November 5th 2011 Eastern on the Magic

[LovesToRun]

WELCOME

To Kathy & family

Gosh we now have 2 Kathys and one Kathleen here.

Kathy I am also Kathy and I am just south of you in Oregon.
Finally someone on the same time zone as me.

Are you interested in doing the FE?
I am just getting a list together for this. Please let me know if you want to join in the fun.

The Eastern is also our favorite itinerary.

You will certainly get the chance to meet us because I am planning a meet the first afternoon. I will give details soon.

We stayed at the Hyatt once then took the bus to the port, it worked great. Their roof top pool is fun if you have time to unwind out there. Its never busy and is such a beautiful pool and a great view.

Kathy

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Hi Kathy,

Nice name. So, two Kathy's and one Kathleen in this group, huh? My legal name is Kathleen, so technically, I'm both Kathy AND Kathleen. But, everyone calls me Kathy.

Thanks for the welcome, too!!

I don't think we'll be doing the FE (but thanks for the invite!!). We aren't really into that as much, but if there are any meet and greets, etc, would be fun to meet others at some point on the cruise. We are very social people, and enjoy meeting others.

Yes, you are just down south from me! Where in Oregon are you from? We are going down to the Oregon coast this coming weekend for an annual family reunion on my DH's side of the family (he grew up on the Oregon coast). Oregon is a really nice state.... we go there a lot.

We can't wait for this cruise!!

Take care,
Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Kathy,

Nice name. So, two Kathy's and one Kathleen in this group, huh? My legal name is Kathleen, so technically, I'm both Kathy AND Kathleen. But, everyone calls me Kathy.

Thanks for the welcome, too!!

I don't think we'll be doing the FE (but thanks for the invite!!). We aren't really into that as much, but if there are any meet and greets, etc, would be fun to meet others at some point on the cruise. We are very social people, and enjoy meeting others.

Yes, you are just down south from me! Where in Oregon are you from? We are going down to the Oregon coast this coming weekend for an annual family reunion on my DH's side of the family (he grew up on the Oregon coast). Oregon is a really nice state.... we go there a lot.

We can't wait for this cruise!!

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Kathy,
Legally I am Kathleen too But i go by Kathy too.
So I guess we are really 3 Kathleen's on this cruise.

I live half way between Roseburg and Cottage Grove out in the country. The actual address is right on the outer border of Oakland. I have cows to the right of me, horses and cows across from me, behind me is a wooded hill and next to that are horses and long horn cattle.
There is a truck stop near by with a Subway and Dennys, plus a couple hotels but thats about it.

We are heading to the coast this weekend too. Heading to Yachats Fireside hotel for the weekend. They are a dog friendly hotel where we can go with our dogs and let them run the beach and just have some fun with other dogs too.

What area of the coast are you going to? What town did your husband grow up in?

I grew up going to Florence and Newport areas to camp a lot.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Kathy,

Just got your PM and you answered my questions so just ignore them here.


Good night everyone,

Kathy

 

[flygrl]

Good Morning All....
Welcome Kathy (LovesToRun)... My son's birthday as well is on November 3... Thanks Kathy for the information for the birthdays...
OK how is the Hyatt compared to the Radisson? Guess I have to do a port check in time as well???

For the FE: My room number for the Russell's is 6139 for Tanya, Sean and Meghan.
Had to email my sister Darcie and her son Dennis to get her room number... Hopefully she will respond by tomorrow and I can post it. Hopefully Darcie will join the thread as well

Tanya

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Good morning everyone,
It's the start of another week, which means we are 1 week closer to the cruise


Today we are going to book our excusrions, hope they arnt filled up already.
On St. Maartin we are doing the mountain hike and then go shopping and stroll around the area.
St. Thomas we are going over to St.Johns for the Island tour.
We have done this before but will do it again so our son can see St.Johns too. He doesnt want to go alone, it's no fun to go alone, so we will go with him. It is a nice tour with some beautiful views.
Then what ever time is left we will browse through shops again.


Anybody else doing one of those tours??

Back in a couple of hours to see if anybody has posted today.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Good Morning All....
Welcome Kathy (LovesToRun)... My son's birthday as well is on November 3... Thanks Kathy for the information for the birthdays...
OK how is the Hyatt compared to the Radisson? Guess I have to do a port check in time as well???

