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2nd time to Curacao - looking for options


familycruzinnewbie
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We did a southern cruise in 2014 and will be back early April 2018 and are trying to plan Curacao and Aruba. Both of these islands had national holidays on the day we visited. In Curacao, we did Irie Tours and then headed across the floating bridge where most shops were closed and it was big festival happening. In Aruba, we took the bus to the beach and then headed back into town but every store was closed. We will again have back to back days on these islands but won't hit holidays. But what we do decide to do in one island may affect what we choose to do on the other.

Curacao is 10am-11pm and the Aruba is 8am-4pm the next day We will have our 2 kids 15 and 18 with us. Only me and my daughter snorkel and my husband and son prefer not to swim in the ocean. So while we can go to a beach, we don't need a long beach day. With the stop in Curacao so long, I am trying to decide if we should do a tour (but something different from the Irie Tours), I would also like to explore the historic and shopping areas when things are open without the festival holiday like last time. I think we may return to the boat for dinner, and then maybe hubby and I can go back out without the kids for a bit. For Aruba - maybe a tour but also open to boats, atvs, etc but don't want to spend a big amount per person. Anyone have suggestions

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  • 2 weeks later...
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We booked an ATV tour. Privately booked. Great fun and you see a ton of the island including Ostrich farm, aloe farm, caves, coastlines etc

 

Realizing that CC doesn't care for the postings of outside venders, is the company you hired easily found on a Curacao tourism site?

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  • 2 months later...

We had a very similar situation while doing ABC islands cruise two weeks ago. My husband and our teenage daughter love snorkeling but I don't. We decided to do a private tour with Curacao Taxi Max. He made sure that the tour was customized to our liking after I emailed him our list of things we wanted to do and see . Everything was well organized, his vehicle was well maintained, clean and comfortable. The price was very reasonable.

Also considered ATV tour, but now glad that we didn't do it. It was very warm day and people on ATVs looked very dusty and hot. On Aruba we went with Sonny Binns tour for 3 hours and asked him to drop us at Boca Catalina beach. Great snorkeling there, but no amenities. Nearby Arashi Beach (5 min walk) has everything - food, etc. We took public bus#10 (comes every hour) back to the terminal.

Good luck!

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We had a very similar situation while doing ABC islands cruise two weeks ago. My husband and our teenage daughter love snorkeling but I don't. We decided to do a private tour with Curacao Taxi Max. He made sure that the tour was customized to our liking after I emailed him our list of things we wanted to do and see . Everything was well organized, his vehicle was well maintained, clean and comfortable. The price was very reasonable.

Also considered ATV tour, but now glad that we didn't do it. It was very warm day and people on ATVs looked very dusty and hot. On Aruba we went with Sonny Binns tour for 3 hours and asked him to drop us at Boca Catalina beach. Great snorkeling there, but no amenities. Nearby Arashi Beach (5 min walk) has everything - food, etc. We took public bus#10 (comes every hour) back to the terminal.

Good luck!

How much was taxi max and what kind of things did you do?

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I have tentatively booked the Irie Tours all West Beach hopping tour as part of me would like to see more of the island and nicer beaches They also have a surf and turf tour but I think I like the beaches better in the first and was more interested in Shete Boka than Hato caves. I keep second guessing myself. I know that if I don't book anything, family will just try to head back to the ship after an hour and it is a long stop.

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How much was taxi max and what kind of things did you do?

 

Hi familycruzinnewbie,

All-day island tour with Curacao Taxi Max was a highlight our cruise. It was a long day but Max can customize it the way you wish. Curacao has a lot to offer so you really need a local guide to show you all the best places in the most efficient way.

Our itinerary included:

1) Visit to historical Willemstad - walking tour of all three parts - Otrabanda, Punda and Schaarloo. Visit to Floating Market

2) Visit Chobolobo distillery where they produce Blue Curacao liquor

3) Janthiel area with a breathtaking view over Spanish water and Caracas bay

4) Fort Beekenburg

5) Snorkeling at Tugboat Beach -our daughter favorite!

4) National Park of Liberty where the last battle took place between Dutch soldiers and the leader of the revolt Tula.

6) Flamingo Sanctuary and salt lakes

7) Asenshon National park to view sea turtles.

8) Shete Boka park

9) Fisherman's wharf to snorkelwith big turtles (my husband favorite)

 

Somewhere in between we had a wonderful lunch at Janchie's restaurant - the best Curacao local cuisine.

 

10) Swim at Knip beach - one of our most beautiful natural beaches

We return back to the cruise terminal around 9 pm.

Max is great as snorkeling instructor, too. Not only he took us to several fantastic beaches away from the crowds, but he was snorkeling along with us.

 

Highly recommend him for your Curacao visit!

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We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. Curacao was one of our favorite ports because of our tour guide Andy with private curacao tours. We booked our tour prior to the sailing (money was paid after the tour). We had a customized private tour for 4. He was quick to respond to our emails. We emailed him with suggestions of some of the things we wanted to do during our 6 hour tour. We met Andy at the RIF fort about a 10 min. walk from the ship. We went through the historic town by the floating markets and bridge. We drove around the East side where people live and stopped at the man-made Mambo beach for a quick look. We stopped at a small market for some drinks and drove past the airport. We stopped at Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. We chose to snorkel at two different places with turtles (Playa Piscada and Playa Lagun). My husband and I have our own snorkel equipment but he did provide snorkeling gear for our friends. We stopped at Kenepa Grandi and little Kenepa for photos. The beaches were beautiful and the water was turquoise. We saw Playa Forti where they cliff jump. We ate lunch at El Rancho Sabino. We stopped at a Plantation house and saw wild flamingos at the salt plains. He dropped us off at the DUSHI sign in the shopping area. He would've taken us back to the ship if we wanted to. Andy was a great guide. He was very informative and answered all of our questions. Highly recommended him.

