Will they drop you off in town after a RCL excursion?

***Posted in the St Maarten thread but it doesn't seem to have as much visitors.

We really want to go to Maho beach for the airplane experience and are more comfortable going as part of an RC excursion. However, we go to every HardRock there is in all the ports we've been to. This will be our first time in St Maarten and NEED to go to this HardRock location also. So will the excursion bus operator be willing to drop us at the boardwalk after returning from Maho? I estimate we will only have 2 hours between returning from the excursion and all aboard...just enough time for a drink and to buy a tee-shirt at HardRock.

***Posted in the St Maarten thread but it doesn't seem to have as much visitors.

We really want to go to Maho beach for the airplane experience and are more comfortable going as part of an RC excursion. However, we go to every HardRock there is in all the ports we've been to. This will be our first time in St Maarten and NEED to go to this HardRock location also. So will the excursion bus operator be willing to drop us at the boardwalk after returning from Maho? I estimate we will only have 2 hours between returning from the excursion and all aboard...just enough time for a drink and to buy a tee-shirt at HardRock.

***Posted in the St Maarten thread but it doesn't seem to have as much visitors.

We really want to go to Maho beach for the airplane experience and are more comfortable going as part of an RC excursion. However, we go to every HardRock there is in all the ports we've been to. This will be our first time in St Maarten and NEED to go to this HardRock location also. So will the excursion bus operator be willing to drop us at the boardwalk after returning from Maho? I estimate we will only have 2 hours between returning from the excursion and all aboard...just enough time for a drink and to buy a tee-shirt at HardRock.

We've had it both ways, they will let us off to shop, or they must take us back to the ship. Unfortunately, you won't know for sure until you talk to the tour operator.

There is NO reason to do a ship's excursion to Maho. It's very easy to get a cab and just go. Same for the return. As long as you keep an eye on the time, there is NO ISSUE doing stuff on your own! Especially in this port!

I can't help but smile...we used to stop at EVERY Hard Rock Cafe...anywhere in the world...to do the same thing...buy a pin, a hat, and a t-shirt.......no more. (I remember missing the British Museum in London because we HAD to go to Hard Rock Cafe. :))

Regarding your question...it's up to the driver. However, if you end up back at the cruise port, it's an easy walk to Hard Rock Cafe...perhaps 20 minutes slow walking. You can also take the ferry/water taxi or land taxi.

From the cruise port gate, turn left, and walk along the fence...easy...you'll end up downtown in no time...there's the beach, restaurants, lots of shopping, casinos, local markets, and oh...Hard Rock Cafe. Happy Sailing!

We want to do the same thing!!!! We go to all the Hard Rock Cafes! 😊

Don't bother with the excursion or cab to Maho Beach. After you follow the instructions in the above post to get to downtown, go one street up from the beach and take a "bus" for $2.00 pp. The bus is actually a 12 seater van but it's the best bang for your buck anywhere! You can do the same on return at your own pace.

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Hi Sandyrella,

Thanks for the advice about the bus. We're not going to the Hard Rock either. Though we will stop and buy a pin for my BIL/SIL if we walk by one. They're the HR collectors in the family.

:D Bobbi

We were at Maho back in April for 4-hrs and only saw 1 large airliner. All the others that we saw were small "puddle jumpers". Effects of last year's hurricane are still highly visible and the number of tourists flying into St. Maarten is still quite low.

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***Posted in the St Maarten thread but it doesn't seem to have as much visitors.

We really want to go to Maho beach for the airplane experience and are more comfortable going as part of an RC excursion. However, we go to every HardRock there is in all the ports we've been to. This will be our first time in St Maarten and NEED to go to this HardRock location also. So will the excursion bus operator be willing to drop us at the boardwalk after returning from Maho? I estimate we will only have 2 hours between returning from the excursion and all aboard...just enough time for a drink and to buy a tee-shirt at HardRock.

I've taken numerous RCL tours to Simpson's Bay and Orient Beach excursions and the driver on the way back always offered a drop off point near the City.

Lately the traffic on the port road has been so bad that you can easily walk it faster than the bus. In April had lots of tours reporting taking an hour or more each way on that road. On the few buses I have been on they always let people off in town.