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Trip Reports: Yikes - Bonaire Trip Reconsidered
Bonaire Talk: Trip Reports: Archives: Archives 2000 to 2005: Archives - 2005-05-08 to 2005-08-03: Yikes - Bonaire Trip Reconsidered
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Roberts (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 6:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Approx. 4 months ago I was very excited to take my 13 year old son on his first dive trip - and to go to Bonaire due to all the shallow diving which suits a Jr. diver perfectly. We have reservations at the Divi the first week in August. After reading the board I am seriously reconsidering other options. I have NEVER read a travel board with disaster after disaster listed so frequently. It seems that if you get there without a flight cancelled and do not get robbed it is a great trip. How in the heck can the an island that survives on tourist have so many problems that seemingly go unaddressed? I have never had shallow dives as a requirement in planning a dive trip but does any one have suggestions for an alternative dive spot suited for a Jr. diver?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Marcus L. Barnes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #325) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 6:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark: I would advise against cancelling your trip. I can only relate my own expirience to you and this is it: I have been to Bonaire 5 times in the last 4 years and I am scheduled again for 17 September 2005. I have never been robbed on Bonaire. I have never been bumped off a flight nor have none of my flights ever been cancelled either enroute to Bonaire or enroute home from Bonaire. My luggage and dive gear has never been lost and has always arrived on the plane on which I arrived. The bad stories you read on Bonaire Talk constitute the miniority of expiriences; for every person that has encountered problems, there are many more who have not. The diving is WORLD CLASS at an affordable price; the food and the people are great. My advice: Give the Home of Diving Freedom a shot - you will never know until you try and I wager you won't regret it! Have great trip!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #13807) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 6:43 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, ditto to what Marcus said. People love to report the bad news, and not the good too often. 4 trips and all have gone smoothly. We took my stepkids this last time (16 and 19) it was their first dive vacation and they LOVED it! Use common sense when locking valuables in the safe, etc., like everyone suggests and you will be fine.

Now, if you are flying AJ, you may want to check into options if they cancel your flight...AA is find...relax, take a deep breath and enjoy your vacation.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Geoffrey (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #154) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 6:46 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,
Please consider that this board is not a valid poll of experiences. It's a place for people to share the extremes of experience and I guess that includes complaining. If you travel, even in the states, inconveniences of all sorts do occur.

If you get to Bonaire, you will have to look hard to find anyone with a bad experience. As Carribean vacations go, Bonaire is outstanding. Other islands with far more problems are not "Blessed" with a board such as this one. So, you can not compare there with here. Even if there is a board for another destination, consider it might not attract such voiciferous or articulate fans as Bonaire does.

In other words, ignore the complainers.

I have been to Bonaire fifteen times. This includes years ago when the travel accomodations and resort facilities were WORSE than today. I have never had a sour day in Bonaire and I have had a hell of a lot of fun.

As for kids, this is about the safest place to go.

Do what you can to avoid problems that can be avoided. Call the airline ahead to assure they are flying as planned. If they are not, you have options. Use all the usual precautions that you follow when traveling in the states. You will be just fine.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathalie (BonaireTalker - Post #88) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 7:13 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

People are more apt to report bad news than good. Maybe it's time to balance things a bit.

My experience:
# of trips - 30
# of cancelled flights - 0
# of times robbed - 0
# of times luggage lost - 0

I have been lucky. Chances are you would be also. Air Jamaica's cancellation of it's Bonaire route (and many others) is no fault of Bonaire's, but it did decrease the options for the time being. You can still fly in via San Juan, Aruba, and Curacao.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Raymond Sauve (BonaireTalker - Post #17) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 8:14 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,

This is a great place to bring your son. My daughter was certified at 12 and the Divi was her first real diving experience. She is now 24 and we just finished another trip.

I have never had any problems with crime. As Geoffrey said confirm your reservations and just take normal precautions like you would anywhere.

I did get delayed once when there was a brief strike on ALM a long time ago. ALM rebooked us two days later. I grabbed a taxi and I was back in my room at Divi before the maid got there to clean the room. ALM paid for the room!

