Bonaire - Adventure ship clearing

[Akaicb]

I'm not sure if this question is port of call related or Royal cruise related.  If this should be somewhere else please let me know and I will post there instead.

 

I am going to be on the Adventure next March 28th cruise to the ABC islands.  We are scheduled to port in Bonaire on March 31st at 9am.  I really would like to do an independent  snorkeling excursion that starts at 9:30am.

 

Has anyone been on a Royal ship in Bonaire and remember what time the ship was cleared for departures?

I would make sure to be one of the first in line to get off the ship, I realize that ship excursions and Diamond, Diamond+ people will be allowed first.

 

My in-laws are Diamond+ and will be with us, will that make any difference since my husband and I are not.

 

Thanks,

Kim

 

[NateUpNorth]

We did the ABC's in December and the ship was cleared on time/early at every port. 

Bonaire is a very small port, two piers, and smaller ships usually dock there.

Our snorkel trip was planned for 30 mins after the "docking time" and we were at the meeting point 20 minutes early..........

Which trip are you planning? 

Edited March 26, 2019 by NateUpNorth

[lucywestie]

Been to Bonaire twice. Once on Navigator. If you are doing the Snorkel cruise I think you are doing (Woodwind?) then you will be fine. Its a 5 minute walk from the dock to their offices. You turn right from the cruise dock and go through a hotel complex (or rather a collection of small buildings etc) and you are right there.  First time we were there we were the only ship and the second there was one other. Still didnt feel crowded

 

Very easy port/island to get around as its so small and very un-touristified...(I made that word up)

[cruiseguy1016]

The local tour operators all know the ships' schedules. They know what time to expect you. If they feel you will be holding others up by being very late, they won't allow you to book and they will probably suggest another time.

[Akaicb]

1 hour ago, NateUpNorth said:

We did the ABC's in December and the ship was cleared on time/early at every port. 

Bonaire is a very small port, two piers, and smaller ships usually dock there.

Our snorkel trip was planned for 30 mins after the "docking time" and we were at the meeting point 20 minutes early..........

Which trip are you planning? 

We really want to do the Woodwind snorkeling,  we did it 3 years ago and loved it and now we will be traveling with family and really wanted them to experience it as well.  Thank-fully it's not too far from the pier, just hope you are docked at the south pier.  

[Akaicb]

54 minutes ago, lucywestie said:

Been to Bonaire twice. Once on Navigator. If you are doing the Snorkel cruise I think you are doing (Woodwind?) then you will be fine. Its a 5 minute walk from the dock to their offices. You turn right from the cruise dock and go through a hotel complex (or rather a collection of small buildings etc) and you are right there.  First time we were there we were the only ship and the second there was one other. Still didnt feel crowded

 

Very easy port/island to get around as its so small and very un-touristified...(I made that word up)

Yes, you have it correct.  Thanks for the insight. 

We did this same tour 3 years ago but that time our ship docked at 7am and the tour did not start till 8:30am so I was not sure of timeing.

[Akaicb]

Thanks everyone for putting my mind at ease, I had forgotten how long it took to walk from the pier to the Woodwind offices.

 

Great to hear it was not as long as I thought.

[NateUpNorth]

Yeah, we took approx 3 minutes to get there....... and that was at my 4 year old's walking pace.... 😄

Edited March 26, 2019 by NateUpNorth

[LeeW]

All ship tours probably meet on the dock or in the terminal building, so there will be somewhat of a rush to get off.  Might take 10 minutes instead of 5.  Just pay attention to where your tour operator wants you to meet and you will be fine.  Can be a bit of a zoo getting through the building.

Edited March 26, 2019 by LeeW
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[mayleeman]

@Akaicb Woodwind also has a 4 hour afternoon excursion for cruisers starting at 1:30. That is what I signed up for, but our ship is in Bonaire until 10 pm so we have plenty of time (Equinox, Nov 2020). (And yes, this is early, but no, we were not the 1st ones!)

[Johnamac123]

9 hours ago, Akaicb said:

Thanks everyone for putting my mind at ease, I had forgotten how long it took to walk from the pier to the Woodwind offices.

 

Great to hear it was not as long as I thought.

The Woodwind website has a very clear map/directions on how to find their meeting pier from the cruise ship piers. Short, easy walk. Enjoy an amazing day with Ulf and the rest of the Woodwind crew!!!

