St Thomas/St Maarten Cruise Ports?

[luv2mickey]

We are taking our first cruise and will be stopping in Bahamas, St Thomas and St Maarten. Can we get off the ship and walk to explore these towns or is it necessary to do excursions? I like to wonder and not feel like I'm rushed or hearded if that helps. Thanks

 

[KKB]

But the other 2 several times.

You can easily get off at both BUT you will need to bus (St. Thomas) or water taxi (St. Martin) to get to the town area nearest the port. You should never have to rush. Both have nice shopping areas close.

St. Thomas has many beaches. Or fav is Paradise Beach but it is a 30 min. drive away. It has always NOT been crowded but it does have a snack bar, restrooms. GORGEOUS. We always called for a cab about 2 hours before the ship departs JUST to be sure we aren't cutting it close. Sometimes the cabbie who drops us off arranges to pick us up & we agree to pay him when he comes back to ensure he will!

St. Martin there is a beach right near the port, nothing special, but there are restaurants lining the beach. St. Maarten is the Dutch side and has nicer shopping (but much cheaper in St. Martin!)

(we didn't get off in the Bahamas--but if it is Nassau, it is easy on/off--beaches & Atlantis right there!)

 

[rdevine10]

Go over to the ports of call section of the cruise critic message boards. Tons to do in each place. Only been to Nassau myself on this list, but you can spend from 0 to LOTS of money at the Atlantis.

Someone at cruise critic posted a walking tour in Nassau to see the Queens Stair Case, a few other local attractions in Nassau. (Which would be free)

There are resorts where you can buy a day pass.. Melia, Hilton, Atlantis, etc

Dolphin swims, a small zoo, a pirate museum.. (yes we have been to Nassau many times.. lol)

Have fun

 

[havaneselover]

I love St. Thomas. Magens Bay is a gem! You can take a cab there. We did excursions when we did these two ports through the cruise line (Disney). I like knowing that if I'm late getting back, the ship will wait.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

When are you going? We are going to Atlantis (Staying at the Comfort Suites) and are doing the Dolphin Encounter at Dolphin Encounters. It's a small little island dedicated solely to animal encounters. Right now they have some deals (they always have 10% off from their Facebook page). The deal we got was buy 2 get 1 free which worked great for use since we have 6 in our party. Ended up being $82 or so with tax per person.

Atlantis is very expensive. A lot of people suggest getting a room at the Comfort Suites instead of paying for the day pass if you plan to visit the water park. Comfort Suites guests get full access to the Atlantis Resort as if they're staying there.

Can't comment on the other islands as I've never been.

 

[taymarie98]

Nassau did not impress me. We did the whole atlantis thing, but the water looked dirty (especially in the lazy river) food was hard to find, but I did enjoy the dolphin encounter! Have not been to St. Maarten yet but will on March 28th

 

[GatorMama]

We did them on our honeymoon 8.5 years ago. We walked around Nassau but most of the shops were closed. At St Thomas we took a cab and water taxi to St. John where we'd heard was best for snorkeling. And at st Maarten, we sat on the beach with booze in our hands all afternoon. didn't do a single excursion offered by the cruise line

 

[etoiles]

We did just that at St. Maarten. We got off the boat and walked into town. It wasn't too far so we didn't see the need to pay for the water taxi but you can if you want to. Once we were in town we took a city bus to go to the local grocery store to buy local goodies. DH is Dutch so he wanted to stock up on Dutch treats as well while we were there. You could have taken the city bus to the Marigot market as well that many cruise lines go to. It was very cheap, I think about $2 a person and everyone was helpful and friendly. We took the bus back and then walked around town before going back to the ship.

In St. Thomas we did take a local tour through Air Force One tours and he was awesome! I highly recommend them and they weren't too pricey either.

 

[MickeyManiac]

St Thomas is my favorite place. We've been there twice and both times have taken a taxi to Sapphire beach. It's never been busy and we've had an amazing time snorkeling. We've seen flounder and even a couple of lobsters walking along the bottom of the ocean.

I also really enjoy walking through their small shopping area/downtown. There is an outdoor market that we lovingly call "tent city". The locals set up tables and tarps and create small stores to sell their wares. I can look around there for hours.

I'm ready to go back!

 

[XYSRUS]

In St. Martin we did an excursion I booked online called Rhino Riders. It was about a half hour taxi ride, 10 min. safety talk/video and then so much fun. Google it. We had a great time!

 

[luckyman_apd]

We did a cruise (not Disney) that hit these islands. St. Thomas is expensive compared to St. Maarten....and Nassua is trashy unless you go to Atlantis. St. Maarten is by far my favorite island in the Carribean. I HIGHLY recommend taking a cab to Mullet Bay. It's the best beach on the island....especially if you have kids. The Great Bay beach where most Cruise ship passengers go (the beaches right off the boat by water taxi) are nice....and there are plenty of locals to wait on you from the local restaurants.....but....Mullet Bay is quiet....great for snorkeling, and there is a little BBQ shack right on the beach with really cheap beer ($1 Carib bottles). It might be a 30 min ride from the port, and it will seem like you are getting dumped off in the middle of nowwhere but when you walk through the trees and walk out onto the beach. Very calm water....crystal clear, and lava rock to the right with fantastic snorkeling. It's a little hidden gem...trust me. We've gone back to the island by plane and stayed for a week.....and this was by far our favorite spot.

Also a fun stop.....Maho Beach. Rough surf, but it's right at the runway for SXM airport and you can watch the planes come right over your head. Very touristy and gets crowded....so go there early, and Mullet is just a few minutes away.

 

[KKB]

St Thomas is my favorite place. We've been there twice and both times have taken a taxi to Sapphire beach. It's never been busy and we've had an amazing time snorkeling. We've seen flounder and even a couple of lobsters walking along the bottom of the ocean.

I also really enjoy walking through their small shopping area/downtown. There is an outdoor market that we lovingly call "tent city". The locals set up tables and tarps and create small stores to sell their wares. I can look around there for hours.

I'm ready to go back!

We will go there every time we hit St. Thomas! (not expensive AT ALL)