Regal princess November Maho beach

Hi! My dad and I are sailing on Regal in November and plan to spend a day at Maho beach watching planes! Can anyone help me with the best way to get from the Port to the beach and back again? We thought of a taxi, but no idea how far it is or how much it will cost! Many thanks :)

If you look over on the St Maarten board, you will find lots of info. The Mods might even move it there. Cab is probably the best and easiest way to go.

I think a cab is about your only option as I've not seen tours that include that. Keep in mind the beach area is fairly small and can get quite crowded - you may want to get an early seat at the sunset bar/grill where you can hang out and watch - they publish the arrivals and departures so you'll know when the big ones are coming in - I think they may publish this on their website as well - could be wrong on that though - have fun! [emoji4]

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Personally, I recommend the bus . It's actually more of a Jitney . You will see them on Achterstraat St with a sign on the front that says "Maho Beach" . Service is very frequent and only about $2 per person each way. The drop off at Maho Beach is on the opposite side of the runway from the Sunset Bar and Grill so only a few hundred feet . It is also the normal drop off point for most taxis as it can take forever to get across the runway at peak times . The point is you can walk faster then drive the width of the runway.

We usually take a cab to near-by Mullet Bay Beach and then walk back to Maho to watch the planes before heading back to the ship. I believe that a cab is normally approximately $8-9 a person (but check the boards, because my memory is failing me here). If you take a cab, you should refer to the beach as "Sunset" or "airport beach". I'm not sure why, but the cab drivers always seem confused by the name Maho (maybe I don't pronounce it correctly?).

IMO, if you are going FOR the beach, then I would go to another beach. Sunset has been very crowded the past couple of times that we have gone - there are much nicer beaches on the Island (some within walking distance). The reason to go to Sunset is to watch the planes - which is incredibly fun.

Thank you all very much. Sayra I'm not just going to the beach for the planes, we're doing the whole cruise just for the planes at st Maarten! I have wanted to go there for as long as I can remember, it is top of my bucket list. We chose this cruise just for st Maarten and we are flying from the UK for it! My poor dad, he knows the whole day will be spent by that runway! :D

On our 2012 Ruby Princess cruise that stopped in St. Maarten, we took a cab (van that had several people in it from the ship) to Maho Beach and dropped us off right in front of the bar/grille there. A surfboard stuck in the sand outside the bar had the arrival times for the larger planes written on it so you could have somewhat of an idea when to expect the larger planes. We spent the entire day there in the bar/grille seating area and watched all sizes of planes land and take off - and then mid-afternoon took a cab back to the ship. This was one of the most memorable shore excursions we have had in the Caribbean! Would love to do this again on our next visit to St. Maarten.

St. Martin is a beautiful island with many beautiful beaches. I've stayed there numerous times in the past but always flew there. But when St. Martin is a cruise port, Maho Beach is the place we always cab over to see the planes. Year after year, it never gets boring. You can take a bus but plan on taking a cab on the way back. The bus will be too slow.

Yes, they do keep a chalk board for the flight schedules. My memory has it that the majority of the jumbo jets come in the afternoon. Lots of flights from Miami. Just be careful of the time. If you need to be back at the ship at 4 then be sure to give yourself a MINIMUM of 1 hour to get back to the ship. There is lots of traffic on the road that connects the beach and the ship.

We've always gotten a table at the little restaurant and order great burgers, fries, and beers and just watch them come in. To stand or sit on the beach, right under their flight plan is like nothing you will ever experience again. Lots of wind and noise. I know I am dating myself but I remember when the Concorde flew in and landed there for the very first time. Everyone on the island came out for that. Great memories.

I'm sure you have seen the many videos on YouTube, if not, take a look. It's really exciting.

There's always a traffic jam getting back to the ship from Maho. The one road that least back to Phillipsburg has been worked on for years now & it never gets better.:(

Thank you all very much. Sayra I'm not just going to the beach for the planes, we're doing the whole cruise just for the planes at st Maarten! I have wanted to go there for as long as I can remember, it is top of my bucket list. We chose this cruise just for st Maarten and we are flying from the UK for it! My poor dad, he knows the whole day will be spent by that runway! :D

Completely worth it. You will have a blast~

Literally, you will be sand-blasted depending on where you stand. Still worth it.

Be sure to get a plane landing schedule before you venture there. The last time we went we arrived mid afternoon & there were no planes schedule to land until just before we sailed.:( We spent to much time at Orient beach.

When we were there the big planes started coming in around 1:30ish, and they were lined up, one right after the other for about an hour. It was very cool, as one was right over the beach you could see the next one lowering over the water..... Made me think that poor guy in the tour a slight miscalculation and both planes on the runway...

You will have a great time, I had seen it on tv and saw photos nothing does it justice like seeing it in person.

Enjoy your cruise.