Curacao Car Rental - Advance Carrental - Fantastic!

[Retired2016Cruiser]

I appreciate the review & heads up about Advance & Celestino.  Based on the review, we rented a car last week on Curacao for $125 and he (and his brother) met us at the port.  He gave us an upgraded car from what we reserved and provided a map with beaches & snorkeling spots marked, which was super helpful.  I checked a few other rental car companies, but could not find one for a one day rental and also didn't want to have to go to airport to pick up.  Since we wanted to go to several beaches, taxi fare would have added up, and we couldn't have visited as many places.  Very happy with our experience with Celestino & Advance!

[brzymom]

Thanks for the tip-- Celestino did email me back and we are all set. Everyone who has used his services seems like it ws good and positive! Looking forward to it!

[brzymom]

Went with Celestino and Advance. Great experience. There were 4 of us and it was $150 for an SUV. Everything said here is absolutely true. Celestino meets you at the port with car. He gives you a marked up map (denoting sights to see, best beaches to see turtles and snorkel, beaches where you have to pay.  The cell phone, GPS. All made for a great day which we enjoyed immensely at our own pace! 

 

We ended up back at the port an hour earlier than originally planned (we had another excursion for a sunset catamaran w Celebrity) and he asked was everything ok? Was there any problem? His care and concern were heartwarming. I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Curacao. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by brzymom

[gumby4243]

We used Advance on our southern Caribbean cruise and it could have not been easier.  Celestino met us at the port and provided a GPS and phone at the time of rental.  Everything was programed in the GPS and we had no issues driving in Curacao.  We were able to swim with the turtles and were able to go to other beaches we chose to visit.  The rental return was very easy and without delay we were back on the ship.  We wish it was this easy at all our ports.  

[BoozinCroozin]

We have him in 3 months. Cannot wait. We want to be at Playa Piskado long before the excursions get there and gone when they do. We will go there first, spend an hour or so with the turtles and then off to Grote Knip. Not sure where after that or if it will be time to head back to the port for some shopping.

[jsehlmeyer]

On 3/28/2023 at 5:40 AM, BoozinCroozin said:

We have him in 3 months. Cannot wait. We want to be at Playa Piskado long before the excursions get there and gone when they do. We will go there first, spend an hour or so with the turtles and then off to Grote Knip. Not sure where after that or if it will be time to head back to the port for some shopping.

How was your experience?  I just stumbled up on this and would much rather rent and drive the family around then feel like cattle on a tour bus; as well as be on our own schedule.

[3smithboys]

2 hours ago, jsehlmeyer said:

How was your experience?  I just stumbled up on this and would much rather rent and drive the family around then feel like cattle on a tour bus; as well as be on our own schedule.

I can also reply to your question. We used Advance Car Rental with Celestino for our cruise last July on the Celebration. He was excellent & provided service exactly as promised. There was a gps in the car with preloaded points of interest & a cell phone in case of emergency. My husband & I had a great time going around the island at our own pace. We brought our own snorkeling gear, and we were able to see the turtles (go there first) and other great snorkeling spots if that’s your thing. There are incredible beaches to go and relax. It was an amazing day. 

Edited January 27 by 3smithboys

[BoozinCroozin]

13 hours ago, jsehlmeyer said:

How was your experience?  I just stumbled up on this and would much rather rent and drive the family around then feel like cattle on a tour bus; as well as be on our own schedule.

Advanced could not have been better. It is not as straight forward where to go based on the information provided. But still super simple after asking one of the port security people. Basically, you get off the ship and walk all the way to the right (facing land). Directly across the street is like a dirt parking lot. They are right there with others. Just ask any of them and they will point you to the right person.

 

As for driving around, it was super easy. The GPS made a world of difference. We went to Playa Piskado and another beach nearby after.

 

Playa Piskado: Get there are EARLY as possible. Once tour groups are there, the water is so cloudy with sand kicked up everywhere. It was incredible. I think we saw about 2 dozen turtles.

 

Klein Beach was great as well. We spent about 2 hours there

 

After that, we drove around a little bit heading back to port. This was our early leave port day and we did everything we had wanted to. We wound up dropping the car off at 1PM and no one was there. We called on the phone they gave. He said to lock the door and just drop the key off at the port security house right across the street. Super simple experience. I would highly recommend him to anyone.