Can we walk

[scher]

Can you walk from the pier where the cruise ship docks(Adventure) to Mambo Beach, Synagouge, Sea Aquarium and shopping. Or do you have to take a taxi everywhere. Trying to save a buck and see all of these places.

[MercedMike]

Can you walk from the pier where the cruise ship docks(Adventure) to Mambo Beach, Synagouge, Sea Aquarium and shopping. Or do you have to take a taxi everywhere. Trying to save a buck and see all of these places.

 

The Seaquarium is pretty much at the other end of the island. We plan to go there next month and have been advised to take a taxi.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[kari*curaçao]

The Seaquarium is pretty much at the other end of the island. We plan to go there next month and have been advised to take a taxi.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

 

Hello Scher, & Mike, too,

 

Actually, the Seaquarium and Mambo Beach are not at 'the other end of the island', but most visitors (especially americans) have difficulty adjusting to the 'small island' concept;) !

 

The Seaquarium and Mambo Beach are just a drop outside the (small) city's boundaries, I think even I could walk the distance in maybe 30-40 min (one of these days I'm gonna check this out!:D ).

 

Still, it is not advised to walk over there, because:

a) You will want to cram as much as possible in the hours you have ashore;

b) the heat! the sun! Remember: this is the caribbean (did I mention the heat?)

 

If you're lucky, your ship will dock in the center of the city. Yes, that's right: plain center, and if you're VERY lucky you might even have the unique experience of admiring the view of gliding in between the 2 town parts while your ship enters port. There are 3 wharfs in town where cruiseships moor, and there is also the Megapier, all in walking distance for shopping, architectural sightseeing and also a visit to the synagogue.

 

If your ship docks at the Caracasbaai, ahh... you might not even want to take the trouble to get farther than that lovely beach, the relaxed atmosphere, those inviting waves, with a choice of different types of watersports offered! But if you must go to town, from the Caracasbaai it will be only 15-20 min. with a taxi.

 

So you might want to check the place your ship will be docking to finetune your plans (and your budget) accordingly.

 

Another tip: if you get a chance, walk across our 'swinging old lady': the pontoon bridge connecting 2 parts of the city, Punda and Otrabanda. Ever since I was a child I've been enchanted by the soft motion the bridge makes because of the waves playing beneath its pontoons.

 

I hope you will have a lovely day on dushi Kòrsou!

Kari.

[scher]

Hello Scher, & Mike, too,

 

Actually, the Seaquarium and Mambo Beach are not at 'the other end of the island', but most visitors (especially americans) have difficulty adjusting to the 'small island' concept;) !

 

The Seaquarium and Mambo Beach are just a drop outside the (small) city's boundaries, I think even I could walk the distance in maybe 30-40 min (one of these days I'm gonna check this out!:D ).

 

Still, it is not advised to walk over there, because:

a) You will want to cram as much as possible in the hours you have ashore;

b) the heat! the sun! Remember: this is the caribbean (did I mention the heat?)

 

If you're lucky, your ship will dock in the center of the city. Yes, that's right: plain center, and if you're VERY lucky you might even have the unique experience of admiring the view of gliding in between the 2 town parts while your ship enters port. There are 3 wharfs in town where cruiseships moor, and there is also the Megapier, all in walking distance for shopping, architectural sightseeing and also a visit to the synagogue.

 

If your ship docks at the Caracasbaai, ahh... you might not even want to take the trouble to get farther than that lovely beach, the relaxed atmosphere, those inviting waves, with a choice of different types of watersports offered! But if you must go to town, from the Caracasbaai it will be only 15-20 min. with a taxi.

 

So you might want to check the place your ship will be docking to finetune your plans (and your budget) accordingly.

 

Another tip: if you get a chance, walk across our 'swinging old lady': the pontoon bridge connecting 2 parts of the city, Punda and Otrabanda. Ever since I was a child I've been enchanted by the soft motion the bridge makes because of the waves playing beneath its pontoons.

 

I hope you will have a lovely day on dushi Kòrsou!

Kari.

thank you for th information you have really been informative. Can I bother you with a few more question, and then tell you what it is I am trying to do and acomplish and you tell me the best way to do this. I do not know which pier we dock at, but we are coming in on the RCCL Adventure of the Sea. If you know where this docks you can maybe give me more information. we want to see the synagouge and then were thinking of going to a great beach spot with some snorkleing for beginners. I was thinking of the sea aquarium beach but am not sure if the entrance fee to the sea aquarium itself means its part of the same fee for use of the beach. Can we walk to the synagouge and then take a taxi to one of the rest of the places? we will be there on feb 21 I believe that is a wed. What is the cheapest and most practical way to do this. I forgot to mention we would like to shop a little and walk around town. thank you

[kari*curaçao]

Hello Scher,

 

I will check where RCCL Adventure of the Sea will moor on your trip and answer your q's in a few days.

