LAST MINUTE PLANS NEEDED- What if Bernard isn't available? NEED A PLAN B!

[weneedavacationasap]

I will be in St Martin next Thursday and am WAY last minute on planning what to do. It will be our 1st visit there and there are 4 ships there that day :eek:! I just emailed Bernard about a tour but I'm thinking it is too last minute with too many ships there to get in on his tour. We are 2 adults and 2 kids, 9 and 14. I need a plan B on what to do if I can't get Bernard. We will be there from 7-3. I would love to see Maho Beach, but the traffic makes me nervous. I've read it will take 1.5 hours to get back to the ship from there? WOW

[prekteacher1]

We just got back from our cruise which stopped in St. Maarten. We didn't have an excursion planned so we went to the taxi stand. There are all kinds of vehicles ready to take you on a tour. There were four of us and we paid $45 each for a four hour tour. It was a great way to see the island. We stopped at Orient Beach, Maho Beach, Marigot and a few other places. It was well worth the money and peace of mind to see the island this way. I think there were 2 ships when we docked! Have fun. St. Maarten is a beautiful island with nice people.

[Host Faith]

We just got back from our cruise which stopped in St. Maarten. We didn't have an excursion planned so we went to the taxi stand. There are all kinds of vehicles ready to take you on a tour. There were four of us and we paid $45 each for a four hour tour. It was a great way to see the island. We stopped at Orient Beach, Maho Beach, Marigot and a few other places. It was well worth the money and peace of mind to see the island this way. I think there were 2 ships when we docked! Have fun. St. Maarten is a beautiful island with nice people.

 

We've done this twice (hiring a taxi for the day). Very easy to do since there's a stand at the pier. A dispatcher will help you find a driver, and the driver will wait for you at each stop. I think it's nice because you can go at your own pace. So no worries! You'll be fine either way :)

[leaveitallbehind]

The last 2-3 times we've been to St. Martin we rented a car, drove to Orient beach for a the morning, then continued to drive completely around the island back to the pier. The major car rental agencies (stick with one of them) are right at the end of the pier and you can reserve the car in advance on line with most. The island is very easy to navigate and driving is not a problem. While there can be some traffic in the cities, it is usually very manageable (as there are only two traffic lights on the entire island - and you will hit both). We have never had a problem getting back to the ship in plenty of time time to still wander near the pier and enjoyed a full day of beach and touring.

[weneedavacationasap]

Thank you for the info everyone! We are in port from 7-3 and really Maho Beach is our only stop that we are interested in. I know the big planes come in between 12-3. I'd like to go there in the morning around 9:30am and leave around 12:30 after a couple of the big planes land. Anyone know how long it will take to get back to the ship if we leave Maho at 12:30? Also, I have read there is a local bus you can take that is like a van which is much less than a cab. Has anyone taken this??