Any excursion recommendations?

[squale]

will be sailing on Royal Caribbean May 28th and will be stopping for one day at St. Maarten, any recommendations on what excursions are? I really have no idea what to do on this island.. thanks

[Aquarian]

I think a lot of first-timers take the excursion to Orient Beach in the morning and then get dropped off downtown and shop on Front Street in the afternoon, then take the water taxi back to the ship.

[squale]

yeah me and my GF (25 years old each) aren't really into the shopping thing, we want to get the most out of the island for the 1-day we are there, we can shop anywhere at home so that's not an issue.

I am just wondering if St. Maarten is a good place to go sight-seeing, or a better place to relax on the beach? We are also stopping at St. Thomas, St. John, St. Lucia, and Barbados. So I have to figure out what to do at each island.

[Jumbo70]

The America's Cup boat regata is the best excursion ever. Book the first time slot and you will still have time to go to the beach.

[xtrmegee]

My BF & I are trying to find the best Day Sail & Snorkel. We too don't want to waste our vacation shopping and I heard there isn't that much on the island (unlike St. Thomas). We'd rather sail, drink & float, snorkel at remote beaches. There are two sail/snorkel excursions offered by RC, but they are only for 4 hours. I've posted a thread asking for referrals of full day sail/booze/snorkel vendors.

[kstrickman]

We just returned from our cruise April 15th. I researched the America Cup Regatta and we chose this as our excursion. It started out great. We (4 of us) knew we were the crew but we never had any idea that one of us would leave with a cracked rib! My DH, a very healthy muscular man, worked the winch in the aft of the boat. A wave came, he went up in the air, and fell back against the winch. Although, he almost blacked out, he continued to do his job until the completion of the race, which we won. He could barely move for the next two days at sea. He was a good sport, and tried to keep up, but my strong husband had to stick a towel in his mouth in order to get out of bed each morning. Recovery for a broken rib can be 4-6 weeks. I know that accidents happen (that's why you sign a waiver), just be aware there is danger as well as fun.

[kabux]

We did Lord Sheffield Adventure (www.lordsheffield.com (http://www.lordsheffield.com)) it was GREAT! They take you out on a 2 mast brigadoon (?) drive around the island and stop near a beach so you can jump out an swim/snorkel. They have noodles and rafts as well as snorkeling equip. They let you climb up the mast and jump off into the water -- my husband did that, he said it was difficult to climb up but fun! They have open bar from the minute you leave, serve nice bread and cheese then BBQ ribs and chicken then a nice fruit plate. It was $60 per adult and $48 per child. I would highly recommend it. You can walk to it from the pier and then can walk to the shops either before or after. The captain and the crew were awesome! I would do it again in a minute!!

[grangermom]

Any interest in a Segway tour? If so, take the water taxi when you get off the ship. It takes you across to Phillipsburg. It costs $5 pp and you can go back and forth as much as you want. When you get off the water taxi, look for Holland House Hotel. That's where the Segway guys are. It costs $25 for a 30-min. tour. They take you down the boardwalk, out onto the beach, along Front Street and back. They are really fun. You can spend the rest of your day here, as the beach is nice and there are alot of restaurants along the boardwalk. Or you can catch a taxi to one of the other beaches.

[cruisinsforme]

We toured St. Martin/St. Maarten with Bernard of SMX Tours 2 weeks ago and I would highly recommend him. What a great day we had. There were 6 of us in our group, 2 children (8 year old boy and girl), myself, my mother and 2 sisters. I had contacted Bernard less than a week before our June 30th departure on Explorer of the Seas. He returned my e-mail right away and called me at my home since we were so close to sailing. He even called me on my cell phone on the morning of the 30th. He told us to meet him at the information booth about 50 yards from the ship at 9:00 am on the 4th. We got there at 8:40 and he was there holding a sign with my name on it. We all got into an 8 passenger van and were all give a map of the island. He took us around St. Martin telling us about the salt ponds and a little history of the island. We stopped at a scenic overlook while Bernard told us about some of the surrounding islands. Unfortunately, it was too hazy for us to see them. We went to the airport where we watched a jet take off about 100 yards from where we were standing. We then travelled into the French side, St. Maarten and stopped at a private little beach called Baie Rouge. After that we had an hour to shop in Marigot. We could have had longer if we wanted, but we were anxious to get to the beach. Bernard picked us up and dropped us off at Orient Beach. We were a little concerned about the nudity because of the 8 year olds, but it wasn't a problem. We saw a few topless women strolling along the water line, but my 8 year old son didn't even notice. We spent 3 hours at the beach and Bernard picked us up right on time. From there, we went to Phillipsburg and spent an hour shopping. Then Bernard picked us up and took us right back to the ship. He charged $30 per person and we gave him a $20 tip. It was the perfect tour. Bernard customized it for us. We could have spent more time shopping or more time at the beach. I know that I will be calling him the next time I'm in St. Martin.