Edited March 27, 2019 by Johnamac123

[Akaicb]

13 hours ago, mayleeman said:

@Akaicb Woodwind also has a 4 hour afternoon excursion for cruisers starting at 1:30. That is what I signed up for, but our ship is in Bonaire until 10 pm so we have plenty of time (Equinox, Nov 2020). (And yes, this is early, but no, we were not the 1st ones!)

I was hoping for the 4 hour excursion but for the date we are there, Woodwind have decided to do two 3 hour tours since we are the only ship in port from 9am to 5pm.  They are doing a 9:30 to 12:30 and then a 12:45 -15:45 that day to accommodate the time Adventure is in port.  

 

To make life simple I should choose the 12:45 tour, but I am so fair and burn very easily.  The last time I did this tour in the morning I ended up with blisters because applying sunscreen every hour was not enough.

 

Thank-fully I have bought a surf rash guard shirt with spf 50 but I still think a morning trip will be better heat wise than the afternoon.

 

[cementhands]

On 3/26/2019 at 10:14 AM, Akaicb said:

I'm not sure if this question is port of call related or Royal cruise related.  If this should be somewhere else please let me know and I will post there instead.

 

I am going to be on the Adventure next March 28th cruise to the ABC islands.  We are scheduled to port in Bonaire on March 31st at 9am.  I really would like to do an independent  snorkeling excursion that starts at 9:30am.

 

Has anyone been on a Royal ship in Bonaire and remember what time the ship was cleared for departures?

I would make sure to be one of the first in line to get off the ship, I realize that ship excursions and Diamond, Diamond+ people will be allowed first.

 

My in-laws are Diamond+ and will be with us, will that make any difference since my husband and I are not.

 

Thanks,

Kim

 

We have our own snorkeling gear and get off the ship walk to tent and buy round trip boat tickets for snorkeling at Klein Bonaire. The small island across water. Excellent snorkeling with the current. It’s a beautiful snorkeling reef. Sea turtles and deep drop off. $20 each a few years ago. Boat shuttle are constantly going back and forth on the 1/2 hour. One of our favorite places.

Polar beer in restaurants in town. Very walkable.

Enjoyed Bonaire several times.

Can’t wait to return. 

[Johnamac123]

6 hours ago, Akaicb said:

I was hoping for the 4 hour excursion but for the date we are there, Woodwind have decided to do two 3 hour tours since we are the only ship in port from 9am to 5pm.  They are doing a 9:30 to 12:30 and then a 12:45 -15:45 that day to accommodate the time Adventure is in port.  

 

To make life simple I should choose the 12:45 tour, but I am so fair and burn very easily.  The last time I did this tour in the morning I ended up with blisters because applying sunscreen every hour was not enough.

 

Thank-fully I have bought a surf rash guard shirt with spf 50 but I still think a morning trip will be better heat wise than the afternoon.

 

Woodwind also provides long sleeved rash guard shirts. 

[Akaicb]

18 hours ago, cementhands said:

We have our own snorkeling gear and get off the ship walk to tent and buy round trip boat tickets for snorkeling at Klein Bonaire. The small island across water. Excellent snorkeling with the current. It’s a beautiful snorkeling reef. Sea turtles and deep drop off. $20 each a few years ago. Boat shuttle are constantly going back and forth on the 1/2 hour. One of our favorite places.

Polar beer in restaurants in town. Very walkable.

Enjoyed Bonaire several times.

Can’t wait to return. 

That sounds like a great idea as well. 

 

I will keep it in mind but I like that Woodwind provides drinks, lunch and they have a photographer that takes tons of pics and the cost of the usb key with all the pictures is reasonable.

[BTHodgeman]

45 minutes ago, Akaicb said:

That sounds like a great idea as well. 

 

I will keep it in mind but I like that Woodwind provides drinks, lunch and they have a photographer that takes tons of pics and the cost of the usb key with all the pictures is reasonable.

As of last week, the photographs were $10/person (based on your group size), and they now e-mail a link to an online gallery (vs. giving a USB key).

[Akaicb]

22 hours ago, BTHodgeman said:

As of last week, the photographs were $10/person (based on your group size), and they now e-mail a link to an online gallery (vs. giving a USB key).

Good to know, thanks for the heads up.  Sad about the USB key, it was really cute.  Mine was a turtle a couple of years ago.