Candleonwater

I know this post is old, but I have to say, I've been taking my daughter to St Maarten (on cruises) since she was 5, and she's 25 now.  It's always been her favorite island.  So much so that she now flies there for vacations.  One of her favorite excursions as a child was sailing.  We gave up any sort of island tour early on as she found them boring.

Any advice on how to handle the pre-departure test for return to the US?  Not sure where to go, will our hotel help us?

I haven't used that company, but as I'm not a fan of ship excursions, we booked our ATV tour through Splash in the Sun.  They are located near the port and it was a great experience.

To add to this question - anyone know anything about the requirements to board a plane (to the US) at SXM?  If I understand correctly you have to have a negative test within 24 hours of boarding, but after that the details seem to be vague.  It seems like an antigen test is allowed, so I'm wondering if one of the kits available for purchase - where you actually do the test with someone over zoom (they then certify the results) would count?

Heading to SXM, I understand, if you've been boosted within 9 months of arriving, you don't need to do anything prior to arrival?

Anyone know if Luis, the swimsuit maker, is still around?  Bought a couple of bottoms while at the nude beach last time.  Love his stuff.

On 4/13/2021 at 8:30 AM, poocher said:

Went to Disney for a week in November and was not policed in any way.  Why?  Because we all wore our masks appropriately.  Yup I am a rules follower and I don’t get to decide how/when to follow them.  I didn’t expect the trip to be a “normal “ one and it wasn’t but we had a fantastic time.

I completely agree!  We went to Disney in December and while it wasn't the same kind of trip as we've had in the past, but we still had a great time.  My advice to everyone - don't book a trip right now unless you're prepared to wear a mask at all times.  That way, no matter what happens, you won't be disappointed.  I leave for NOLA in 3 days, can't wait to stroll Bourbon in a mask!

One question - is it too much to hope for, that my November cruise (out of Baltimore) will be cancelled?

I have a cruise booked for November, that was switched from last November.  I have no interest in going on a cruise any time soon, specifically not until a greater percentage of the world is vaccinated.

Am I wrong with this line of thinking, I could get tested today with a sail date of 2 days from now, and I could contract COVID tomorrow?  If so, how are people on the ship protected?  I have absolutely no interest in walking around the ship in a mask.  The idea of sitting in the Schooner Bar, masked up, socially distanced, with strangers walking around, just isn't appealing.

Is it wrong to feel like, if they require vaccination to sail, and I booked before all this went down, that I should be able to get a full refund, not a FCC?

On 10/31/2019 at 12:07 PM, TTEllis said:

It might not I used to go there all the time back in the day. I didn't go over to Orient Beach last couple of times on St. Maarten because we did Cat. sails over to Maho. 

They got hit hard over there with the hurricane. Club Orient was nothing but fun. Orient Beach is beautiful. 

Going back to STM fall 2020, going back to Orient I'm Cat Sailed and Maho'd out.

We used to swim out to the platforms and lay out off Orient, it was awesome. 

Later Todd

They're trying hard to bring back Orient Beach.  So much work going on there.  I have nothing to compare it to as we never went there before the hurricane.  It is one of our favorite beaches to visit.  Bought my daughter bathing suits from a vendor and can't wait to go back when he gets his shop up and running to buy her more.

On 11/13/2019 at 5:02 PM, Bases5 said:

Thanks  for the feedback.  Did you have a good trip to St martin,  We really like it there. We also have been thinking about buying a rentable vacation home there. 

My only complaint is that the vacation wasn't long enough.  After 23 cruises, we've visited a lot of islands, and St Maarten has always been one of our favorites.  Even more so now.  Looking at going back in January.  Would love to move to the island.

Just returned from St Maarten, and we did a sailing excursion through Eagle Tours.  Absolutely loved it.  The crew was awesome.

On 10/26/2019 at 5:09 PM, RickinStl said:

 

 

Very safe.. Our guide blocked traffic for us.. then would fly past us to lead the pack.. It does take a bit for them to answer back.  But they will contact you..  We're going back next year and i would definetly use them again.. 

Just wanted to tell you, we did it, and absolutely loved it.  I would recommend them to anyone who is looking to do an ATV excursion.

On 11/3/2019 at 6:45 PM, tunisbridal said:

Anyone know how friars beach is now?

We just stopped there the other day (during our ATV excursion).  It looks pretty good.  I was surprised at the drop off into the water though.

