Cars at CUR (Curacao)
May 19, 2009, 1:04 am
#1
Moderator: New York City and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Natl EC
Posts: 10,855
Cars at CUR (Curacao)
A search for "curacao" turned up only two old threads from '05 and '01. 
Has anyone rented at CUR recently? We'll be there at the end of June. I'm wondering if there's anything special/unusual I should know, either with respect to National or to driving there in general (nothing in the Caribbean Forum either).
My understanding is that a current U.S. driver's license is sufficient to rent a car. I do need to double check my CitiBusiness AAdvantage Visa to see if the rental car insurance policy is valid there.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Has anyone rented at CUR recently? We'll be there at the end of June. I'm wondering if there's anything special/unusual I should know, either with respect to National or to driving there in general (nothing in the Caribbean Forum either).
My understanding is that a current U.S. driver's license is sufficient to rent a car. I do need to double check my CitiBusiness AAdvantage Visa to see if the rental car insurance policy is valid there.
Any advice would be appreciated!
May 19, 2009, 8:24 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: berkeley, Ca, USA
Programs: Hyatt globalist, Alaska mvp gold, Marriott platinum, ihg diamond
Posts: 438
I've been to Curacao several times over the past few years and have rented with National. Be prepared for slow, slow service. You don't need anything special other than your driver's license, CC, and the island driving is fine. They do not refill the gas and give you the car with whatever the previous renter returned. 2 years ago the check out guy wrote 3/4 tank when it was actually slightly below 3/4. When I brought it back w/slightly below 3/4 they wanted to charge me $20 fee + fuel charge of another $25, I had to get back in the car and take it to a gas station to refill! Be vigilant to record the exact fuel level!
Jul 12, 2009, 4:53 pm
#4
Moderator: New York City and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Natl EC
Posts: 10,855
CUR National Car Rental Report
Just got back from CUR and wanted to share our experiences, which were positive.
We flew in on the AA flight, which was delayed a couple hours, and arrived at 10pm. Gave us just enough time to collect our dive bags, clear customs, and make it to the rental counter before they close at 11pm!
I tried calling the National CUR number from baggage claim to tell them we were on our way, but it seems to be an office that's only open during the day.
The rental counters are in the building to the right as you exit the terminal, a short 2 minute walk. Did take a long time to get the paperwork completed, but we got upgraded from Midsize to SUV (Kia Sorento), which worked out well with all of our dive gear. They authorized both the rental charge and an additional $500 deposit on my credit card. Additional drivers are NOT free (outside U.S.) and cost $6/day. Theft Protection was not included in my rate (Entertainment Book w/ National MCLA upgrade from Compact), but is apparently required - only cost $6.96 more for 10 days, though.
They give a good full-size map of the island at the counter - be sure to get one as some of the turns/roads are not well marked. The attendant brought the car from the parking lot to the lane in front of the counter area, and helped us with our bags. He instructed us to use only premium unleaded (yellow pumps). Importantly, he showed us how to crank down the spare tire from below the cargo area...
The car was in good shape, a little loose on the brakes, shocks, and steering, but otherwise just fine. As wilma said, experienced drivers will have no problem, although some less-traveled members of our group got pretty frazzled during Flag Day traffic. Keep in mind that everything is in km / kph, and that gas prices are quoted in ANG per litre (ouch!) The face plate of the radio was removable and we left it in our room safe the whole trip, as theft is apparently an increasing problem in Curaçao. We were advised by other divers not to leave anything at all in the car while shore diving except towels. In contrast to Bonaire, it seems that most keep their windows up and doors locked - turned out that someone had taken the 'windows down' approach in the dive shop parking lot the week before and ended up having their battery cut out and stolen! Also, don't bother trying to hide anything in the glove compartment or trunk - thieves may be watching you as you park. We were also careful not to put towels down to avoid getting too much sand in the car, having heard stories about extra charges for that.
The exciting part began when we managed to blow a tire on the way back to the airport at 6:30am. Fortunately, we were able to get the spare (see above) and find the jack (took a few extra minutes), and get the thing changed in about 20 min. A very nice local couple, who were also headed to the airport, stopped to help us finish the change and reload our bags ^
As wilma said, be sure to return your car with the same amount of fuel that you picked it up with (wilma, do you know where the closest gas station is? I think stopped at one south of the roundabout leading to Weg Naar Hato, but that morning is a blur for me). At the airport, you can drop passengers off at the terminal, then continue to the rental car lot, which is directly across from the counters. You park your car in one of the National slots and then go in to the counter to check out. Flat tire notwithstanding, we actually arrived at 7am, a bit before the National agent, so we went to check in for our flight, then went back to return the car keys. The agent will go out, check condition, fuel, and mileage, and then have you make final credit card payments. Fortunately, the flat tire only cost us $21, and I should be able to get my credit card to cover that.
