St. Maarten and/or St. Thomas Question

[maps81]

We are doing the Eastern on the Fantasy May of 2015.

We did the Western about a year ago. All those ports seemed to have "beach club" options.

Are there options like this in either of the Eastern posts? OR- are there any "day hotels" where we could pay for a hotel room and have use of the hotel pool and beach?

Thanks for any info!

 

[LisaT91403]

We are doing the Eastern on the Fantasy May of 2015.

We did the Western about a year ago. All those ports seemed to have "beach club" options.

Are there options like this in either of the Eastern posts? OR- are there any "day hotels" where we could pay for a hotel room and have use of the hotel pool and beach?

Thanks for any info!

Are you specifically looking for a hotel for a reason? Just curious because it's really easy to have a great beach day on the islands without paying for a hotel.

 

[maps81]

Thinking about a hotel because of the pool....

 

[LisaT91403]

If you really want a pool, then why not just stay on the ship? The pools should be empty since everyone else will be in the port.

I love a nice pool, too. When we go to Aulani (and other resorts in Hawaii), we always hang by the pool rather than on the beach. But I have to say, when in St. Maarten, the beach is really awesome But if you really want a pool (?), you might want to check out the ports of call board on cruisecritic dot com. They should have lots of info on the specific ports.

 

[kjunspice]

I haven't used them personally, but stumbled across resort for a day dot com when researching excursions. I believe they have day pass options for both ports. Good luck!

 

[jpeppers]

I'm not sure why people think that staying on the ship is an actual pool day, even if everyone is off the ship it is more like a bath tub. I love cruising Disney but have never even considered getting in what they call a pool.

 

[cleophus12]

We booked with Resort for a Day in St Marteen last summer and, sadly, did not have a good experience. While we were given full access to the pool and beach facilities, we never received a room and finally just gave up and left after a few hours. DH and DD are fair skinned and need occasional breaks from the sun which was why we had booked this option. I believe the shortcoming was with the hotel desk staff as they had us in the system, but just could never come up with a room for us. They sent us to a dirty room finally and that was the last straw. We did get our money refunded by Resort for a Day and received a nice apology from the hotel manger. I agree that both islands have some beautiful beaches and hotel facilities are not necessary to enjoy them.

 

[maps81]

Thanks for the helpful information!

Cheers!

 

[LisaT91403]

I'm not sure why people think that staying on the ship is an actual pool day, even if everyone is off the ship it is more like a bath tub. I love cruising Disney but have never even considered getting in what they call a pool.

Ah, good point! I've only cruised Royal Caribbean (our first DCL cruise is coming up!), so I hadn't considered this issue when I posted my original reply.

As to the original question, we like going to resorts for the day when the alternative is a beach without "services". In St. Maarten, it's great because you can easily rent your chairs, umbrellas, etc., and also have access to the bathroom and waiter/waitress service...all right on an amazing beach. But it's true that there's no pool. I guess coming from Southern California, pools are a dime a dozen, but a beautiful beach with warm water and all of the amenities is more difficult to come by.

 

[schmass]

I'm not much of a beach person and would usually prefer a pool, but we really enjoyed our beach time on St. Maarten. The water was perfect!

 

[bumbershoot]

We booked with Resort for a Day in St Marteen last summer and, sadly, did not have a good experience. While we were given full access to the pool and beach facilities, we never received a room and finally just gave up and left after a few hours. DH and DD are fair skinned and need occasional breaks from the sun which was why we had booked this option. I believe the shortcoming was with the hotel desk staff as they had us in the system, but just could never come up with a room for us. They sent us to a dirty room finally and that was the last straw. We did get our money refunded by Resort for a Day and received a nice apology from the hotel manger. I agree that both islands have some beautiful beaches and hotel facilities are not necessary to enjoy them.

Since you booked through what sounds like a service, I wonder if the hotel was actually expecting that you would want a room. I think that most people who book such packages don't actually want the room, they just want the hotel stuff. Like people who book Comfort Suites to get access to Atlantis. Many people never even go near the room.

 

[disney1990]

Magens Bay St Thomas is a perfect beach located in a cove. Look it up, you will love it.

 

[maps81]

Absolutely great advice!

Yes- I am aware that the beaches are outstanding- but we are a large multi-generational group ages 9 months to 57 (at the time of our sailing)- so I am trying to find options that might work for us. Just looking into all the possibilities to present to the gang.

So- a pool would be nice- and a beach- which is why I was wondering about a beach/pool club.

Also- my wonderful husband has had two stem cell transplants (non-hodgkins lymphoma) and is still recovering from them. I just like the thought of having somewhere to park him out of the sun and heat! He has fought too long and hard for his wife to set him back on a Disney cruise!

We did the Fantasy Western last year- and the beach clubs seemed to work well for us. If that is not an option- we will figure out something else.

So- I understand the follow-up questions for me... and I appreciate everyone who gave a reply!

 

[nemajovc]

Completely understand- we went several years ago and took a taxi to a hotel with beach club- we weren't there long enough to use hotel but ate and rested in shade of very nice club
Check out http://www.sint-maarten.net/St-Maarten-Beaches/stmaarten_Beaches.html and trip advisor

 

[LisaT91403]

Absolutely great advice!

Yes- I am aware that the beaches are outstanding- but we are a large multi-generational group ages 9 months to 57 (at the time of our sailing)- so I am trying to find options that might work for us. Just looking into all the possibilities to present to the gang.

So- a pool would be nice- and a beach- which is why I was wondering about a beach/pool club.

Also- my wonderful husband has had two stem cell transplants (non-hodgkins lymphoma) and is still recovering from them. I just like the thought of having somewhere to park him out of the sun and heat! He has fought too long and hard for his wife to set him back on a Disney cruise!

We did the Fantasy Western last year- and the beach clubs seemed to work well for us. If that is not an option- we will figure out something else.

So- I understand the follow-up questions for me... and I appreciate everyone who gave a reply!

You have a lot of different people to look out for! I hear where you are coming from. The beaches in St. Maarten definitely have shade -- both with your umbrella rental, as well as in the restaurant areas. But they are not indoors, and I can understand your perhaps wanting air conditioning, a comfy hotel lobby, etc. I think there is a Westin in St. Maarten -- maybe check that out?

Hope you can find what you are looking for!