Butterfly Farm & Orient Beach on Our Own

[shirleygr]

Hi, we'll be in St Martin from 11pm til 7pm on the Noordam. I am thinking of taking a taxi to the Butterfly Farm and then heading over to Orient Beach. Is it reasonable to walk from the farm to the beach? We will have our 6 and 4 yo daughters with us. If not, what would you recommend? Thanks for the input. :)

[khm1]

You can probably do both in one day. I would do the butterfly farm first. Arrange for the taxi to come pick you up at a pre-arranged time. Please note: the butterfly farm is down a VERY bumpy, dirt road. We past it last year on our way to Gallion Beach which is very good for kids. It is similar to Baby beach in Aruba. But it is extremely treacherous to get to. You cannot walk from the butterfly farm to Orient Beach. The area is very hilly. It is only about a 10 minute drive between the two but don't try to walk it. FYI, you and your kids WILL see nudity on Orient Beach. My kids took it in stride. They pick up their cues from you: if you act like it's ok, so will they. French people are not as hung up about nudity as we Americans.

[gtaylor]

Well, it IS walkable from the Butterfly Farm to Orient, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially with the kids. I'm sure that the Butterfly people would call you a taxi after your tour is complete.

 

Making advance arrangements with the taxi that takes you there could be problematic, as you don't know how much time you might want to spend there.

 

It's less than .75 miles of an absolutely flat walk from Butterfly to Pedro's, on Orient, according to Google Earth. The problem is that it's dirty and dusty or dirty and muddy if that typical shower just passed by. The potholes are a problem for the cars and taxis, not for pedestrians.

 

gary

[shirleygr]

Okay, thanks, guys. I understand the problem now. I think we'll take your suggestion, Gary, and have the butterfly folks call us a cab and we can peruse the gift shop while waiting for it to arrive. As for Orient beach, nudity isn't an issue for us. My 4 yo will probably want to go au naturale herself. :)

[dianelevene]

Hi Shirley,

We are doing the Noordam exactly a month before you. We will leave on January 17. I have been thinking about doing the Butterfly Farm and then going to the beach also. We will have our 6 and 7 yo daughters with us. I'll let you know how it goes.

[shirleygr]

Hi Shirley,

We are doing the Noordam exactly a month before you. We will leave on January 17. I have been thinking about doing the Butterfly Farm and then going to the beach also. We will have our 6 and 7 yo daughters with us. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks, Diane. Would appreciate everything you can tell me about this and everything else. ;) What do you have planned for the other ports? I think Tortola is a bit of a waste since we get there so late. Looking at Coral World for St. Thomas and doing a beach in Barbados but I'm not sure which one. Really unsure about Dominica and San Juan.

DH is a little apprehensive about HAL because of their "older" cruiser rep but you can't beat sailing out of NY. And as I told him, it's a cruise, how bad can it be?

Have a really great time. :)

[dianelevene]

Hi Shirley,

 

I think your itenerary must be slightly different than ours. We don't go to Dominca.

 

I had been thinking about going to the Baths with Patouche in Tortola but I am not sure. It sound like a lot of fun but is a little expensive. My girls don't really like snorkeling off a boat that much but they really like it if they can go right off the beach. We may just find a beach on Tortola and relax.

 

In Saint Thomas I think we are just going to get a cab to Saphire Beach. We've been there before and it is nice, clean and relaxing. Although Coral World does like nice and would probably be fun.

 

In Saint Martin we have been thinking about the butterfly farm and I have also heard good things about that tour with Bernard. I looked into that a little bit but I am not sure.

 

I have not had time to look into what we want to do in San Juan but I think we will do some sightseeing in the historical area. I figure we are doing the beach on several other islands so a little history would be good for the kids.

 

Then we go to Grand Turks. I have read that Governor's Beach there is very nice. I think that is what we will do.

 

I agree that cruising out of NY is going to be great. I will glad not to fly to Florida. Plus, now I can pack a box full of juice boxes for my girls and we can send it on with our luggage.

