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The trade off is the walk to the bus terminal. It is a 20-30 minute walk, but it is through the shopping area. In the morning we go directly to the terminal, on the way back to ship, we walk more leisurely and get our shopping in.

'I can't remember the exact price of the van, it was less than 5.00 per person each way. I want to say 2.40 each way, per person, and yes the vans were easy to get on the return trip. This was January 2022, so post covid

The bathroom was a normal bathroom. If you buy food or drinks at the bar it is free to use. There is a minimal charge if you don't. We always use the bathrooms and change in the bathrooms for our bus ride back to the ship. We usually buy drinks and snacks at the bar, so I don't know what they charge to use bathroom.

There used to be car rental at Divi Dive which is a 10 minute walk from port, I'm not sure if it is still there post covid. When we stayed on the island, we rented a car from Budget at the airport, which is not walkable. I don't recall lots of taxis at the port, like there are on other islands. We have been to these Islands post Covid. We usually use the local bus in Aruba to get to the beach where we like to snorkel. I can give you more detailed info on the bus if you'd like, We also have used the local bus in Curacao as well. On both of these Islands there were locals outside the ports for excursions. If you go to the Curacao section, you will find info on local tour guides, and there is a local person who will help with questions.

You will have time as others have said. I just wanted to add that we have been with Woodwind many times, and on a few of those they dropped us at the dock for Divi Dive, which is closer to the ship. They know when you need to be back and will make it happen. Enjoy!

Just as an FYI, DH gets the veterans OBC from Princess. We also get shareholders OBC. When I send in the shareholders info, I have the credit put in my name, this way if we want to book any Princess excursions pre-cruise, we each have the same amount of OBC to use. When we first started getting the shareholders, everything was put in his name so I'd have to use credit card to pay for my excursions if we booked them pre cruise.

Queen Emma Bridge is in Curacao not Bonaire, but yes it is walkable from pier

If Woodwind is not available, You could reserve a car or golf cart ( I'd do a car so you could see more of the island), before picking that up, take earliest water taxi to Klein Bonaire, do the snorkel, get water taxi back, then pick up car/golf cart to go to explore the island . Just about anywhere you snorkel in Bonaire will be a drift snorkel, but the coral at Klein Bonaire is awesome. When we stayed on the Island, we saw flamingos near the salt flats, but also on the northern end of the island near the oil storage tanks. If you are driving on your own, you could also make a stop and the Kadushy distillery, where they make a liquor from cactus on the island. We also did a night snorkel with Brenda from H20 Visions Bonaire in January 2020 when we did a land vacation here. She does Island tours too https://www.h2ovisionsbonaire.com/

We went to Rondezvous Caye in early July, and have been there before. We did have time after the group snorkeling to snorkel on our own (we were with Princess) . I was not thrilled with this excursion this time. When we were going out to the reef, we had to swim through an area that had lots of floating plastic. Of course, I used this time to remove as much plastic as I could hold, but I didn't enjoy swimming through trash.

When we first started cruising DH and I picked a cruise on HAL our DD was 12 at the time and they had 3rd and 4th person free in cabin. We had DD bring a friend to prevent boredom on sea days. DH and I would get ready for dinner a little earlier than needed. We would then leave the cabin so DD and friend could shower and get ready. We'd go have a drink, and they knew where and when to meet us. For us, this solved the one male in the cabin. We also chose a room one deck from public area so BR would be close by if cabin bathroom was being used.

The Dive Bus for sure. I can only snorkel now but we use their facilities when we go to Curacao. There is a reef very close to the shop for shore diving. Mark is usually in the shop when we've been there and he is friendly and knowledgable.

Here is a map with a list of beaches. Chachacha Beach is actually at the southern end of the port area and it is possible to snorkel there. Snorkeling is just OK there, but it is walking distance. The best snorkeling would be from Klein Bonaire, but you would need to take the water taxi or do a private or ship sponsored excursion. We have stayed on Island and cruised to Bonaire several times. If you want to snorkel, the best excursion IMHO is with Woodwind. https://www.tourismbonaire.com/bonaire-beach

you'll find that info here https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2619306-minibar-tradeout/

If you download the medallian app on your phone, you will be able to make reservations for the time and dining room that you wish. You can also pick table size and if you would like to share with others or dine with just your party.

The actual medallion has an RIF chip in it that opens the door. You'd need to use that, but you really don't need to use the app. You do need to put all of your info in prior to boarding, it just makes things a little smoother at the port. Using the app on the ship allows you to order drinks, but you can do it by going directly to the bar, or asking a server to get you a drink. You will need to "tap" your medallion to the servers device, that is how they charge your account.

One other thing, on the slip you fill out I always write “elite”and NC where you fill in the cost. You will see a charge for the laundry on your account and then they automatically take the charge off. (I was writing at the same time as beagles and ducks., but basically same info)

We got off of the Caribbean Princess yesterday. Here is a picture of the pitiful chocolates we received on the first formal night. We did not request them the second night.

10 alcohol and 10 non-alcohol. We are just off of the Caribbean Princess. Changed out all alcohol for vodka and all non-alcohol for cans of coke.

I was able to do it in the medallion app. When it came time to pay, using the credit was an option.

We used the bus in January 2022, and have also used it pre-covid. If you do a search on google maps, you can see where the bus station is located. There are regular buses, that run on a set schedule, and vans that wait for a several people to fill the van. We just asked one of the van drivers if they were going to our location, and we got in. It did not take more than 5 minutes to get enough people. We would have had to wait an hour for our bus, if we had not used the van. We were going to a dive shop near Sunscape resort, but the van was going to Mambo. Link to the beaches https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mambo+Beach/@12.0870086,-68.9081893,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8e837d8eb1d79399:0xcd542e9d7c820f56!8m2!3d12.086988!4d-68.8994345 link to bus stop. on the map is says bus station punde. https://www.google.com/maps/search/bus+terminus+near+Curacao,+Curaçao/@12.1062899,-68.9384393,16z

It was earlier this year (January 2022)

Thank you!

Sailing Caribbean Princess on 6/25/2022. Can anyone confirm if Planks is operating?

Check out the cruise with confidence policy. You should be able to get FCC for what you paid. https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/covid-19-protection-program/

We used H2O visions Bonaire for a night snorkel in 2019. They also do island tours. Brenda is the owner and she was awesome. https://www.h2ovisionsbonaire.com/