Cab vs Bus, and what is this ferry I keep hearing about?

Hi all,

We will be in St. Maarten for the first time in Aug on the Carnival Liberty.

We are planning to go to Mullet bay beach first thing and then walk over to Sunset bar and grill for some plane watching.

Then head back towards Phillipsburg for some light shopping and then walk back to the ship.

So, the root of my questions revolve around transportation.

I've read that you walk from the piers to philipsburg to catch the bus for cheap, but it's a slightly long walk.

So here comes the question overload:

Can you catch a cab right at the end of the piers?

Does a cab and the bus get to Mullet beach in roughly the same amount of time?

As my title suggested... What is this ferry that I keep hearing about. Why would I need it if the ship is on pier?

Is there any shopping worthwhile in Phillipsburg?

At the end of the pier is the Information Center and behind that is where the taxis are located. You would have a 20 min. walk to back street if you are interested in catching a bus.

Don't know if a bus goes to Mullet bay, but the taxi will get you there much quicker. The taxi for 2 people to Mullet Bay is approx $20. Taxis like to fill up with passengers and in that case it will cost you much less per person.

There are ferries in both St Maarten (Dutch) and St Martin (French) which will take you to Anguilla or St Barts.

I believe the ferry you are talking about is the water taxi that many passengers board that will take you from the pier to downtown Philipsburg.

There are plenty of stores to go shopping on front street in Philipsburg. Is it worth while you ask, it all depends on what your interested in buying. I was just there last week and found alcohol, cigarettes and perfume to be a cost saver compared to prices at home.

At the end of the pier is the Information Center and behind that is where the taxis are located. You would have a 20 min. walk to back street if you are interested in catching a bus.

 

Don't know if a bus goes to Mullet bay, but the taxi will get you there much quicker. The taxi for 2 people to Mullet Bay is approx $20. Taxis like to fill up with passengers and in that case it will cost you much less per person.

 

There are ferries in both St Maarten (Dutch) and St Martin (French) which will take you to Anguilla or St Barts.

 

I believe the ferry you are talking about is the water taxi that many passengers board that will take you from the pier to downtown Philipsburg.

 

There are plenty of stores to go shopping on front street in Philipsburg. Is it worth while you ask, it all depends on what your interested in buying. I was just there last week and found alcohol, cigarettes and perfume to be a cost saver compared to prices at home.

Thanks so much for the input!

I guess we'll probably be taking a taxi from the ship when we arrive, then maybe a bus back, or a taxi, who knows.

So, you're saying there is a ferry (water taxi) that simply takes you across that small bay? Does it go to that dock that appears to be on the beach there? (see attached image). Do you know how much that short ride costs?

As far as shopping, I don't know that we're looking for anything particular, we've never been there before, just like to see what they have to offer that isn't gimmicky.

Looking forward to just going to the beach there. Pics I've seen of Mullet bay look nice!

Edit: Ok, I tried to link an image directly into my post and the forum software is not allowing it. WTH?

http://imgur. com/rdMz4p7

Let see if it messes with that try!

It is, it's blocking my IMG link attempt. I put a space in there so it would leave it alone.

Thanks so much for the input!

I guess we'll probably be taking a taxi from the ship when we arrive, then maybe a bus back, or a taxi, who knows.

So, you're saying there is a ferry (water taxi) that simply takes you across that small bay? Does it go to that dock that appears to be on the beach there? (see attached image). Do you know how much that short ride costs?

 

 

As far as shopping, I don't know that we're looking for anything particular, we've never been there before, just like to see what they have to offer that isn't gimmicky.

 

Looking forward to just going to the beach there. Pics I've seen of Mullet bay look nice!

If your sailing is 8-1-14, I see there will be only your ship in port which is fantastic! Less crowds and less traffic.

Yes the water taxi will take you to the beach called Great Bay which is in the picture you were trying to attach. It will be the second and last stop on the water taxi. It pulls right up to the dock and the beach will be on your right. I have not take the water taxi in a few years and the cost was $6pp round trip, could be $8pp round trip now.

This island is one of my favorites and is noted for their 37 beautiful beaches. Since you'll be the only ship in port, I would suggest going to a different beach as there has been talk of some pollution in the water at Great Bay.

http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44784:improvement-in-fresh-pond-but-great-salt-pond-faces-challenges-&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54

I would suggest going to either Mullet Bay or Orient Bay. Taxis to either beach is approx. $20-$25 for 2 people one way and about $6pp for more than 5 people, as the taxis like to fill up with people so you won't be alone. If by chance you do take a taxi to either of these beaches, you can ask the driver to return and pick up back up at a specific time and they will come back for you and others.

If you enjoy going to a beach, another suggestion would be to take Bernards Tour, Tour 2. They spend about 2 hours on Orient Bay which is another beautiful beach along with a stop at Marigot and Maho Beach. I have taken both of Bernards tours numerous times and they are highly recommended on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor. Feel free to read more on this forum for reviews on Bernards Tour. They also supply refreshments, water, soda, beer and rum punch. I feel like I am in paradise each time I visit this island.

http://www.bernardstours.com/

Have a wonderful time, which I know you will and you'll want to return again and again. Ask away if you have any additional questions.

Ok, I'm following you. Yea, we weren't planning to go to Great Bay for the beach, I remember reading what you mention about the contamination. We will be going to Mullet Bay.

Was just looking for options to lessen the walking because at the end of the day when we're in Phillipsburg, I'm sure we won't want to walk all the way back to the pier. So we can either take the water taxi or a street taxi. Good to have options.

I've also read about bernards. It does sound like a good tour, we were just keeping this stop low on the budget, so a "self tour" was in order.

If we like this itenerary, I'm sure we'll do it again. Then we'll be able to do the stuff we miss this first time.

BTW, (excuse me for a moment while I get on my high horse) after having trouble with posting from my imgur albums, I did a quick search and everyone that uses imgur seems to have the same problem here on Cruise Critic. Though i can't find anywhere on the website where it explicitly states that imgur is disallowed. This is especially frustrating because imgur is free and there are no bandwidth limitations. This coming from an IT guy.

since I don't want to take along a car seat we were considering going to Great Bay Beach, I might be missing something but I tried researching about pollution and I like the poster above could only find that one article from 2013, and I don't see where it says it was polluted/contaminated it said the levels of the samples tested were low. Has anyone found any further information?

since I don't want to take along a car seat we were considering going to Great Bay Beach, I might be missing something but I tried researching about pollution and I like the poster above could only find that one article from 2013, and I don't see where it says it was polluted/contaminated it said the levels of the samples tested were low. Has anyone found any further information?

My suggestion to you is to go to the family board and ask there if there are car seats in Taxis on St Maarten. If the answer is yes then Le Galion beach and the nearby Butterfly Farm is the next two places to do searches on. Le Galion is shallow and calm and a perfect beach for a family with a small child. Even if there wasn't a pollution issue at Great Bay Beach it has a deep slop in to the water and motor boats and jet skis and bar after bar.