[katsmom1]

The children with us on our cruise are 3, 4, and 6 so we are considering going to the Butterfly Farm and then Le Galion beach. Since Le Galion is closer to the Butterfly Farm than Orient is, would we still need a taxi from the Butterfly Farm to Le Galion? Another place we are considering going is St. Maarten Park (zoo). Does anyone know what that is like? Thanks!

[shirleygr]

Hi, Diane. Yes, we do have different itineraries. We're not going to Grand Turk. We haven't done any of these islands before--have always done Western or Bahamas--so it's hard deciding what to do in each port. I find it's also more of a challenge to plan excursions the kids will enjoy. It's so much easier when you just have adults to plan for. :rolleyes: What time do you get into Tortola? We don't dock until 3 pm so I'm having a hard time finding something to do. We won't have too much daylight left at that point so I think the Baths would really be a waste for us. Maybe next time.

Katsmom, didn't realize LeGalion was closer than Orient. I'll look into that too. I'll let you know if I find anything on it being walkable.

Later!

[dianelevene]

Shirley- We are in Tortola from noon to 9 pm. We usually do Western Caribbean but I was kind of tired of it and it is soooo nice to be able to drive to NYC to get on the ship!

 

I read some place else on this board that Le Galion was a little more kid friendly. Don't know if that is true or not.

 

We were only in St. Martin once before and we hired a guy to drive us around the island and give us a tour. Then he took us to a beach and waited for us. I remember that there were plenty of cabs to hire when we got off the ship.

 

My kids are pretty easy. If I take them to a beach they will be pretty happy. The only thing they don't want to do is snorkel in deep water off of a boat. They do love to snorkel at a beach though.

[katsmom1]

Shirley - the following thread (especially the last post) is the one I read that mentions how close Le Galion is to the Butterfly Farm.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=25892&highlight=galion

[dianelevene]

Katsmom- Thanks for the good info about this outing. It sounds like it might be just what we wanted for our girls.

 

I also want to take them to the beach where the planes take off and land right over your head. It will be loud but it should be spectacular! I was thinking that I might try and find a cabbie who is willing to come back and pick us up at places we stop if we make it worth his while.

[shirleygr]

Thanks for posting the link, katsmom. I agree, it sounds like a better choice than Orient since we can walk and not have the expense of another taxi. Here is a link for additional information about LeGalion:

http://www.st-maarten-info.com/St-Maarten-Beaches/LeGalion.html

[dianelevene]

Here is a link to the airplane beach. It is called Maho Bay. I think my kids would get a kick out of seeing the airplanes land and take off so close to them.

 

http://www.st-maarten-info.com/St-Maarten-Beaches/MahoBay.html

[dianelevene]

We just got back from our cruise on the Noordam. You are going to love it! We did not go to the Butterfly Farm since our kids decided they were not interested. However, we did go to Le Gallion Beach. We passed right by the Butterfly Farm on the way to Le Gallion. It would be a relatively easy walk from the Butterfly Farm to Le Gallion. We took a cab to Le Gallion. There is a set rate per person, which I think might have been $8 each but I am not sure. I am getting all my islands and cabs a bit mixed up.

 

Anyhow, Le Gallion was fantastic for kids. The water was calm, beautiful, shallow and warm. The beach was clean with nice white sand. We were able to rent chairs and an umbrella. There was a restaurant right on the beach. We met a family with three kids. They own a timeshare on the island and drive to Le Gallion every day because it is the best beach for kids. Just a word of warning, there were a couple of topless women and kids. My kids did not even notice them. There was a nice little wooden platform anchored in the water that my kids were able to walk out to. They spend quite a bit of time jumping into the water off of the platform. The beach did not have any waves or undertow so it was a very safe spot. We did not eat in the restaurant but the family we met said it was pretty good.

 

Have a great time!

