05/09/2009 May 9, 2009 7-Night Eastern St Maarten... Watch Out!

[dollysmom]

I never thought of renting a car. I'll have to look into it. What about car seats?

 

[scottie]

I never thought of renting a car. I'll have to look into it. What about car seats?

Thats what I was thinking about too for Dylan. I dont see them as an option on the Budget site, like you do when booking a car for say Florida. Will you have car seats with you for your rental vehicle in Florida? If so, you could consider pulling them out of that vehicle while it is parked at port and bring them on the ship for use at the islands. Theres not a ton of storage in your room on the ship, but I would guess you could squeeze in a car seat/booster seat or two if needed?

 

[dollysmom]

I will be bringing my own booster seats from home for the car in Florida. It does not cost anything to check them on the plane. Just wondering what the differrent rules for different countries regarding car seat law.

 

[NMDisneyMom]

We are in Tucson (for about 3 years). Before that we lived in Dallas for 12 years. And before that, small towns in southern New Mexico.

I know, more info than you ever wanted. But when you talk to us, the background will be very clear, ya'll.

Okay, now you've got me curious.... what small towns in Southern New Mexico? I was born and raised in Albuquerque, so I'm always happy to meet someone else from my home state.

 

[j2bmickey]

Okay, now you've got me curious.... what small towns in Southern New Mexico? I was born and raised in Albuquerque, so I'm always happy to meet someone else from my home state.

We'll give you the short version for now, we've got to leave something for boat chatter.

DH grew up in Artesia, DW grew up in Ruidoso. We both went to college at NMSU.

 

[MouseNDaHouse]

I will be bringing my own booster seats from home for the car in Florida. It does not cost anything to check them on the plane. Just wondering what the differrent rules for different countries regarding car seat law.

Here are the rules for St. Thomas:
http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/faq/#renting%20a%20car
Q: Are seat belts the law? What about Car Seats for children?
A: Driver and front passenger must be restrained by a safety belt. Any child under age five must be in a car seat. In the case of a child aged three through five, seat belts can be used but the child must ride in the backseat. Any child older than five but under twelve must wear a safety belt. (This information is a summary and subject to change, confirm current regulations with your rental car agent.)

Here are the rules for St. Maarten:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_981.html
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning the Netherlands Antilles is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.
Driving in the Netherlands Antilles is on the right hand side. Right turns on red are prohibited, and traffic conditions require somewhat defensive driving. Local laws require drivers and passengers to wear seat belts and motorcyclists to wear helmets. Children under 4 years of age should be in child safety seats; children under 12 should ride in the back seat.
Nonexistent or hidden and poorly maintained street signs are the major road hazard in the Netherlands Antilles. Therefore, drivers should proceed through intersections with caution. Roads in the Netherlands Antilles are extremely slippery during rainfall. Night driving is reasonably safe in the Netherlands Antilles as long as drivers are familiar with the route and road conditions. Most streets are poorly lit or not lit at all. In Curacao, drivers should be aware of herds of goats that may cross the street unexpectedly. In Bonaire, wild donkeys may also cross the road.
Taxis are the easiest, yet most expensive form of transportation on the islands. As there are no meters, passengers should verify the price before entering the taxi. Fares quoted in U.S. dollars may be significantly higher than those quoted in the local currency. Vans are inexpensive and run non-stop during daytime with no fixed schedule. Each van has a specific route displayed in the front of the windshield. Buses, which run on the hour, have limited routes. The road conditions on the main thoroughfares are good to fair.
See road safety information at the following sites; http://www.curacao.com, http://www.statiatourism.com, http://www.sabatourism.com, http://www.infobonaire.com, http://www.st-maarten.com/.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information.

So, we're going to bring our own infant car seat and a booster seat. Our 5 year old will ride without a car seat in the back.
Interesting to note the note on the expense of taxi travel...seems to come up a LOT in the books and sites I've seen.

Hope this helps!

 

[scottie]

Taxis are the easiest, yet most expensive form of transportation on the islands. As there are no meters, passengers should verify the price before entering the taxi.

Thanks for the great info!! We are well versed now in the rule of negotiating a price ahead of time with the taxi driver, after almost being taken for a pretty penny while off the ship in Nassau a couple of years back!
You may just see us walking to Magens Bay as you pass us in your rental if things don’t go right!

 

[scottie]

Did anyone read the thread about new menus? I don’t know if I am happy or sad we will still have the old ones when we sail (or so it seems at this point)? Don’t get me wrong, the food still sounds tasty on the new menus and I would be happy... but I could defiantly see some people having trouble finding more then one item on the menu that approves with their taste buds. I guess there’s always BeachBlanket/Topsiders as an option too.

 

[Dilmaluvs2cruise]

I've booked a full-size car through Budget at both ports since it was cheaper than taxi for my family.
St. Thomas (for Coral World and beach) from 10-3:30 is currently at $53.74 and St. Maarten (for Butterfly Farm) from 12-4 is $61.56.

We booked using upromise.com so that we could get some of the $$$ back as college savings for the girls. Tried to take advantage of the Costco and AAA discounts but the rates never changed from the Budget.com site so it looks like you can't really get discounts outside of the US mainland.

