Orient Beach is beautiful. It's on the French side of the island so there is a slight possibility of seeing some nudity. More likely you will see some ladies without the top part of their swimsuit on. My understanding is that there are different sections of the beach were there is more swimsuits on and areas were more swimsuits are off. I'm sure the
DCL excursion will drop you off on the more appropriate portion of the beach. We went there on our own and 90% of the people were appropriatly attired. Don't worry about what you or your kids might see. My perspective is there are 4 groups of people there: properly attired (the biggest group), well tanned females that are topless (and you hardly notice), then there are the last two groups of nudists: those that live there and look like very dark wood panneling or dried out leather and my favorite: overweight white guys with flaming red cheecks (if you know what I mean
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The Barefoot Catamaran trip to St. John's is wonderful. It's family run. A couple of brothers built the boat. The crew was very friendly and helpful. Their snorkeling equipment is in very good condition. We went with DCL and the boat was not crowded - but there were quite a few people there (all from DCL). When we returned, another group was waiting to board - there were 2 to 3 times as many people waiting to get on than us leaving - I'm sure it was crowded! The reason it is called a barefoot sail is that they confiscate your footwear before boarding and give it back to you when you get off. You motor out of the harbor, then sail over to St. John's. It's a very pleasant trip. The snorkeling is pretty good - lots of coral and colorful fish and other critters. I don't know if they go to the same beach / area all of the time. When we arrived, we were the only ones there, an hour later a lot more boats had arrived (it was great timing!). They have drinks and snacks onboard. I really recommed this excursion.
Never done the parasailing thing - it looks like fun. The getaway package I think includes biking, float rental and snorkeling equipment. Can't comment on biking - don't ride a bike -- ever (remember Calvin & Hobbs!). Never rented a float - but that has always looked relaxing. Now for snorkeling at
Castaway Cay. We did it in summer '99 and winter '02. It's getting better. After snorkeling at St. Johns, Castaway Cay is a little disapointing. And since it was winter, the water was noticably cooler - summer it's not a problem. To see any critters you have to go way out on the course. They do have a shipwrecked submarine out there and Mickey is out there too. Some other experienced folks brought out some crackers in plastic bags, when they opened the bags and started spreading the crackers around - there were fish everywhere!! That was pretty cool!
You will have a fun time with all of these excursions. Enjoy your trip.