[mamaofami]

We are going on the same cruise you just took. We will be leaving on the 7th of February. I am curious about Governor's Beach and concerned that we won't find transportation back to the boat. Did you go there and were there taxi's and or some other means of getting back to the boat readily available?

 

What did you wind up doing in St. Thomas? We are planning to go to Magen's Bay Beach which we've been to before. Any other advice on any of the stops would be greatly appreciated.

 

In St. Martin, we were thinking of going to either Mullet bay or Divi Bay beach Club. Was Orient beach very crowded? We like nice uncrowded, but safe beaches with warm water.:confused:

[dianelevene]

Hi Mamaofami,

 

It was not a problem to get transportation back to the port from Governor's Beach. The cab driver came back to pick us up at exactly the time we asked him to. Also, the main road into the town runs right in front of the beach, we saw taxis go by from time to time and we could have easily gotten on one.

 

In St. Thomas we went to Magen's Bay. It was very crowded and I wish we had gone to Saphire Beach instead. We had been at Saphire a couple of years ago and it was nicer and less crowded.

 

If you have kids, you definitely want to go to Le Gallion Beach in St. Martin. It was fantastic! It was warm, shallow and very safe. There was no wave action and no undertow at all. We easily found chaises under an umbrella. I think we paid $8 per chaise and $12 for the umbrella. It was very relaxing because I knew the kids were safe.

 

In Tortola we went to Cane Garden Bay. It was also very nice and very kid friendly. We had a lovely time there too.

 

We really enjoyed the cruise and the Noordam. I hope you will too.

[dianelevene]

Hi Mamaofami,

 

It was not a problem to get transportation back to the port from Governor's Beach. The cab driver came back to pick us up at exactly the time we asked him to. Also, the main road into the town runs right in front of the beach, we saw taxis go by from time to time and we could have easily gotten on one.

 

In St. Thomas we went to Magen's Bay. It was very crowded and I wish we had gone to Saphire Beach instead. We had been at Saphire a couple of years ago and it was nicer and less crowded.

 

If you have kids, you definitely want to go to Le Gallion Beach in St. Martin. It was fantastic! It was warm, shallow and very safe. There was no wave action and no undertow at all. We easily found chaises under an umbrella. I think we paid $8 per chaise and $12 for the umbrella. It was very relaxing because I knew the kids were safe.

 

In Tortola we went to Cane Garden Bay. It was also very nice and very kid friendly. We had a lovely time there too.

 

We really enjoyed the cruise and the Noordam. I hope you will too.

[shirleygr]

Diane, Thanks so much for taking the time to report back. I know how hectic it can be once you get home what with laundry and getting back into a normal routine. Le Galion sounds just fantastic. We may skip the butterfly farm as well since we've been to several before. I'm going to see what the girls want to do and what their energy level is like that day.

What did you do in San Juan? I'm still not sure what to do there.

We are getting in Tortola so late, I think we'll just do a little shopping and head back to the ship for dinner. We'll only have an hour of two of daylight so I don't think it's worth grabbing a cab to the beach. One more question, please. How did your kids enjoy children's program on the Noordam? My dh still has some concerns about HAL's more adult oriented rep. Thanks so much for all your information. :)

[dianelevene]

Hi Shirley,

 

My kids loved the kids program on the Noordam. There were two very nice women who ran it. However, the staff will have changed by the time you are on board. I am sure the new staff will also be very nice. My girls had fun with the activities and came home with a stack of art projects. The kids that were on board with us were mostly in the same age range as my kids and since the cruise was longer they really got kind of friendly with each other. The kids got lots of attention from the staff since there were not that many on board. They also gave the kids prizes on a couple of nights. One night they got a backpack which was quite useful since after that my girls could carry their own towels to the beach. The kids program is open from 9 to noon, 2 to 5 and 8 to 10. You could pay extra to have your kids stay from 10 until midnight. If you do that, you have to pay for the babysitting service in cash. We never did that but we saw other kids staying. They had set up a dvd and pillows and the kids were all relaxing. The one thing I was disappointed about was that there was no night when they organized a special kids dinner. On all the other cruises we have been on there was always at least one night that the kids ate with the other kids and my husband and I could have dinner by ourselves.