For the FE: My room number for the Russell's is 6139 for Tanya, Sean and Meghan.
Had to email my sister Darcie and her son Dennis to get her room number... Hopefully she will respond by tomorrow and I can post it. Hopefully Darcie will join the thread as well

Tanya

Hi Tanya,
we posted at the same time

The Hyatt is a bit more spendy but the rooms are much more comfy and larger. Both places have a nice pool. The Hyatt's is a room top pool which is kind of fun to look out for the view. Of course the pool area is noisy due to the planes. But the room is silent, NO outside noises at all.

We like the Hyatt if you arrive in the evening and just want to relax the night before the cruise. Lots of places to eat at the airport. Easy to walk to the food court, rooms are comfy and quiet, and check in for the cruise the next morning is in the Lobby area so that easy an fast.

They had 4 people at a table so the line (which was short) moved fast and 10 minutes later we were walking out to the Cruise line bus and off we went to the port. They even got our luggage from our room for us and took it to the ship.

Radisson has a nice pool, live music on friday night and of course more room to walk around outside. If you have the day to enjoy then the Radissson would probably work best because you can walk around and find things to do, where at the Hyatt all you can really do is relax, swim and look at retail shops in the airport.
Both are nice places.

Thanks for the room number!!
I hope Darcie will post.
Tell her if she doesnt post, to remember she will have to meet me on board and I may drill her as to why she didnt at least say hello

I am a mean old lady.
on my past cruises people would ask me NOT to bring out my whip!! That is what I used to get people to post.

This is Sexie Sadie

This is Mr. Bananahead

But this is the guy you dont want coming after you for not posting. He is so mean he doesnt even have a name. Look at thar evil little face. All squinty eyed and mean looking.

Now you see how mean I can be. So Darcie had better at least day hello

Kathy

 

[flygrl]

I sent Darcie the excurisons to see which she would like to go on. Her skype is not working right now on her phone so it is hard to chat when I am working and she is 6 hours ahead of me. I hope she will email me tomorrow about it... Now silly question: Where do we book the excursions???
Guess this day is not over yet... but your right Kathy we are closer to the cruise...
Tanya

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Tanya,
You can either call DCL or go on to the DCL website and click on my reservations. Type in your reservation number and information and it will bring up your cruise and then you can book your excursions.

You must be paid in full and I cant remember what the deadlines are but they have deadlines for booking.
This is just an example.
Such as those who have cruised many times and are Platinumn level can book excusrions at 90 days out from the cruise (if paid in full) the next group which is Gold can book 60 days out etc... Now those are NOT the right amount of days, just an example of how the booking schedule works.

So you may not be able to book just yet but it will tell you on line or call and ask.

My husband does all the booking but I know he just goes on line to do it. We are Platinum so we can book early.
Sometimes it will say they are all booked up. If that happens you can keep checking back in case of a cancellation or ask at the Shore excursions desk once on board because many times they have cancellations and you may still get it.
Also you can get a taxi to take you places if the ships excursions are filled up, but really watch the clock so not to be late getting back. The ship wont wait for private excursions if they are late.


Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi All,

Since I see the latest topic has been excursions, I'd love some advice if anyone has any re: our situation.

We've been to St. Maarten before with Disney, but we did a Disney cruise excursion (a beach break, which was a ton of fun, especially for the kids). But, this time, we want to go to Maho beach (I think that is the name), which is the beach right next to the airport runway, so jets literally fly right over your head. It's pretty amazing from what I've heard.

Our oldest son (who will be 11 at the time of the cruise) LOVES planes, flying, airports... pretty much anything related to the topic, and so it is his dream to go see these planes land and take off, and the rest of our family really wants to go, too!! Sounds so much fun to me!

I have looked into options to getting to this beach, since this is not an excursion with Disney, and I can't decide which is best and the smartest option, so was wondering if any experienced cruisers who have been to St. Maarten more than once can offer any friendly advice.

