VideoTech Posted March 15, 2020 #1 Share Posted March 15, 2020 Just wanted to put up another good word for Celestino at Advance Car Rental in Willemstad, Curacao. We couldn't have been happier with our one day rental during an NCL Epic cruise stop in Curacao. All the preliminaries were handled promptly and efficiently by email. Celestino meets you at the port with your car, gives you a programmed GPS unit to use in the car (and he'll enter any destinations you're interested in if they are not already in the GPS). He also gives you a pre-programmed cell phone that can be used to call him if you should happen to need it. He'll give you a nice map, and discuss your tour plans with you, making recommendations as to the order you might want to visit them, and tips about things you may not know, such as early closing times. The car (a recent model Nissan Versa) was clean and well maintained. Driving in Curacao (and indeed in all the ABC's) is easy, particularly if you're from the U.S. as they drive on the right hand side of the road. Signage is clear and easy to decipher, and all the other drivers are uncommonly courteous. The GPS (or Maps.Me running on your cell phone) is definitely needed, as many of the secondary roads do not have signs. Perhaps the only hitch in the whole process is refilling the car before you return it. There is a gas station near the port that only takes credit cards, but I could not get any of my credit cards to work in the reader. I ended up paying $US at another station, and of course got the change back in the Netherlands Antilles coins. But they'll make a nice souvenir. I highly recommend Celestino and Advance Carrentals if you're looking to do your own thing on a cruise stop or vacation in Curacao. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted March 20, 2020 #2 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Thanks for posting. We usually just walk around the town but this is a nice alternative for the next time. Sounds amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseapril Posted March 27, 2020 #3 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Thanks for the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOSKI Posted April 25, 2020 #4 Share Posted April 25, 2020 What was the cost of the rental for the day? Do you have contact information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislo Posted May 28, 2020 #5 Share Posted May 28, 2020 We have used them for our last 3 trips. Rental price for the day was $79. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrednole Posted August 15, 2020 #6 Share Posted August 15, 2020 thanks for this information. If we switch to the cruise going here, we will have 12 hours in port. I read in another post about renting a car from this place. They said it was great for a trip to the North side to swim with turtles, a drive to a nice place for lunch, then another guy to go to the Blue Room. If we go this route I have to do a lot more research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Lomas Posted June 23, 2021 #7 Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 3/15/2020 at 4:25 PM, VideoTech said: Just wanted to put up another good word for Celestino at Advance Car Rental in Willemstad, Curacao. We couldn't have been happier with our one day rental during an NCL Epic cruise stop in Curacao. All the preliminaries were handled promptly and efficiently by email. Celestino meets you at the port with your car, gives you a programmed GPS unit to use in the car (and he'll enter any destinations you're interested in if they are not already in the GPS). He also gives you a pre-programmed cell phone that can be used to call him if you should happen to need it. He'll give you a nice map, and discuss your tour plans with you, making recommendations as to the order you might want to visit them, and tips about things you may not know, such as early closing times. The car (a recent model Nissan Versa) was clean and well maintained. Driving in Curacao (and indeed in all the ABC's) is easy, particularly if you're from the U.S. as they drive on the right hand side of the road. Signage is clear and easy to decipher, and all the other drivers are uncommonly courteous. The GPS (or Maps.Me running on your cell phone) is definitely needed, as many of the secondary roads do not have signs. Perhaps the only hitch in the whole process is refilling the car before you return it. There is a gas station near the port that only takes credit cards, but I could not get any of my credit cards to work in the reader. I ended up paying $US at another station, and of course got the change back in the Netherlands Antilles coins. But they'll make a nice souvenir. I highly recommend Celestino and Advance Carrentals if you're looking to do your own thing on a cruise stop or vacation in Curacao. Thanks for posting this. I was looking for a vehicle rental for our upcoming cruise that stops in Curacao. I contacted Advance after reading your review and Celestino replied to me within minutes. If our August cruise actually sails and we are able to be on it, I am almost certain we will rent from Celestino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted July 5, 2021 #8 Share Posted July 5, 2021 On 6/22/2021 at 11:44 PM, Russ Lomas said: Thanks for posting this. I was looking for a vehicle rental for our upcoming cruise that stops in Curacao. I contacted Advance after reading your review and Celestino replied to me within minutes. If our August cruise actually sails and we are able to be on it, I am almost certain we will rent from Celestino. I've rented cars in Curaçao several times, and the last time I rented from Avis, which now has an office right at the Mega Pier. Very quick and easy pick up, and you can drop the car off whenever you want, even though the office will probably be closed by time you get back. A short walk back up the pier and you reboard. Although I've dealt with small, local companies in Curaçao previously without any problems, the Avis rental was very competitively priced and offered the convenience of being able to book through the Canadian Avis website. https://www.avis.ca/en/locations/an/otrobanda/wm2 There is a gas station just a few minutes from the pier, so I filled up before returning. There were no additional charges after the rental. Just another option for you to consider when planning your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Lomas Posted July 5, 2021 #9 Share Posted July 5, 2021 21 hours ago, Fouremco said: I've rented cars in Curaçao several times, and the last time I rented from Avis, which now has an office right at the Mega Pier. Very quick and easy pick up, and you can drop the car off whenever you want, even though the office will probably be closed by time you get back. A short walk back up the pier