bup1224

6 hours ago, Eldaph said:

Thank you, I actually found her on both FB and Instagram.  I've never seen info on her store before, again thank you so much! I can't wait to visit next week 🙂

Again my pleasure! I saw her today and she told me (I work in Punda too so maybe I'll see you next week 😀)

On 11/10/2019 at 9:57 PM, Rookmoney said:

We are a family of 9, we will be on island 12/26 for the day. Is it feasible to rent a vehicle from the airport and taxi to the airport? All locations near port are sold out. 

Check with Advance car rental before renting from the airport. 

You would have to taxi to and from the airport which would probably cost more than a car rental.

1 hour ago, irisheileen said:

Thanks, I googled the floating bridge- it looks so cool!

 

It is!

7 hours ago, irisheileen said:

Thanks for the heads up.  this is our 1st time in Curacao so I am not familiar *yet* with the layout at the port.  Are you saying that casper tours is after you cross over the floating bridge?  Or is it at the port?

After you cross the floating bridge 

8 hours ago, Eldaph said:

 

I'm SO GLAD I saw this!  Can you tell me about how much one of the Skadey's would cost? I've been Googling but haven't really found much information.  I'm definitely visiting this shop!

They are $50.

You can contact her via Facebook,  the page is Dhanarts

10 hours ago, robin16ak said:

We are on this cruise, too and are not sure what to do either.  We know we want to go to a beach but I am worried about just showing up at one and everything being closed due to the holiday. I emailed a tour operator that was recommended on here but they were booked.  I emailed another one (Curacao Dreams) that was recommended on TripAdvisor and am waiting to hear back.  The Carnival excursions are all expensive without much beach time.  My kids are 13, 11, and 6 and all love the beach.  

All our beaches will be open!

1 hour ago, guidinglight said:

Thanks so much!

My pleasure! 

On 11/4/2019 at 4:17 PM, guidinglight said:

Does anyone know of any shops near the cruise port that sell Alcolado Glacial?  I bought some during a tour stop to Chobolobo last year, but won’t be heading out there this trip.  I saw it on Amazon but that’s just not the same!  😁

Many of the stores in Punda sell it, including our favorite store Copperstone (at the back of the Gomezplein), Hanchi Snoa #9

On 10/30/2019 at 6:41 PM, reba said:

We just had a fantastic day in Curacao thanks to Celestino and Advance Car Rental.  Got off the ship by 8:30 and the only difficulty we experienced all day was finding the meeting point.  Everyone at the port was more than willing to give us directions to meet Celestino.

 

We had a Hyundai that was clean and in great shape.  The GPS had every point preprogrammed on it that we wanted to see.  We headed straight out to the Synagogue, then on to Hato Caves, then went to Playa Grandi and swam with the turtles (bring some money to tip the man feeding the turtles), then snorkeling at Grote Knip - absolutely beautiful beach.  We made it back to the pier at 4:10 - Celestino was there waiting for us.  Highly recommend this company.

Reba

Please don't tip the man feeding the turtles,  he is not an official person and honestly is doing more harm than good for the turtles. 

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

Do you mean Kenepa Beach?

If the original poster did, Grote Knip (Kenepa Grandi) is fabulous!

On 10/16/2019 at 6:30 PM, bostonfred said:

Saw this online as one of top 10 beaches in Caribbean. We had never heard of it. They said small pristine beach, free, good snorkeling. Has anyone been there? Is it on the far side of the island from cruise terminal. Very curious for our winter cruise in February. Any feedback appreciated..thanks,😎😎

In Curaçao??? I live here and never heard of it

21 hours ago, rescue911chick said:

Hello everyone! We'll be in Curacao early December (cruise ship) and I was wondering if it's like other ports of call where you can get off of the ship and find a local tour operator to take you around for a bit. We don't want anything super long or super expensive, and want to include stopping at the distillery and the Love Lock Heart. If anyone has done this successfully can you also advise how many were in your group & price per person? 

 

I read that it has been decorated at Christmas time, would it be done the first week of December? And if anyone has any idea of where I can locate what may be going on while we are there that would be outstanding. We will be there on a Wednesday from 1:30 pm to about 10:30 pm (I think)

 

Thank you in advance for any help/advice!! 

Walk across the Queen Emma floating bridge and look for Casper Tours right by the tourist info booth,  $15 per person. 

The lock heart is right there as well so no need for a tour to see that.

On 9/30/2019 at 3:01 PM, Wymond said:

I am going to rent a car on the day we dock at Willemstad.

I am wondering how convenient the parking is. Eg, Can I park at the road side when seeking flamingo? Is there a free parking lot at the dock? is park free close to the beaches? My plan is to visit east side in the morning, drive back to ship for lunch, then go to the west side, Shete Boka Park and a couple of beaches for snorkeling. is there any view points in the east? Any suggestions and advises are appreciated. Many thanks!  

Parking is free at the Renaissance hotel by the port and also in the dirt lots around the port. 

IMO, that's alot of driving in 1 day. I would suggest going to Shete Boka first before the heat of the day, and beach hop on the West side.

Keep in mind this hotel is currently closed for a complete renovation and will be Dreams Resort when it reopens, currently scheduled for December 2019, no idea if they will do day passes

On 10/1/2019 at 12:46 PM, cruiseapril said:

We took a ship's tour to Blue Bay and saw wild flamingos on the way.  The bus driver stopped.