These are the two options I know of:

Option 1) rent a car and we drive on our own (this will allow us to go wherever we want, including the airport beach, and stay as long as we want wherever we go. However, the big jets (747's, etc) don't land until 2 or 3 PM, so we want to hit Maho beach in the afternoon. But, from what I've heard and read Maho Beach is across the island from the port, and I understand that traffic on St. Maarten can be terrible in the afternoon at rush hour. So, my one and only concern about renting a car is that we won't time it right to get back to the ship, and we will get stuck in traffic and miss the ship, and that would be devastating!!! So, I think I'd be stressed out come the afternoon about getting back to the ship. But, maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of it, and if we have to be back to the ship by 6 PM, and we leave the beach by 4 PM, we should have enough time?? I have no idea!

Option 2) I have heard about an independant tour company called Bernard's Tours. I have heard they are super good and know how to make sure you are back to the ship in time. They take people to the airport beach, and they know the plane schedule, so they make sure you are there when the heavy's (747's) land and from what I heard, they stay about 45 minutes at the beach in the afternoon, and then they take you to a few other places in the morning. That is the group tour which I've heard is reasonably priced. But, then you can do a private tour which is more expensive (more expensive than a rental car for sure), but this way we could customize the amount of time we spend at each place we go to, including Maho Beach at the airport, as well as customize where we go rather than their standard route, BUT the plus side is the driver would know what time we need to start heading back to the ship in order to get there in time becuase they know the ins and outs of traffic, and what best routes to take, etc. From what I've heard and read, they always get you back to the ship in time.

So, I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons here, and was hoping to get some input from any of you.

1) The rental car option:

Pros - we can go wherever we want, whenever we want... just be on our own. It is cheaper than Bernards Tours for the 4 of us.

Cons - we (or I) will probably be more stressed out afraid we won't get back to the ship in time, or get lost on the island, or stuck in traffic because we don't know the traffic patterns.

2) Bernards tour option:

Pros - not stressful because they willl know timing of everything, they navigate around island, we are just passengers, will not stress about getting back to ship on time.

Cons - much more expensive than a rental car if we do a private tour with just our family. Less expensive (but probably still more expensive than a rental car) if we do a group tour (cheaper option with Bernards tours), but then we are stuck to their general tour route (so might end up going places we aren't as intrested in), and if we decide we LOVE Maho Beach and want to stay there longer than 45 minutes, then we are out of luck because from what I've read, this is how long the general group tour stays at this beach(and this particular beach is literally the ONE and ONLY thing my son is looking forward to on St. Maarten, and we are calling it his 11th b-day present, since he turns 11 on Nov 3, so I'd feel bad if because of the group tour timing we had to leave if we are having a super good time and want to stay longer than 45 minutes).


So, I can't decide which is best... my husband thinks renting a car is just fine, but he never worries about anything! haha. So, I know I'd be the one stressing about getting back to ship on our own. So, he is letting me decide if we do Bernards Tours or the rental car.

Or, maybe someone here knows of another option for us that is even better than the two I have mentioned here! If so, I'd love to hear. (Oh, btw, in case someone wants to recommend a taxi, I have heard that a taxi would not even be an option because it'd cost too much, plus, at Maho Beach, I've heard and read that it's hard to catch a taxi from the beach, so I don't think a taxi is an option for us.... but please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm only going by what I've read online).

Thanks!
Kathy

ps. sorry for such a long post, but this is literally the one and only thing I am unsure about on our whole cruise!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Kathy,

I can give my opinions about a couple of things to consider while making your decisions.
1. Car Rental.
Ask your insurance company how much to cover you if you rent a car there. Most companies wont cover you unless you pay a special fee before you go.
If you rent a car and don't do this, the paper work you sign will pretty much say you will pay 100% of any cost incurred while the vehicle is in your hands.
From the smallest scratch they can find to a large accident.

We did this once for an excursion where you drive the vehicle. They rushed us so much we didn't read the fine print of the contract until later. The way it was worded was really scary if we had had even a fender bender it could have cost us thousands of dollars and since we had signed it, it was legal.
So please check with your insurance first. Never again will we do that!

If they have a cost it may be as much as the difference in hiring the tour group.

2. I have been in the traffic in the late afternoon, it is horrific and moves so slow when it moves. Drivers yell and honk and cut each other off all the time.
We have also been delayed due to traffic and got back after the all aboard time a couple of times. I knew it was a DCL tour and they would wait but it was still a scary time for me, thinking what if ??? I have seen people left before.