 

Kari

[kari*curaçao]

Hello Scher,

 

I will check where RCCL Adventure of the Sea will moor on your trip and answer your q's in a few days.

 

Kari

[MIcruiser99]

When we were on the Adventure last week, it docked at the Megapier.

 

We rented from Avis which had a little "office" right when you walk off the ship and to the left. We drove to see the Hato Caves then went to Blue Bay Resort for the beach only to find out that they had construction equipment going right next to the beach.:( (And it rained on us!)

 

Others went to the Sea Aquarium and had a beautiful sunny day. They were surprised that we had rain.

[scher]

When we were on the Adventure last week, it docked at the Megapier.

 

We rented from Avis which had a little "office" right when you walk off the ship and to the left. We drove to see the Hato Caves then went to Blue Bay Resort for the beach only to find out that they had construction equipment going right next to the beach.:( (And it rained on us!)

 

Others went to the Sea Aquarium and had a beautiful sunny day. They were surprised that we had rain.

So i guess that means we will dock at the Mega Pier also, which is what I figured (mega ship, mega pier) Can anyone tell me what is in walking distance to the mega pier. Thanks

[MIcruiser99]

So i guess that means we will dock at the Mega Pier also, which is what I figured (mega ship, mega pier) Can anyone tell me what is in walking distance to the mega pier. Thanks

 

We walked to the floating bridge. It was not that far, but it is hot walking. There is an open air market and a few stores. We did not cross the bridge as it had opened to allow boats through, but I could see many stores on the other side and I know that there is a floating market there, also.

 

Other than that, I didn't see much else in walking distance. I guess it also depends on how far you are comfortable walking in the heat.

[kari*curaçao]

Hello Scher, hello MIcruiser99,

 

It took me some time to get back with the information, but a phone call to the Ports Authoroties set me on the right track. On their website http://curports.com/CruiseCalls.htm you can see the cruise calls and where each ship will dock. On 21 feb the RCCL Adventure of the Sea will be at the Megapier.

From there it will be a short walk to the Riffort, where there are shops and a couple of restaurants (take notice of the construction of the coming Renaissance Hotel). Through the fort you will arrive at the entrance of our port, de Sint Annabay. This side is Otrabanda, the other side is Punda (hmm.. some mixe-up here?:p ). You can get to Punda crossing the bridge, which is now only accessible for pedestrians.

 

MIcruiser, I hope you have enjoyed your visit here. Did you think that the other part of the town was outside your boundaries bc the bridge was open? When the bridge is open, there is a ferry service (FREE) to get across the St. Annabay. It's a nice little ride, but slow :rolleyes: , if you take the small distance in consideration! And it can be noisy bc of the heavy motor of the ferry! But most small kids will enjoy this simple pleasure. You will just have to keep on walking past the bridge along the quay, it's not a long walk.

Both sides of town have lots of stores for shopping, though the most tourist-oriented are located in Punda. But Otrabanda has more local flavor ;).

 

Scher, At the moment the floating market is being renovated. So you will only see a couple of boats there, maybe in february it will be finished. But keep on walking to the round market, there's also local flavor there, and past the round market you van get a vast choice of local cuisine at the old market.

The synagogue is close by, just ask anyone.

There will still be time to take a cab to one of the closest beaches.

 

I will get back to you later on this.

Any q's? Shoot adn I'll try my best to answer.

 

Happy cruising!

Kari.

[kari*curaçao]

:p I mentioned 'mix-up' in my post of yesterday, here follows an aclaration:

 

When the Europeans settled on Curaçao in the 16th century, they chose to do so at the side of the bay, which today we call 'Punda' (the name is derived from the Dutch word 'punt', meaning a point, or in this case, a piece of land pointing in the sea.

 

Afterwards, the other side of the bay acquired the name 'Otrabanda', which means literally....: 'the other side'.

 

So, you see, it feels funny to be standing at this side (Otrabanda) and refering to PUNDA as 'the other side' ! :D

[CruisinMommas]

Kari can you tell me anything about Carnival on Feb. 17th? Thanks

[CruisinMommas]

First time for a double post sorry.

[kari*curaçao]

Yeah it will be total madness. I must confes, I have never given much thought to the matter of cruise tourists on the island on Carnival sunday.

You mentioned feb 17, that is a SATURDAY. The big parade (Gran Marcha) is on sunday 18.

 

OH, I see there will be a special 'Ban Topa Karnaval - Tourist Parade', on the 17th, but I think this is for the late afternoon going on into the night. So if your ship stays in port till late you can get a taste of this madness! There will be lots of music, lots of people, and a whole bunch of 'ambiente'!

