Cruise calls
If your ship calls at both islands, do not plan them the same way. In Willemstad you step off into the middle of the old town and everything worth seeing is inside two kilometres, so you walk. In Kralendijk the port is in the centre too, but the parts of Bonaire people come back for are twenty to thirty kilometres out, so you drive.
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That single difference decides almost everything else: what you book, what you spend, and how much of the day you get to keep. On Curaçao, the money you would have spent on a tour is better spent on lunch. On Bonaire, the car is not optional if you want to see more than the harbour front.
Both days below start and end at the pier, so you are never gambling on getting back in time. Pick the port you are calling at.
Kralendijk
Rent a car and drive one half of the island. Trying to do the whole loop in a six-hour call is the mistake almost everyone makes.
| Getting around | Rental car or taxi — walking gets you the harbour front and no further |
|---|---|
| Full island route | 70 km, 16 stops, 3 to 4 hours of driving |
| Fits a six-hour call | Half of it. North or south, not both |
| Walking involved | Little, apart from the staircase at 1000 Steps |
Willemstad
Walk. The terminal sits inside the old town, and everything worth seeing is within two kilometres of the gangway. You need neither a bus nor a car.
| Getting around | On foot, from the terminal |
|---|---|
| How far it is | The whole of historic Willemstad sits inside two kilometres of the pier |
| Walking involved | All of it — the one climb in the city is the viewpoint above Otrobanda |
| Audio-guided routes | In the making for Willemstad; not in the app yet |
Photo of the Queen Emma Bridge: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. Resized.
On Bonaire that decides half the answer. Six hours ashore gets you one excursion; twelve gets you two, or a day that goes right round the island. On the Bonaire page you pick how long you are in and then what kind of day you want — on the water, in the water, on the road, or simply in town — and only then do the excursions that fit show up.
Do the walking day first if the itinerary lets you choose. Willemstad is the easier day and a good way to find your rhythm; Bonaire asks more of you, because you are behind the wheel and watching the clock.
Do not try to repeat the Curaçao formula on Bonaire. There is a pleasant hour to be had along the Kralendijk waterfront, and after that hour you will wish you had a car.
Aruba is not in the guide today. It is on the list of islands we would like to add, but there is no date and nothing is promised. If your ship calls there, plan that day some other way.
Every stop on this page is in the Beyond the Beach app, with the map and the directions on your phone. Download it before you leave the ship and it works wherever you are, wifi or not. The app, the day routes and the trips are free; the audio tours are a separate purchase — a one-off, yours for good.