Do I have to have a truck? My soon to be wife doesn't drive standard and I would like for her to be able to drive in case of an emergency. All of the trucks only come in standard. Can I get away with just a car?

If you plan on no shore diving or no trips to the park then you might be able to get away with a car. Otherwise, I strongly recommend a truck. Personally, I'd never rent a car on Bonaire.

Do you both dive Douglas?

yes we are both diving

What better place to learn how to drive standard in addition to the great diving. The roads away from the center of town are fairly deserted and flat. As long as you get a truck with power steering (e.g., not a "Group 1 from AB", but rather a "Group 2"; other places are likely the same) it would be easy to teach your bride-to-be how to drive standard. In the long run she will then always be able to do so if needed. Just be certain that she really wants to learn and wants "you" to teach her.

Hi Douglas,
Some prior guests (divers) wanted an automatic and found AB's group 4 - automatic truck - it does cost more.

Also, since you will be diving you may want to check with the car company you choose; some stipulate which models/classes are available for divers, ex. with AB it is trucks or jeeps.

I have to agree with Dr. Director. There is no better standard transmission than a rental car's standard transmission to teach her on. No hills, few full stops, very little traffic.

Oh my ... I can't think of a worse way to start a marriage and honeymoon than trying to teach someone to drive a standard!! I remember trying to teach my husband to drive one and we had been married for 20 years -- not a pretty sight!! LOL!! But on a more serious note while I agree that many of the roads in Bonaire are straight and flat learning to drive a standard in a strange place may not be the best idea as it takes a whole different level of concentration and might be better done on familiar roads. Is another vehicle option one of the "toasters"? We have never rented one so I do not know if they are standard or automatic but have seen many divers using them.

gosh there has gota be a rental company on island has to have a truck with auto trans

if i were a teenager i would say "a truck - like duh"

They do have trucks on island that have automatic, but they are much more expensive. It depends on what you want to pay and what you want to use them for. Check out www.infobonaire.com and look under vehicle rentals and check out the rental websites. Most list the types of truck with the amenities available, including prices.

Liz

I'm totally with Susan, aghast at the optimism of suggesting Douglas teach his wife stick on their honeymoon.

Susan makes a valid point, but to requote my final sentence: "Just be certain that she really wants to learn and wants "you" to teach her." I was allowing for the possibility (probability?) that Douglas's bride-to-be (1) did not want to learn how to drive standard and/or (2) that even if she did want to learn how to drive standard, that she did not want to be taught by her finance.

Two true, and perhaps "cute" stories.
(1) When our then-19-year-old daughter needed a car for college, we bought a well-used Honda with standard transmission and she learned it without difficulty. Our then-almost-17-year-old second daughter who was just learning to drive complained she would never be able to use that car. One week after she got her license, she insisted I take her out to learn standard, and she mastered it within the day. My wife said, I'll be damned if both of our daughters can drive standard and I can't, so she went out and learned as well. Net result: three people who learned standard on a car with over 100,000 miles, all of whom can drive standard.

(2) The same 2nd daughter, now more than a few years later and whose car is standard, joined us on a trip to Bonaire. Although we were supposed to meet up in Montego Bay, thanks to Air Jamaica, my wife and I got routed through San Juan and our daughter got to Bonaire 5 hours ahead of us. Unfazed, she went to pick up our truck, got in and said "Oh no, it's standard, what am I going to do? What am I saying, my car is standard, no problem." Turns out the thought of a truck with standard was what threw her, not that it was standard.

Douglas and his bride-to-be should discuss what they want and then do it, not what only one wants.

And than the other side of the coin is "Maybe Douglas's fiance' DOESN'T WANT TO LEARN TO DRIVE A STICK SHIFT... Remember you're responsible for the condition of the vehicle when its returned to the rental company... Pay the extra $$ and rent an truck with auto - isn't that what's going on vacation is all about going in style?.

jiminiŽ

Dr. Director...cute story...

I just re-read Douglas' post...Douglas, find an automatic truck or go with a minivan that has an automatic if you can. In an emergency, you don't want your wife to be frantic and not know how to operate the vehicle. It's bad enough when you are not under pressure, but under stress it could be a disaster....

JMHO ;-)

(Message edited by cyndelee on February 22, 2006)

Hi, We (1 diver/1 snorkeler)just returned from 2 wonderful weeks(2/4 to 2/18/06)visiting Bonaire. We rented a truck. Next time we will definitely rent a car and spend more time on boat dives. We found you don't really need a truck except for the Park or if you have 3 or more divers. It rained several times during our trip thus we never got to see the Park. We are from California and learned Am Ex would not sell us the Special Truck insurance. The "local" insurance is has a $500+ deductible. The transmission on the truck we rented was ready to fall out so it would not be fun to learn on. Our cost was $600+ for the 2 weeks + another $500+ for a small dent we put into an already very rusty fender that previously had 2 holes. Well over $1000 for the rental. We loved Bonaire but will definitely never rent a truck again.

After 6 trips to Bonaire, I have to respectfully disagree with Nanette here. If you shore dive, you would regret a decision to rent a car instead of a truck IMHO. If you take the full insurance at AB Carrental (for example), the deductible for damage to the vehicle is $169.00 which is considerably below $500.00. An insurance guy on another Bonaire Talk Thread stated that US insurance policies do not cover vehicles outside the US so the only real 2 options is to either buy the rental agency insurance which is $19.00 a day at AB or get the AMEX Blue Card with the special truck coverage option for a one time charge of $19.95 per rental. Given these are the only 2 choices how does renting a car instead of truck improve your position either financially or with your ability to navigate the terrain on Bonaire while shore diving? Given this, I stand by my earlier post that I would personally never rent a car on Bonaire. I only go through this exercise because I am assuming this is your first trip to Bonaire Douglas and I'd hate to see you disappointed with the transportation issue.

Let's say you're not planning on going to the park. I plan on doing mostly shore snorkeling... Do I really need a truck because I'm going to be solo and only going to be carrying around my snorkel and photo gear. I got the automatic car for my trip because I figured you just park on the road and walk down. I didn't think there would be terrain issues?

Shawn... I think you will be fine, but do watch the terrain at some of the dive sites parking areas, they can be rough and bumpy.

I rented a car when I was there and in the Oil Slick parking area I "scuffed" the plastic under bumper on the car and was assessed a $50 damage fee. (Could have been worse!). You can park much further from the entries though, since you won't be lugging heavy dive gear.

Hope that helps!

A story told to me as true, but I don't vouch for it. One of my guests claimed that on a previous visit he came within millimeters of hitting a donkey, coming to a screeching halt right in front of it. The donkey stared at him, dumbfounded, and bolted ... right onto the hood of a rental Toyota Yaris, over the roof, and over the back.

At the end of the trip, he takes the car into the rental agency to return it, dreading the bill for the dented hood and roof. The rental agent takes the contract, goes over to the car, and bends over, looking at the plastic under the bumper, the door edges, the spare tire holder, the hubcaps. Never gets her eyes a half-meter off the ground. Passes the car as undamaged, and lets him go.