I got directions to the Butterfly Farm from emailing them and it seems REALLY straightforward. Shouldn't be too hard to navigate and the cost-savings and freedom of having our own car was worth it to me.

Hope this helps.

We plan on renting a car in St. Maarten too. The freedom of just going where you want is nice. I always rent one in mexico and we see the whole island.

Dilma

 

[Dilmaluvs2cruise]

just called a rental company in St. Maarten there going to send me the info via email i'll let you the prices they give me.....

 

[Dilmaluvs2cruise]

need to post a little more to get to the magial 10 whoo hooo

 

[MouseNDaHouse]

just called a rental company in St. Maarten there going to send me the info via email i'll let you the prices they give me.....

Thanks Dilma! I'm personally sticking with Budget since I'm most comfortable w/a reputable company plus like I said some of the $$$ come back to my kids as college savings through upromise.com. (AND the fact taht I get the airline miles from Budget and from the credit card helps a lot too.) But I'm sure there will be many of us who are thrilled to get the research on lower-priced alternatives!

 

[scdizneydawnshubby]

My wife cannot be bought. Believe me, I've tried. You have not gotten a look that could kill until you've gotten one from a part Cuban/part Argentine woman from Long Island! That look has several accents and all KINDS of attitude.
It literally jumps off of her face and slaps me around for several hours before letting me crawl whimpering back into a corner to rehearse my apology.

But I think she may be in a giving mood sometime during the first part of May...something about a boat...sea air...dessert buffets...we should be okay.

I think Bill Cosby does a joke about fire shooting from his wife's eye sockets and burning a hole thru his chest...........perhaps his wife and your wife are related?

 

[DisneyMommy1022]

Just sitting at the Kitchen table maken some FE gifts, eating some pie, watching American Idol, and posting on the DIS... What could be better????? I love this life!

 

[scottie]

Just sitting at the Kitchen table maken some FE gifts, eating some pie, watching American Idol, and posting on the DIS... What could be better????? I love this life!

Knowing the winning lottery numbers and sharing them with all your DIS Meet BFF's?????

I am hoping we can finish up our FE gifts this weekend!

 

[scottie]

I decided I couldn’t hold back last night and pulled all the luggage out to start deciding which pieces we want to take with us. The new suitcase I ordered should arrive today too.

Come on time... speed up!

We are also considering changing our flight down to an earlier flight. No need to, but I figure what the heck if we are going to be off work anyway and the kids wont be going to school that day then why not end up in Orlando to kick off the vacation a couple of hours earlier!?

 

[Eeyore77]

Wow you guys are all ready to go. Me I am still having to wait to get FE gifts until after I pay my taxes next week. OH well after that I will be kicking into full gear with my FE's. I probably won't pack till the day before I leave but that is always how I am with my packing. Plus I have a cat that would be in the suitcase and then Boy oh Boy would I have to have about 5 pet rollers to get rid of all of the hair.

 

[dollysmom]

I decided I couldn’t hold back last night and pulled all the luggage out to start deciding which pieces we want to take with us.

Scott - we did the same thing yesterday. I was sure that we would have enough but I wanted to make sure. I probably won't know exactly what to do with the luggage until I start packing. That will start next week.

 

[scottie]

Scott - we did the same thing yesterday. I was sure that we would have enough but I wanted to make sure. I probably won't know exactly what to do with the luggage until I start packing. That will start next week.

Our luggage will likely just sit in the family room taking up space until we finally decide to start packing in about 3 weeks. I would love to pack earlier but I know how we are (well my wife) and so I dont plan to see that actually happen till much closer to cruise time!

 

[scottie]

OK here are the totals that I have come up with from the last FE list that I posted!

Rooms: 28
Adults: 56
Kids: 40

Here are the break downs per age for the kids
1yo: 5
2yo: 3
3yo: 4
4yo: 4
5yo: 5
6yo: 4
7yo: 4
8yo: 4
10yo: 1
11yo: 2
12yo: 1
14yo: 1

(2) Kids without ages posted!

My DW asked me to figure out how many Boys and Girls were in the FE group so I ran thru the list and the breakdown is below. I do have a few differences in the age groups, likely because I went on the basis if they were not fully at the age of the next group up I left the child placed in the lower age bracket- for example, a 3.8 year old I kept in the 3 year old group.
I also couldnt find the second child with a missing age so I have 39 kids total?

39 Kids

1yo or younger: 6 total-- 3 Boy, 3 Girl
2yo: 2 total-- 1 Boy, 1 Girl
3yo: 6 total-- 3 Boy, 3 Girl
4yo: 3 total-- 1 Boy, 2 Girl
5yo: 5 total-- 3 Boy, 2 Girl
6yo: 4 total-- 2 Boy, 2 Girl
7yo: 4 total-- 0 Boy, 4 Girl
8yo: 4 total-- 1 Boy, 3 Girl
10yo: 1 total-- 1 Boy, 0 Girl
11yo: 2 total-- 1 Boy, 1 Girl
12yo: 1 total-- 0 Boy, 1 Girl
14yo: 1 total-- 1 Boy, 0 Girl

*I only noticed one child without age listed on the FE list but found their age from the front page- it was Hannah (NMDisneyMom’s DD) and it shows age of 4 so I added her in that group above.

Anyone, please feel free to correct any errors I listed!