You can check out the schedule of activities on http://www.karnaval.an/curacao-carnival-schedule.shtml (and look at pics from previous years)

 

 

For those of you visiting Curaçao on a cruise on Sunday 18 feb, though, you will have to get back to your ship in time to depart. This might prove to be very difficult on Sunday! Because the part of town where the big parade will be ending will be almost cut off from traffic, and I don't know about provisions made for crusie tourists to get throught the blocked streets.

I'm gonna check around with my friends about their ideas & experiences.

 

But about the fun part: the big parade on Sunday starts around 10 am and will end around 5 pm, if all goes well. There will be stands along the route where you can buy a seat, which ussualy will include food, snacks, and refreshments, mostly non-alcoholic beverages and beer. You must imagine something like the stands at a sporting event, not most comfortable places but hey, you won't be sitting down anyway, will you? ANd most important, the stands are covered so you will be in the shade (but still remember to use sunscreen).

 

INDISPENSABLE STUFF YOU MUST CARRY WITH YOU IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE PARADE:

good humor

hat

sunglasses

sunblock

relaxed attitude

bottled water (although there will be stands all along the road where you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxcan get water, soda, beer, snacks, local dishes)

easy fitting clothes

walking shoes

photo and/or video camera

a big grin

 

I'll keep you informed when I have more info!

 

Kari

[CruisinMommas]

Thank You Kari, looks like we will miss all the Sunday excitement.

[scher]

It looks like the Adventure docks on Feb 21 I checked the schedule seems like we dont get to enjoy any Carnival.

[kari*curaçao]

EARPLUGS !!!

 

Do not forget theses, especially if you're going to watch the sunday march with small children.

All the bands in the parade will be playing at their loudest! The level of the music surpasses the level which is considered safe for the human ear.

 

(Our local Quota Club, among others, has been very active in the past years to promote our people's awareness on htis matter. Each year the Quota Club will hand out earpugs to all the children who participate in the Children's parade.)

 

FYI

Kari.

[kari*curaçao]

It looks like the Adventure docks on Feb 21 I checked the schedule seems like we dont get to enjoy any Carnival.

 

 

Scher,

 

I'm sorry to hear you'll be missing out on the madness! :D

 

But I think that between saturday till tuesday (Mardi Grass) your cruise must be calling on one or more islands where there will be carnival celebrations during that weekend. Go wild!

 

Kari

[kari*curaçao]

double

[MIcruiser99]

Hello Scher, hello MIcruiser99,

 

MIcruiser, I hope you have enjoyed your visit here. Did you think that the other part of the town was outside your boundaries bc the bridge was open? When the bridge is open, there is a ferry service (FREE) to get across the St. Annabay. It's a nice little ride, but slow :rolleyes: , if you take the small distance in consideration! And it can be noisy bc of the heavy motor of the ferry! But most small kids will enjoy this simple pleasure. You will just have to keep on walking past the bridge along the quay, it's not a long walk.

Both sides of town have lots of stores for shopping, though the most tourist-oriented are located in Punda. But Otrabanda has more local flavor ;).

 

Kari.

 

We, unfortunely, waited to explore the city until after we had driven around the island, went to Hato caves, and stopped at Blue Bay Resort. By the time we got back to see the floating bridge open, we were tired and didn't feel like walking around.

 

I would love to do the cruise a second time so we could see what we missed!

[kari*curaçao]

(so I hope the moderator won't censor this post) :D

 

I would love to do the cruise a second time so we could see what we missed!

 

 

But MIcruiser...

forget about the next cruise, come and stay here for a week!

 

Kari

[Tibear]

Hi Kari

We will be sailing on the Brilliance, and thanks to the website you posted, it shows that we will be docking at the MATHEY WHARF on the 31st of March.

Do you know of a map online that would show us exactly where the Wharf is and where everything else is located? If not, a description would be great also.

Thanks in advance

Tibear

[Tibear]

Hi Kari

We will be sailing on the Brilliance, and thanks to the website you posted, it shows that we will be docking at the MATHEY WHARF on the 31st of March.

Do you know of a map online that would show us exactly where the Wharf is and where everything else is located? If not, a description would be great also.

Thanks in advance

Tibear

[Tibear]

Hello Kari

Thanks for posting the web page with details about the ships location for docking. We are on the Brilliance arriving on March 31st and docked at the Mathey Warf. Are there any maps online that show where this is located, if not could you give us some info as to where it is and how far from the Mega Pier it is

Thanks in advance

Tibear

[jakz2fun]

I am thinking on going to Caracao for a land vacation. I am wondering if you could recommend a dive resort? As this is a cruise website, you could Email me if you wish: joannz2fun@yahoo.com

 

Thank-you in advance if you are able to recommend someone.

 

JoAnn