How Busy Will St. Thomas and St. Marten Be?

So we looked last night and saw that there will be 2 other ships at St. Thomas and 4 other ships at St. Marten when we are there. I don't think St. Thomas will be too bad but how about St. Marten? Will that number of ships in port at the same time mean little beach space and overall busier roads, etc? Just wondering if we should base our day around that? Thanks!

Depending on what time the ships all dock, it could be a problem at the beaches. I would never go watch the planes land, but that's just me... :cool:

So we looked last night and saw that there will be 2 other ships at St. Thomas and 4 other ships at St. Marten when we are there. I don't think St. Thomas will be too bad but how about St. Marten? Will that number of ships in port at the same time mean little beach space and overall busier roads, etc? Just wondering if we should base our day around that? Thanks!

Tell us what ship you are on and what date you are there, we can check to see how many ships are in port the same day.

Cruisers have a habit of going to the same beaches/places on most islands. So we tend to go to beaches not generally used by cruisers which are really not impacted by the number of cruise ships/cruisers in a port. So for example, on St Maarten one will find Orient Beach often crowded with cruisers (it is a large beach that does handle crowds quite well) while some other beaches (such as Happy Beach) will not have a single cruiser (except us). On St Thomas, most cruisers head for Coki, Magans Bay, or Saphire. But there other beaches like Morningstar that will have very few cruisers. We used to like Emerald Beach, when docked at Crown Bay in St Thomas...but that beach has now been discovered by the crews of many ships so we find that we usually share that beach with lots of cruise staff.

So if you are concerned about too many ships and crowding, simply learn to be a "contrarian" person. Look at where the tours go and avoid those places like the plague :).

Hank

Cruisers have a habit of going to the same beaches/places on most islands. So we tend to go to beaches not generally used by cruisers which are really not impacted by the number of cruise ships/cruisers in a port. So for example, on St Maarten one will find Orient Beach often crowded with cruisers (it is a large beach that does handle crowds quite well) while some other beaches (such as Happy Beach) will not have a single cruiser (except us). On St Thomas, most cruisers head for Coki, Magans Bay, or Saphire. But there other beaches like Morningstar that will have very few cruisers. We used to like Emerald Beach, when docked at Crown Bay in St Thomas...but that beach has now been discovered by the crews of many ships so we find that we usually share that beach with lots of cruise staff.

 

So if you are concerned about too many ships and crowding, simply learn to be a "contrarian" person. Look at where the tours go and avoid those places like the plague :).

 

Hank

Happy Bay is a 15-20 minute hike on a dirt path from Friars Bay which itself is quite the distance from the cruise pier and there are no washroom services at Happy Bay and only one person that provides chairs and food/beverages.Plus on top of that, it is known as a beach that very well could have nude beach goers. The few times that I went to HB there were nude people. I think that these are good reasons why cruisers don't visit Happy Bay. Also, Maho is the beach in my opinion that can't handle the hoards of cruisers that it gets. Orient is a very long beach with many beach bars and entertainment options and I for one like it better when it's busy compared to when it's not. :)

To those of you that have actually been to Happy Bay,

1. did you rent a car? or Cab to Friars Beach?

2. Did you feel safe there?

3. How to you keep your belongings safe?

Gosh, only 2 ships in St. Thomas! That's a really light day for them!

5 or 6 ships is normal for St. Maarten.

Both of these ports handle a large number of ships easily.

Enjoy your cruise! :)

To those of you that have actually been to Happy Bay,

1. did you rent a car? or Cab to Friars Beach?

2. Did you feel safe there?

3. How to you keep your belongings safe?

When we go to Happy Bay it is generally when we are vacationing on the island (we like staying near Grand Case) and we usually park our rental car at Friars. Depending on our mood we might stay at Friars...or hike over (there is a trail through the woods) to Happy Bay. It is true, that there a few true nudists that also prefer Happy Bay....because it is a quiet near empty place where they can lay on the beach without having to deal with gawkers. If you are bothered by possible nudists, then its wise to stick to beaches on the Dutch side of the island (nudism is illegal) such as Mullet Bay.

As to belongings, we usually carry a back pack with our towels, sunscreen and perhaps a change of clothes. The only valuables we take to a beach are some cash and a major credit card...which we keep in a waterproof fanny pack (which I can wear while snorkeling or even when doing SCUBA).

Is Happy Bay for everyone? Nope....which is why it is quiet and not full of cruisers :). If you go to Friars, you can hike over to Happy Bay and draw your own conclusions. If it is not for you, its a simple matter to hike back to Friars (it takes us no more then 15 min walking through the woods) and either stay at Friars or jump in your car and go somewhere else.

Keep in mind that there are more then 30 beaches on the island, and cruisers generally congregate at only a few (Orient, Mullet, Maho, and Great Bay). When we stay on the island it is lots of fun just trying some of the lesser known places. But for cruisers without a rental car, this is not always a good idea as many of the beaches do not attract taxis....so you have to be concerned about getting back to the ship.

For the record, we think that Maho (very popular with some cruisers) is one of the worst beaches on the island. It does have a decent beach bar, and nearby planes can be lots of fun. But the beach itself (or what's left of it) leaves much to be desired. Orient Bay/Beach is actually a very nice beach which does get awfully crowded when there are a few ships in port. But as you walk North on the beach, you can escape the crowds...but there are generally no chair vendors. We have sometimes gone out there when we have our own chairs.

Hank

Thanks Hank!

If we get a car we will check out Happy Bay and go to Marigot. If not, possibly just Mullet and Maho. I am interested in HB since it is less people and very beautiful. We will park at Friars. Thanks for the info!

I do have two car companies on reservation right now. I believe Hertz at the port and someone Kenny's referred me to, can't remember the name but he said he would pick us up at the port!

When we go to Happy Bay it is generally when we are vacationing on the island (we like staying near Grand Case) and we usually park our rental car at Friars. Depending on our mood we might stay at Friars...or hike over (there is a trail through the woods) to Happy Bay. It is true, that there a few true nudists that also prefer Happy Bay....because it is a quiet near empty place where they can lay on the beach without having to deal with gawkers. If you are bothered by possible nudists, then its wise to stick to beaches on the Dutch side of the island (nudism is illegal) such as Mullet Bay.

 

As to belongings, we usually carry a back pack with our towels, sunscreen and perhaps a change of clothes. The only valuables we take to a beach are some cash and a major credit card...which we keep in a waterproof fanny pack (which I can wear while snorkeling or even when doing SCUBA).

 

Is Happy Bay for everyone? Nope....which is why it is quiet and not full of cruisers :). If you go to Friars, you can hike over to Happy Bay and draw your own conclusions. If it is not for you, its a simple matter to hike back to Friars (it takes us no more then 15 min walking through the woods) and either stay at Friars or jump in your car and go somewhere else.

 

Keep in mind that there are more then 30 beaches on the island, and cruisers generally congregate at only a few (Orient, Mullet, Maho, and Great Bay). When we stay on the island it is lots of fun just trying some of the lesser known places. But for cruisers without a rental car, this is not always a good idea as many of the beaches do not attract taxis....so you have to be concerned about getting back to the ship.

 

For the record, we think that Maho (very popular with some cruisers) is one of the worst beaches on the island. It does have a decent beach bar, and nearby planes can be lots of fun. But the beach itself (or what's left of it) leaves much to be desired. Orient Bay/Beach is actually a very nice beach which does get awfully crowded when there are a few ships in port. But as you walk North on the beach, you can escape the crowds...but there are generally no chair vendors. We have sometimes gone out there when we have our own chairs.

 

Hank