Bernard's Tours

Hi everyone! I'm new to the boards and new to cruising on RCCL (been on 2 other cruises before on different carriers.) I'm starting to do some research for our Bermuda/Caribbean cruise in October. Having never cruised to these islands before, I'm a bit overwhelmed with what to do. It seems like on St. Maarten, Bernard comes highly recommended for a tour of the island and it looks like we see almost every thing. My question is, do you think it is too soon to book with him now for October? We would hate to miss out.

TIA for any info! :)

Hi everyone! I'm new to the boards and new to cruising on RCCL (been on 2 other cruises before on different carriers.) I'm starting to do some research for our Bermuda/Caribbean cruise in October. Having never cruised to these islands before, I'm a bit overwhelmed with what to do. It seems like on St. Maarten, Bernard comes highly recommended for a tour of the island and it looks like we see almost every thing. My question is, do you think it is too soon to book with him now for October? We would hate to miss out.

 

TIA for any info! :)

Not all all....book away:cool:

We be booked 9 months ahead. You will not be disapointed he is great!

We are already booked for June 2010.

Ok, thanks everyone! My DH and I discussed it and haven't read anything bad about his tours so I did go ahead and send him an e-mail yesterday and he has already confirmed us! :D

You've got nothing to lose since you don't pay until the day of the tour. Just be sure to let him know if you DO want to cancel. We've used Bernard twice. He's a nice man and his tours are informative.

We just got back from our cruise last sunday. Booked with Bernard and he and his partner John were great. There were too many people for one van so they used 2. We got John for our driver. Very nice. Bernard is great also. I wish we would have had more time at Orient beach though...I could have stayed there another hour easily and skipped the shopping! Orient beach is awesome. Have fun!!

I have read on other sites that the traffice can be bad in St. Maarten, sitting in traffic rather than seeing the sites. Can anyone share their experiences?

I just wanted to add to this thread because we ( group of 15 ) used Bernard last week (5/28/09). I highly recomend his tour. Bernard was very friendly and informative. For $35, you get basically an open bar (rum punch, carib beer, soda and water). It was a great no stress day and he takes you over the entire island (Orient Beach, Maho Beach where the planes land near the beach). We booked about a week ahead of time and had no issue.

Danno

I have read on other sites that the traffice can be bad in St. Maarten, sitting in traffic rather than seeing the sites. Can anyone share their experiences?

That wasn't our experience. It was a little heavier in the afternoon than the morning, but no problems.

Thanks everyone! I think we made the right decision!

We just got back from our cruise last sunday. Booked with Bernard and he and his partner John were great. There were too many people for one van so they used 2. We got John for our driver. Very nice. Bernard is great also. I wish we would have had more time at Orient beach though...I could have stayed there another hour easily and skipped the shopping! Orient beach is awesome. Have fun!!

Agree great tour and John was fantastic. :)

The Ump

John

I agree, it's not too early to book :) We were just on Bernard's Tour last week. We also had John as our driver. He let us hold a sand dollar and a sea urchin. I didn't think I wanted to hold the sea urchin, but in the end I ended up holding it. I've been to St. Maarten several years ago, but I was glad to be back. It was interesting to see the split between the French and the Dutch side.

Currently, there is a strike going on in St. Maarten, so the only things that were open was the market.

how does one get ahold of Bernard? Or any other list of things to do?

http://bernardstours.com/

Contact him through here. He usually responds promptly, so check your junk mail if you don't see it.

Just came back off the Freedom 31May and from taking Bernard's tours . We had Bernard himself and the tour was fantastic. I highly recommend it. He took us first to Orient beach, then asked us whether we wanted more time in Marigot or at Maho. We chose additional time in Maho so we briefly stopped in Marigot, enough to grab lunch but got to Maho in time for the larger jets. Then we went to Rima's for shopping. He then asked if anyone wanted to be dropped off in Downtown Phillipsburg. One couple did while rest of us were taken back to the ship. What I appreciated the most was his concern for my daughter who got motion sick enroute. He stopped to let her get fresh air and kept asking her how she was doing. Way to go Bernard!!!! Will be back with you next year!

Just came back off the Freedom 31May and from taking Bernard's tours . We had Bernard himself and the tour was fantastic. I highly recommend it. He took us first to Orient beach, then asked us whether we wanted more time in Marigot or at Maho. We chose additional time in Maho so we briefly stopped in Marigot, enough to grab lunch but got to Maho in time for the larger jets. Then we went to Rima's for shopping. He then asked if anyone wanted to be dropped off in Downtown Phillipsburg. One couple did while rest of us were taken back to the ship. What I appreciated the most was his concern for my daughter who got motion sick enroute. He stopped to let her get fresh air and kept asking her how she was doing. Way to go Bernard!!!! Will be back with you next year!

Yes indeed that is the Bernard we all know and love! He is such a wonderful man and his tour is the absolute best! We have toured with him before and will be returning next April! Bernard's tour and spending time with Bernard is always the highlight of our cruise!

Bernard is the nicest person and it is just killing us we cannot get back to St Martin.

Laura

We enjoyed Bernard's Tour. John was our guide and we had a great time. Here is a picture of our group.

Just returned - 12 thumbs up from our group. Will write up a more complete review later this week.

We just did Bernard's Tours last week, we loved it! Very good tour and good stops. Orient Beach and Maho Beach were awesome! My one piece of advice, be careful w/ the free rum punch provided...VERY STRONG!

Thanks for all the info. I sent Bernard an email and within a couple of hours had our confirmation for Oct. Can't wait!!

Are the beverages (beer, pop, rumpunch) available on the regular ($35 pp) tour? Or just the private tour?

One quick question.

How do you get to stay at Orient Beach and Maho Beach ???

Thanks,

Joanne

We were on Bernard's tour back in November and it was absolutely great. I would highly recommend his tour. He is great. Yes, the drinks were all included in the $35.