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We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. Curacao was one of our favorite ports because of our tour guide Andy with private curacao tours. We booked our tour prior to the sailing (money was paid after the tour). We had a customized private tour for 4. He was quick to respond to our emails. We emailed him with suggestions of some of the things we wanted to do during our 6 hour tour. We met Andy at the RIF fort about a 10 min. walk from the ship. We went through the historic town by the floating markets and bridge. We drove around the East side where people live and stopped at the man-made Mambo beach for a quick look. We stopped at a small market for some drinks and drove past the airport. We stopped at Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. We chose to snorkel at two different places with turtles (Playa Piscada and Playa Lagun). My husband and I have our own snorkel equipment but he did provide snorkeling gear for our friends. We stopped at Kenepa Grandi and little Kenepa for photos. The beaches were beautiful and the water was turquoise. We saw Playa Forti where they cliff jump. We ate lunch at El Rancho Sabino. We stopped at a Plantation house and saw wild flamingos at the salt plains. He dropped us off at the DUSHI sign in the shopping area. He would've taken us back to the ship if we wanted to. Andy was a great guide. He was very informative and answered all of our questions. Highly recommended him.

 

 

 

What company was Andy with? And what was the cost?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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We had a very similar situation while doing ABC islands cruise two weeks ago. My husband and our teenage daughter love snorkeling but I don't. We decided to do a private tour with Curacao Taxi Max. He made sure that the tour was customized to our liking after I emailed him our list of things we wanted to do and see . Everything was well organized, his vehicle was well maintained, clean and comfortable. The price was very reasonable.

Good luck!

What did you pay for your tour? I’ve looked on trip advisor but no one mentions a price and he doesn’t have a website. Did you pay per person or 1 fee for his taxi and services?

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What did you pay for your tour? I’ve looked on trip advisor but no one mentions a price and he doesn’t have a website. Did you pay per person or 1 fee for his taxi and services?

 

I would suggest you contact Curacao Taxi Max directly for a quote. They will customize the price and the tour for your group depending on what your group is looking to do and how much time you have.. The owner Max is reachable on Whatsapp at +5999 697 6302. I booked our family's tour directly with him and he was very responsive.

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  • 4 months later...
We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. Curacao was one of our favorite ports because of our tour guide Andy with private curacao tours. We booked our tour prior to the sailing (money was paid after the tour). We had a customized private tour for 4. He was quick to respond to our emails. We emailed him with suggestions of some of the things we wanted to do during our 6 hour tour. We met Andy at the RIF fort about a 10 min. walk from the ship. We went through the historic town by the floating markets and bridge. We drove around the East side where people live and stopped at the man-made Mambo beach for a quick look. We stopped at a small market for some drinks and drove past the airport. We stopped at Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. We chose to snorkel at two different places with turtles (Playa Piscada and Playa Lagun). My husband and I have our own snorkel equipment but he did provide snorkeling gear for our friends. We stopped at Kenepa Grandi and little Kenepa for photos. The beaches were beautiful and the water was turquoise. We saw Playa Forti where they cliff jump. We ate lunch at El Rancho Sabino. We stopped at a Plantation house and saw wild flamingos at the salt plains. He dropped us off at the DUSHI sign in the shopping area. He would've taken us back to the ship if we wanted to. Andy was a great guide. He was very informative and answered all of our questions. Highly recommended him.

 

I would like to contact Andy. Do you still have his contact information?

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We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. Curacao was one of our favorite ports because of our tour guide Andy with private curacao tours. We booked our tour prior to the sailing (money was paid after the tour). We had a customized private tour for 4. He was quick to respond to our emails. We emailed him with suggestions of some of the things we wanted to do during our 6 hour tour. We met Andy at the RIF fort about a 10 min. walk from the ship. We went through the historic town by the floating markets and bridge. We drove around the East side where people live and stopped at the man-made Mambo beach for a quick look. We stopped at a small market for some drinks and drove past the airport. We stopped at Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. We chose to snorkel at two different places with turtles (Playa Piscada and Playa Lagun). My husband and I have our own snorkel equipment but he did provide snorkeling gear for our friends. We stopped at Kenepa Grandi and little Kenepa for photos. The beaches were beautiful and the water was turquoise. We saw Playa Forti where they cliff jump. We ate lunch at El Rancho Sabino. We stopped at a Plantation house and saw wild flamingos at the salt plains. He dropped us off at the DUSHI sign in the shopping area. He would've taken us back to the ship if we wanted to. Andy was a great guide. He was very informative and answered all of our questions. Highly recommended him.

 

We also had an amazing experience with Aroubd Curaçao Tours. We toured with Sharmond, Andy’s partner, and he was phenomenal. You can contact them at aroundcuracaotours@gmail.com

 

Thanks so much for the quick response. If you don't mind me asking, what did you do on the tour and what was the cost?

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