Rental Car versus Hiring a Taxi for a port stop off Celebrity Equinox in Bonaire.

[Floridastorm]

My wife and I will be in Bonaire for 1 day on the Celebrity Equinox cruise ship. We can either rent a car, prior to arriving, or hire a taxi for an excursion of the Island. 

*How accommodating is it to rent a taxi at the cruise terminal and will they do excursions?

*Do the car companies meet you at the cruise terminal or do we have to walk into Kralendijk? Are there local rental car companies in addition to the international ones like Budget, Avis, etc?

Also stopping in Aruba and Curacao if any info can also be provided on those places.

Thank You. It's greatly appreciated.    😎

[topspot]

   There used to be car rental at Divi Dive which is a 10 minute walk from port,  I'm not sure if it is still there post covid.  When we stayed on the island, we rented a car from Budget at the airport, which is not walkable.   I don't recall lots of taxis at the port, like there are on other islands.

 

We have been to these Islands post Covid.  We usually use the local bus in Aruba to get to the beach where we like to snorkel.  I can give you more detailed info on the bus if you'd like,

We also have used the local bus in Curacao as well.  On both of these Islands there were locals outside the ports for excursions.    If you go to the Curacao section, you will find info on local tour guides, and there is a local person who will help with questions.

[Floridastorm]

15 hours ago, topspot said:

   There used to be car rental at Divi Dive which is a 10 minute walk from port,  I'm not sure if it is still there post covid.  When we stayed on the island, we rented a car from Budget at the airport, which is not walkable.   I don't recall lots of taxis at the port, like there are on other islands.

 

We have been to these Islands post Covid.  We usually use the local bus in Aruba to get to the beach where we like to snorkel.  I can give you more detailed info on the bus if you'd like,

We also have used the local bus in Curacao as well.  On both of these Islands there were locals outside the ports for excursions.    If you go to the Curacao section, you will find info on local tour guides, and there is a local person who will help with questions.

Thank You.

[RJ257]

On 9/2/2022 at 12:11 PM, Floridastorm said:

My wife and I will be in Bonaire for 1 day on the Celebrity Equinox cruise ship. We can either rent a car, prior to arriving, or hire a taxi for an excursion of the Island. 

*How accommodating is it to rent a taxi at the cruise terminal and will they do excursions?

*Do the car companies meet you at the cruise terminal or do we have to walk into Kralendijk? Are there local rental car companies in addition to the international ones like Budget, Avis, etc?

Also stopping in Aruba and Curacao if any info can also be provided on those places.

Thank You. It's greatly appreciated.    😎

I have never cruised to Bonaire but have vacationed there many times. Car rental would be the way to go. Small island and easy to get around. I would start by heading north, then right to the east coast and back into town. Next head south past the airport all the way to the end . Car company will give you more specific directions but its hard to get lost.

 

Aruba has great bus system to nice beaches/shopping and in Curacao I rent a car as I go 30 minutes + to snorkel area/lunch then a little sightseeing. Advance Car Rental will deliver your car to the port with programmed gps to various sites, insurance and a cell phone to call them to come back and pick up the car.

[Floridastorm]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:09 PM, RJ257 said:

I have never cruised to Bonaire but have vacationed there many times. Car rental would be the way to go. Small island and easy to get around. I would start by heading north, then right to the east coast and back into town. Next head south past the airport all the way to the end . Car company will give you more specific directions but its hard to get lost.

 

Aruba has great bus system to nice beaches/shopping and in Curacao I rent a car as I go 30 minutes + to snorkel area/lunch then a little sightseeing. Advance Car Rental will deliver your car to the port with programmed gps to various sites, insurance and a cell phone to call them to come back and pick up the car.

👍 Thanks.

[dce85]

We were in Bonaire on Nov. 1 and rented from Hertz at the Divi Flamingo which is no more than a 3 block walk from the south pier.  Drive north up the west coastline.  At some point it becomes one way going north.  We came from the east so missed part of the coast line.

[cruising_rocket_scientist]

I have finally found where to go to book from the Divi Flamingo, which seems much more logical than renting at the airport. It looks like the rental desk there is only open until 5:00pm, but our ship is in port much later, and we have a 2:00 outing planned. Not sure if we will be back in time. Can I return the car after the desk closes? Should I put in a 24 hour rental instead of just for the day and return the car when we are finished (it would just be after 5pm same day). Any thoughts or suggestions?

[J-B]

Car rental office at Divi closes at 5 pm, but you can return the car at the the airport much later. Airport is approx 10 min taxi ride away, no idea about rates. 

[Sarahg0915]

On 2/23/2023 at 6:39 PM, J-B said:

Car rental office at Divi closes at 5 pm, but you can return the car at the the airport much later. Airport is approx 10 min taxi ride away, no idea about rates. 

was this through Hertz at Divi?