Allure of the Seas - St Maarten Day

[Seachange01]

Hi Guys,

Wondering if anyone who has done a Caribbean tour that had a day in St Maarten could help me out with some info.

My wife and I are due to go on our First Royal Caribbean Cruise later this year and will be spending 1 day in St Maarten.

We arrive at 8am and leave at 5pm (Allure of the Seas).

I have booked an ATV tour for us both from 9am - 1pm, and am wondering if we would likely have time to do a "2nd activity" such as parasailing at Orient Beach, or even to return and spend some more time at Mahoo Beach. (The ATV tour does stop there, but I am sure it won't be for too long). We obviously don't want to cut our time to the last minute, and she would even like to get a little bit of shopping done as well.

Thanks for any experiences or help anyone is able to give.

[hunan6]

Both of those places would require a taxi ride. If the tour returns you promptly by 1, it would be possible to do a visit to either, but it wouldn't leave you much time to relax and then get back to the shop by 5. I recommend hitting great bay beach right there in phillipsburg. There are watercraft to rent, the beach is nice, and I think you can parasail. If you want to sit on the beach, I recommend the holland house hotel. Young can rent an umbrella and chairs, and get four beers, all for about $25. You can also use their showers and bathrooms. It is right next to the water taxi back to the ship. Again, you might be able to squeeze in Orient or Maho, but if not, Great Bay is an easy alternative.

[Seachange01]

Hi and thanks for the reply :)

We are thinking of hitting great beach and are hoping we can parasail there.

That way we get a parasail in, some shopping in, and maybe even a bit of a chill out on the beach... although my wife has her masters degree in shopping, so I am guessing the chill out on the beach will be replaced by an extended shopping trip ;)

Again, thanks for the info. Have a great trip if you are sailing soon.

[agargoyle]

HI,

 

Does the tour start and end at the ship terminal? If so what I would do is either return to the ship for a quick bite to eat and then either take the water taxi into town or just go shopping at the dock area. There is plenty of shopping in both places. The water taxi lets you off near the center of town. There is a beach and boardwalk right there. You could even rent chairs and umbrella, get a bucket of beer, give your wife your credit card and she can shop while you relax :D One of my favorite stores is Kay Fine Jewelry (not the every kiss begins with Kay store). Sam is usually in the Phillipsburg store and they are great people to deal with. That way you are near the ship and can grab a water taxi back anytime you want. Oh, you can also walk back to the ship. There also is a Yoda museum in town if you want something different. I have never been but it seems to get great reviews. https://stmartin-stmaarten.com/things-to-do-in-st-maarten/philipsburg-st-maarten-things-to-do-visit-yoda-guy-museum/