 

The crowd on the ship was definitley an older crowd. However, it worked out well for us. Our girls got a lot of positive attention from lots other passengers and from the crew. In the Lido Buffet all the staff knew them by name and so did the maitre'd and some of the staff by the Lido Pool. Even the guys that scoop out the ice cream and hand out the after dinner mints knew my girls. My kids just loved the extra attention.

 

In San Juan we got off the ship and then hired a cab driver to take us on a tour of the historic area. It was great! He took us to the capital and showed us all around inside of it. We went to one of the two forts and toured that and then made a few other stops. We did not find the shopping in San Juan to be that great. He offered to take us to the Baccardi factory for their free tour but we did not want to do that with the kids along with us.

 

You might find you have more time in Tortola than you think. It does not get dark until a little later in the Caribbean. The beach that we went to was Cane Garden Bay. It was about 20 or 25 minutes from the ship to the beach. There were tons of cabs waiting to take you back to the ship whenever you wanted to go. It was a very nice beach with very calm water. My kids were fascinated with the brown pelicans that kept catching fish all around us. I don't think that there was a lot to do right near the port.

[shirleygr]

Hi, Diane.

First of all, thanks again for answering my questions. I really appreciate it.

Apparently there are quite a few kids on our cruise--like 300 with about 100 in my girls' age group so we're a little concerned whether they will have enough space and staff to accommodate that many kids. We would never think about this on NCL, RC, or Carnival but on HAL-well, that seems like a lot for what they are used to. However, I'm hopeful all will be fine. Sounds like your kids were treated like royalty--mine always enjoy that aspect of a cruise. ;)

No dinner with the kids' program is a bummer but we might take the kids to the buffet for dinner one night and then head off to the Pinnacle Grill. I'm not sure, though, since the cover charge is so high although I'm assuming the food and service will be worth it. I saw your post about having lunch there and that sounds interesting although I'm not sure the girls would enjoy it.

Just hiring a taxi in San Juan sounds like a great idea. If it were just dh and myself, we would simply do a walking tour but that's not always do-able with the kids--little legs get tired so quickly. Could you give me an idea of what you paid?

As far as Tortola goes, I checked weather.com and it says sunset will be around 6:20 when we are there. We don't arrive until 3:00 so by the time we get off the ship, I'm pretty sure we'll only have 2 hours at the most. I really don't think it will be worth it to take a cab to a beach. I know there's not a lot around the dock, but the timing just stinks for this port, especially with kids.

I'm starting to plan out our packing and I'm not sure what to pack for the sea days. Did you find it too cold to wear capris the first/last day or two? Not sure if I should bring jeans or warm-up suits instead of capris or shorts. How about using the pool? Was it open from day one--I know it's under a cover.

Gosh, I just have too many questions. :rolleyes: Sorry. I do appreciate your help.

[dianelevene]

Hi Shirley,

 

Why are there so many kids on your cruise? Are you going during spring break? There were maybe ten or twelve kids on our cruise. It was really nice.

 

I had initially planned to just walk around in San Juan but when the guy offered us the tour, we changed our minds. We decided it would be a lot better with somebody to drive us so that the kids would not be too tired and crabby. The cab driver charged us $60. He wanted $80 at first and then he reduced it. It was not too hot the day we were there but I understand it can be extremely hot and humid there.

 

We wore jeans the first and last days at sea. It was a little too chilly for me to wear capris. By the second sea day you can definitely wear capris. The pool was open from the very first day. I did not go in but the kids said it was warm so it must have been heated. It was a bit chilly even with the glass dome closed so I made sure we had plenty of towels. Also, just so you know one of the three formal nights is optional. Almost nobody was dressed up. Most people wore their informal night clothes. There was a great photographer who had her stuff set up right in the place where you buy the pictures. She did some wonderful family portraits for us.