Driving on the opposite side of the road is hard to get use to also.

If the large planes don't come until afternoon, it seems to me that even if you drove there you would still have to leave about the time the tour does, so unless you want to spend the day watching small planes, it seems about the same amount of time to see the large ones, either way.

I would never tell anyone what to do, but if it were me, I would do the tour company so i could at least relax and enjoy the time we had there.
Better safe than sorry.

I know 45 minutes isn't much but it is better than nothing.
I do remember watching many sea planes taking off near us while docked and they fly right past the ship. He may like standing on deck 10 for a bit to watch that too. Not as thrilling as the big ones i know.

If you do drive there, I would time how long it took you to get there and allow at least double that to get back.

Good luck with your decision. Sounds like its going to be a hard one to decide on.
Kathy

 

[SLM]

We've never been to St. Maartin, so no help really except to say I've read several posts/threads from people that were very happy with their Bernard's tour.

Sandy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi Kathy,

I can give my opinions about a couple of things to consider while making your decisions.
1. Car Rental.
Ask your insurance company how much to cover you if you rent a car there. Most companies wont cover you unless you pay a special fee before you go.
If you rent a car and don't do this, the paper work you sign will pretty much say you will pay 100% of any cost incurred while the vehicle is in your hands.
From the smallest scratch they can find to a large accident.

We did this once for an excursion where you drive the vehicle. They rushed us so much we didn't read the fine print of the contract until later. The way it was worded was really scary if we had had even a fender bender it could have cost us thousands of dollars and since we had signed it, it was legal.
So please check with your insurance first. Never again will we do that!

If they have a cost it may be as much as the difference in hiring the tour group.

2. I have been in the traffic in the late afternoon, it is horrific and moves so slow when it moves. Drivers yell and honk and cut each other off all the time.
We have also been delayed due to traffic and got back after the all aboard time a couple of times. I knew it was a DCL tour and they would wait but it was still a scary time for me, thinking what if ??? I have seen people left before.

Driving on the opposite side of the road is hard to get use to also.

If the large planes don't come until afternoon, it seems to me that even if you drove there you would still have to leave about the time the tour does, so unless you want to spend the day watching small planes, it seems about the same amount of time to see the large ones, either way.

I would never tell anyone what to do, but if it were me, I would do the tour company so i could at least relax and enjoy the time we had there.
Better safe than sorry.

I know 45 minutes isn't much but it is better than nothing.
I do remember watching many sea planes taking off near us while docked and they fly right past the ship. He may like standing on deck 10 for a bit to watch that too. Not as thrilling as the big ones i know.

If you do drive there, I would time how long it took you to get there and allow at least double that to get back.

Good luck with your decision. Sounds like its going to be a hard one to decide on.
Kathy

Thank you so much for your thoughts!! I was leaning toward Bernard's Tours before I even wrote this post, but now I'm pretty sure that is what we'll go with, only because you made me think of a couple things I hadn't thought of and I don't want to deal with.

First, yes... you are right re: insurance for a rental car outside of the country! I forgot about that. I haven't checked with our car rental insurance yet! Very good point!! If they did not cover 100% outside of the USA, then it'd be a no deal for me. I think they do in certain places because we have rented a car in other countries, but never in the Carribbean, so I'd have to check if they have restrictions on certain countries/places.

Second, I totally forgot they drive on the opposite side of the road as we do here in the USA! We went to Australia several years ago and rented a car there. I was the one who drove (my DH is a MUCH better map reader than me, so I drive, and he navigates... ). But, it literally took me a WHOLE day of driving to not feel tense at the wheel because it was SO different driving on the opposite side of the road, and so in St. Maarten, we'll only be there for a day, so I think I'd be tense driving the entire time! I can't believe I forgot they drive on the oppsite side. This is one reason I love these boards!! Other people help you think of things you haven't thought of.

And, your logic you wrote about about Bernard's Tours vs a rental car and the amount of time spent on the beach totally makes sense and again, another thing I really hadn't thought of or compared.

