AandBmom

Does anyone know if RCCL supplies any sort of sand toys for toddlers to play in the sand at Cococay?

Also, is there somewhere to sit where some people can have shade and some sun?

During our Mediterranean Cruise I had to pay to use the bathroom in Istanbul and it was a hold in the concrete floor with a toilet seat over it. Now that was interesting.

Cocoa Beach shuttle ended up being the cheapest for us on return, $15 pp for a group of 11.

thanks for the info. Any thought on taxi vs rental?

I had heard that you need a wristband to go into that area. Is that not so?

From all my research it seems like St. Thomas is mostly about beaches and a little bit about shopping. Is this correct?

We're doing a lot of beaches already on our cruise. Is there anything else to do here for kids?

I noticed ziplining. Anything else?

They are bedding sets made out of a mix of bamboo fiber and cotton. Most comfortable thing I've slept in in my entire life. !!! Downside is they don't last as long as only cotton

They are amazing and in my experience the price is the same in different ports (At least it was b/w Key west and Cozumel). As for them not lasting, they're guaranteed for life by the company. According to them they will replace any snags, tears, wearing, etc guaranteed. They are so soft and comfortable.

I lined up a private taxi service for our trip in March on the Valor. It is the same cost as a public taxi with us being able to make a few extra stops that we want to do. Similar to yours. You may need a few more people to make it worth his while but you could post on your roll call and see if there is any interest from others.

 

If you want his info PLMKI.

Can I get more info about the private taxi? I don't know how to message you though :( Perhaps you could email me? Lisa at lkeleher2000@yahoo.com

I'm thinking of bringing my family to these sights while in St. Maarten. Is it possible with 8 hours in port?

What makes most sense? Renting a couple of vehicles, paying for a tour or doing taxis from place to place.

We have 11 in our group ranging from age 3-75.

Sites:

Yoda Exhibit in Phillipsburg

ziplining at Loterie Park

Butterfly Farm

Maho Beach to watch planes and walk around the beach

Any help would be much appreciated.

Also if it helps I learned that there are 5 ships in port our day.

I understand that only 6 fit but can all 11 of us walk up to the cabana, drop stuff off etc? I'm thinking a few of the seniors might hang in there while the rest of us are off but we'd all like to drop by and visit, leave our stuff, come and go, etc. Will only 6 people get wristbands?

Do you have to hike in to get to the ziplining?

I'm thinking our group of 11 might want to check out the following:

- iguana farm

- butterfly place

- beach where airplanes land

- a nice family beach

- loterie farm zip lining

Are these things far apart?

Can we get around to all of them on our own?

How much is it to get into the iguana and butterfly? Does Bernard cover the cost with his tour?

Is it more expensive to travel on our own than to take a tour say with Bernard?

Can someone answer these questions for me please.

1. Cabanas - I know cabanas are hard to get but how much are they? Can you share one with a large group even though only 6 fit in it?

2. Water toys and slide - do you have to book an excursion in advance? Can you show up and see if the kids are interested and weather is good, etc, and add it on the spot?

3. Does the kids camp operate on the island? If so, how does it work? Do you sign your kids in with them and then adults can go off for a bit?

I have read how you have to try to book one right away if you're not in a suite. Question though, we're a group of 11 (mix of kids and seniors). Can we book one cabana (assuming we can get one) for our group and share it? I understand we won't all fit but I don't expect us to all be in there at the same time. Also how much are they?

I've done some research and have found that we can basically do the following with our kids:

- go to a beach

- watch the planes fly in

- take a tour of the island with Bernard

- butterfly garden

Are there any other highlights in St. Maarten/St.Martin for children (ages 3,4,8,9,16)

Anyone know if they make tea lattes such as London Fog?

Nice video. Thanks for sharing. What port was the ziplining in?

It's kind of dirty as others have mentioned and the traffic can be bad with crazy drivers and narrow sidewalks (or sometimes no sidewalks).

We still managed to walk around with our children and do our own walking tour.

We enjoyed checking out the Queen's steps, the two forts, the library/jail, the pirate museum, the beach behind the major hotel (can't remember name), Senior Frogs, etc.

Never felt unsafe.

Did you bring wine? If so, was it in your carryon or in your checked luggage? Can you do it either way, or both ways?

We're on the FOS next month and I'm having trouble figuring out what to do each day. I'm consulting with the Ports of Call threads but finding the information overwhelming. Can someone possibly give me a quick run down of your interpretation of each of these ports. For example I'm looking to find out which ones are best for beaching, which ones for site seeing, which ones might have things for kids. Any advice from someone that has done this itinerary or similar would be helpful.

We will have children ages 3, 4, 8, 9, 16 with us as well as a couple of seniors.

Our ports are:

CocoCay, Bahamas;

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas;

Philipsburg, St. Maarten;

Thanks

I've been searching threads for days and I'm finding it over whelming. Can someone give me a description of what St. Martin is all about?

Is it mostly beaches, is there a lot to see there, is it a shopping area, is it a large or small island, etc?

I'm trying to figure out what we might do there for the day. We're a family with kids ages 3,4,8,9 and 16. We also have seniors travelling with us. What's cool for us to see/do?

Here's the FAQ:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/topTenFAQs/detail.do?pagename=top_10_faqs&pnav=4&snav=2&faqId=260&faqSubjectName=Top+FAQ&

 

The FAQ does not specifically address bringing bottles of wine for staterooms that don't have any guests of drinking age. Silly me, I thought that was common sense. However, the second paragraph is pretty clear about providing alcohol to guests under 21.

If you read this rule and take it for exactly what it says, it's 2 per cabin no matter what. It doesn't say anything about who can bring it, just who can consume it. On Carnival they specifically say 1 bottle per adult. I'm interpreting this to say that I can bring 4 for our family, 2 per cabin.

We have 2 cabins that connect for our family on the FOS. Cabin 1 has 3 children listed in it. Cabin 2 has DH, myself and one child. All the children are under age 10. Can we bring 2 bottles of wine per cabin regardless of who is registered in that cabin? So, b/w our cabins we could have 4? Or is it 1 per adult?

Also, does RC require you to show it with your carry on or can it be in your checked luggage? Carnival says it has to be with your carry on, although bottles randomly get through in luggage. What is RC like?

Thanks

I dont know how all of you find these cheap rates. Granted I am looking for a mini van in the beginning of February, but I do not even see rates close to these lows.

We're doing a rental van in Feb and got a good deal $44 from dollar.com. Go to their website and click on deals and you'll see it there.

Nevermind I found their policy, they do one way rentals from MCO but with a $75 drop off fee. Dollar for me it is....