Yes, that's the Kaminda Doktor road.

They are usually there but not always 

59 minutes ago, flob said:

Thank you!  Are they reasonably close enough for pictures? 

Sometimes yes but the flamingos will move further away when people are around

2 hours ago, flob said:

My first time to the island. I would absolutely love to see some flamingos in the wild, as would many others. How realistic is this expectation? And if it is realistic, how far away will they be. I know I can see them at the seaquarium but would rather see them wild. 

No guarantee but they are usually either at Jan Kok (up near WillIbrodus) or Kaminda Doktor Amado Romer which is the road between Blue Bay and Kokomo beach.

23 hours ago, 2flacruisers said:

Are there any tours to go to the Distillery in Curacao?  Anyone done one before?  Looking for something that is not an excursion from the ship...look forward to your answers!

 

 

There are tours right as you cross over the Queen Emma floating bridge that are much cheaper than those at the port. 

Casper Tours stands at/near the info booth and does a short city tour/stop at the original distillery,  bus tour of Jan Thiel area and a (1 or 2 hour stop) at Mambo beach. 

Currently it's $15 per person

On 9/25/2019 at 8:20 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I use a cane but due to my disability I fall a lot. I have fallen 36 times .

 

Thanks for responding.

Please be careful!

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Are there any hills or uneven streets to walk on ?I have mobility issues ?

No hills but some of the streets in Punda are brick, mostly even.

Not sure what your mobility issues are, but I do see guests with walkers,  canes and scooters in Punda and they seem to be getting around fine.

3 hours ago, fromaustin said:

We are on the Carnival Magic for our Christmas cruise.  We will be docked from 1:00 to 11:00 pm.  I understand that Curacao has beautiful Christmas decorations.  We have never been to this island, so I am trying to make a game plan of what our day will look like.  I would love to hit a west side beach for three or four hours, come back to the ship, eat, and then go out and look at the lights.  However, I am worried that this schedule is unrealistic.  So a few questions if anyone has advice of how to best go about our day.  

West side beaches - I am guessing we would need to rent a car and it is about an hour drive?  Would this be a good use of time/money or would we be better trying out a beach closer to port?

Christmas decor - How close is this to the cruise ship port?  Walking distance or do we need a car?  Also, how much time should we allocate to walking around and seeing the decorations?  

Recommendations for beaches that may be a little closer to the port if the west side beaches won't work?  I have two daughters, ages 9 and 10.  We all love to snorkel, but we would be fine just swimming in beautiful blue water and sticking our toes in soft sand.  

If we decide to skip the beach, would shopping be feasible on Christmas Day or would most stores be closed for the holiday? 

Thanks, in advance, if you can share any advice.  We will definitely hit up Curacao again on a future cruise, but it might be a few years since we are going to Disney next summer.  I feel like I want to do everything I can, but the date and time frame in port makes planning a little more challenging.  🙂

Ok first, the decor downtown will be in the Renaissance area, Rif Fort (right off the ship), Otrobanda on the Brionplein and the Queen Emma bridge has lights and in Punda normally in the Wilhelmina Wilhelmina Plein,  all within walking distance of the port (5 to 10 minutes depending on how fast you walk). The Christmas tree is normally on the Punda side right after you walk over the Queen Emma bridge. 

A few stores in Punda usually are open on a holiday when a ship is in port,  again historically from maybe 10 AM to 2 pm.

West side beaches are about an hour from port and unless you take a tour,  renting a car is your best option.

Mambo beach area is close to port but not like the West beaches with cliffs,  etc. but there are shops there (honestly not sure if those will be open on Christmas day).

Please keep in mind that our beaches will be crowded with not only cruise ship guests, but other tourists and locals as well.

On 9/7/2019 at 2:43 PM, Rob1966 said:

 

 

The  Avila Looks to be good value, what would be the rough cost of a taxi from Port?

 

thanks

 

Rob

 

I'm going to guess and say $20-$25.

On 9/5/2019 at 4:44 PM, Rob1966 said:

Hi,

 

We are in Curacao on Dec 23rd - Looking for a decent beach, I require a beach with a bar for a snack and also a must is a Sun lounger with an umbrella (I like the shade).

We love to swim but not too bothered with Snorkelling (Done it a lot).

We arrive 0800 and depart 1700, a beach not so packed would be ideal.

 

Looking to get a rough idea of Sun lounger cost and Taxi cost from the cruise port.

 

thanks

 

Rob

 

Rob on a cruise ship day, our beaches are usually crowded (especially with a larger ship).

With that being said, for what you are looking for which sounds like a calmer water beach, take a look at Mambo beach or Blue Bay.

Perhaps a day pass at Avila, Santa Barbara Resort or even the Renaissance hotel. 

Here are the taxi rates.

On 9/5/2019 at 8:43 PM, Florida Glamazon said:

Thanks for the info!!!

 

My pleasure.  Enjoy your day here!

7 hours ago, Sea-Bos said:

As a local I hope you can help.  We want to go back to Shete Boka.  It truly is one of my favorite places anywhere.  Can you suggest the best way to get there?  Last time we were in Curacao we had a private driver who took us to most of the amazing island.  I really want to go to Shete Boka and then some beach.   Ideas?

 

Thank you so much!

 

Take a look at Irie Tours, I believe one of there tours goes there.