So, unless someone else comes up with a better idea for us, I think we'll go with Bernard's Tours.... we just need to decide if we'll do the standard group tour, which will probably be fine, or if we'll spend more $$ and do a private tour and customize it for just us. hmmmm....

Has anyone here in this group ever used Bernards? If so, any thoughts on the standard group tour vs. private tour? I know Bernards has been talked about on the main boards, so I'll search there.

Thanks again!!! Your post was very helpful.

Kathy

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

Hi Sandy,
How's your Monday going??

It took me forever but I finally got a ticker on my signature.


I don't know why I had so much trouble this time.

Our sun hasn't appeared yet still cloudy and only 64 degrees, it was suppose oto be 83 today?


Kathy

 

[Jetflyer]

Good Morning All....
Welcome Kathy (LovesToRun)... My son's birthday as well is on November 3... Thanks Kathy for the information for the birthdays...
OK how is the Hyatt compared to the Radisson? Guess I have to do a port check in time as well???

For the FE: My room number for the Russell's is 6139 for Tanya, Sean and Meghan.
Had to email my sister Darcie and her son Dennis to get her room number... Hopefully she will respond by tomorrow and I can post it. Hopefully Darcie will join the thread as well

Tanya

Hi Flygirl! I think I saw your son is 9 so he will be turning 10 on Nov. 3. Our son, (Brandon) will turn 11 on Nov. 8. Glad to see some boys on the ship in the same age group!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

A few more photos to share



Time to get this party started.

The DCL cruise bus.

Anniversary on the ship

The Buffet

Shark towel animal

Sunset from the ship

Who else has some photos to share?
They don't have to be cruise photos, just family photos to share and help us to get aquainted better.

Kathy

 

[Jetflyer]

Wow! I didn't realize it was so involved to get to Maho Beach! I'm glad I read this! My husband and son have been watching this on youtube for awhile and would love to see it! I also didn't know we would have to be there from 2:00 to 3:00. Many years ago (1994), we rented a jeep and drove around the perimeter of the island. We did get into that horrible traffic jam, in a jeep that was overheating, with a ship to catch. The locals took pity on us and told us about a shortcut, (down a gravel rode on the side of a mountain) and back to the ship. Thankfully, we made it back on time. I'm not sure if I would do it again. If you do rent a car, all of the signs were in Dutch or French.

Hi All,

Since I see the latest topic has been excursions, I'd love some advice if anyone has any re: our situation.

We've been to St. Maarten before with Disney, but we did a Disney cruise excursion (a beach break, which was a ton of fun, especially for the kids). But, this time, we want to go to Maho beach (I think that is the name), which is the beach right next to the airport runway, so jets literally fly right over your head. It's pretty amazing from what I've heard.

Our oldest son (who will be 11 at the time of the cruise) LOVES planes, flying, airports... pretty much anything related to the topic, and so it is his dream to go see these planes land and take off, and the rest of our family really wants to go, too!! Sounds so much fun to me!

I have looked into options to getting to this beach, since this is not an excursion with Disney, and I can't decide which is best and the smartest option, so was wondering if any experienced cruisers who have been to St. Maarten more than once can offer any friendly advice.

These are the two options I know of:

Option 1) rent a car and we drive on our own (this will allow us to go wherever we want, including the airport beach, and stay as long as we want wherever we go. However, the big jets (747's, etc) don't land until 2 or 3 PM, so we want to hit Maho beach in the afternoon. But, from what I've heard and read Maho Beach is across the island from the port, and I understand that traffic on St. Maarten can be terrible in the afternoon at rush hour. So, my one and only concern about renting a car is that we won't time it right to get back to the ship, and we will get stuck in traffic and miss the ship, and that would be devastating!!! So, I think I'd be stressed out come the afternoon about getting back to the ship. But, maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of it, and if we have to be back to the ship by 6 PM, and we leave the beach by 4 PM, we should have enough time?? I have no idea!

