St. Martin catamaran excursion

[shipgal]

Has anyone done the Catamaran Mirabella Beach and Swim excursion in St. Martin, and what are your comments about it? Going on Allure and considering this one.

[Deptacon]

I have not done the cruise excurision, but last time in St marteen we did the Splash cruise with Blue Safari:

 

http://www.bluesafarisstmaarten.com/

 

I would highly recommend it. Below is the video from our day:

 

[jenfoglia6052]

We did the Mirabella last year in April. It was wonderful. Friendly staff, beautiful boat, excellent time. I highly recommend it.

[vettecruiser1]

We did last time we were there, it is great. Big Cat, did not seem crowded. The snorkel site was awesome, they take to an area where there is a helicopter, a boat and a plane sunk at about 50 foot deep water, after that you sail to an area close to the airport. They keep the ship about 100 feet from the shore and people can swim, go hang out on the beach or even just stay on the Cat and enjoy free Rum punch or beer.

 

They let my 7 year old son drive the boat almost the entire time. Good times for sure.

[sammydh82]

We also did the Mirabella Catamaran Sail and Snorkel excursion in May 2014 in St. Maarten and we loved it!

 

The crew was extremely friendly and the catamaran was one with the nets in the front that you could watch the beautiful blue water below as you sailed... some of the excursions we have been on since are listed as catamarans but don't have the fun nets!

 

We also stopped for snorkeling where the helicopter was sunken but for our beach time we went to Mullet Bay and it was GORGEOUS!!

I also believe they provided us with sandwiches and of course rum punch but I'm sure the food provided varies!

We would definitely recommend Mirabella and in fact are planning on doing their excursion again with family in May this year!! :D

Edited March 17, 2016 by sammydh82

[Piggeldy]

Strange. I could have sworn I har replied to this thread. No idea where my answer went.

 

Shipgal, we took the Mirabella excursion in 2013 and really enjoyed it. Small group (maybe 8 or 10 people), very friendly crew. My DH who is not a strong swimmer stayed on the boat for the beach stop (which I think for us was also Mullet Bay) and though his English is limited he had a great time on board with the crew (they chatted a bit and fed the fish for underwater pictures). We are not experienced snorklers and I liked the snorkeling. Food was bread and cheese and I think some type of nacho and dip. Drinks were nice. On the way back to the ship we went to Maho beach to watch the planes. They fished from the back of the Catamaran and we caught a barracuda.

 

For this fall we are considering doing it again but would love to do a full day excursion. We are in port from 7 am to 6 pm and aren't much into shoping. I though St Maarten was nice but except for buying a fridge magnet we don't really have anything we really want to do.

 

I have not done the cruise excurision, but last time in St marteen we did the Splash cruise with Blue Safari

 

Deptacon, we are considering doing the "Splash 3 Islands" tour or the "St Martin beach & snorkelling tour" through Robinson Tours because Royal doesn't seem to offer a similar tour at St Maarten. Our next stop is St Kitts which I think is a short flight in case we miss the ship...

 

Do you remember if the ship was on island time? Does the tour leave enough time to get back to the ship? How rough is the boat ride? And how difficult is it to get back onto the speed boat after snorkelling for somebody... not fit (DH has mild mobility impairments, I am fluffy)? How was lunch?

Edited March 19, 2016 by Piggeldy

[Deptacon]

Strange. I could have sworn I har replied to this thread. No idea where my answer went.

 

Shipgal, we took the Mirabella excursion in 2013 and really enjoyed it. Small group (maybe 8 or 10 people), very friendly crew. My DH who is not a strong swimmer stayed on the boat for the beach stop (which I think for us was also Mullet Bay) and though his English is limited he had a great time on board with the crew (they chatted a bit and fed the fish for underwater pictures). We are not experienced snorklers and I liked the snorkeling. Food was bread and cheese and I think some type of nacho and dip. Drinks were nice. On the way back to the ship we went to Maho beach to watch the planes. They fished from the back of the Catamaran and we caught a barracuda.

 

For this fall we are considering doing it again but would love to do a full day excursion. We are in port from 7 am to 6 pm and aren't much into shoping. I though St Maarten was nice but except for buying a fridge magnet we don't really have anything we really want to do.

 

 

 

Deptacon, we are considering doing the "Splash 3 Islands" tour or the "St Martin beach & snorkelling tour" through Robinson Tours because Royal doesn't seem to offer a similar tour at St Maarten. Our next stop is St Kitts which I think is a short flight in case we miss the ship...

 

Do you remember if the ship was on island time? Does the tour leave enough time to get back to the ship? How rough is the boat ride? And how difficult is it to get back onto the speed boat after snorkelling for somebody... not fit (DH has mild mobility impairments, I am fluffy)? How was lunch?

 

Ship was not on island time...and yeah if you look at it and do the conversion time/math, it seems like the tour would leave with out you.... Its not the case. The tour "start" time is really when everyone starts to show up...they dont sail out until everyone walks up. They dont take a full 6 hours either, more like 5 and half. We made it to the tour start no problem and had time to walk through a few shops before re boarding.

 

the tour departs a short walk from the piers.

 

Boat ride wasnt rough but its a fast boat so it bounces a little bit, but nothing out of the norm. The boat has a ladder. If you can get out of a pool you can get back on the boat.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Deptacon

[Dan-P]

Deptacon, we are considering doing the "Splash 3 Islands" tour or the "St Martin beach & snorkelling tour" through Robinson Tours because Royal doesn't seem to offer a similar tour at St Maarten. Our next stop is St Kitts which I think is a short flight in case we miss the ship...