 

It is too bad you won't really get to spend much time in Tortola. We really enjoyed the beach there. It was less crowded and quiter than some of the other beaches. Plus the kids were fascinated by the brown pelicans.

 

We thought about dropping the kids off in Club HAL and doing dinner in the Pinnacle Grill one night. However, our travel agent had given us a gift certificate for all of us to have lunch there so we did that instead. It was very nice at lunch.

[shirleygr]

Hi, Diane.

Yes, our cruise includes the February vacation for lots of districts in the tri-states. My kids will only miss three days of school for a 12 day vacation.

$60 sounds very reasonable for a private tour and it sounds like you covered a lot of ground. I think we'll try to do the same in San Juan.

Thanks for letting me know about the optional formal night. It's not a big deal for us, but I wish I had known that before I bought three formal outfits for the girls. :rolleyes: Photos are always a problem for me--either I love everything or can't find even one I like in the bunch. Maybe this time I'll find a happy middle ground.

Yeah, I think the stop in Tortola is just such a waste. From what I've read, the beaches and snorkeling/diving are the things to do there and getting there at 3 in the afternoon during the winter just doesn't seem to really work.

Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer so many questions for me. :)

[mommybunny21]

Hi Shirley,

 

My kids loved the kids program on the Noordam. There were two very nice women who ran it. However, the staff will have changed by the time you are on board. I am sure the new staff will also be very nice. My girls had fun with the activities and came home with a stack of art projects. The kids that were on board with us were mostly in the same age range as my kids and since the cruise was longer they really got kind of friendly with each other. The kids got lots of attention from the staff since there were not that many on board. They also gave the kids prizes on a couple of nights. One night they got a backpack which was quite useful since after that my girls could carry their own towels to the beach. The kids program is open from 9 to noon, 2 to 5 and 8 to 10. You could pay extra to have your kids stay from 10 until midnight. If you do that, you have to pay for the babysitting service in cash. We never did that but we saw other kids staying. They had set up a dvd and pillows and the kids were all relaxing. The one thing I was disappointed about was that there was no night when they organized a special kids dinner. On all the other cruises we have been on there was always at least one night that the kids ate with the other kids and my husband and I could have dinner by ourselves.

 

The crowd on the ship was definitley an older crowd. However, it worked out well for us. Our girls got a lot of positive attention from lots other passengers and from the crew. In the Lido Buffet all the staff knew them by name and so did the maitre'd and some of the staff by the Lido Pool. Even the guys that scoop out the ice cream and hand out the after dinner mints knew my girls. My kids just loved the extra attention.

 

In San Juan we got off the ship and then hired a cab driver to take us on a tour of the historic area. It was great! He took us to the capital and showed us all around inside of it. We went to one of the two forts and toured that and then made a few other stops. We did not find the shopping in San Juan to be that great. He offered to take us to the Baccardi factory for their free tour but we did not want to do that with the kids along with us.

 

You might find you have more time in Tortola than you think. It does not get dark until a little later in the Caribbean. The beach that we went to was Cane Garden Bay. It was about 20 or 25 minutes from the ship to the beach. There were tons of cabs waiting to take you back to the ship whenever you wanted to go. It was a very nice beach with very calm water. My kids were fascinated with the brown pelicans that kept catching fish all around us. I don't think that there was a lot to do right near the port.

Thanks for your review..In Tortola we were thinking of Cane garden Bay for a little beach time then dinner/drinks at a restaurant on the beach?Can you recommend one?

[dianelevene]

Mommybunny- We did not actually eat at any place on the beach. We bought ice cream and sodas and snacks since we were there early in the day. There was one place that was open to the beach that looked busy and smelled good. We saw some of the people using small boats to get to it from their sailboats that were anchored in the bay. I don't know what it was called but if you are standing on the beach and looking at the water, the place was all the way down on the right end of the beach. It was near a little dock. Have fun!