Option 2) I have heard about an independant tour company called Bernard's Tours. I have heard they are super good and know how to make sure you are back to the ship in time. They take people to the airport beach, and they know the plane schedule, so they make sure you are there when the heavy's (747's) land and from what I heard, they stay about 45 minutes at the beach in the afternoon, and then they take you to a few other places in the morning. That is the group tour which I've heard is reasonably priced. But, then you can do a private tour which is more expensive (more expensive than a rental car for sure), but this way we could customize the amount of time we spend at each place we go to, including Maho Beach at the airport, as well as customize where we go rather than their standard route, BUT the plus side is the driver would know what time we need to start heading back to the ship in order to get there in time becuase they know the ins and outs of traffic, and what best routes to take, etc. From what I've heard and read, they always get you back to the ship in time.

So, I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons here, and was hoping to get some input from any of you.

1) The rental car option:

Pros - we can go wherever we want, whenever we want... just be on our own. It is cheaper than Bernards Tours for the 4 of us.

Cons - we (or I) will probably be more stressed out afraid we won't get back to the ship in time, or get lost on the island, or stuck in traffic because we don't know the traffic patterns.

2) Bernards tour option:

Pros - not stressful because they willl know timing of everything, they navigate around island, we are just passengers, will not stress about getting back to ship on time.

Cons - much more expensive than a rental car if we do a private tour with just our family. Less expensive (but probably still more expensive than a rental car) if we do a group tour (cheaper option with Bernards tours), but then we are stuck to their general tour route (so might end up going places we aren't as intrested in), and if we decide we LOVE Maho Beach and want to stay there longer than 45 minutes, then we are out of luck because from what I've read, this is how long the general group tour stays at this beach(and this particular beach is literally the ONE and ONLY thing my son is looking forward to on St. Maarten, and we are calling it his 11th b-day present, since he turns 11 on Nov 3, so I'd feel bad if because of the group tour timing we had to leave if we are having a super good time and want to stay longer than 45 minutes).


So, I can't decide which is best... my husband thinks renting a car is just fine, but he never worries about anything! haha. So, I know I'd be the one stressing about getting back to ship on our own. So, he is letting me decide if we do Bernards Tours or the rental car.

Or, maybe someone here knows of another option for us that is even better than the two I have mentioned here! If so, I'd love to hear. (Oh, btw, in case someone wants to recommend a taxi, I have heard that a taxi would not even be an option because it'd cost too much, plus, at Maho Beach, I've heard and read that it's hard to catch a taxi from the beach, so I don't think a taxi is an option for us.... but please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm only going by what I've read online).

Thanks!
Kathy

ps. sorry for such a long post, but this is literally the one and only thing I am unsure about on our whole cruise!

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

My family is booked on this sailing and we're starting to get excited! This will be our 3rd DCL cruise (10/10 Wonder and 5/11 Dream). As you can see, we fell fast and hard.

My DD is 11 and very excited to participate in the FE. Do we already have a coordinator? We'd love to be added to the list.

We're still working on excursions also. I booked the Sting Ray Encounter at Castaway Cay. I desperately wanted a cabana, but they were already gone when I logged on at midnight of the 7th. I cannot WAIT until we reach Gold.

We're not sure what to do in St. Maarten or St. Thomas. We live 5 minutes from the beach in Florida, so beaches definitely do not thrill us. We go all the time at the drop of a hat. We also are not into water sports. I don't think DH has even ever been on a boat. Well, except for DCL. Any ideas? Are there any that we should definitely skip?

Can't wait to get to know everyone!

Carolyn
and Tom & Sydney, 11

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

WELCOME



Hi Carolyn,

great to have you and your family along.

My name is Kathy and DH is Greg. There is also another Kathy and a Kathleen. Actually we are all 3 Kathleen

I am putting together a FE list and i have added your family to the list.
I still need your cabin number if you have it.
Plus its easier to send out the list via E-mail so if you want to PM me or e-mailme your address I would appreciate it.
My e-mail is sixtoedfrog@yahoo.com

This will be #21 DCL cruise for us , plus one Carnival cruise.

This thread is just coming to life the last week, so this is a great time to join in the fun. When I send out the FE list it will also have a meet scheduled for all of those who want to meet on board .

We are doing the mountain hike on St. Maartin and St. Johns island tour.

Looking forward to chatting with you the next few weeks,

Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi Flygirl! I think I saw your son is 9 so he will be turning 10 on Nov. 3. Our son, (Brandon) will turn 11 on Nov. 8. Glad to see some boys on the ship in the same age group!

