Lord Sheffield "pirate ship" sail

Just did this last week (first week of Dec.). I would recommend this excursion. Had a great time!

There were only 13 people total, so lots of room. Not at all crowded. Beautiful sail along St. Marten, then a stop for snorkeling and swimming, then a beautiful sail back again. Couldn't have been better. Staff on the ship was wonderful. The lunch was great...ribs and chicken barbaqued while we swam.

There were 4 children on board and they had a blast.

The ship is only about a 5 minute walk or less from the ship pier entrance/exit. Very easy to find and walk to.

We got back at 3:30 Atlantic time, plenty of time to get back to the pier.

Was lunch included in the price? What about beverages?

Also, did they supply snorkel gear, and if so, was it decent?

We also did this excursion last month and I have to say it is one of my favorite - if not the favorite- of the caribbean! The crew was fantastic! It was too rough for us to snorkel, so they took us to a cove and some people swam around w/noodles. There were 14 of us which is a huge difference in what we normally do (40+ people on a catamaran) and it was great.

The food and drinks were included in the price and beer, rum punch and mixed drinks were also included!

Was lunch included in the price? What about beverages?

Also, did they supply snorkel gear, and if so, was it decent?

As the previous poster said, lunch was included in the price and was wonderful....ribs and chicken.

They had snorkel gear, but we didn't use their gear, so I really didn't pay attention to it. We have our own we bring when we travel. We found that its saves money in the long run, since many of our stops have involved beaches in which snorkel gear has to be rented. Often we will just bring the snorkel and mask and use the fins supplied.

The noodles were supplied and fun to swim with.

We just had a great time...relaxation, swimming, snorkeling, and good food.

Which beach were you near? We have booked this excursion for our cruise in three weeks time and are really looking forward to it. Did they change the clock on your cruise? That always messes up my planning for excursions. Thanks for posting. For others interested, we booked this ourselves and even the gratuity is included in the price.

Karysa

I'm not sure which beach we were near. We first went by a beach that was past Maho. Very pretty, but the water was not clear enough for snorkeling...so then we went to a second beach in which the water was clearer...also very pretty. Actually we didn't go to the beach itself...we docked close to the beach and just jumped off the boat to swim. They passed out noodles and the ladies all sat on the noodles while the kids spashed around. There's an area that extends out from the front of the boat that some of the more adventurous were jumping from and having a great time. It was easy getting up and down the ladder of the boat. I was apprehensive that I would get out into the water and have difficulty getting back in, but the wooden ladder is very sturdy and extends down into the water enough for easy climbing.

We were on the Caribbean Princess and the entire ship changed to Atlantic time the first night of the cruise and stayed on Atlantic time till the last night, so we didn't have any problems with ship time vs island time.

We had a great time and thought it was a great value. The crew staff were wonderful. Very friendly and outgoing. Really interested in making sure everyone was having a good time.

Ditto!

We enjoyed this excursion about 3 years ago. So far, it is the best excursion yet!!

It is good to hear such great reviews. Really looking forward to this one. I think we might have seen this ship by Baie Longe when we vacationed on St. Martin in 2006.

Karysa

Dh jumped off the bow(while cathching a beer in mid-air) and had lots of fun and I sat on the boat and drank:D !

We were on Mariner of the Seas (RCI) and we stayed on EST.

We went on this excursion a couple of weeks ago and had a wonderful time. It was only myself, DH and DS and another family of 4. I highly recommend Lord Sheffields.

is there a web site for this? Sounds good!!! I take it it wasnt a rccl tour!

How much "sailing time" I tend to get a little sea sick if I'm in choppy water too much!

Goggle "Lord Sheffield" + St. Marten and the web site will come up. The total excursion time was 11:00 to 3:30.

I always take a Bonine with breakfast when going on an excursion that involves a sailing ship or snorkel boat. Never had a problem with that plan. Will never take Draminmine again after one horrible experience years ago.

You may not have a problem. Most don't. I just don't want to take a chance if having anything spoil my day, so always take one tablet of Bonine as a precaution. No one on the sailing ship complained of any problems. The seas were not rough and the ride was smooth.

No it wasn't a tour through the cruise line. Just a very short walk from the cruise port tho and very convenient. One aspect I really enjoyed was how few people were on the excursion. Very nice and plenty of space for everyone.

I have been trying to book this tour through stmartenexcursions.com and they have not been very responsive. Does anyone know who if can contact "lord Sheffield" directly to book the tour? Also, the departure time for this trip is 9AM in early January, does anyone have any suggestions for a good beach near where we get dropped off? We were thinking of going to Maho Beach in the afternoon but the traffic seems to be an issue? The information is appreciated and looking forward in hear from you :D

It was an RCI excursion, so we booked through the cruise line. Our excursion time was 1:00 to 4:30.

I did take a Dramamine (less drowsy formula), but there were a few people on the boat that were not feeling well at the end. I was fine. I would take it just in case.

I am relying on this thread--based upon these solid reviews we cancelled Capt Morgan & booked this instead...seems the places it will go to are closer & hopefully less rough based on the St Martin beach guide I consulted. It will also give us time in port to shop!!!! Thanks for all the opinions,,

does this trip actually anchor at a beach you can stay at for a time?

does this trip actually anchor at a beach you can stay at for a time?

No, they do not anchor at a beach. They anchor in a cove out in the water and then you snorkel.

What did you see while snokeling? The website mentions sunken items at that area? Anything worth photographing?

does this trip actually anchor at a beach you can stay at for a time?

When we did this excursion last month, we anchored right off a beach. I forget which one but it was a known beach I heard of before. I snorkeled near some rocks- didn't really see much. Some of the people swam to the beach. They also have a little dingy boat which can take you to the beach.