Shopping near pier?

[SugarNSpice8104]

We will be sailing on royal caribbean's AOS in March and I don't want to do much this trip but relax. I was wondering if there is any shopping near where the ship docks or how far of a walk it is to get to some shops. Not interested in doing any excursions. Just was wondering what is around the ship to do. Thanks for any help.

[cruiseapril]

Hi- There are 2 piers-one in the harbor. The harbor pier is a quick walk across the floating bridge to the Punda part of Willemstad where there is excellent shopping IMO.

 

The other pier is about a 15 minute walk, but there are plenty of taxis around if you don't like to walk that far.

 

There are upscale shops in Willemstad and also some crafts for sale along the streets. We like to shop for linens and Dutch products. There are also some beautiful fabrics for sale by street vendors.

[crusinrita]

Bon Bini, is how they will welcome you to Curaco. Last October we visited Curaco, a wonderful Island. My Husband and I did not want to take a tour of the Island, we just wanted to explore the Harbor Region. It turned into the best day of our cruise, rain showers and all! A fun day.

 

Bring your camera, some beautiful photo opportunities! There were street stands just feet from the gang plank of the Ship where you could sample local liquor and purchase it, of course, there were also hand made crafts. A new Marriott Renaissance was under construction, it looked quite interesting. The construction appeared to fit right into the beautiful Harbor and Fort. A short walk over the floating bridge (a must see) you are in the down town area! Many, Many shops, little cafes along the water, restaurants, the locals are very pleasant. Do walk down to the floating market! There you will see local fisherman with their catch, fruit and many other stalls. I am a quilter and found a few fabric stores...a fun look see for me!

 

Walking back to the ship, visit the shops and restaurants in the Fort Area. We sat in a lovely cafe overlooking the harbor with a cool drink. a beautiful view, cool breezes! It was a delightful way to wile away the afternoon. This is one Island well worth the effort to get off the ship and walk around. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised as we were.

 

We are taking the same cruise in '09, looking forward to another visit to Curaco. This time I am purchasing some of the beautiful fabric!

 

Hoping to hear how you liked this port after you return.

 

Rita

[joy1rn]

Go to Mr Tablecloth which is right along the water/swinging bridge in Punda. Great linens and great prices. There is a lot of shopping and walking just 3-4 blocks to see it all. We were just there on AOS a couple weeks ago.

[Kikkycat]

Just off the AOS. Adventure will dock at the Mega Pier, which is along the Otrabanda side. There will soon be a hotel (Renaissance - it was almost finished last week) and a shopping area and casino within 5 minutes' walk from the ship. Add another 10-15 minutes and you are in the middle of town. There is a ton of shopping.

 

If you like cheese, stop into a cheese shop in the Renaissance shopping village (before you get to the old fort, Rif Fort, as you debark). The guy will give you more samples than you can shake a stick at. We bought a lovely 2 year aged gouda for $2.50 per 100 grams, which gave us a very healthy sized hunk of cheese for just $7.50.