bup1224

On 10/29/2022 at 7:59 AM, KenNBarbie said:

We're wondering if the bike rickshaws are available to go down to the floating bridge, or perhaps even across and downtown.

 

As seniors, the roundtrip walk is a little too much.

No there not at this time 

11 hours ago, phantomII said:

Does 660.00 sound right for 6 people on his all day tour?

 

·  Sightseeing: Enjoy the beautiful sights whilst we drive towards the west side of the island.

·  Shete Boka National Park: This national park is a must-visit when you decide to spend some time in Curaçao. In Shete Boka, there are a variety of coves to explore where you can admire large and unpredictable waves crashing against an underground cave!

·  Playa Piskado:  Get to see  the green sea turtles of Curacao. You will be able to see the turtles from the pier.

·  Playa Kenepa Grandi: Picture opportunity at one of the most popular beaches of the island!  

·  Santa Martha bay: A quick stop at this beautiful lookout point.

·  Playa Porto Marie: Enjoy this beautiful full-serviced beach of ''Banda Abou''. It is the perfect place for snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing.

·  Lunch: Free time to have something to eat at the beach bar of Playa Porto Marie (Lunch not included in price)

·  Flamingo Watching: Get the chance to see wild flamingos at the salt lakes of Sint Willibrordus.

·  Discover Willemstad: Appreciate a nice drive through the historical and colorful downtown area of Curaçao.

·  The end: We will drop you off near the port downtown or at your hotel.

This is a great price for 6 people 

11 hours ago, phantomII said:

I am thinking of using Gone caribe. We are 6 people and he wants 660.00 for his tour consisting of,

 

·  Sightseeing: Enjoy the beautiful sights whilst we drive towards the west side of the island.

·  Shete Boka National Park: This national park is a must-visit when you decide to spend some time in Curaçao. In Shete Boka, there are a variety of coves to explore where you can admire large and unpredictable waves crashing against an underground cave!

·  Playa Piskado:  Get to see  the green sea turtles of Curacao. You will be able to see the turtles from the pier.

·  Playa Kenepa Grandi: Picture opportunity at one of the most popular beaches of the island!  

·  Santa Martha bay: A quick stop at this beautiful lookout point.

·  Playa Porto Marie: Enjoy this beautiful full-serviced beach of ''Banda Abou''. It is the perfect place for snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing.

·  Lunch: Free time to have something to eat at the beach bar of Playa Porto Marie (Lunch not included in price)

·  Flamingo Watching: Get the chance to see wild flamingos at the salt lakes of Sint Willibrordus.

·  Discover Willemstad: Appreciate a nice drive through the historical and colorful downtown area of Curaçao.

·  The end: We will drop you off near the port downtown or at your hotel.

 

It seems expensive to me. What was your experience?

For 6 people that is a great rate. Private tours are typically between $100-$150 and up per person.

On 9/4/2022 at 8:42 AM, LadyBerard said:

If any of you have been to any of the above during your day in Curacao, could you please compare them for me.  Thank you!  (Cost to get there, pools, beaches - sandy/rocky, costs of beverages/food)

 

Suzanne

I live in Curaçao. If you are looking for a place with no rocks and a sandy bottom in the water, Renaissance is the place (this is a man made beach like area,  salt water infinity pool, no snorkeling), it very nice.

If you are looking for a real beach,  then choose either Avila or Marriott,  both are a bit rocky, but have good snorkeling. 

On 10/7/2022 at 5:40 PM, mcmarya said:

OK, I'm as cheap as the above poster.  We have taken the bus in Curacao a couple of times but before the pandemic.  Back then, we paid the fare in USD which was $1 each.  Looks like the fare is 2 local currency so more than $1 now.  They've gone to a card system but it looks like cash is still OK.  The route that goes to Mambo looks like 6A.  It's a pretty easy walk to the bus station.  There are also vans that are unofficial buses.  Those are probably $2 one way and you would have to ask where they go.  The official buses on 6A run every 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yes, you can still use cash for the bus fare

12 hours ago, sunsetme said:

yes and most of the passengers were locals going to work not appreciating the tourists trying to get on

You literally had said that you had to take a cab to get across,  which was incorrect. 

On 9/7/2022 at 7:12 PM, Maksim said:

We are going to be on Harmony in November. Looking for recommendations to go on our own without renting a car. Read about tours and car rental cars, but that’s not what we want. Perhaps going to a resort for a day and then walk around town? Any suggestions are appreciated.

You can check with Avila, Marriott Beach Resort and Coredon Mangrove Beach Resort for a day pass. 

Or even the Renaissance right near the port 

On 10/4/2022 at 3:31 PM, sunsetme said:

as an aside, the day we were in Curacao there was a tropical depression that just passed (IAN pre hurricane), the seas were rough so both the ferry and the bridge were inoperable, in order to get to the bus you had to take a cab across the bridge. We walked back to the ship and got into a cab. Took a shared cab back. Mambo was great that day as it was protected from the waves.

Actually,  there were busses (complimentary) available at the ferry station to take people to and from Punda/Otrobanda during this time. 

18 hours ago, Sparetiming said:

Can anyone please tell me a snorkeling beach with a good bar and restaurant?  Any all inclusive with day passes?  We are looking at Playa Portomari.  Like to visit at least two beaches while there.

