Picture HEAVY Indy 8 night review

[karensi]

We're going on the Indy the end of December. I love the pictures and can't wait to see more.

Thanks,

 

Karen

[JenGang]

Hi Mike! Can't wait to see the rest of your review.

[JamesEM]

Great photos, looking forward to more.

[perfect match]

We are already excited for our upcoming cruise on Indy and now I'm even more excited! I can't wait to see the rest of your pictures!

 

I loved your photobombing shark! :D

[sg1phileshipper]

Those pictures are truly amazing. Great colors! Watched that video and I did see the shark. I won't wander too far into the ocean next time I am in Sint Maarten. :D.

 

Cindy

[Ocean Boy]

It is also a lot cheaper to take the water taxi to Front Street and then walk to Back Street and take a bus to Maho. The buses are really 15 passenger white vans that have signs in the front window saying where they are going. They are very safe and you just wave down the bus to stop for you. They are something like $2 pp. You can pick up a bus to take you back downtown when you are through at Maho. We liked the bus much better than the crazy taxi driver we had on the way back, next time we do bus both ways.

 

We do the same thing. I like taking the public transportation as it gives us a chance to interact with the local folks.

[Ocean Boy]

Thank you so much for the info. There will actually be 10 or 11 of us in total. Our first time in St Maarten for all of us, so we are really excited to see the planes at Maho, then thought heading to Mullet afterward would be less crowded and hectic so we can swim and snorkel a little.

 

Maho is awesome. There is nothing quite like being blasted by the jet wash of a 747 revving its engines for take-off!:):):)

[nbsjcruiser]

Thanks for the comments folks. I really enjoy sharing pictures I've taken,

 

Next up was St Kitts on Wednesday. This was our second trip to St Kitts and we knew right away what we were doing. Shipwreck Beach. We were there last time and its one of the nicer beach days. There's a bar and a restaurant with the necessary facilities. We also get a kick out of the monkeys that come down out of the hills around noon to feed on some sugar cane that gets left out for them. I also did a bit of snorkelling before my underwater camera battery died, I can't believe I didn't charge it up before hand. I'll upload that video to youtube today and put it in here.

 

So on the way out, the cab driver pulled over and gave us an opportunity to get a picture of the area where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[shipshape sam]

Love the pictures and it looks like a great day!

[nbsjcruiser]

Then it was on to Shipwrech Beach. I've heard that there are several nice beaches in the area and in fact we walked down to one from Shipwreck. While it looked very nice and had better amenities (really nice clubhouse, looked like a hotel), lots of water sport things to rent and so on, you pay for those things. We like a day where we can sit and relax on the beach with no hassles or distractions. Shipwreck Beach is that place.

 

One thing I should mention. Be careful where you swim. As long as you stay inside the buoy lines and markers you do not need to worry about sea urchins. If you wade into the water outside that area (where the snorkelling is the best) then you risk stepping on one. While it wont kill you it is painful. Someone from the ship stepped on one and I couldn't resist looking. It looked like he had about 10 or 15 sharp black needles in his foot. So if you are going to snorkel, walk into the swimming area first and float to the snorkleing area. You'll see the sea urchins on my videos below when I post them.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[nbsjcruiser]

While we were at the beach, one of those clipper cruise ships came into the area. My son rented a jet ski from the resort down the beach from Shipwreck and was out by the ship. Apparently they come to the area and transport their guests over to the beach. It was just a nice opportunity to grab a couple of pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

[nbsjcruiser]

Here's a few snorkelling videos from Shipwreck Beach. You'll see a few of those sea urchins in the videos. Remember, if you're going to snorkel here, walk into the swimming area first and then float over to the snorkelling area.

 

[YOUTUBE]HPuQ-Qgdd1o[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]E2HmprZenvQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]qAIRTkRd7CQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

Gotta get some work done. I'll be back later in the day for some more pics and a couple more videos.

Edited March 16, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[cruise2snorkel]

Beautiful photos!!! Have been on Freedom of the Seas but not Indy. St. Maarten is also one of my favorite ports and would like to do Maho beach next time as we've never done.

[LuCruise]

Amazing pictures! I'm amazed at how empty the pools were considering it was a sea day (and it looked lovely out).

 

Sorry if you mentioned, but I didn't catch it...what beach did you go to at St Maarten? Looks like a nice one (and close to the port) and I'm still trying to figure out which one to go to on our stop. The shopping area seems to have a neat feel to it too.

Edited March 16, 2015 by LuCruise

[nbsjcruiser]

Amazing pictures! I'm amazed at how empty the pools were considering it was a sea day (and it looked lovely out).

 

Sorry if you mentioned, but I didn't catch it...what beach did you go to at St Maarten? Looks like a nice one (and close to the port) and I'm still trying to figure out which one to go to on our stop. The shopping area seems to have a neat feel to it too.

 

We hopped the water taxi near the dock and plopped on the beach right next to town. I think they call it Great Bay Beach.

[kayakgranny]

So where are these shops , we will be there in June, from 1pm -8... with 6 granddaughters and am trying to get an itinerary going for us that won't be too pricey.

[pachitosquino]

Cosa

[nbsjcruiser]

So where are these shops , we will be there in June, from 1pm -8... with 6 granddaughters and am trying to get an itinerary going for us that won't be too pricey.

 

When you get off the ship grab the water taxi for the day. Its a 5 minute walk from the ship - you can't miss it. You'll pay $4 per person for all day. That will allow you to go back and forth all day if you want. We typically go back for lunch.

 

 

Here's a map of Philipsburgh.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@18.0240041,-63.0488419,17z

 

The water taxi will drop you off at Captain Hodge Pier. See the street called "Boardwalk" ? Thats the walking area by the beach. The street behind it is called Voorstat according to the map. That's the shopping area -all up and down that street.

 

A must (for me anyway) is the Belgian Chocolate Shop on Old Street. Zoom in on the map link above and you'll see Old Street. That girl has been making chocolates there for as long as we've been going there. If you buy chocolates from her, she'll ship them over to the pier area for you in a small satellite shop that is all nicely air conditioned so it will keep the chocolates from melting. You just pick them up on your way back to the ship. Also, if you smoke, cigarettes are dirt cheap in St Maarten - $18 a carton and you'll get the best price on Scotch there as well - and they'll haggle. They'll also ship your liquor back to the ship for you which saves you dragging it back.

Edited March 16, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[nbsjcruiser]

A few more St Kitts photos before I knock off for the day.

 

First a couple of the Green Monkeys of St Kitts. They are down and around Shipwreck Beach most of the day.

 

 

 

A few more beach shots

 

 

 

 

I believe that is Nevis in the middle, way off in the distance. Some people do tours there.

[nbsjcruiser]

4 pictures around the port area then later tonight I'll post a few leaving St Kitts.

 

 

 

 

[kayakgranny]

Thanks for the info....how long a bus ride is it to Maho. To see planes?

[wildcatt99]

Hey Mike, it was good to meet you on the cruise. Sail away was awesome, Thanks to Jennifer. Your pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing!

[Clarea]

Thanks for the info....how long a bus ride is it to Maho. To see planes?

Depends on traffic. Ours was about 30 minutes.

[Ocean Boy]

When you get off the ship grab the water taxi for the day. Its a 5 minute walk from the ship - you can't miss it. You'll pay $4 per person for all day. That will allow you to go back and forth all day if you want. We typically go back for lunch.

 

 

 

It is $7.00 pp to ride all day.

[Ocean Boy]

Depends on traffic. Ours was about 30 minutes.

 

And, for me, worth every minute it takes to get there.:D