St. Thomas/St. Maarteen

[cruisingkim]

Hi. My name is Kim and I am.....
Seriously. this is my first post. I have been doinng cruise research these past two weeks and have found several great websites and a 76 page guide packed full of info. But I still have questions. We are leaving for the Eastern Caribean cruise in less than 2 months. My main question is what to do in St. Thomas and ST. Marteen. We have 2 daughters, ages 8 and 10. We do not snorkle. I am not thrilled with the idea of spending hundreds on excursions. I know there are better ways/cheaper things to do on the islands. However, with being out of the country and this being our first cruise my primary concern is being well informed on the do's and don'ts of seeing the islands. I would especially like shopping tips. Does anyone leave their kids on the ship? Were you comfortable doing that? Is there anything that is a don't miss.

Thanks.

KIM

 

[AnnMorin]

Ahh one of my passions!

The best place to shop in my opinion is the dutch side of St. Maarten. You will find the exact same merchandise on the french side for much more and St. Thomas is more than that. (still much less than the states) Our son was eight when we took him on the Eastern and he really enjoyed seeing the other cultures. It is a shame you don't snorkle because in st. John the snorkling is really good. But you could still enjoy a day at the beach there. If you have never been to the caribbean you are in for such a treat as the water is like pool water, in both color and temperature. I would not leave my son on board when in port -not because I don't think he would be safe there but because I would hate for him to miss the experience.

My don't miss list for the Eastern:

1.Jewelry and liquor shopping in dutch St. Maarten
2.a fairy ride over to the french side (it is really neat as they barely can communicate in english)
3. Trunk Bay St. John- the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.

 

[tstobb]

In St Thomas, take the tram http://paradisepointtramway.com/ to the top of the mountain for an amazing view

It's just a short walk from the pier and there is a small cafe , some shops, a bird show & a nature walk (wear sneakers, not sandals - it's rocky) at the top.

It was the one thing that we did while ashore that our children remember the most.

 

[NCRedding]

We did the butterfy farm excursion on St Marten--which took us around the island, stopping in Marigot for shopping at an outdoor shopping center and then to the farm. My DD loved the butterfly farm. I didn't like the excursion for its "herd mentality" , lots of waiting, but I enjoyed the farm and shopping and not having to worry about the transportation. In St Thomas, we grabbed a taxi to Coki Beach, went to Coral World (aquarium) and swam on the beach til around 2. We rode the taxi back to the ship, DD went on to the kids club, and I went back to the mall that is right at the port area where we docked. We both prefered our St Thomas day.

 

[Hersh]

Hi Kim,
We are going on the 4/5/03 eastern and have an eight year old daughter and a five year old son. We decided to do things on our own. We plan on doing some shopping and stopping by the beach behind the shops but still close to the ship on St Marteen. On St Thomas, we want to go to Coki beach and Coral World by taxi. We are just bringing a lunch with us and taking our time.
When are you going?

The Hersh Family