and you reboard. Although I've dealt with small, local companies in Curaçao previously without any problems, the Avis rental was very competitively priced and offered the convenience of being able to book through the Canadian Avis website. https://www.avis.ca/en/locations/an/otrobanda/wm2 There is a gas station just a few minutes from the pier, so I filled up before returning. There were no additional charges after the rental. Just another option for you to consider when planning your cruise. Thanks for the comments. We have booked with Advance for August. I have a group going in March again to Curacao on a cruise. We have booked 5 vehicles with them for that cruise as well. If our experience in August is not entirely positive, we will consider switching to Avis in March. I had contacted Avis for August previously but they could not offer me a vehicle that held 6 comfortably. The said they would not deliver the minivan to the pier, only at the airport. They offered a Kia vehicle that is a version of the Rondo that you can squeeze 6 into, so that was not an option for us. In march we will only have 4 so I may contact them if needed. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
consmarci Posted February 3, 2022 #10 Share Posted February 3, 2022 Have been looking to rent a vehicle for a port day. Advance Auto with Celestino looks promising, but paying cash is making us a bit uncomfortable. Usually our credit card offers rental car insurance. Our State Farm policy in the US doesn't cover the Caribbean. If you've used him, did he provide a certificate of his insurance? Any experience with issues in this situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lixogab Posted February 14, 2022 #11 Share Posted February 14, 2022 -Do they deliver the car to the cruise port or you have to go somewhere? -What about the insurance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCruisers Posted March 5, 2022 #12 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I'm just starting to research the island, so, what kind of stops did you do in Bonaire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bup1224 Posted March 6, 2022 #13 Share Posted March 6, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 5:39 PM, lixogab said: -Do they deliver the car to the cruise port or you have to go somewhere? -What about the insurance ? He meets you at the port Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bup1224 Posted March 6, 2022 #14 Share Posted March 6, 2022 6 hours ago, RocCruisers said: I'm just starting to research the island, so, what kind of stops did you do in Bonaire? This is the Curaçao forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCruisers Posted March 6, 2022 #15 Share Posted March 6, 2022 49 minutes ago, bup1224 said: This is the Curaçao forum Mea cupa. Brain farce there. So what is exciting to see if we rent a car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bup1224 Posted March 6, 2022 #16 Share Posted March 6, 2022 48 minutes ago, RocCruisers said: Mea cupa. Brain farce there. So what is exciting to see if we rent a car? Westpunt beaches - Grote Knip, Cas Abao (abou), Porto Mari are just a few Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lixogab Posted March 7, 2022 #17 Share Posted March 7, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 8:21 PM, bup1224 said: He meets you at the port Yep. Had a very nice experience with Celestino. He met me at the gate, the car was right there, the paperwork took less than 5 minutes. Paying cash was not a big deal since the insurance is included with 0 deductible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3smithboys Posted August 2, 2022 #18 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Thanks so much for this information. We are now considering renting a car for our trip next summer. One of our questions is about parking- is it difficult to find it at Playa Piskato and Cas Abao beach? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare colesc15 Posted August 10, 2022 #19 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Has anyone done this recently? I was quoted $125 for the day in a mid size car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nascartim Posted October 26, 2022 #20 Share Posted October 26, 2022 I msgd Advance Car Rental and was also quoted $125 for a midsize car. I really only want to go to one place and wanted to compare renting a car vs taking a taxi. I think I'll just take the taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajathree Posted November 2, 2022 #21 Share Posted November 2, 2022 (edited) Rented a car from Celestino Sept of last year....he was great...met me at the port with the car. Filled out the paperwork and he even gives you a preprogrammed cellphone if you need to call him. We also had navigation with preprogramed destinations included with car. I paid for the car upon return in cash when he met us at the port at the predetermined time. All went great and smooth....there is a gas station just a few blocks from the port to refill the gas tank before return....cash only for gas and must be prepaid at cash booth before pumping. We visited a few beaches and all had no issue parking. We just arranged another car rental from him for next month again. Insurance is included with car. Edited November 2, 2022 by bajathree 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brzymom Posted November 7, 2022 #22 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Is Celestino with Advance? I tried to contact them through their website and haven't had a response--its been two weeks. How did you communicate with them to arrange? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccer2010 Posted November 10, 2022 #23 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Advance Car Rental quoted me $150 as their cheapest option ... way too much for me. Avis at the pier is closed. I'm looking for another pier option/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajathree Posted November 10, 2022 #24 Share Posted November 10, 2022 On 11/7/2022 at 8:20 AM, brzymom said: Is Celestino with Advance? I tried to contact them through their website and haven't had a response--its been two weeks. How did you communicate with them to arrange? email him info@advancecarrentalcuracao.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunnerGurl615 Posted November 25, 2022 #25 Share Posted November 25, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 2:28 PM, RocCruisers said: I'm just starting to research the island, so, what kind of stops did you do in Bonaire? If you haven't cruise to Bonaire yet, I highly suggest renting a golf cart for the day. But yes, this is the Curacao port page. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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