Port of Willemstad, Curacao
Posted by: 
Raven
N 12° 06.271 W 068° 56.497
19P E 506353 N 1338111
Willemstad -- the capital of Curacao -- is split in two by a deep narrow channel. Cruise ships dock on the West side of the channel, while the opposite side is the main shopping and business area.
Waymark Code: WMGM4X
Location: Curaçao
Date Posted: 03/18/2013
Views: 38
Willemstad -- the capital of the island of Curacao and a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- is split in two by a deep narrow channel called the St. Anna Bay. Cruise ships dock at Otrabanda located on the West side of the channel, while Punda on the opposite side is the main tourist center.
The cruise ship port in Otrobanda consists of two distinctively different docking terminals located on opposite ends of Willemstad's main tourist center and are roughly 1km (.7mi) apart from each other. Both are within walking distance of the pedestrian Queen Emma bridge which connects the two sides of the city. Punda -- the district opposite of both cruise ships docks -- features the main shopping and business areas and is either 1/2km or 3/4km from the ship, depending on the terminal in question. The Queen Emma Bridge -- known as the "Swinging Old Lady" by locals -- is a century-old pontoon bridge and a tourist attraction in its own right: it swings open to make way for ship traffic, sometimes as often as 30 times a day. Should the bridge be open, you can take a free ride from one side to the other on a passenger ferry.
The two docking terminals are known as:
(1) The Curacao Mega Pier (the coordinates for this particular waypoint): this new pier is designed for post-Panamax ships that can't fit under the city's famed Queen Juliana Bridge, located very close to the older Curacao Cruise Terminal mentioned below. The Mega Pier includes an entire upscale shopping mall set up for those who have no interest in walking and visiting the city.
(2) The Curacao Cruise Terminal (N 12 06.600 W 068 55.994): this pier is right on the Santa Anna Bay waterfront and offers the best views of the city's colorful Dutch-style buildings painted in bright Caribbean tints. It is usually only used by smaller ships, or whenever another ship -- whether another cruise ship or a commercial freight vessel! -- is already docked at the Mega Pier.
Name of the Cruise Ship if one is in 'Port'.: Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas (now re-christened "Empress" and operated by Pullmantur Cruises)
Date you visited or photographed this 'Cruiseship and Port ': 01/01/2008
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Visit Instructions:
We are looking for a picture of a ship or ships in the port and any additional photos from the general area if possible. Please pass along your personal experience in that port and any advice for others traveling to that port.