There is almost nothing in Maho village right now.  If you want a decent lunch, 3 Amigos is pretty good, although maybe we just thought it was good after days of Sonesta food?  Didn't even realize there was a casino there until our last day.

I just returned from my stay at the Sonesta, and here's my take.  I don't think I would purchase a day pass for the resort.  There really isn't much beach to speak of.  What beach there is, is okay, and there's no major drop off walking into the ocean, though.  The other option for "beach chairs" is on their "fake beach", overlooking the real beach, but as is everywhere, there are chair hogs, so if you're not there early, forget getting a prime spot.  As for the pool... chair hogs, once again.  People were out at 7am placing their belongings on the chairs.  I also found it weird for people to be IN the pool, smoking.  Also, the bartender at the pool bar sometimes has to be reminded to actually put alcohol in the drinks...

We just got back from St Maarten (stayed at the sonesta), and I was surprised that I didn't need water shoes.

Does Club Orient exist anymore?

4 minutes ago, RickinStl said:

 

 

Very safe.. Our guide blocked traffic for us.. then would fly past us to lead the pack.. It does take a bit for them to answer back.  But they will contact you..  We're going back next year and i would definetly use them again.. 

Thanks for the info.  So excited to give them a try.  

4 hours ago, RickinStl said:

 

We used them last month.. all I can say is that it was awesome! Sherry and Taz do an incredible job..  I have found that if you contact them via FB you'll get a quicker response.. 

 

Take the longer tour.. you'll do a little off roading and go to the highest point of the island for breathtaking views.. 

That's what I did, sent a message through Facebook, they read it at 2am, and STILL no response.  I thought the 6 hour excursion sounded like heaven.  Did you feel safe?  The roads in St Maarten can be downright scary at times, for cars!  When we ATV'ed in St Kitts, most of it was off road, but not very exciting.  Antigua was exciting, but I suspect that was because it was our first time going on ATV's.  St Maarten is one of our favorite islands, and I think it would be fun to experience it this way.

Anyone know about this group: https://www.splashinthesun.com/about-us ?  I like the description of their ATV tour, but sent them a message and they haven't responded.  Not giving me warm fuzzy feeling about the operation.  Toying with going with the company mentioned above, any idea if 4-4.5 hours is a good length?  We've always done ATV excursions via the cruise ship, can't remember how long they are.

After over half a dozen cruise visits to St Maarten, we've decided to do a destination trip.  We are staying over by the Airport, and want to do one excursion.  Can't even begin to narrow it down, as far as which vendor.  Would you do a catamaran sail, ATV, or Jetski? 

We always sail when we are in St Maarten, and LOVE it, but wondering if maybe we should try something new there? 

Jetskis: I noticed the tours tend to take place on the Caribbean side of the island, so I'm assuming the water may be a little less rough? 

ATV's: has the island recovered enough for this to be fun?  We've done ATV tours on other islands, and thought it might be fun to try it on one of our favorite islands. 

Cat Sailing, our only requirement is that it has the trampoline/nets up front.  Don't like the platforms.  Some of the tours I've looked at are ALL day, which would be a nice change over our rather short days as cruise passengers.

We sail with them every time we go to St Maarten.  We also sailed to Mullet Bay.  Beautiful clear water, not a lot to see while snorkeling though.  On our last trip we stopped somewhere else first, I think it was Little Bay.  Water was a bit cold, and not as clear, but all I wanted to do was just lounge around in a noodle, so it was fine.  The crew is awesome.  

Yes, please tell, did you go?  We are flying to St Maarten in a month and staying at this resort.  Have heard mixed reviews about how much they have recovered.

We have done Golden Eagle multiple times.  Always enjoy it.

We did day passes at Breezes 2 years ago (during spring break) and I was totally disgusted by the resort.  It wasn't crowded, but the pool water was dirty, service wasn't very good, and the lunch was blah.

On 4/26/2019 at 8:23 AM, CILCIANRQTS said:

Other than bragging rights when you get home, why on earth would you want to swim with pigs??

Stay tuned for my new, less-expensive attraction...swimming with guinea pigs! It’ll be the “in” thing for a few years, then folks will move on to some other contrived activity. 🐷

 

Wow, someone isn't a happy person.  Because we knew Exuma wasn't an easy option while cruising (too much risk of missing the ship), we decided to do the Royal Caribbean CocoCay version.  We knew going in it was a rip off, but had a blast anyway.  We enjoyed it, and now Exuma is definitely on our bucket list.  Thanks for the links.