husband and our teenage daughter love snorkeling but I don't. We decided to do a private tour with Curacao Taxi Max. He made sure that the tour was customized to our liking after I emailed him our list of things we wanted to do and see . Everything was well organized, his vehicle was well maintained, clean and comfortable. The price was very reasonable.

Also considered ATV tour, but now glad that we didn't do it. It was very warm day and people on ATVs looked very dusty and hot. On Aruba we went with Sonny Binns tour for 3 hours and asked him to drop us at Boca Catalina beach. Great snorkeling there, but no amenities. Nearby Arashi Beach (5 min walk) has everything - food, etc. We took public bus#10 (comes every hour) back to the terminal.

Good luck!

Hi, we justreturned from our ABC cruise, sailed with Crown Princess. Not sure if my advicewill be practical since you've already booked a ship tour.

We spent a full day (7 am -10 pm ) inWillemstad and did a full day private island tour with Taxi Max. We are in our mid-50s, very fit and active. We had island tours on Aruba and Bonaire as well, butCuracao with Taxi Max was definitely thehighlight of our cruise! He was generous with his time and informationand he was a wonderful driver as well as tour guide. Very professional, knowledgeable, engaging, well-spokenand exceptionally friendly. He takes hisguests to authentic places and knows the island and locals very well.

The tournever felt rushed and we enjoyed our time there. It felt like a friend showing his hometown.

His vehicle was very well maintained, clean andcomfortable. His driving and concern for our well being was very obvious whichmade our day even more relaxing.

We went totwo fabulous snorkeling sites and swam with big turtles. Taxi Max is great assnorkeling instructor. Not only he tookus to the fantastic beaches away from the crowds, but he was snorkeling alongwith us, pointing to the best spots to view marine life and fish, showing usthings we would have missed on our own.

We didseveral private tours during this and our previous Caribbean cruises and his price is very competitive, while his performanceis at the highest. I would definitely recommend to contact him with yourrequest. There wasn't a question I askedthat stumped him. He replied toall my emails and WhatsApp messages almost immediately, answering all myquestions and concerns right away. Greatand easy communication.

Send me aprivate msg if you want more information.

Taxi Max email is curacaotaximax@gmail.com but you might prefer to contact him via WhatApp. He answers almost immediately, depending on your time zone. If you use email, it might take longer, sometimes a day, for him to reply. He is very responsive and we never had a problem with communication.

You are very welcome! I highly recommend him. You can check him on TripAdvisor under Curacao Taxi Max.

Hi, we just returned from our ABC cruise, sailed with Crown Princess. We spend a full day (7 am -10 pm ) in Willemstad and did a full day private island tour. Our guide took us to Tugboat beach where our group of five(including my husband and teenage daughter) spent two hours snorkeling. It was the best snorkeling we had during this cruise! The beach is small, not very many people were there despite the fact that three cruise ships were docked on that day. I did not see there any taxis at all. Few people I spoke with on the beach were staying in the hotels. One family was from our ship but they rented a car. If you are interested, I can give you information about our taxi driver for that day who gave us the wonderful island tour for a very reasonable price.

I should have mentioned that there are a few decent snorkel spots on the Southern side of the island in the area between the airport and salt works. The beaches (if there is a beach) are nothing to shout about and entry into the water can be tricky in some of the places. With the golf cart it made it easy to simply drive along the road and stop where it just seemed right. On our journey we stopped at one snorkel spot (south of the airport) which the cart rental place had marked on the map...and met a local American couple (they own a condo on Bonaire) who were experienced SCUBA divers. They quickly pointed us to a decent entry point (not too many rocks) and the best section to snorkel. Bonaire is like that....with just about everyone being friendly and knowing the waters. We were also told to snorkel around the large salt pier (where they load the big ships with salt) but there was a ship being loaded...and signs warning not to go in the water if a ship was docked (so we skipped the place). But its a long pier and apparently there is lots of sea life in around the piers (supports)...which is a pretty common thing since coral will often start to grow on the piers. The Northern side of the island is gorgeous, but we did not see many spots where we wanted to enter the water (and because of time we did not go in the water).

 

So my suggestion (which is what the rental folks suggested) is get a golf cart as early as possible and head south. The golf carts have room in the back for snorkel gear and back packs...and we brought a luggage cable lock which we used to secure our gear to the cart(worried more about it falling out on a bump....then theft). You would also want to bring along a bottle of water since parts of the drive are not near places where you can grab a drink. We had also heard about some decent snorkel spots in Lac Bay (on the southeastern side of the island) but didn't try any spots because of the lack of time (we wanted enough time to explore the northern part of the island).

 

I should also mention that we will be back in Bonaire in about 3 weeks and are doing our usual snorkel excursion on the Woodwind. I have previously posted about the Woodwind which we think is a terrific excursion (which generally needs to be booked months in advance...on their own web site). While snorkeling off beaches and piers is rewarding, being on a boat lets you drift snorkel in the terrific slot between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.

 

Hank

Many thanks, Hank!

Am wondering if you considered renting a golf cart (there are some posts on this topic) for the day. The cost is $90 (including more then enough gas, insurance, etc). With the cart you can drive yourself around part of the island and stop where you please to snorkel, relax, etc. When we did this (2 weeks ago) the rental place gave us a decent island map and marked several snorkel spots. Just scroll down and read the thread titled "So Much Fun."

 

Hank

Thanks for the advice! I will check with my husband.