St Maarten help

[mhb]

Good day to everyone. I'm still looking for something my family can do in St Maarten. We are a family of 5, me, DH, DS (15), DS (13), and DD (11).

It seems when I was on CC Fourm not too many people had good things to say about St. Maarten.

Has anyone been on an excursion they felt was worth the money and they enjoyed? I don't think I want to just go on the beaches and since I believe we are there for 10-12 hrs. I was wondering.

Thanks for any help. MHB

 

[UMTerp]

Hi mhb,

We went on the Dolphin Encounter in Anguilla when we went to St. Martin in April. It was expensive but the kids really enjoyed swimming with the dolphins. The beach at Meads Bay was beautiful.
I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

Enjoy!

UMTerp

 

[NYDisneyMom]

Originally posted by mhb
Good day to everyone. I'm still looking for something my family can do in St Maarten. We are a family of 5, me, DH, DS (15), DS (13), and DD (11).

It seems when I was on CC Fourm not too many people had good things to say about St. Maarten.

Has anyone been on an excursion they felt was worth the money and they enjoyed? I don't think I want to just go on the beaches and since I believe we are there for 10-12 hrs. I was wondering.

How about renting a Jeep and exploring the island? There's lots of beaches and little spots to stop and take in the local scene. There's shopping on the French side and Dutch side. There was a post recently about a family who rented a Jeep and had a great time (see the Trip Report and Thank You thread). You can pack lunches from the ship in a soft sided cooler and just have an adventure!!
I agree, the Disney excursions are very expensive. We have younger children, so we just did the Butterfly farm with them (on our own), went back to the ship for some lunch and swimming, then my DH and I went back to shop while the kids stayed in the clubs.

 

[TheWog]

St. Maarten can be fine or intimidating it depends on the person I think. Some people don't like it much others love it. We loved it and had a great time. We didn't go far though, we hung on the beach rented jet skis, ate on the ship and returned for shopping. Was a great day and very relaxing. Like I said, we loved it.

The Rhino riders looked like a lot of fun. Was going to do that but my son was too young if I remember correctly. I believe there is also an island tour that will take you around the whole island with lots of stops. You can go to Marigot, which is supposed to be beautiful. Stop at the beach where the planes come in to land and feel like they are 50 feet above your head. All sorts of stuff. The jeep may be great for you. Proabably can't get too lost, just keep the ocean on your right

There is also a regatta excursion that I think is right in Great Bay. check out fun onshore at disneycuise.com and shoretrips.com and cruiseconcierge.com

Have a great time.

check this out as well. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=408097554&m=768103922

 

[JP-STL]

It was our favorite day of the cruise. Here's my trip report.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=585277

 

[mhb]

I knew you guys would have some great ideas. I think the Dolphin Encounter sounds great. Do you remember how much it costs? Is this through DCL? How far was it from the ship? Sorry for all the questions, but still not sure.

I don't think we'll be renting a jeep. Sounds great but not sure if DH feels like fighting traffic on his Vacation.

 

[magic cruiser]

mhb ... I don't know when your cruise is, but if you're interested in the Dolphin Encounter in St Martin be sure and sign up for it at the 60 day point and not a day later ! That's how fast it fills up ! We were not able to get it for our cruise.

BTW....my sister and her family are from Sewell...the Lucchesi's !!:thewave:

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

The dolphin swim actually takes place over on Anguilla, so it's quite a ways from the ship. The excursion takes the better part of the day (it's listed as 7-7.5 hours and leaves at 7:30am). I've never done the excursion, but have gone over to Anguilla on my own while in port on St. Maarten. I like the island, and it makes for a nice day in port.

The prices for the dolphin excursion are $180 for adults, $158 for kids. Who ever said is was pricey wasn't kidding, but hey, it does include lunch.

 

[mhb]

WOW!!! I knew it would be expensive but that's insane!! Back to square one.

Magic Cruiser-Pm me and we can talk about your sister.
We are really in Washington TWP. How about them?

Lloyd Dobler-I have read other things you have posted and you are very well informed. What else could a family of 5 do? DS (15), DS (13), DD (11).

Thanks,

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

Wow, first time I've been accused of that! Thanks. Unfortunately, most of my knowledge of the Caribbean involves getting to and from various beaches, as I find I'm pretty good at goofing off on the beach all day.

You could probably spend a bit of time at the beach and take some kind of tour or sightseeing trip. I've heard good things about the butterfly farm tour. That tour leaves in the morning, I think, and has you back to the ship in the early afternoon. You could then take the water taxi over to Great Bay beach and hang out for a while, or wander into Philipsburg.

Shoretrips.com has a kayak tour that sounds pretty cool. The mangrove kayaking on St. Thomas is one of my favorite shore excursions, so if your kids are pretty active, they might like that. I think DCL offers this one, too. It's likely the same trip, so you could probably save money with Shoretrips. Actually, that's probably always the case.

The "See and Sea" island tour takes you on a mini-sub type ship (kind of a glorified glass-bottom boat) and then over to Marigot (the French capital). I've done this one and enjoyed it. It was a good way to check out the island.

One of my favorite excursions on St. Maarten was the Lotterie Farm hike, but that's kind of a tough hike and might be a bit much to ask of your kids.

 

[GOVAC24]

Orient Beach Rendevous is nice. The beach is very nice at the club you go to. The ride over is comfortable & the people on board give you lots of info about the island. The lunch is nice & there are plenty of beach chairs to be had. The umbrellas cost $3.00 for the day. The down fall is the people wondering the beach trying to braid your hair & sell you stuff. They do leave you alone with a firm no thank you. Of course the obvious is that all beaches on the French side are clothing optional. This really wasn't a problem for anyone. Most people (including kids) didn't notice. We left the boat at about 9 & got back about 3. Still had time to go to town to shop before we left port.
Our first trip we did the Golden Eagle Catamaran trip. This was very nice. The snorkling wasn't all that great but it was still nice. The ride over & back was great fun getting splashed.

Enjoy your trip!