Can I do a Caribbean cruise without excursions

[SJCNEWBIE]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

[CrusingJoe]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

 

Yes, Yes and Yes. Why not take a look at the port boards on this site? It will give you a lot of information.

[operafan]

Absolutely. We do it all the time.

[celebrity]

Yes! In St Maarten, hop on the water taxi & stroll along Front Street.

[zebra36]

Most of the docking facilities will have some sort of shopping area near by and the walk into "town" is often a short one. The facilities at the St. Maarten pier have been greatly expanded over the years and there is a paved walkway from there into town which takes only about 25 mins if you are up to it. Good luck with your plans and have a great cruise.

[Garyorient]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

 

We did exactly that on Mexican Riviera last year.

Mazatlan, Puerta Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas. Was fine. Save your money and donate it to me:D

[rdr525]

We've been to the caribbean so many times that there isnt much to resee. Last cruise, for the lst time in a long time we did a tour or San Juans botanical gardens since this was a new tour. We dont kayak, zip line etc. We walk around the shops etc.

Port days are a great time to lounge near the pools. You have them all to yourselves(almost)

[cb at sea]

We seldom do excursions...a bit of research before you go, and there are plenty of things to do that you don't need a "guide" for!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

 

Sure! (is this your first caribbean cruise?) Not knowing your itinerary, yes to St Maarten- like others said you can either walk to Phillipsburg to stroll Front street or take the $6 round trip 3 minute Ferry ride across the bay to Phillipsburg and walk along Front street. There are shops and places to eat. What other ports is your cruise calling on? Research each online and plan.

[bionicman97]

Another vote for yes. Probably about 50% of the time, we just wing it.

[MikeNJ1109]

Yes! In St Maarten, hop on the water taxi & stroll along Front Street.

 

Or go to Maho Beach (the Sunset Bar & Grill) ... it's fascinating to watch the jets from Europe landing at SXM.

 

Michael

[138east]

As others have said, St. Martin is very good for not doing a tour. You have the option of walking to town or paying $6/pp for an all day water taxi pass. St. Thomas is also good. Ask on the St. Thomas forum about walking into Charlotte Amalie - I think you can walk through the new development near the pier and cut off a lot of the unappealing part of the walk. A safari cab would be $4/pp each way. There is also a "dollar" ride ($1-2/pp) that might take you downtown as well.

[goouchjac]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

 

Hi and yes,,,we never book excursions,,,always do our own thing,,St.Thomas is a great port to just walk around and St.Maarten,,so do what makes you happy, it's your vacation:)

[goouchjac]

We've been to the caribbean so many times that there isnt much to resee. Last cruise, for the lst time in a long time we did a tour or San Juans botanical gardens since this was a new tour. We dont kayak, zip line etc. We walk around the shops etc.

Port days are a great time to lounge near the pools. You have them all to yourselves(almost)

 

You are so right about having (almost) the ship to yourselves,,we stay on board most of the time:cool:..

[timh111]

You would be surprised on how many deals you can get for the islands just by doing a google search,. Many of the islands have their own web sites and many offer coupons for local shops and restaurants!!

[Eng23]

Or go to Maho Beach (the Sunset Bar & Grill) ... it's fascinating to watch the jets from Europe landing at SXM.

 

Michael

 

My plan is exactly to do this...:D

[Sugar*Magnolia]

No fascination with watching planes land at Maho beach....definitely a "guy-thing"!! hehe :p

[WeWant2BCruzin]

We have been on 5 cruises and we have never been on any excursions. This time though we will be doing 1 or 2. I would much rather not but my DH is wanting to do the ATV excursion this time.

St Thomas and St Maarten have lots to see and do with an excursion.

[jst4fun715]

In St Thomas you can easily walk to the tram that takes you up to Paradise Point. Nice area to walk, great view of the ships and the harbor, a few little shops and just a nice place to sit, have a drink and enjoy the view. Have a great cruise!:D

[StGeorgeCruisers]

Good to know we are not the only ones who pass up excursions. We don't plan on doing anything but enjoying FOS when we board her in September.

[dixieva]

Some of our best tours have been with local taxi drivers. There are always taxis right off the pier and we just approach one and arrange a tour of the island. Sometimes I have done my own research and will have a list of things we want to see and other times we just trust the driver to take us to see the sights. Most times we get a great tour for around $20 to $25 pp for a two hour tour.

[cruisingpluto]

it's definitely possible to just walk around. we've been to thomas and st marteen a million times. we like the explorer of the seas and these are the two ports they mainly go to so we have no choice. we walk around all the time. to be honest, we've never done an excursion in st thomas or st marteen. closest thing we did was ride the local bus in both islands to the city center. there are a bunch of shops when you get off the boat in st thomas. st marteen has a few.

[bigboffs]

In the Caribbean and most of Mexico as well, normally we have breakfast and leave the ship about 9:30 AM. After a few hours of strolling around the port area/town, we return to the ship for lunch and relaxation. Keep in mind that after about 2PM, heat and humidity begin to significantly increase. Also and sad to say, there are very few "bargains" to be found, especially if you charge somethig and have to pay both an "exchange" cost and a fee when the bill arrives. Also, altho St Thomas is US, some credit cards consider it a foreign transaction and charge a fee. As to liquor, when they say compare with US, they use prices in NY city that include high taxes. Suggest you get prices at your home area to determine if hauling it home is worth it.

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi All,

 

I am cruising the eastern caribbean with Royal Caribbean, and wondered if it was possible/ or indeed reasonable to just get off the ship at the stops (St John / St Martin) and just walk about and look at the shops / whatever is within walking distance?

 

Could you spend a good few hours doing this? No real interest in going to any beaches.

 

Thanks,

Hi SJCNEWBIE: You certainly do not need excursions to have fun in St. Thoms/St. Maarten. You can walk around, see the sights and just admire everything around you. Inexpensive, is the Tram (About $18 pp). It takes you all the way up to top and the views are amazing for pictures. I think you can buy cold drinks, etc. You can do this on your own. (St.Thomas). Walk around and enjoy!! Lots of Liquor Stores, cigarettes, JEWELRY, and much more. You don't have to buy anything if you don't want to.

 

St. Maarten. Usually dock on the Dutch side. Nice stores to see, walk around, interesting sites. You can always take a bus or taxi to the French side if you want. Looks like a mini Paris, France....Not a must. Just enjoy scenery.

 

Enjoy whatever, go back to your ship, eat, relax, swim and marvel that you are enjoying a cruise.

 

We can't wait to be back on the Explorer on 11/7 for 12 wonderful nights!!!

 

Safe travels.

[stompy]

No fascination with watching planes land at Maho beach....definitely a "guy-thing"!! hehe :p

 

I wouldn't want to do the take off blast but the landing seems kind of fun