[NoVa Mimi]

We recently did the Zip Line adventure at Loterie and enjoyed ourselves a great deal. It was one of the best excursions we've been on.

[happywhilewaiting]

Can you explain what Segway is? What is the tour of? I guess I wasn't picking up what you were putting down.

[enjoyinglife]

A segway is a little 2 wheel thing you stand up on and slightly lean forward or back to go in that direction. We did this in Coz last summer and even my 12 year old could navigate the thing. It was a fun tour, but not sure what the tour does in St martin. My family went to Washington DC this past February, and saw people touring on them.

[enjoyinglife]

A segway is a little 2 wheel thing you stand up on and slightly lean forward or back to go in that direction. We did this in Coz last summer and even my 12 year old could navigate the thing. It was a fun tour, but not sure what the tour does in St martin. My family went to Washington DC this past February, and saw people touring on them.

[enjoyinglife]

Sorry about the double post, my computer didnt show it posted. It appeared to freeze.

Again, sorry

[sshuttle]

We recently did the Zip Line adventure at Loterie and enjoyed ourselves a great deal. It was one of the best excursions we've been on.

I haven't heard of this before can you please give details. Thanks!

[PappaSiera]

I haven't heard of this before can you please give details. Thanks!

While we haven't done this in St Maartin, yet :p, we have done zip lines in Ocho Rios and Belize. Basicaly, you start at the top of a hill/mountian side, and find that there are a series of cables strung fron tree-to-tree down the slope of the mountain. You strap on a harness with a pully attached, hook the harnesss to the cable, lift your feet, and gravity takes over. :eek: Obviously, we loved it since we've done it twice, and it's on my list of possabilities for our upcoming sailing.

I used to have pictures up on Webshots of this, but took all of my pictures down after discovering someone had sold my personal pictures to a cruising web site, only to find that this is allowed based on Webshots terms of use.:mad:

HERE (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do;jsessionid=0000IYE4Ujdy8JBRErfj4QELald:10k tmeu5p?ProductCode=SM43&DestinationCode=CARIB&sourcePage=shorexByTypePortDest&ActivityTypeId=2) is a link to Royal Caribbeans page describing the tour.

[sshuttle]

While we haven't done this in St Maartin, yet :p, we have done zip lines in Ocho Rios and Belize. Basicaly, you start at the top of a hill/mountian side, and find that there are a series of cables strung fron tree-to-tree down the slope of the mountain. You strap on a harness with a pully attached, hook the harnesss to the cable, lift your feet, and gravity takes over. :eek: Obviously, we loved it since we've done it twice, and it's on my list of possabilities for our upcoming sailing.

I used to have pictures up on Webshots of this, but took all of my pictures down after discovering someone had sold my personal pictures to a cruising web site, only to find that this is allowed based on Webshots terms of use.:mad:

HERE (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do;jsessionid=0000IYE4Ujdy8JBRErfj4QELald:10k tmeu5p?ProductCode=SM43&DestinationCode=CARIB&sourcePage=shorexByTypePortDest&ActivityTypeId=2) is a link to Royal Caribbeans page describing the tour.

Thanks for the info. I went and read the description. Do you think it's appropriate for an 8 year old boy thats not super athletic? In other words, did you see other kids doing it?

Sorry about your picture ordeal!

[PappaSiera]

Thanks for the info. I went and read the description. Do you think it's appropriate for an 8 year old boy thats not super athletic? In other words, did you see other kids doing it?

Sorry about your picture ordeal!

We did not have any children present on either of the two times we went. The only exertion, besides the adrenalin rush, is the walk in and out. As I said, haven’t done it in St Maartin, but the walk in at Ocho Rios was a bit tough. Be advised that there is a height and weight restriction. Per the web site, need to be at least 4’ (1.22M) tall, and less than 250 lbs (113.4 KG). If he meets the height and weight restrictions, he will love it!