Our Labadee stop changed to St Maarten - need help planning a cheap beach day

[bluewater1298]

I just found out we will be in St Maarten instead of Labadee. I've always enjoyed Labadee as a free beach day. That was the plan for this trip. Now our stop has changed to St Maarten and I'm searching for a nice beach with lounge chairs and umbrella. I'm not concerned with drinks, food or extra activities. Just a pretty beach with clear blue water that is inexpensive. We didn't plan on spending any extra in Labadee so our budget is limited with this stop. Any help would be appreciated.

[PORT ROYAL]

2 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

I just found out we will be in St Maarten instead of Labadee. I've always enjoyed Labadee as a free beach day. That was the plan for this trip. Now our stop has changed to St Maarten and I'm searching for a nice beach with lounge chairs and umbrella. I'm not concerned with drinks, food or extra activities. Just a pretty beach with clear blue water that is inexpensive. We didn't plan on spending any extra in Labadee so our budget is limited with this stop. Any help would be appreciated.

The cheapest beach day often posted in CC is a walk to Great Bay, booking chairs etc at Big Bastards

 

Link to previous thread - 

 

[bluewater1298]

Thank you, PORT ROYAL for the link! That was a good review. It sounds cheap enough. My only concern is having three cruise ships in port and how crowed it will be. I just saw Little Bay as an option for being less crowded. I'm not sure which one is better.  

 

How bad does Great Bay get when there are several big ships in port?

[PORT ROYAL]

9 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

Thank you, PORT ROYAL for the link! That was a good review. It sounds cheap enough. My only concern is having three cruise ships in port and how crowed it will be. I just saw Little Bay as an option for being less crowded. I'm not sure which one is better.  

 

How bad does Great Bay get when there are several big ships in port?

It does get busy, that’s why pax book beds in advance.  One can check out the beach https://www.portstmaartenwebcam.com

 

Yes, Divi is less busy, being a further 12/15 minute walk round the bay.  Beds can be rented on a first come basis, with drinks being purchased as/when.  Facilities are free for patrons.

 

Sorry, unable to give a recommendation for either, as never visited these beaches for over 12 years.  In no doubt that CC will assist.  But if only having the two as a choice, the less pax would push one towards LB..

 

 

[bluewater1298]

Thank you for the webcam link. That will give me an idea. You've been very helpful. I appreciate it.

[PORT ROYAL]

26 minutes ago, bluewater1298 said:

Thank you for the webcam link. That will give me an idea. You've been very helpful. I appreciate it.

Little Bay Webcam Link - https://www.earthcam.com/world/sintmaarten/?cam=sintmaarten_belair

 

Note the number of beds/umbrellas

 

[PORT ROYAL]

35 minutes ago, bluewater1298 said:

Thank you for the webcam link. That will give me an idea. You've been very helpful. I appreciate it.

The Great Bay Webcam only shows a very, repeat very, small section of the beach.  Probably not showing about 80% - 

[bluewater1298]

Wow! Thank you for the other webcam. Great comparison!

[PORT ROYAL]

16 minutes ago, bluewater1298 said:

Wow! Thank you for the other webcam. Great comparison!

CC Little Bay thread link for information- 

 

 

[PATRLR]

14 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

Thank you, PORT ROYAL for the link! That was a good review. It sounds cheap enough. My only concern is having three cruise ships in port and how crowed it will be. I just saw Little Bay as an option for being less crowded. I'm not sure which one is better.  

 

How bad does Great Bay get when there are several big ships in port?

Great Bay is for those who enjoy the crowds and the busy beach party scene.  If you are concerned about crowds, then Great Bay may not be for you.  

What we did was took the water taxis over to Great Bay so we could do a little shopping and then grabbed a cab from there to Divi.  We enjoyed Divi, it's quieter and has a restaurant/bar with good food and drinks.    I'd recommend it.

[bluewater1298]

Thanks for the replies! I think Divi will work best for us. Price is good and the beach looks beautiful on the webcam. We'll plan to get off the ship early and beat the crowds. Then maybe do the shopping afterwards.

 

The last and only time we were at this port was over 20 years ago, so I don't have a very good memory of it except I didn't care for the stop. I have avoided it in our itineraries ever since. Having no choice this time, I'm hoping for a good experience. A lot of people seem to be happy about the change in our itinerary so hopefully it will be a good day. 

 

Trying to stay positive because I really love Labadee. It has always been my favorite stop. I feel really bad for the people who live there.

[PORT ROYAL]

If one is seeking something different and genteel on next visit, then consider 

https://www.cocobeach.restaurant

 

[peanutzmom]

11 hours ago, bluewater1298 said:

Thanks for the replies! I think Divi will work best for us. Price is good and the beach looks beautiful on the webcam. We'll plan to get off the ship early and beat the crowds. Then maybe do the shopping afterwards.

 

The last and only time we were at this port was over 20 years ago, so I don't have a very good memory of it except I didn't care for the stop. I have avoided it in our itineraries ever since. Having no choice this time, I'm hoping for a good experience. A lot of people seem to be happy about the change in our itinerary so hopefully it will be a good day. 

 

Trying to stay positive because I really love Labadee. It has always been my favorite stop. I feel really bad for the people who live there.

I’m sorry you have bad memories of your first visit. St. Martin is our favorite Caribbean island! We’ve done several land vacations there and always look for cruise itineraries that include it. We personally prefer the French Side and take a taxi to Orient Beach any time we cruise into this port.

[bluewater1298]

11 hours ago, peanutzmom said:

I’m sorry you have bad memories of your first visit. St. Martin is our favorite Caribbean island! We’ve done several land vacations there and always look for cruise itineraries that include it. We personally prefer the French Side and take a taxi to Orient Beach any time we cruise into this port.

Thanks, I'm hoping for a better memory this time. After reading reviews and watching webcams, I'm more optimistic. I get what you're saying. St Thomas is our favorite island and we always look for itineraries that include it. And we do land vacations there as well. My biggest disappointment about this cruise is I booked it for the itinerary. It had St Thomas along with both of RC's private islands. We cruise at least once a year and I've never seen this itinerary before. We usually only get one private island if any on an itinerary. Never two. So with St Thomas and two private islands, this was going to be my dream cruise. But still, I do understand the situation and I'm going to make the best of it. And maybe I'll return with St Maarten on my favorite's list!