Under 2 flags

[Allie in Wonderland]

Has anybody been on the Under 2 flags excursion on St Maartin on the 7 day eastern cruise? If so, was it worth doing it and what did you think of it? Any other additional info. would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Allie in Wonderland

 

[minniemoms]

We just got back 2/7 Eastern Magic. We did the 2 flags tour. I thought it was okay. Never cruised before, so I wanted an overall view of the country. For $20.00, It was ok. I got to see it all, it took us to the French side and gave us 45 minutes to shop there, and then drove around and took us back. I probably wouldn't do it again, because I have seen it. St. Martin is very poor, so it wasn't real pretty looking out at much of the poverty, but I am glad I did it once. I didn't buy anything at the outdoor flea market on the French side, only the dutch side, and I heard the prices were Better on the French side.
Oh Well...... Next time. On St. Thomas, we did an outside firm Godfreys, He was great. I would do that again. Have fun. Judy

 

[kcashner]

We did the tour privately. When you get off the boat, there is a tourist desk right at the dock. They'll point you to the tours.

I took my 13 year old. Let's just say that she got an anatomy lesson that she thought was totally gross......Our guide was wonderful, and even had towels in the vehicle for those people who just had to get wet at the 15 minute beach stop.

For $18, it was a good way to get oriented to the island. She'd drop us downtown for shopping or take us back to the ship--our choice, same price. Downtown is about a 10 minute walk to the boat.

 

[delo4]

I have to agree that the tour was just ok. It was nice to see the whole island, but the tour got a little long. Part of the reason is was long was because we had a screaming 2-year old on the bus who did not want to be there.

We did enjoy getting to see both sides of the island and our guide was very informative. They do stop for a short time for shopping, but I didn't think the shopping was worth the time. They also stop once to let you get out and take a picture.

This was probably a good thing to do once, but once is enough.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

We didn't care for the tour. The busses were packed full and we felt claustrophobic. The other side of the island is really run down and we didn't see a whole lot that was very interesting. St. Maarten is just not a very interesting place, in my opinion. I would use that day to do a fun water-oriented activity, like the Golden Eagle Catamaran or something. Do a sight-seeing excursion on St. Thomas, which is much prettier.

 

[Carasoyn]

Depending on how many are in your party it may be more fun to rent a car and do it on your own. We haggled with Budget and got an 2004 Rav4 that seated 4 for $75. We saw the whole island, goats, pot holes, stunning vistas, french patisseries and great markets for ourselves. I drove and had a blast. We circled the entire island and had the flexibility to stop when we wanted to and take as much time when and where it interested us. Including tax and insurance this only cost us $32 more than the 2 flags tour would have cost us and there were only 3 in our party.

PS I felt very safe as a driver and as a sightseer on the island, but I am from LA