WHAT TO DO IN CURACAO

[theseas4me]

We will be in Curacao for the first time in June and was hoping for suggestions on what to do or where to go. Anything would be helpful! Thanks.

[url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=1683059817&m=874109961"]Roll call AOS 6/13/04 click here[/url]

[Avidcruiser]

bump

[theseas4me]

Well, I recieved no help from this question on the board, but now that we are back, I can tell you what we did when we visited Curacao 2 weeks ago. We did not have any excursions booked, so just planned to get off ship & look around, but there was a lady doing Island Tours for $15 per person. It was about a 2 hour tour & was great! We went all around the island and then had the choice of being dropped off at the Kontiki Beach, downtown for shopping or back at the ship. We opted for shopping after the tour then walked back to the ship. This is not a bad walk & saved money for a taxi. There is a floating bridge that connects town & where the ship docks, but if you rent a taxi, you have to go around to another big bridge, which makes the taxi ride about 20 minutes long, versus a 10 minute walk. I really enjoyed Curacao. I found it to be a charming town with a lot of character.

[Bonnie Voyager]

Thank you for sharing! I think I will plan to do an island tour of Curacao also (non-ship excursion). I'm sorry no one was able to answer your question prior to your trip, but your information was useful for others! :D

[theseas4me]

These boards are great & helped me with lots of other questions. Just to let you know, the tour we did was $15 pp and the same tour booked through the ship was $38 pp. So sometimes it pays to take a chance & try one of the islanders. Our tour guide was a nice lady (can't remember her name, she was cute though) and the drivers name was Thomas. It was an open air mini-bus that held about 20 people. They made a good many stops along the way. HAVE FUN! Wish I was going back SOON!

[JanNSteH]

Hi, I just saw your post. I hope you will be able to answer this before our AOS cruise. Thanks for the tip on the island tour. It sounds great! While you were there, did you happen to pick up on any information regarding a tour at the Amstel Brewery? That may be something we would like to check out but can't find any info on it.

[Kallen]

Thanks for the info. I'm sure it will come in handy when we visit in March. Any good shopping deals in town? I always look for some kind of local artistic item, either a watercolor, glass or photographs. Did you see anything of that nature on your walk?

[Big Al B.]

Jan, I found an article about the brewery and they give tours to tourists on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here is the article: [url]http://www.realbeer.com/nmvbp/rev_amst.htm[/url] We will be there on a Tuesday so I may look into it some more.

[JanNSteH]

Thanks Bigal,

It's been a awhile since I visited here. What a surprise to get the information I was looking for:D :D . Thanks a heap and happy cruising!

Jan

[spongerob]

Thanks for the link about the Amstel brewery tour. We'll be there on a Tuesday, lucky for us, eh?:D

[Dushi]

The brewery is in Salina, a busy commercial area that is several miles from the cruise ship terminal. Be sure to arrange for transportation back to the ship because the walk back is very long.

[caxxandra]

Thakn you for being here for us when we need it.

Now I know what to do and not to take it to serious.
Just go with the flow and see if we can get a local guided tour.

/Sandra

[North Carolina Cruiser]

Hey, theseas4me, Any clue on a way to contact your guide?

[digital_curator]

[quote name='theseas4me']Well, I recieved no help from this question on the board, but now that we are back, I can tell you what we did when we visited Curacao 2 weeks ago. We did not have any excursions booked, so just planned to get off ship & look around, but there was a lady doing Island Tours for $15 per person. It was about a 2 hour tour & was great! We went all around the island and then had the choice of being dropped off at the Kontiki Beach, downtown for shopping or back at the ship. We opted for shopping after the tour then walked back to the ship. This is not a bad walk & saved money for a taxi. There is a floating bridge that connects town & where the ship docks, but if you rent a taxi, you have to go around to another big bridge, which makes the taxi ride about 20 minutes long, versus a 10 minute walk. I really enjoyed Curacao. I found it to be a charming town with a lot of character.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info theseas4me! It seems to be really hard to get info on some islands:( Can you tell us what you saw/where you stopped on this tour? It sounds like a great value!

Cheers,

[adbnva]

we have been to curacao 2 times. loved it both times. it is such a pretty place. the 1st time we just walked around. the casinos were unique. there are obscene carvings on tree trunks on one street. last dec we got off ship & took a local tour. we went to awinery & had samples. came back & went to some places from the past. it had changed a lot, but still unique. i think it & aruba are the most beautiful.

[DougYWG]

I went snorkelling in Caracas Bay in the morning, back on the ship for lunch and then we walked over to the town. If the swing bridge is gone, which it was, there is a ferry that shuttles all day for free. The crossing takes only two minutes. We sat on a waterside patio where it looks like old Amsterdam and had a bucket of Grolsch for ten bucks.