Excursions in st. Maarten

[Loganpaulsmom]

First cruise..

First time in st. Maarten. We want to go to the beach.. Should we book our excursion through our cruise ship or can we do it on our own?

How long is the water taxi ride? Is the excursion to Orient Beach that includes lunch and a chair worth it?

Is there anything else we should know?

[dohertm1]

First cruise..

First time in st. Maarten. We want to go to the beach.. Should we book our excursion through our cruise ship or can we do it on our own?

How long is the water taxi ride? Is the excursion to Orient Beach that includes lunch and a chair worth it?

Is there anything else we should know?

We rented a car at St. Maarten for about $60 US. Drove all around the French side of the island (St. Martin) including a wonderful stop at Orient Beach for a swim. We also went to Marigot to see the beautiful harbor, shops and then an amazing fort on the hillside. And we went to Grand Case, which has been called the culinary capital of the Caribbean, where we had an unforgettable French seafood lunch at Le Tastevin overlooking the beach. The day cost us a fraction of what it would've cost through a ship excursion and we had much more freedom and flexibility. Enjoy your cruise!

[drdewrag]

How fun! As far as St Maarten goes, pick a beach or pick a tour (Bernard's) and have a blast. We've been to the island several times for a day and a week at a time. You really can't go wrong. We rarely go with cruise excursions. If you do your homework, you will be able to save quite a bit of money and spend more time doing what you want to do. You just have to be aware that if there is a foul up of some sort that the cruise line most likely will not wait for you if you are late. Then you have to get yourself to the next port at your own expense.

 

The water taxi ride is 10 minutes or so and will deposit you right at the boardwalk. You can walk there in not much more time than that.

 

If you decide to rent a car for the day, do so in advance. Check with Elton at Rodael Rentals. We have used them repeatedly for the day and for the week. We paid $51.75 total for a 4 door car for the day in October. We decline the insurance and use our Visa card. No troubles at all. We've never had the first problem. 1-866-305-9149 free from the states.

[shipsealand]

DW & I would like to do a scenic drive excursion of both the Dutch and French sides. Can we easily find good excursions once get in port rather than book thru the ship? Appreciate any suggestions.

[navybankerteacher]

DW & I would like to do a scenic drive excursion of both the Dutch and French sides. Can we easily find good excursions once get in port rather than book thru the ship? Appreciate any suggestions.

 

You can negotiate with a taxi driver, but for a full day, I would expect that he would want more than what a rental car would cost - and probably about what a ships tofu would come to. Of course, you could stay longer at interesting spots and bypass less interesting ones if you had your own driver. A good idea would be to talk it up on your roll call and see if you could find a compatible couple, with similar interests, to share a car rental.

[Karysa]

First cruise..

First time in st. Maarten. We want to go to the beach.. Should we book our excursion through our cruise ship or can we do it on our own?

How long is the water taxi ride? Is the excursion to Orient Beach that includes lunch and a chair worth it?

Is there anything else we should know?

 

The beach the water taxi goes to is Great Bay beach otherwise known as the beach in Philipsburg or the town beach. This is the beach with the pollution issues that by all accounts here on cc are still ongoing as of the last week of February. So with that said I can not recommend that you go to that beach if you want to swim.

 

I don't think that an excursion to a beach is a wise use of vacation funds. You can get to and from Orient for about $16 per person by taxi and 2 chairs, an umbrella an 2 drinks costs about $20 for 2 people. This also gives you freedom in case the weather is bad or you just don't feel like a beach day when you wake up that morning. Also if you don't like that particular beach you can taxi to another one.

[GTO-Girl]

I agree with other posters....St Martin is one of the easiest to get a taxi where ever you want to go. Just walk to the visitors center, go around to the back and stand under the designated sign to where you want to go. The more people going your way, the less per person it will cost.

 

St Martin is my favorite port.....

[emdia43]

From Phillipsburg over to Orient Beach a taxi cost us $6 per person. There are so many casual beach bars and cafes, each one offering chair/umbrella/drink for a few dollars each. Definitely not worth purchasing an excursion from the ship unless you are very hesitant to go out on your own...

[hersheysmom78]

My husband and I will be heading to St. Maarten on Celebrity in 3 weeks- I've heard Orient beach is the beach to go to- once there is it possible to rent items for any water sports? Jet ski or the inflatable motorboats? Or is there a company to do arrangements beforehand? Thanks!

 

 

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[Gypsywanab]

My husband has a small mobility problem.

 

Is there only one access to the beach or can a cab drop you off anywhere? Are there stairs to the beach or an incline?

 

Best area for restaurants/seafood lunch?

 

Thanks

[OCruisers]

It's quite easy to take a taxi to Orient Beach on your own.

As mentioned by another, St. Maarten makes getting a taxi easy.

We like getting dropped off at Pedro's. :)

LuLu

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[mrobstad]

One of the most reasonable places to jet ski is Orient. Parasailing also available. Orient has everything, including $2 beers!

 

 

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[hersheysmom78]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

 

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