Wow, so many November birthdays for our kids!!! And, two November 3rd birthdays, too! So far, there is one boy turning 10 and two boys turning 11 all within a few days of each other. Very cool! Too bad they all won't be in the same age group... looks like the 11 year olds will be in the Edge and the 10 and unders will be in the Oceaneers Lab. I have a 9 year old who will be in the Oceaneer lab, so I'll have boys in both kids groups. My 9 year old is very social... he'll make friends with any kid with in 10 minutes. My older (the one who is turning 11 on Nov 3) is a bit more shy and quiet, and a bit more introverted. He is the kind of kid who will make one or maybe two friends on the ship, and that is good enough for him.

If any of you have a boy who will be in The Edge (11-13 age group) who is the more creative type, or enjoys airplanes, or flying, let me know... my son gravitates toward kids who have these interests.

My 9 year old (the one who will be in Oceaneers Lab) LOVES sports... any kind of sport, especially basketball, but he just loves to be active and playing sports! He is a social butterfly, and also loves all the fun games (computer games, xbox, wii, etc) that they have in the Oceaneers Lab. Anyone who has a son around that age who has similar interests, I'm sure my son will enjoy meeting!

-Kathy

 

[LovesToRun]

Wow! I didn't realize it was so involved to get to Maho Beach! I'm glad I read this! My husband and son have been watching this on youtube for awhile and would love to see it! I also didn't know we would have to be there from 2:00 to 3:00. Many years ago (1994), we rented a jeep and drove around the perimeter of the island. We did get into that horrible traffic jam, in a jeep that was overheating, with a ship to catch. The locals took pity on us and told us about a shortcut, (down a gravel rode on the side of a mountain) and back to the ship. Thankfully, we made it back on time. I'm not sure if I would do it again. If you do rent a car, all of the signs were in Dutch or French.

Oh, cool! I'm glad we're not the only ones who are interested in going to Maho beach, and you said your husband and son are mostly interested?? How old is your son? Is he interested in flying? What a crazy story you have from last time you were there and rented a jeep! Glad the locals were so nice and helpful and you made it back to the ship in time!

We are definitely going to make our way over to Maho beach. I talked to my DH tonight and told him about the discussion I had on this board about getting to Maho beach, and he agrees with me that we'll be going with Benard's Tours and we won't be doing the rental car thing. He wants to do a private tour, but I need to call and see how much $$ that is. We'll see.... but this way, we can stop at other beaches. The standard group tour Bernards does stops at Orient Beach, but they stop at the Clothing Optional part of the beach. We went to that beach last time we were at St. Maarten not realizing it was a nude beach (optional nude beach), and did have a great time in the sand and water, but our boys saw a BIT too much, in my opinion since it's a clothing optional beach! ). So, we'd like to make it to a clothing required beach this next time, and if we did a private tour with Bernards, they could take us to clothing required beach in the morning before Maho Beach.

Anyway, the main priority is to make it to Maho Beach and watch the planes. My son (and all of us) have seen the You Tube videos as well as watched on I think the Travel Channel a show called "Most Extreme Airports in the world", and St. Maarten airport was like #2 out of the top 10 most extreme... apparently, it's a pretty tricky airport to fly into!

My son has a flight simulator he uses on our computer, and LOVES to "fly" with that... he seriously wants to be a pilot when he grows up. So, we'll see! So, he has "flown" into St. Maarten with his flight simulator, so he is excited to be there in real life.

Anyway, I'm not 100% sure of the times when the heavy's fly in, but I definitely know it's the afternoon... I think I've just heard it's like 2 or 3 PM. It's definitely in the afternoon, though, when the big ones arrive and take off. But, honestly, I think even seeing a smaller jet fly 200 feet above your head would be just as trilling!! But, we'll for sure do our best to be there when a 747 flys in and/or takes off. Just hoping we can make it back to the ship in time before we watch the ship take off from a distance! That would end up being a VERY expensive excursion because we'd all be buying 1 way tickets on the spot to St. Thomas! haha. But, I know that won't happen if we take this Bernards Tours.... I've read up on them even on Trip Advisor, and they have excellent reviews, and I have not read one report where someone missed their ship with them. So, I feel good about booking through them.

kathy