Bernards- private or group? Or something else?

We will be in St. Maarten in December on RCCL Freedom of the Seas. It will be myself & hubby (been here before a few times), our 4 year old, and my elderly in-laws.

Here's what we want to do on the island:

We want to see the beauty of the island & beaches but not go *in* the water or spend a lot of time at the beaches.

We want to shop & explore the "city" & do some sightseeing

We want to go to Maho beach & see the planes fly overhead. We want to be sure that we are there when the planes fly over- not just stop at that beach.

Bernards tours seem to be very popular & seem to fit the bill for what we're needing. It's $160 more to book the private tour rather than their group tours. My questions are:

1) Does is sound like Bernard's is the right fit for what we want? How much "beach" time is there?

2) Will we see a plane fly overheard during our 45 minutes at Maho beach?

3) Would you do group tour or private? Is it worth the $160 to you to do private?

Thanks for your help!

I have used Bernards and Amigos there.

Both are great tour companies. Bernards we used the generic tour and was good and with Amigos we booked a private tour (for less) and got a more tailored to us tour. Went their tour route but stayed as short or as long as we wished at each s top.

45 minutes you will see some. Mostly small propeller island hopping planes though but you still might catch a big one.

In your personal situation, I would suggest that you contact Joyce Prince about a private tour.

I don't know how her price compares to a private tour with Bernard with the additional $160, but ALL of her tours are very personalized, and she has access to the right size vehicle for your group.

Joyce is aware of the flight landings at Maho, and if that is important to you, she should make sure that you are there at the right time.

She has the CURRENT flight arrival information posted on her website.

gary