 

Do you remember if the ship was on island time? Does the tour leave enough time to get back to the ship? How rough is the boat ride? And how difficult is it to get back onto the speed boat after snorkelling for somebody... not fit (DH has mild mobility impairments, I am fluffy)? How was lunch?

 

Not Deptacon, but we just disembarked from the Navigator this past Sunday. We did the Robinson's speedboat tour in St. Maarten and it was an absolutely wonderful day. The ocean on the Atlantic side (French - Sint Martin side) was too rough for us to venture over that way, but the captain added other stops throughout the Dutch side and harbor that made up for it.

 

On our cruise, the ship was on island time. It wouldn't have mattered though, as Deptacon stated, the tour waits for everyone to arrive before departing and is back with plenty of time to spare. The Robinson's tour leaves from the marina right beside the cruise port - maybe a 10 minute walk to get there.

 

The roughness of the boat ride will depend greatly on the weather/wave conditions. It will be bouncy - but if you sit in the rear of the boat - it will affect you much less than the front.

 

When entering/exiting the boat, a small ladder is lowered and the captain/other passengers will help you back onboard. As stated, if you can climb a ladder out of a pool, you will have no trouble getting back in the boat. At the various stops, "pool noodles/floast" are provided for those that just want to float around, and snorkel gear is provided for those that wish to do that.

 

On our trip, the beach restaurant we stopped at required a small swim to/from shore. When you can venture to the French side, I believe they stop at a different restaurant though. The swim wasn't far, but something to consider. We had one passenger that once onshore, did not feel comfortable swimming back to the boat. The captain used a dry bag to take his items ashore for him and he took a cab back to port. The captain also provides/swims ashore with a dry bag that you could put towels, money, camera, etc... in if needed. Lunch was great with three different entree choices (chicken, ribs or fish) and a couple sides. A reasonably priced bar was also onsite for drinks, etc...

 

The boat itself has soda, water and beer. There is a liquor store at the marina (very inexpensive) where you can buy/bring your own liquor along as well. No toilet facilities on the boat.

 

Our last stop before returning to the marina was at Maho Beach, the famous beach with the airport runway right there. We got to sit in the water as the Air France direct flight (huge plane) came in right over us. That was a neat experience for sure.

 

We loved it and would/will do the tour again next time we are in St. Maarten. Captain Mike was not feeling well the day we were there, but the fill in captain was outstanding.

 

Dan.

[Piggeldy]

Deptacon & Dan-P

 

Thank you both :D Sounds as if I need to sell DH on this.

He won't be fond of swimming to shore for lunch but has done so at St Thomas before. He will live.

[jmaedcruise]

Not Deptacon, but we just disembarked from the Navigator this past Sunday. We did the Robinson's speedboat tour in St. Maarten and it was an absolutely wonderful day. The ocean on the Atlantic side (French - Sint Martin side) was too rough for us to venture over that way, but the captain added other stops throughout the Dutch side and harbor that made up for it.

 

On our cruise, the ship was on island time. It wouldn't have mattered though, as Deptacon stated, the tour waits for everyone to arrive before departing and is back with plenty of time to spare. The Robinson's tour leaves from the marina right beside the cruise port - maybe a 10 minute walk to get there.

 

The roughness of the boat ride will depend greatly on the weather/wave conditions. It will be bouncy - but if you sit in the rear of the boat - it will affect you much less than the front.

 

When entering/exiting the boat, a small ladder is lowered and the captain/other passengers will help you back onboard. As stated, if you can climb a ladder out of a pool, you will have no trouble getting back in the boat. At the various stops, "pool noodles/floast" are provided for those that just want to float around, and snorkel gear is provided for those that wish to do that.

 

On our trip, the beach restaurant we stopped at required a small swim to/from shore. When you can venture to the French side, I believe they stop at a different restaurant though. The swim wasn't far, but something to consider. We had one passenger that once onshore, did not feel comfortable swimming back to the boat. The captain used a dry bag to take his items ashore for him and he took a cab back to port. The captain also provides/swims ashore with a dry bag that you could put towels, money, camera, etc... in if needed. Lunch was great with three different entree choices (chicken, ribs or fish) and a couple sides. A reasonably priced bar was also onsite for drinks, etc...

 

The boat itself has soda, water and beer. There is a liquor store at the marina (very inexpensive) where you can buy/bring your own liquor along as well. No toilet facilities on the boat.

 

Our last stop before returning to the marina was at Maho Beach, the famous beach with the airport runway right there. We got to sit in the water as the Air France direct flight (huge plane) came in right over us. That was a neat experience for sure.

 

We loved it and would/will do the tour again next time we are in St. Maarten. Captain Mike was not feeling well the day we were there, but the fill in captain was outstanding.

 

Dan.

 

This sounds exactly the same as the Souliaga tours .... I am looking into that for our stop in St. Maarten. Does anyone know if these outfits are connected or just 2 different companies doing the same tour??

[Dan-P]

This sounds exactly the same as the Souliaga tours .... I am looking into that for our stop in St. Maarten. Does anyone know if these outfits are connected or just 2 different companies doing the same tour??

 

There were several different boats at most of our stops that seemed to be doing similar type tours, although it was never remotely crowded. They appeared to be different companies, but I do not know if there is any back end connection.

 

If you are a "boat" person, the Robinson's tour is done in a 37' Midnight Express center console boat with triple 300hp Mercury engines. It's kind of the elite of open water speed boats. Most of the other boats I saw were newer/nice too though (Wellcraft Scarab, etc...).

 

Dan.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Dan-P