the3dwizard
Registered
Background:
Decided on Curacao for this dive trip with my non-diving spouse. The past dive trips were with my brother (dive buddy) and SIL but since they were not on this trip, I knew my options for shore diving would be limited without a buddy. Also, for this first trip I decided to stay at a resort with an on-site dive shop to help limit travel times away from the spouse since my SIL wouldn't be around to keep her company and she has some health problems.
Probably going to be a little more detailed than you might like but as my memory fades maybe I can revisit the trip through this thread.
Travel:
Travel there was not too bad. We completed all the required testing and forms before the American Airline flights from DFW to Miami and then on to Curacao. I had printed out everything and we breezed through customs in Curacao and had a car waiting. When I filled out the PLC form, I made 3-day antigen testing reservations at the Marriott next door for Wed morning. Found out later they could have moved this to in-house testing.
We did the required pre-flight testing at the resort, and they printed out the results for us. Things were fine until we landed in Miami. Let's say it was a good thing I allowed a layover of over 2 hours. Took a while to go through passport control, even longer to pick up checked baggage and then redeposit it for the connecting flight. Then we had to go back through security and the lines were long! The airport was crowded on a Sunday afternoon! The icing on the cake is when boarding the flight from Miami to DFW the gate agent decided my carryon was too large for the 777 Max we were about to board. The same bag that was okay on the previous flights. So with the spinning wheels it is 24”, (max is 22") so nothing I could do but gate check my bag with my BCD, regulator and mask with gauge readers. Fortunately, everything made it. Guess I will carry a smaller back and check the BCD. I do want to make sure my mask makes it with me on trips, other stuff I can rent.
Accommodations: Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino
I chose the Dreams Resort as I liked the idea of a smaller resort and it seemed quieter than some of the other options. The rooms were very nice, and staff was great. We did have an issue with the TV in our room and after several days they decided they would have to pull new cable. So, they moved us to a different larger room which we appreciated. I know I can hear some of you already, "you are concerned about a TV on a dive trip?". Yes, we like our down time and chilling in our room in the evening, we are not party animals. In addition, if my wife is not feeling well and needs to rest it is nice to have a distraction.
We liked the beach and pool there, they never seemed crowed to me even though they are smaller than other resorts. We spent time at either the beach or the pool in the afternoons. Sometimes I would just walk of the boat with my stuff and just met the wife who had already stacked out a location.
The food to me was typical all-inclusive resort food. I liked breakfast and lunch buffets; dinners were okay. However, the wife thought the food could have been better. One caveat, due to Covid19 they had to serve you everything in the buffets, you could not serve yourself, so it did take a little longer to get food. I also think due to the pandemic they were a little understaffed. The wife got a massage at the spa and highly recommends Fiona.
Dive Shop: Caribbean Sea Sports
It was awesome being able to walk from my room to the dive shop in only a couple of minutes! I got a little ribbing for always being early, but hey I was excited to go diving. Everyone with the shop was great. Since I was diving multiple days, they cleaned and stored (hung to dry) my BCD, wet suite and regulator. The only thing I got from them was the Nitrox tanks and weights.
The week I was there they had a dive tour group, about 16 people, that consisted of some adults, newly minted young divers, and their instructor. So, they put them on the main dive boat and the put us on another boat not dedicated to diving. There weren't more than four divers plus the guide/owner on my boat, so this didn't present any logistical issues and I was glad not to be on the other boat. The shop instructor and DM's dove on the other boat, we had Orlando the owner as the guide on most of our dives. He was good about working with some people who hadn't dove in a while and he did help me get me trim dialed in. The whole staff seem to enjoy what they are doing. I highly recommend this shop!
Decided on Curacao for this dive trip with my non-diving spouse. The past dive trips were with my brother (dive buddy) and SIL but since they were not on this trip, I knew my options for shore diving would be limited without a buddy. Also, for this first trip I decided to stay at a resort with an on-site dive shop to help limit travel times away from the spouse since my SIL wouldn't be around to keep her company and she has some health problems.
Probably going to be a little more detailed than you might like but as my memory fades maybe I can revisit the trip through this thread.
Travel:
Travel there was not too bad. We completed all the required testing and forms before the American Airline flights from DFW to Miami and then on to Curacao. I had printed out everything and we breezed through customs in Curacao and had a car waiting. When I filled out the PLC form, I made 3-day antigen testing reservations at the Marriott next door for Wed morning. Found out later they could have moved this to in-house testing.
We did the required pre-flight testing at the resort, and they printed out the results for us. Things were fine until we landed in Miami. Let's say it was a good thing I allowed a layover of over 2 hours. Took a while to go through passport control, even longer to pick up checked baggage and then redeposit it for the connecting flight. Then we had to go back through security and the lines were long! The airport was crowded on a Sunday afternoon! The icing on the cake is when boarding the flight from Miami to DFW the gate agent decided my carryon was too large for the 777 Max we were about to board. The same bag that was okay on the previous flights. So with the spinning wheels it is 24”, (max is 22") so nothing I could do but gate check my bag with my BCD, regulator and mask with gauge readers. Fortunately, everything made it. Guess I will carry a smaller back and check the BCD. I do want to make sure my mask makes it with me on trips, other stuff I can rent.
Accommodations: Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino
I chose the Dreams Resort as I liked the idea of a smaller resort and it seemed quieter than some of the other options. The rooms were very nice, and staff was great. We did have an issue with the TV in our room and after several days they decided they would have to pull new cable. So, they moved us to a different larger room which we appreciated. I know I can hear some of you already, "you are concerned about a TV on a dive trip?". Yes, we like our down time and chilling in our room in the evening, we are not party animals. In addition, if my wife is not feeling well and needs to rest it is nice to have a distraction.
We liked the beach and pool there, they never seemed crowed to me even though they are smaller than other resorts. We spent time at either the beach or the pool in the afternoons. Sometimes I would just walk of the boat with my stuff and just met the wife who had already stacked out a location.
The food to me was typical all-inclusive resort food. I liked breakfast and lunch buffets; dinners were okay. However, the wife thought the food could have been better. One caveat, due to Covid19 they had to serve you everything in the buffets, you could not serve yourself, so it did take a little longer to get food. I also think due to the pandemic they were a little understaffed. The wife got a massage at the spa and highly recommends Fiona.
Dive Shop: Caribbean Sea Sports
It was awesome being able to walk from my room to the dive shop in only a couple of minutes! I got a little ribbing for always being early, but hey I was excited to go diving. Everyone with the shop was great. Since I was diving multiple days, they cleaned and stored (hung to dry) my BCD, wet suite and regulator. The only thing I got from them was the Nitrox tanks and weights.
The week I was there they had a dive tour group, about 16 people, that consisted of some adults, newly minted young divers, and their instructor. So, they put them on the main dive boat and the put us on another boat not dedicated to diving. There weren't more than four divers plus the guide/owner on my boat, so this didn't present any logistical issues and I was glad not to be on the other boat. The shop instructor and DM's dove on the other boat, we had Orlando the owner as the guide on most of our dives. He was good about working with some people who hadn't dove in a while and he did help me get me trim dialed in. The whole staff seem to enjoy what they are doing. I highly recommend this shop!
!!!
