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Our day in Curacao


FionaMG
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I'm currently reviewing our recent Serenade of the Seas 11-day Southern Caribbean cruise over on the Royal Caribbean board, including detailed descriptions of the excursions we took in each of the ports.

 

I believe forum rules prohibit me from posting these details here unsolicited, but if any of you who are due to visit Curacao soon would like to read about our experience there you can find it in posts #83 and #85 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2574952&page=5

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I'm currently reviewing our recent Serenade of the Seas 11-day Southern Caribbean cruise over on the Royal Caribbean board, including detailed descriptions of the excursions we took in each of the ports.

 

I believe forum rules prohibit me from posting these details here unsolicited, but if any of you who are due to visit Curacao soon would like to read about our experience there you can find it in posts #83 and #85 on this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2574952&page=5

Thank you for your review.We are visiting Curaco in March and your review and photos will help us in our planning.

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Thank you for the information. We have been in port twice, our third time coming up soon.

 

The first time in port, we had a private tour with some folks from the ship we met on CC. He took us around the island with lots of stops. I think everyones favorite was going to his favorite watering hole for some green drink locally made that the residents love.

 

Last year, we walked the walking self guided tour. We stopped by the floating markets, the big flea market, and settling at a MC Donalds for the air, bottled water, and wifi. After we had a bit of lunch back onboard we went by taxi to the aquarium. It was a great outdoor, open air place, lots to see.

 

This year, we are still shopping to see what we will be doing. Stay tuned!

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Thanks for your review.

 

When we were in Curacao, we did a similar bus trip but to Blue Bay which we liked.

Later that day, we walked through Willemstad and enjoyed this small walking city.

 

My pleasure. :)

Willemstad was lovely.

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  • 1 month later...
We will be in Curacao soon and have booked Irie Tours All West Beach Hopping Tour, the same tour you were supposed to take. Do you (or anyone else here) know if this is a common occurrence to cancel the tour?

 

Hi.

Our tour was actually the surf and turf one, which is the company's newest offering, and I do seem to remember reading somewhere else on the board about it not always going.

As I understand it the All West Beach Hopping Tour that you have booked is a modified version of one that they used to run before and which was longer because it included lunch. I have seen several reviews of it so perhaps it runs more reliably than the one we booked.

I found the company to be very responsive by email. Perhaps you could contact them and just ask them straight out? I hope you do get to go on it because it sounds very good too.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
We will be in Curacao soon and have booked Irie Tours All West Beach Hopping Tour, the same tour you were supposed to take. Do you (or anyone else here) know if this is a common occurrence to cancel the tour?

 

 

Irie Tours was a bad experience. After standing around smelling diesel fumes for 40 minutes, then sitting on an open air bus for another 20 minutes, still smelling said diesel fumes, I bailed and went back to the ship. The tour operators kept saying "we'll leave in a minute". I think they were looking for more people to join. I've never waited that long to go on a tour.

 

My husband & son did the tour. They said I made the right decision by getting off the bus.

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Irie Tours was a bad experience. After standing around smelling diesel fumes for 40 minutes, then sitting on an open air bus for another 20 minutes, still smelling said diesel fumes, I bailed and went back to the ship. The tour operators kept saying "we'll leave in a minute". I think they were looking for more people to join. I've never waited that long to go on a tour.

 

My husband & son did the tour. They said I made the right decision by getting off the bus.

 

It's too bad your tour didn't work out. Our All West Beach Hopper Tour with Irie Tours did go and it was a really good trip.

 

They were waiting for us at the dock when we got off the ship. While we waited for some other people who had advance reservations it looked like they were also recruiting additional passengers as people walked by. While we were waiting, a very large group from the ship got onto another Irie bus and departed, I think it was the east side city tour.

 

Soon we got on our bus and departed, there were about 12 people from the ship. We made a stop a few blocks away at a hotel and picked up another half dozen people who had reservations. Then we headed out of town. The bus had a driver and a tour guide.

 

The stops were all enjoyable and a good representation of the western coastline. Truly a beach hopper tour. From the powerful beauty of the waves striking the volcanic rock cliffs at Shete Boka to the gorgeous Playa Kenepa "Postcard Beach" (the iconic postcard view of sandy beach and sea green water). We also stopped at Playa Forti where several people on our bus actually jumped off the cliff (a 40 foot drop into 14 feet of water). There was a stop at Playa Grandi (not on the itinerary) where you could snorkel with sea turtles right off the beach. Irie provided snorkel equipment. Of course we saw the flamingos, and the final stop was at Porto Marie Beach where we rented beach chairs ($3.50 each) and relaxed by the sea.

 

As the bus drove from place to place we had music and occasional tour guide information about the island and the places we were seeing as we drove by. And of course there was a huge self-serve cooler full of beer, water, and pop at the back of the bus.

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Thank you for the information. We have been in port twice, our third time coming up soon.

 

 

 

The first time in port, we had a private tour with some folks from the ship we met on CC. He took us around the island with lots of stops. I think everyones favorite was going to his favorite watering hole for some green drink locally made that the residents love.

 

 

 

Last year, we walked the walking self guided tour. We stopped by the floating markets, the big flea market, and settling at a MC Donalds for the air, bottled water, and wifi. After we had a bit of lunch back onboard we went by taxi to the aquarium. It was a great outdoor, open air place, lots to see.

 

 

 

This year, we are still shopping to see what we will be doing. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Where’s the “big flea market” and what does it consist of?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Where’s the “big flea market” and what does it consist of?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

"The big flea market" is the Marshe Rondo or New Market. Local vendors selling everything from souvenirs, art, food, personal care products. There are also local vendors right outside of it. Once you cross the Queen Emma floating bridge, walk left to the end and make a right. It's on the left hand side. You will also see some vendors as you walk (on the left side).

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

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