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Willemstad, Curaçao
The prettiest port town in the Caribbean, a few minutes from the ship, with a bridge that floats away while you are standing on it.
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| Getting ashore | Ships dock. Two terminals: the Mega Cruise Terminal, and Mathey Wharf on the Otrobanda side of St. Anna Bay. |
|---|---|
| Into town | A few minutes' walk from the Mega Cruise Terminal. Renaissance Mall and Rif Fort are next door. |
| Currency | The Caribbean guilder, introduced 31 March 2025, pegged at US$1 = 1.79 |
At the terminal
The Mega Cruise Terminal publishes its facilities, and one item stands out: wheelchair and ECV rental at the terminal itself, alongside customs and immigration, an information booth, restrooms, free Wi-Fi, car rental, a taxi stand, tour operators, bars and souvenir shops. Mathey Wharf is more basic: immigration, information, restrooms, taxi stand, tour operators and shops.
The bridge that moves
The Queen Emma pontoon bridge links Punda and Otrobanda, and the port authority states it "opens day and night" for vessels entering and leaving. When it swings open, pedestrians are carried free of charge by a small ferry called the ponchi. So if the bridge goes while you are on the wrong side, you are not stranded, you just wait or take the boat.
Getting around
Buses run from terminals at the Waaigat in Punda and at Otrobanda, in small vans and larger konvois. Taxis are government-regulated with mostly standard fares rather than meters, and the tourist board's advice is to agree the fare in advance. No official fare table is published.
Accessibility
The tourist board publishes a useful and honest summary: much of downtown Willemstad and many popular beaches and attractions are accessible by wheelchair, "with some notable exceptions like Playa Grote Knip, Shete Boka National Park, and Christoffel Mountain." They name two local providers, Carin Cares for equipment and Joseph Cares for transport plus beach wheelchair or scooter rental.
Kokomo Beach is published as having no entrance fee.
Where these facts come from
- Curaçao Ports Authority, cruise terminals
- Curaçao Ports Authority, Willemstad
- Curaçao Tourist Board, cruise into Curaçao
- Curaçao Tourist Board, the bridges
- Curaçao Tourist Board, accessibility
- Curaçao Tourist Board, currency
- Curaçao Tourist Board, getting around
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