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Getting to Bonaire: Ferry from Curacao- is it reliable?
Bonaire Talk: Getting to Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2002-01-01 to 2002-10-27: Ferry from Curacao- is it reliable?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kristin Wadle on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 10:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Does anyone have any experiences on the ferry that they can share with me? I've read a few conversations and know that people often get seasick. I'm wondering what kind of boat it is and if it is possible to sit outside? Also wondering how reliable the company who runs it is? Does it get cancelled often due to weather? Any infomation would be helpful. Airfares in June are much cheaper to Curacao then Bonaire and they ferry might be an option for us.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Linda Richter - NetTech on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 11:10 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Someone just pointed out to me that they have a website. http://www.flamingofastferries.com
Although the website needs some work, the ferry service has been quite good.

The ferry has only been cancelled a handful of times due to high open seas. Very understandable. They have reduced their schedule during this season when the open seas tend to be rougher. The ferry is designed for the job and not some old fishing boat. You can see pictures and such on their website. You can sit outside but depending on the chop you might get wet.

Friends and family that have traveled on it - like the price, wish the trip to Bonaire was a little less choppy (take a pill), like the convenient dropoff/pickup locations - good for shopping in Curacao, liked the inside of the boat, and like the dependable service. Really the only negative seems to be the ride against the wind and waves going from Curacao to Bonaire making some people sick.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 11:30 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Kristin, I too have been finding SUPER high airefares for my clients who are opting not to come to BON in June..717.00 pp from PHL and 1000.00 pp from DEN..Is CUR that much cheaper??

Annie
Cape Cod

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 12:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

folks...check with the dive tour operators listed on infobonaire web site. They have agreements with the airlines and the prices should be considerably lower.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kristin Wadle on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 12:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Annie, We are traveling from Seattle and Tampa. The american fares have been very expensive from both. We would save a couple hundred per ticket flying to Curacao.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Edwin van Woerkens on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 3:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

hehehe ... on their website:

In a comfortable chair on the lower deck, or if you prefer on the upper deck or even outside on one of the 40 deckchairs you will be able to enjoy a 1.5 hours smooth ride on the waves of the cristal clear waters around our islands.

(smooth trip ?)
I did a trip from St. Maarten to Saba (1.5 hours) with a same kind of ferry. About 30-40 percent of the people really got seasick.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By alan markus on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 5:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We came back against 8-10 foot seas and took over two hours. While some people got seasick, my wife had the new electronic wrist band which actually worked (she normally gets sick in the car if she even reads a litte).
The real story however, is the roughness of the ride that night.
This ferry is very light and rides high on the water making the pounding twice what it would be if they opted for a deeper hull model. Did I say pounding; it was like the wild mouse ride for two hours plus... the only good thing is I got an Amstel before we left and had not seen the movie they showed which kept me occupied for awhile.
So if you go, go when it looks like the winds are at least down to normal, or go by ferry and take Divi Air back.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole Baker on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 - 10:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sounds like my kind of boat ride! No kidding, either. I'm an old Fort Lauderdale kid and it has never left my soul. I will have to try it out...Joe will have to take some seasick pills or something, however. Wild Mouse ride, eh? Yippee! Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By alan markus on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 - 9:16 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ok Carole...
You should check to make sure the winds are up and blowing and then fly to Curacao and take the ferry back... (the ride with the wind is not as much fun)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By lonnie hoover on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 3:02 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

kristin, I tried the ferry at Christmas from Curacao to Bonaire, and it wasn't the best experience. The ferry was over two hours late leaving and apparently the ferry operators rarely observe or follow a rigid schedule. I have noticed that the ferry is frequently one to two hours late arriving in Bonaire, and sometimes a great deal later than that. Also when we attempted to land in Bonaire, it took over 40 min.(for some unknown reason, they were trying to land at a different location and after much running about discovered that the gang plank was broken and finally landed at their usual location). Upon arrival you have to clear customs on the boat which is more than a little inconvenient. We didn't get off that damned boat until nearly 11pm. It was scheduled to arrive around 7pm. Overall, the ferry operation is a rag tag unprofessional transportation system. Don't expect much accountability. And, ofcourse, no one appears to be in charge, and it would never occur to any staff person to communicate with the passengers as to what is going on when there is a delay. I found the overall experience to be a lot like ALM. The ferry itself is very nice and very comfortable, but even in fairly calm seas, sea sickness is a definite possibility. I was on the verge of sea sickness during much of the trip, even though I took medication before leaving. It is cheaper than flying from Cur to Bon, and if you are not prone to sea sickness and if a couple of hours one way or the other would not cause you any grief, then the ferry is probably a good bet. One other thing, I found it impossible to book the ferry on line or any way from the US. When I was there in Nov. I had to go to the ferry trailer on the pier in Kralendijk to personally book the trip. When doing that you will need the passport for every person you are booking. You know the Antillean fettish for meticulous record keeping....

 


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