Caribbean Princess Excursions

[jodster]

We are sailing the Caribbean Princess to St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I would love to know what others have done in terms of excursions.

[spongerob]

If you like active excursions, try the America's Cup sailing at St. Maarten. It's a lot of fun. You can take the excursion in the morning and still have plenty of time to hit the beach or the shops.

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04

[yensid1071]

We were in St Thomas on the Dawn Princess and did the BOB Underwater Excursion which was a *LOT* of fun!! It's realtively new to the Princess offerings compared to other excursions. You're in an underwater "scooter", guided by divers, where your head is in a bubble while air is being supplied by air tanks attached to the "scooter." We'd do it again on our next trip!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif




Howdy Rob!! How are things getting back to the swing of Real Life? I'm still in post-cruise-depression! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Caribbean Princess - 4/2004
Dawn Princess - 12/2003
Sea Princess - 12/2000
Emerald Seas - 7/1984

[jodster]

Are there any beaches on either island that you would recommend?? My husband would love the water "scooter" excursion. Sounds like a blast

[spongerob]

There are lots of beaches on St. Maarten. One of the more interesting ones is located near the airport - I can't remember the name offhand, but any cab driver would know what you are talking about. Then there is the infamous Orient Beach, complete with its population of clothing optional proponents.

We took the Luxurious Catamaran to St. John. That one is very expensive, but it's an all day trip and includes lunch, open bar for the day, and free snorkel gear and water toys. The beach is an unspoiled stretch of sand on St. John. Great fun! Captain Peter and crew do a great job taking care of everyone. Say hi to Steffani for us!

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04

[jodster]

Spongerob,

Thank you for the great info. You appear to be a dedicated Princess cruiser. Is there any particular reason? This will be my 1st cruise ever. Very excited. Have you cruised any other lines? I hope you are planning to post a review when you get back from the Tahitian Princess. I would love to go there someday.

jodi

[Cruisinforever]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by spongerob:
There are lots of beaches on St. Maarten. One of the more interesting ones is located near the airport - I can't remember the name offhand, but any cab driver would know what you are talking about. Then there is the infamous Orient Beach, complete with its population of clothing optional proponents.

We took the Luxurious Catamaran to St. John. That one is very expensive, but it's an all day trip and includes lunch, open bar for the day, and free snorkel gear and water toys. The beach is an unspoiled stretch of sand on St. John. Great fun! Captain Peter and crew do a great job taking care of everyone. Say hi to Steffani for us!

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rob.... is that the same thing as what I've signed up for through Princess? It's called the "Full Day Catamaran Sail to St.John with Lunch"... it's a two hour sail to St.John, where we spend about two hours on St.John, then the return sail back. It was $119 per person, and includes the complimentary snorkel gear and complimentary bar throughout the excursion. It surely sounds as if it is the same....even has champagne, if desired.

Are refreshments available on the beach without having to get back to the catamaran?

I'm really looking forward to that one!

JJ
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04
Star Princess 5/24/03
Sun Princess 6/12/00
Carnival Fantasy 1/18/98

[spongerob]

The only real reason we chose Princess in the first place was that they had a cruise that fit our schedule. Once we got on that one, the on-board booking deals kept us coming back. I like that the ships and service are classy, but not stuffy, and we've met the nicest people on our cruises.

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04

[jodster]

Spongerob,

Can you enlighten a novice and tell me about the on-board booking deals that you received?

jodi

[*KristenInCT*]

Second the motion for Americas Cup Race in St Maaten. Hubby and I have done it twice...and loved it!

http://www.gifs.net/animate/2hulagirls.gif
9/11/04 ...days left til the Caribbean Princess!!
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2004;09;11;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500
3/04 Adventure of the Seas
9/03 Majesty of the Seas
3/03 Radiance of the Seas
3/00 Victory

[jodster]

Hi KristenInCT,

Did you have any problems with motion sickness??

jodi

[spongerob]

Jodi,

What really surprised me about those yachts was how smoothly they sailed even in fairly rough seas. We'd have been bouncing all over the place in a typical catamaran. The yachts are designed to cut through the water with minimal fuss, and have a very deep and heavy keel, so they pretty much ignore the sea state. We didn't even get much spray. The only thing that takes a little getting used to is that you're heeled over to one side or the other most of the time. Once you figure out where to stand, it's quite comfortable. Just don't offer to be a "main grinder". You have to hoist the sail (hard work) and your "seat" is kind of a narrow ledge that will leave marks on your botty for a while.

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04

[OCruisers]

No matter what else we do in St.Maaten, we always spend some time (if not the entire day) at

Everyt'ing Cool ~OnOurOwn~ (review/directions) (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=429097554&m=8943052696) *

We enjoy being at the beach and beach bars so it works for us!

Happy Sailing! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

* Also posted in the Ports of Call section under St.Martin

[Lidi]

We like to do the Golden Eagle Catamaran on St. Martin and plan on going to St. John for the day while in St. Thomas. We loved Trunk Bay and would like to spend the day there. If there is no specific excursion there we will just go on our own. It was magnificent. The Golden Eagle was also very wonderful. We are going to do that again. Dh likes to snorkel but I do not. They have noodles on board and I just laid out in the water on two noodles and they swam out to me with a floating tray of drinks. Came out a few times to replace them too! It was awesome! They also feed you on the way home.

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Norway 5/11

[jodster]

Spongerob,

It sounds like the catamaran excursion is
a winner! Thank you for your reply about motion sickness. I probably would have never booked the catamaran trip just because I'm prone to motion sickness. Hope it doesn't happen on the ship! I have another question what kind of on-board booking deals does Princess offer?? Do you have to sail within a certain time period once you book?? Sorry for all the questions.

Jodi

[spongerob]

There's a lot on these boards about the on-board bookings. You can do two things. You can book a cruise that you want, and put down only $100 per person deposit, and assign the booking to your TA immediately. That way the TA will be able to track prices. Or, you can get an "open" booking that is good for 4 years. The next time you decide to sail with Princess, that booking number can be used to hold the cruise. Again, the open bookings cost $100 per person.

The advantage, which ever way you go, is that you can book a cruise without having to put down a large deposit. That's really handy if you find a great deal but don't have the cash for a deposit. Just give the agent your open booking number and you're all set. You'll also get at least part of the amount back as an on-board credit. The amount varies depending on the length of your cruise.

Make an appointment with the Future Cruise rep on board for a complete explanation. Or, if you're really brave, try using the search function here.

Just completed:
Caribbean Princess Apr 3/04
Golden Princess Apr 10/04
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04

[minnjudy]

Thinking of doing Godfrey in St. Thomas. Is that a good idea since we have never been there?
(We did Peat Taylor in Ocho Rios and this seems to be similar.....loved him!) It sounds like Godfrey has gotten good review on cruise critic. Four of us....me, DH (what exactly does that mean?) and two sons 15-20.
Have booked the Amer Cup regatta on St. Martin, so this would be alittle more low key? Advice anyone?

RC Nordic Empress 1/92 Bahamas

RC Enchantment W Carib 1/01

Legend to Hawaii 3/03

Next:
Carib Princess E Carib 6/04

[Karen Carney]

Megans Beach on St. Thomas is considered to be one of the best top 10 in the world. It is gorgeous.

[Lidi]

We went to Megans Bay last year in May. We went because we had heard about it being one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches. The view of it from above was incredible but that was where it ended for us. I don't know if we went at the wrong time of year or what but we were so disappointed. The sand was full of debris and it was very dirty. The snorkeling was not as good as St. John's and in the end we just wish we had stayed on St. John for the entire day.

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2003;5;11;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500
Norway 5/11