Ray

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kay Powers (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #898) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 8:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My daughter was certified on Bonaire at 10 which was 4 years ago. It's a great place for a jr diver. My first trip to Bonaire was in 96' and my next will be my 9th trip......you can't ever get enough. My daughter, now 14 is still always ready to go there. I love the divi and the dive shop there is wonderful......Don't change your plans.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jenna (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 8:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ditto what everyone else has said. I began diving in Bonaire at age 12 - it's a wonderful place for beginner divers of any age. Your son will love it.
As far as problems go, I'm looking forward to my seventh trip this Christmas, and I've only had good experiences both getting to and staying on the island. I'm familiar with the negative trip reports on this board, but I really do think they reflect a minority of experiences. I'm not any more concerned about travel or safety when scheduling a trip to Bonaire than I am when scheduling a trip anywhere else.
The odds are very much in favor of you and your family having a fantastic time. The only thing to worry about is the PBD that tends to set in as soon as you get home again:-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sue Goodman (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #172) on Sunday, June 5, 2005 - 9:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,

Stick with your plans. Bonaire is a great place for kids to dive. My daughter was certfied there in 2004 and found it much more enjoyable than the Keys where the 45 minutes boat trips to the reef wore her out.

Right now, the only thing that should concern you is if you are booked with AirJamaica. We've been there the past 3 years - in 2003 we had some problems with AJ on the way down (Newark flight cancelled, but we found out night before and drove to Philly) and this past year we sat in MoBay for 8 hours eating chips and meat pies.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy & Dave Bartlett (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #260) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 1:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We have been 3 times to Bonaire and have not had any problems.Flew AJ 2 times and the first time with ALM (which is now defunct), No problems with the resorts we have stayed at. We love the shore diving and plan on going again, just don't have a date yet. Bonaire is very addictive.

you see that that are lots of satisfied people that go to Bonaire. There is always someone who complains, but not always someone who gives positive thoughts. Just look at the news and you will see this proved out.

Go and enjoy Bonaire, her people and her dive sites.

Andy

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5506) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 7:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

And I moved to Bonaire nearly 8 years ago because it was safer for my then infant and toddler (who are both now a lot bigger) than the U.S. (they were born in New Hampshire).

I've done over a dozen round trips between Bonaire and the U.S. in just the last 6 months, and I arrived at my destination the day I was supposed to. Coming to Bonaire, I was once 3 hours late, and twice about an hour late. Heading north I've had my luggage misplaced once (when going to Las Vegas for conference in January). The last time I got stuck anywhere overnight because of a heavily delayed flight was with Air Jamaica in March 2000. That's about 80-90 round trips ago. AJ put us up at the prestigious Half Moon Resort at the time.

Mind you, I use American Airlines exclusively (with the occasional puddle jumper on Divi Divi from/to Curacao when that's my point of exit/entrance to the Antilles), and have been pretty happy with this choice.

In terms of crime, I personally know only one local couple that has been "robbed" in the 8 years I have been here and that created such an uproar on Bonaire that the police was able to follow tips and arrest all those involved.

"Robbing" involves a person threatening or using force to steal - I doubt there's anyone on BT that has ever been robbed on Bonaire - the word is heavily mis-used. What has happened to folks on occasion is being a victim of petty theft - very different from being "robbed". In my 8 years on Bonaire I have had a bicycle stolen from my patio during the first 7 months I lived on Bonaire. No other items of mine have ever been stolen here. (I also had my bicycle stolen from me in Wellesley, Massachusetts once if that's any comparison.)