Hope this is helpful!
We flew in on the AA flight, which was delayed a couple hours, and arrived at 10pm. Gave us just enough time to collect our dive bags, clear customs, and make it to the rental counter before they close at 11pm!
I tried calling the National CUR number from baggage claim to tell them we were on our way, but it seems to be an office that's only open during the day.The rental counters are in the building to the right as you exit the terminal, a short 2 minute walk. Did take a long time to get the paperwork completed, but we got upgraded from Midsize to SUV (Kia Sorento), which worked out well with all of our dive gear. They authorized both the rental charge and an additional $500 deposit on my credit card. Additional drivers are NOT free (outside U.S.) and cost $6/day. Theft Protection was not included in my rate (Entertainment Book w/ National MCLA upgrade from Compact), but is apparently required - only cost $6.96 more for 10 days, though.
They give a good full-size map of the island at the counter - be sure to get one as some of the turns/roads are not well marked. The attendant brought the car from the parking lot to the lane in front of the counter area, and helped us with our bags. He instructed us to use only premium unleaded (yellow pumps). Importantly, he showed us how to crank down the spare tire from below the cargo area...
The car was in good shape, a little loose on the brakes, shocks, and steering, but otherwise just fine. As wilma said, experienced drivers will have no problem, although some less-traveled members of our group got pretty frazzled during Flag Day traffic. Keep in mind that everything is in km / kph, and that gas prices are quoted in ANG per litre (ouch!) The face plate of the radio was removable and we left it in our room safe the whole trip, as theft is apparently an increasing problem in Curaçao. We were advised by other divers not to leave anything at all in the car while shore diving except towels. In contrast to Bonaire, it seems that most keep their windows up and doors locked - turned out that someone had taken the 'windows down' approach in the dive shop parking lot the week before and ended up having their battery cut out and stolen!
Also, don't bother trying to hide anything in the glove compartment or trunk - thieves may be watching you as you park. We were also careful not to put towels down to avoid getting too much sand in the car, having heard stories about extra charges for that.The exciting part began when we managed to blow a tire on the way back to the airport at 6:30am. Fortunately, we were able to get the spare (see above) and find the jack (took a few extra minutes), and get the thing changed in about 20 min. A very nice local couple, who were also headed to the airport, stopped to help us finish the change and reload our bags ^
As wilma said, be sure to return your car with the same amount of fuel that you picked it up with (wilma, do you know where the closest gas station is? I think stopped at one south of the roundabout leading to Weg Naar Hato, but that morning is a blur for me). At the airport, you can drop passengers off at the terminal, then continue to the rental car lot, which is directly across from the counters. You park your car in one of the National slots and then go in to the counter to check out. Flat tire notwithstanding, we actually arrived at 7am, a bit before the National agent, so we went to check in for our flight, then went back to return the car keys. The agent will go out, check condition, fuel, and mileage, and then have you make final credit card payments. Fortunately, the flat tire only cost us $21, and I should be able to get my credit card to cover that.
Hope this is helpful!
Aug 9, 2009, 1:30 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SNA
Posts: 18,240
We just got home from CUR yesterday. Our AA flight was delayed three hours, so when we got there the rentals were all closed. We took a cab to the Marriott and rented from the National in their lobby the third day we were there. Ended up only using the car 3 of the 6 days we were there (good shore diving and snorkeling right from the hotel), so we actually saved a bit over having it the entire trip. Roads are a bit spotty with more potholes than we're probably used to in the states. Having someone navigate is essential as the road signs are not exactly clear. Best way to navigate is by Landhuis, those are all well signed and on the map.
Aug 26, 2009, 1:16 pm
#6
Moderator: New York City and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Natl EC
Posts: 10,855
Addenda
A couple of additional notes on our rental earlier this summer:
1) Keep in mind that you cannot earn Rental Credits for rentals outside the U.S. and Canada (I'm sure this has probably been discussed here before, but I was caught unaware
). Fortunately, National Intl Customer Service was able to give me AA miles retroactively. ^
2) I was unable to get the necessary documentation from National regarding the flat timer for my credit card claim, however, National Intl CS again came through for me by offering a $25 check or Free Day credit as compensation. ^^
1) Keep in mind that you cannot earn Rental Credits for rentals outside the U.S. and Canada (I'm sure this has probably been discussed here before, but I was caught unaware
). Fortunately, National Intl Customer Service was able to give me AA miles retroactively. ^2) I was unable to get the necessary documentation from National regarding the flat timer for my credit card claim, however, National Intl CS again came through for me by offering a $25 check or Free Day credit as compensation. ^^