Cas Abou, Kokomo, Pirate's Bay, Blue Bay.

I suggest checking into the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort for a day pass,  great snorkeling (typically) there.

13 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

@bup1224Thank you. Just doing all my prelim planning when we arrive. Mapping out everything we want to do in a short period of time. I appreciate the response.

Honestly,  go there first, snorkel and then your next location 

16 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

We will be renting a car to see Curacao. The main stop is Playa Piskado. I know parking is limited. I wanted to see if anyone that has driven there on their own knows where to park?

You can park near the church that is close and walk down the steps or try to park in the very limited parking area close to the beach. And parking is free at either 

On 9/18/2022 at 10:58 AM, LobsterStalker said:

Are the return vans easy to pick up and are they able to take you right back to the ship or are they limited to the station ?

They are available (as are taxis ) typically. 

The bus will take you back to the station on the Punda side.

On 9/17/2022 at 10:59 PM, Debberly said:

 Would this be a safe walk for a solo female?   Thank you

There are plenty of people around. 

I personally would feel safe .

23 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

Soooooooo as a wrap up ...

Does anyone else as cheap as me have experience walking to the bus station from the dock instead of taking the cabs from the pier ? From what I can gather it is only a 15-20 minute walk and goes through some shopping district . The kicker though for us cheapies is from what I have gathered 25$ for a cab from pier and as little as 2.40$ pp for the vans at the station. I kick myself for not keeping records of my travels because 4 years ago is a long time for me to remember anything ...

 

Thx for the help

 

Cheers

It's an easy walk and anyone in Punda can point you in the direction of the bus station. 

Yes, it's much less expensive than a taxi.

21 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

I thought the Marriott in Curacao offered a private island.  Expensive, as I recall and unless you're at the hotel, you have to book 24 hours in advance and may not get it.

No, that's in Aruba not Curaçao 

6 hours ago, Floridastorm said:

Sounds like a plan that my wife will be happy with. I think I like the idea also. 😄 Thank You.

Yes a lot to do, there is a Slavery Museum in Otrobanda,  a Maritime Museum in Punda/Scharloo,  shopping, restaurants,  art.

Do a free walking tour (look them up), Italian Ice Cart in Punda. 

On 9/5/2022 at 7:42 PM, LobsterStalker said:

so those prices are posted for a party up to 4 people ...

a poster on another thread stated these prices but stated per person... quite a difference !

Definitely not per person!

22 hours ago, Sparetiming said:

Can anyone please tell me what rental car agencies are at Mega Pier? We would like to rent a car to sight see and go to beach. Thank you 

Contact Advance Car Rental asap, they will meet you at the port. 

5 hours ago, cruising777 said:

Hello,

Looking for a private tour guide to take us around the island for the day.  Reliable and trustworthy but also not overly expensive.

Thank you!

I recommend Afro Guide Curaçao (find him on Facebook) or Gone Caribe

1 hour ago, alwalaska said:

It looks like there will be at least 3 ships, plus us (NCL Dawn) in Port of Feb 14.  

 

When I've been researching, I've been seeing 2 @ the Mega pier and 1 next to the floating bridge.  Any idea where the 4th ship will dock?

 

Also, I would love to know which berth we will be in.  I found info through October on curports.com, but I can't find anything beyond that. It will make a difference on the order that I plan on doing things since we will be doing our own thing and not using a ship excursion. 

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

The World Voyager is a smaller ship and will be on the back of our harbor (not at the port). Our ports authorities here won't put up the schedule for February 2023 for a few months.

On 8/24/2022 at 5:11 PM, ileys said:

I see the 139pp (USD) option using the organized tour folks, but I also see an option to book directly with the Marriott for 75pp (NAF).  The organizaed tour includes transportation, so it is not exactly apples to apples, but given that there are 0.59 NAF per dollar right now, it seems like a great deal to book directly with the hotel.  Is there something that I am missing?

The exchange rate to the USA dollar is $1.00 equals NAF 1.75 - 1.80 depending on where you exchange (it is not .59 NAF ). 

12 hours ago, 99florida said:

Does anyone know the name of the hotel that is walking distance from the ship that offers a day pass? It has a man made beach with an infinity pool. I was just there a few months ago but forgot the name.  Renaissance maybe???

Yes it's the Renaissance 

On 8/4/2022 at 3:19 PM, frisbeewife said:

We will be in Curacao in October and are considering doing a little snorkeling at Blue Bay Resort Beach.  The ship's excursion is pricey so we were thinking of just taking a taxi to get there.  But we don't want to lug our snorkel gear for just this one day.  Is there a place at Blue Bay where we can rent gear?  Does anybody know about how much it costs?

 

They definitely rent it. Here us their information so you can get prices 

https://www.bluebay-curacao.com/activities/diving

On 8/7/2022 at 8:39 PM, PROCRUISE said:

Are there plenty of private tours that would include some decent time at Boka Tabla available at the pier?

I would arrange one prior to arrival 

8 hours ago, Dan83 said:

Anyone have a recommendation for a dive shop? Cruise line doesn’t offer a dive excursion and I try to avoid those anyway. 

Contact The Dive Bus or Scubaco