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1918) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 8:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Really, if we had Bonaire Talk in the days when ALM was our only carrier, no one would have booked a trip! With over 50,000 visitors each year, we are bound to have some problems True, we have been plagued with bad airlift and with the ease of using the internet, some bad PR. I am of the opinion that any crime, etc is unacceptable. As a businessman I support any effort to work againt it as well as prevention progtams. To cancel a trip would be a shame.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DARLENE ELLIS (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1450) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 9:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I have been to Bonaire 10 times in five years. Five of those time were solo. My husband and I feel it is the only island that we have been to that we feel safe enough for me to travel alone! I can walk the streets freely with out a worry. Not only that, but he knows that I am in good hands when I get there with friends we have met on island. On my 2nd trip to Bonaire and my first trip solo, I fell and broke my knee back in September of 2001. I'll never forget that Janice Huckaby was at the hospital before I saw the doctor!!! In the one day left that I had before going home, I had more visitors and signatures on my cast than I would have had if I was at home. I don't even know how she knew I was there. Only thing I came up with was.... I was staying at the Divi at the time...doing guided snorkels with Renee and had met Janice through Renee who I purchased some of her art...I had also met Luis, the head of maintenence at Divi through Renee, and he must of known that I fell and alerted my new found friends!!! And that is what Bonaire is like!!!! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carlea B (BonaireTalker - Post #63) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 9:34 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Travel Guard should give a commission to the Bonaire Talk moderators. I'm sure I'm not the only one who purchased a package from them yesterday morning after reading the previous thread. I'm knocking on my fake wood desk as I type this, but my previous trip to Bonaire went smoothly all around. And Bonaire is just the best place on earth. We're heading there in 12 days (!!!yay!!!). I feel better having travel insurance. And luggage locks. And a motion detector. And yes, it's worth it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Bridenbaugh (BonaireTalker - Post #13) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 9:43 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark;
Bonaire is an island of humble and friendly people. Unfortunately no one is perfect. There is some petty crime and some people have experienced that from time to time. We vacationers are very sensitive about our experiences and often over dramatize when we feel violated. My family have had some very bad experiences right here at home in Cincinnati.
You will feel safe in Bonaire believe us!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5507) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 10:08 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Carlea - I wonder if Travel Guard has some sort of affiliate program - that could benefit the non-profit Bonaire Talk Community, Inc. organization which owns and operates BonaireTalk. Maybe some of the moderators can check that out?

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2066) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 10:34 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Affiliate member discounts?????

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin Heyn (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 10:39 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

We had many of the same concerns and found many of the issues blown out of proportion as often happens on the NET. Below is a link to our recent trip report and I can strongly recommend the BelMar for your situation.

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/226957.html?1117555488

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carlea B (BonaireTalker - Post #64) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 11:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Excellent idea.

Maybe they could create a Bonaire package that covers only the cost of alcohol consumed because of delayed flights, personal items stolen off of front seats of rental cars and any injuries sustained during struggles with luggage thieves. Ha ha.

Okay, that part was a joke. I think the moderators could make a case for themselves. Particularly if they work with them in conjunction with Bonairepros.com. They are the ones who recommended them.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jamie Barber (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #130) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 11:35 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,

Our bad experiences from 4 trips so far:

*1 pair of fins taken (left in the back of open jeep)
*gas fill line sliced and 1/2 tank of gas gone (parked at a remote divesite for night dive)
*one overnight stay in Jamaica coutesy of AJ and a cancelled connector--at the Weston


Our good experiences so far:

WAY too many to list here!!!!

Never have we felt a travel destination to be so tourist (diver) friendly. We'll be back in a heartbeat as soon as we can.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Debbie Babcock (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1677) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 1:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,

I see lots of people have responded to your posts, and Bonaire is the only place I know that is so easy and accessable for young and newly certified divers that I know of. I have been going to Bonaire for over 10 years and have never been robbed, a victim of theft and have even bought a place on Bonaire to retire when I can swing it. My daughter, now 17 got certified and went diving first on Bonaire and only dives there to this day. She is getting older now and I would have no problems with her going elsewhere now that she has some dive time under her belt as she wants to be a marine biologist and probably will be diving in Florida in a year for college. Bonaire is really wonderful, hard to access by plane, but this has always been the case, just that recently Air Jamaica has gone thru some major problems and is causing some havoc with reservations. Crime is everywhere, but not all that bad on Bonaire. I feel it is safer than where we live in South Jersey and look forward to retiring there down the road. Common sense is the key here as when you travel anywhere. The resort you chose is very nice and you should give it a try. Hoping the best for you and your son in diving together! Those memories will stay with you a lifetime and I can still see my daughter and hubby walking hand in hand into the sea to dive together. Bonaire is so unlike any other place you have been, it would be a shame to skip it due to over-talked and hyped up posts that deter some people away. I have just come back from Bonaire this month and traveled solo, which I never do to any other island, other than Culebra in the past, but feel very safe to do so.
You can have airline issues wherever you travel, just always check your ticket every now and then to make sure everything is still running and accurate, ex: times, making sure your connecting flight is still connecting and not cancelled. Getting to Bonaire is truly an adventure, but one worth making in my honest opinion. My youngest son has started diving and to just see the ocean and it's life through his eyes are the most treasured times of my life. Especially when he spots a green moray eel, one of his favorite things to spot. Now he wants to see a whale shark, that one even I haven't seen yet, but they do go through Bonaire at times, so we will just have to keep going and maybe someday we will get lucky and see one when we are together. How cool would that be?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Geoffrey (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #155) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 3:51 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I think we should all pause and consider what some of the more histrionic and whiney posts do to the island everyone says they love. I can understand how Mark or someone else could come to such conclusions from the posts on this board.

