Dear Fellow Travelers,

I shipped three boxes of stuff to Bonaire (Massachusetts to Bonaire) 10 days ago and it hasn't shown up yet. It's not exactly PANIC time, but DARN close! They told me "6-10 days" and it's been ten days now... The USPS doesn't track it after it leaves the States, so my only option is to ask the person receiving it to check the post office, which she has done. Anyone else do this? How did it go? We're going on 2.13 (Family of five) and I'm thinking we're going to be wearing the same t shirt for 9 days...

Annie

It is probably 6 - 10 working days...

I hate to tell you this but .... I have shipped items to friends on the island before using both USPS and FedEx and they have never gotten there within the "promised" time frame. I hope it gets there for you!

had stuff shipped to me from the US priority mail...took a month.

Annie,
Once your mail leaves the States there are no service standards for delivery time.
I have had good service 10 days and not so good 3 months.
A family of 5 flying you are allowed 140 pounds per person 2 checked at 50 each and 1 carry on at 40 gives you 700 pounds total and for 9 days??
Also the P.O. will not deliver large packages here; you have to pick them up.
Check the P.O. daily
Henk.

I received Christmas Cards postmarked December 13th about 10 days ago...

Once received a letter six months later too.

Good luck.

Jake

How do you sent your gear to Bonaire? I've used a large Akona mesh dive bag for two trips but is this sturdy enough? Do I need to invest in a rolling scuba suitcase? These usually cost in the range of $200, a lot for twice-a-year travel.

Barton, We have 4 divers in the family, for each, we pack a large suitcase with B/C, fins, wetsuit, lights, and any other peices of gear. Take our Reg's and mask in the carry-on. Haven't had a problem in 12 years... Ron

Thanks all... I fear our underwear is lost

Oh, Annie, it will show up, you just don't know what year. My personal best was 55 weeks for a first-class letter, and then there was the package that got sent to Bahrain instead of Bonaire--that showed up about 9 months later with lots of Arabic on it which I think said, "Mis-sent to Bahrain." Good luck.

6 to 10 weeks has been my average with the USPS.
A Christmas card sent to me in Nov. arrived in April. Have had many thing come to Bonaire via the Netherlands. Some via Bombay.

Good luck. Hope yours is better than ours has been in the past.

Always use FedEx or UPS.

well, you don't really need underwear on bonaire

add a couple of large camera rigs and you are definitely in an excess baggage situation...i guess most airlines will allow excess baggage for a charge but there are still excess baggage "blackout" periods for certain airlines at certain times of the year and also smaller planes that may have to haul the baggage on a separate flight...

so it's still a bit of a problem though i would think maybe the airlines should charge more for baggage and increase the amount of baggage they can handle...not like prices are going up

Annie never fear.. Just put your bathing suits on and go.. a shirt and shorts over the bathing suit and you are good to go even into town..{Please no suits without a real coverup{not a dive skin} in town or at restaurants}

My favorite so far was a postcard from a friend in Japan. It arrived 4 months later in an envelope provided by the Japanese post office, explaining that it really was for Bonaire. Every time it got to Bonaire, the post office would see all the Japanese writing on the postcard and send it back to Japan.

I use EZone for packages from US..USPS and UPS really are unreliable. EZone is a sort mailing service from the US via the Antillean Post. If a package gets to Miami on a Friday, chances are pretty good I have it the following Wed.

EZone URL is http://www.getezone.com/about_ezone.asp

A kind woman at the Rocargo Fedex desk advised me to address things to Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. Then "they" have to look it up and "they" have a better chance of getting it right.

"They" move in mysterious ways.

Dear Fellow Bonaire Lovers:

Just returned from my first trip there, and I am VERY happy to report that my boxes arrived THE DAY I DID! Can you BELIEVE IT? I shipped them 1/28 and they arrived on 2/13... I got VERY lucky, I know. I will post more about the trip later, but suffice it to say that IT WAS MAGNIFICENT and I now get what all the fuss is about! I hope to return to that scruffy, charming, LOVELY island again and again...

Annie