Eastern Caribbean - Excursion suggestions?

[Castaway78]

Hello -

I am trying to figure out excursions for St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

While I am a decent swimmer, my travel partner is not a swimmer by any stretch, so I'm looking for excursions with minimal swimming. That is proving to be challenging.

We both like boating, sailing, kayaking, beach time. Not into zip-line or other height activities. Water fun is OK. It's just open water swimming that we're trying to avoid. But it seems like everything interesting has a large snorkeling component. I guess I'm wondering if the snorkeling is required, or if my travel partner can hang back on the boat/beach while I snorkel?

St. Maarten:
We've narrowed down our choices to:
- Golden Eagle Catamaran (SM03)
- Kayak and Snorkeling Adventure (SM33)


For St. Thomas, we've narrowed down our choices to:
- St. John Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (ST21)
- Kayak, Hike, and Snorkel of Cas Cay (ST32)


We are very open to any other suggestions that you might have? Any experiences? Recommendations? Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

On SXM, we went off DCL with a private operator. Given your interests, I'd recommend looking at Bernard's Tours for a private excursion. It'll be smaller and they are well-reviewed.

For St. Thomas, do Cas Cay. The mangroves are neat.

 

[Castaway78]

Thank you, I will look into those

 

[RennDisney]

We just did the Eastern Carib. in May and had a fantastic time! In St. Maarten, we booked a private snorkeling charter since my little guy is 4 and not a good swimmer. The crew was awesome and helped him and big sisters (ages 9 & 10) into the water. Swim noodles were helpful. My son fell asleep as we made our way to our last stop. I stayed w/him onboard while DH and sisters snorkeled. It wasn’t a problem. One of my daughters didn’t like the snorkel gear, so she just swam with a noodle. I appreciated the flexibility of the crew. In St. Thomas, we took a private island tour and then went to Magens Bay. The water was very shallow and beautiful. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas to rent for a small fee. Whatever you decide, you’ll have a great time.

 

[squirk]

At St. Thomas, I recommend going off on your own to St. John. Get off the ship as early as possible. Grab a taxi to Red Hook, and then catch the ferry to Cruz Bay. One there, grab a taxi to Trunk Bay.

You can get to Trunk a good hour (at the least) before the DCL tour gets there. The beach will be almost deserted. Even wh n the tour arrives, it’s not super-crowded. And you can stay after the tour leaves, having the beach virtually to yourself again.

You can grab lunch in Cruz Bay, and head back to STT on the 2:00 ferry. Grab a shuttle at Red Hook, and you’re back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

[Quellman]

From St Thomas we did a St John eco hike with a stop off at Honeymoon Beach. You take a ferry to St John, and then you basically start at the park ranger station near the dock and go for what I would consider an easy guided hike on a wide path. Like many excursions, your guide can make or break it. Our made it. Then we ended up at the beach (have your suit on under your clothes) for a swim and relax for a bit before heading to a quick walk through Caneel Bay plantation. You then board a bus to take you back to the Ferry.

 

[crossfitmama]

We did a fun tour in St Maarten, the Rhino Riders which is fun and you don't have to snorkel to enjoy it but you can : http://stmaartencruiseexcursions.com/RhinoRiderSnorkeling.htm

In St Thomas we did the Kayak trip that goes through the mangroves and it was gorgeous , we didn't do it with the ship , we did it independently so the group size as small. http://stthomascruiseexcursions.com/KayakSnorkelingEco.htm

 

[Castaway78]

Thank you all. I will look into these.

 

[Sil452]

Hello -

I am trying to figure out excursions for St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

While I am a decent swimmer, my travel partner is not a swimmer by any stretch, so I'm looking for excursions with minimal swimming. That is proving to be challenging.

We both like boating, sailing, kayaking, beach time. Not into zip-line or other height activities. Water fun is OK. It's just open water swimming that we're trying to avoid. But it seems like everything interesting has a large snorkeling component. I guess I'm wondering if the snorkeling is required, or if my travel partner can hang back on the boat/beach while I snorkel?

St. Maarten:
We've narrowed down our choices to:
- Golden Eagle Catamaran (SM03)
- Kayak and Snorkeling Adventure (SM33)


For St. Thomas, we've narrowed down our choices to:
- St. John Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (ST21)
- Kayak, Hike, and Snorkel of Cas Cay (ST32)


We are very open to any other suggestions that you might have? Any experiences? Recommendations? Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you!

My wife and I went on the St. John Champagne Catamaran excursion you listed in January. We enjoyed it and would do it again. They drop anchor and everyone has a choice of swimming from the catamaran to the reef or beach, or they will ferry you over in a smaller boat to the beach. You both can ferry over and you can still snorkel, the reef is near the beach. Our group was a mix of both. The crew was great, and they served snacks, champagne and rum punch on the return trip.