I think when people complain about Bonaire, they should ALWAYS consider how it COMPARES to other vacation opportunities. You can have a rotten vacation anywhere.

Bonaire is not a place where anyone is getting rich on the tourisim business. It's a labor of love for the most part. It's also the islands economy and the only possible source of income for most local people.

So PLEASE when you whine about whatever dumb little thing went wrong, consider who you are hurting and whether your incident is really worthy of posting about. In trying to make clear that part of your vacation sucked, consider that you may be unjustifiably cheating someone else of a nice vacation and taking food from the mouths of Bonairians.

This is not to say that there should not be negative posts, but think twice about it and CONSIDER THE EXPERIENCE IN PROPORTION TO OTHER PLACES WITH ALL THAT BONAIRE DOES HAVE.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cathy Smith (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 4:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark: We are scheduled for our first trip to Bonaire in September. I have read all of these reports too, but we prefer to determine for ourselves whether Bonaire is worth it or not. If I had listened to everyone, I never would have gone to Paris, Tahiti, or Jamaica. You know, rude people, high crime, etc. I never saw any of it and would go back to all three of those places in a heartbeat. And, my vacation time and dollars are very valuable to me! So go to Bonaire, dive, and decide for yourself if it was worth it.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kelly Cooper (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 6:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I agree with all the positive posts! Bonaire is a great place. This chat is sometimes just a place for people who have had a bad experience to vent.
Please don't let that stop you from visiting and diving Bonaire. I have been 5 times and have had only the ususal airport hiccup while getting there. We always plan for two days travel because we come from so far away. We spend one night in the states and then an easy flight to Bonaire the next day. The best thing about Bonaire in the last 15 years is that it hasn't grown leaps and bounds. It is friendly, quaint and yet modern spot. It is our favorite spot in the world!!!Don't forget all the great restaurants too!!!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wally and Eva (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #817) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 7:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We send our older teenagers by themselves for weeks at a time and are quite comfortable with that (Eva, my wife, has standard issue Mother Worry genes). BTW everybody, Joey is running around western Europe for ten weeks by himself.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Perkins (BonaireTalker - Post #56) on Monday, June 6, 2005 - 7:35 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark: My wife got certified at Bonaire and I took two of my sons to Bonaire for their first open water dives. You'll love the Divi, Serge at the dive shop is great too. You'll have a wonderful vacation. I'm returning in December for 16 days with my wife and two of my sons.
Bill

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tony Fister (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - 1:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, I just got back from the Divi June 5th with my 14y/o son after 7 days of great diving. Flew air Jamaica from Atlanta to Montego Bay and on to Bonaire Sunday to Sunday which will soon be discontinued. Divi is a great place to stay- my 4th time in 14 years. It's so close to town easy to walk and find places for you and you son to eat. Diving is perfect for a 14 y/o. My flights were ok- going home the plane was 1hour late arriving in Bonaire which made me worried about the connection in Jamaica going home. They held the connecting plane so we just walked off and onto the next gate down and were off in about 15minutes- our luggage made it with no problems. Enjoy your trip!! Bonaire is great!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tony Fister (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - 1:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark- as for flights you may consider going into aruba and catching Bonaire excell over. I talked to several who did and they had no problems. I was worried by some notes here on this board so I did not do it but my impression is that they are flying and ontime. Since Air Jamaica will stop all service in late August this may be a option.

 


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