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Bonaire - how bad are the cruise ships?
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jfeehan



Joined: 27 Jul 1998
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:55 pm    Post subject: Bonaire - how bad are the cruise ships? Reply with quote

my 12 yr old daughter windsurfs a bit, and says she wants to go somewhere where she can improve.

i naturally thought of bonaire - although i have never been there.

reading some of the posts here, it seems that the windsurfing launch, and the associated restaurants, beach etc. get so inundated when the cruise ships are in, that some people said you need to stay away then.

well, i checked the cruise ship schedule for the week i would be there, and it seems there is a big ship in at least every other day!

is that going to ruin the trip?

thanks.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You didn't ask about it, but Corpus Christi has always struck me as a world-class beginner-to-intermediate place. Lotsa beach, lotsa kids, lotsa shallow water, lotsa light steady breezes, good rental gear, lessons, cheap, warm, etc. Even a 12-yo can walk back from most forays because the prevailing breeze blows towards even shallower water; you could walk for miles in the water.

I've not been to Hatteras, but doesn't it qualify also?

Mike \m/
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chipperd



Joined: 03 Jul 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ann Phelan would have more info, but I wanted to put in my 2 cents.

Wife and I are planning on going in June, partly because of the steady winds, and partly because cruise ships stop running between May 6, and Oct. 20th. We should miss the big crowds that I see at Lac Bay on the Jibe City web cam. Can you change your dates?
Don't forget to try the diving/snorkling. I hear it's fantastic.
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human_catapult



Joined: 20 Nov 2007
Posts: 374

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think they only come one day a week, and they can be easy to avoid. Lac Bay (windsurfing area) is all the way on the other side of the island so very few of the cruisers make it over there.

This is a non-issue. Bonaire is the perfect spot for your daughter. The wind was light for my taste the week I was there, but the family will love it.
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windsass01



Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was in Bonaire for two weeks this Feb., and the cruise ships were no problem. They only come one day a week and there really wern't that many people. Also, you'll probably laugh when you see one of the pros land a loop right next to a startled cruise person, splashing them with water.
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jfeehan



Joined: 27 Jul 1998
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for the replies.

dates are fixed due to kids vacation april 4- april 11, probably sailing april 5-april 10, maybe the am of april 11, depending...

i found cruise ship info here:
http://www.infobonaire.com/cruises.html

according to that schedule, cruise ships will be in 3 of the 6 sailing days - april 6, 8, and 10!

i notice one of the ships is small, but still...

even if i loose only 2 of 6 days, that's still probably too many - what if they are the windy days?

also, maybe i'm a snob but i have no desire to hang out w cruise ship people.

never thought about texas...

hatteras is still too cold in early april - this is a family spring break vacation, not a windsurfing trip for dad.
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rswabsin



Joined: 14 May 2000
Posts: 444
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you search back through this forum several months, you'll find several discussions on Bonaire, places to stay and specific beaches that the cruise line visitors cannot go on to ( I think they are privately managed by the windsurfing rental group that operates the beach). It sounds like the crowds are easy to avoid and you can escape to one of the adjacent sailing beaches or simply spend more time on the water. Have a great time!
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jfeehan



Joined: 27 Jul 1998
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rswabsin wrote:
If you search back through this forum several months, you'll find several discussions on Bonaire, places to stay and specific beaches that the cruise line visitors cannot go on to ( I think they are privately managed by the windsurfing rental group that operates the beach). It sounds like the crowds are easy to avoid and you can escape to one of the adjacent sailing beaches or simply spend more time on the water. Have a great time!



i did the search - that's why i posted my question.

one (maybe more) of the posts said the cruise ship crowds at jibe city and windsurf place were so big, that it wasn't a fun place to hang out, and suggested avoiding the windsurf beach altogether when the cruise ships are in.

i'm trying to get some other opinions from people who have been at the windsurfing beach when the cruise ship people are there.
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mrgybe



Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 5180

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It wasn't a problem at all when I was there. the cruise ship passengers congregate on the Windsurf Place beach.......the Jibe City beach is unaffected. The silver lining is that the cruise ship ladies seem to get easily overheated and are very inclined to take their bikini tops off........so I suggest that you keep your wife and daughter firmly attached to the Jibe City beach, while you take a stroll down the beach to ensure that those pesky cruise ship passengers aren't being a nuisance!!
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dim27



Joined: 07 Aug 2000
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cruise ships are coming to the opposite side of the island. Has
nothing to do with windsurfing place.
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