Very Undecided

[Calebo]

I'm trying to decide whether to take a tour of St Martin, or just have a shopping day. There are four ships in port the day we are there, is it going to be horribly busy in the shops?

I have read that St M is a great place to shop, so will I be missing much if deciding on the tour?

We are in port from 7 am until 3pm.

Any advice appreciated.

[GTO-Girl]

I'm trying to decide whether to take a tour of St Martin, or just have a shopping day. There are four ships in port the day we are there, is it going to be horribly busy in the shops?

I have read that St M is a great place to shop, so will I be missing much if deciding on the tour?

We are in port from 7 am until 3pm.

Any advice appreciated.

 

St Martin is a very beautiful island. If this is your first time here IMO it would be a shame not to see it.

 

They have some great shopping, but I would tour first and then shop at the end.

[SeaTrailer]

I agree with GTO, If this is your first time visiting St Maarten, it would be a shame not to take in at least one beach. With four ships in port Philipsburg will be packed with shoppers!

 

Get away from the crowd and relax!

[Hootsie]

Busy? Yes. Out of control? No.

 

There will be 5 ships in port when we are there in March. I called Bernard to book a tour and he said that isn't unheard of. They can handle (and have had) 10 ships in one day. When he called me to confirm my tour reservation they had 7 in port.

 

You MUST go! We've been there before and it's a don't miss!

[Deedleann]

Im thinking of booking a private tour with Bernard's for our cruise in May. I wanted to incorporate the Butterfly Garden in it for my mother.

 

Is 30 minutes at the open market enough time? Should I request more time there?

[gtaylor]

I'm trying to decide whether to take a tour of St Martin, or just have a shopping day. There are four ships in port the day we are there, is it going to be horribly busy in the shops?

I have read that St M is a great place to shop, so will I be missing much if deciding on the tour?

We are in port from 7 am until 3pm.

Any advice appreciated.

 

The 3:00 departure makes it difficult to do anything other than a private island tour, but you should be able to just catch a taxi to Orient for a few hours on the beach and then back to Philipsburg for some major shopping.

 

gary

[gtaylor]

Im thinking of booking a private tour with Bernard's for our cruise in May. I wanted to incorporate the Butterfly Garden in it for my mother.

 

Is 30 minutes at the open market enough time? Should I request more time there?

 

It's the Butterfly Farm, but thinking about 30 minutes at the Marigot Marketplace, thats not much more than enough time to get out of the van and then assemble to get back on. I'd allow more time there.

 

gary

[Staplerman]

I agree, we spent a week on St. Maarten a few years back and it is a great island. Lots to see and do and wonderful people.

 

If you head to Orient Beach, look for a tiki bar with Baltimore Ravens/State of Maryland flags. Ask for John, he is a server at that bar and is wonderful! Also, be sure to have a Bailey's Banana Colada (aka, a BBC) made with real banana. Absolute heaven!