St. Martin to St. Martin

[MICHE99]

Hi. We are on the St. Martin round trip cruise in March. I was wondering where the ship docks.

For instance at Jost Van Dyke. Does the ship dock or anchor? How does one get to the Soggy Dollar?

Did I read somewhere that there is a beach bar-b-que one day?

What were some of the highlights?

My mom is 83. We would like to go to the beach but she can't walk too too far. Will this be an issue?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[Riverroad]

We did this trip at the beginning of Jan. The ship anchors off Jost Van Dyke and you are tendered in to a small pier. There are taxis that will take you over the hill to the beach where the Soggy Dollar is. If you ask the driver, he'll drop you at the Soggy Dollar. I think it was $7 pp but they'll tell you this at the port talk or just ask.

For Tortola, we were docked in Road Town. For all other ports, the ship was anchored and tenders take you ashore.

The beach barbecue is on the day you're anchored off of Virgin Gorda. The tenders run in a triangle from ship to Bitter End Yacht Club, then to Prickly Pear Island where the barbecue is, then back to the ship. You will be advised when the last tender from Prickly Pear returns to the ship. Prickly Pear is flat and your mom should have no trouble walking on the beach.

You should be aware that there is a fairly steep metal ladder with handrails that you must use to enter the tenders from the ship. The crew is very good about helping with entering and exiting the tender but he ladder part can be tricky. Any other questions, just ask.

[Riverroad]

We were docked at St. Kitts as well. We took a private tour of the island but I think you can just take a taxi to the beach.

[MICHE99]

Thanks, Riverroad.

 

Is the bar-b-que held on a beach? are there umbrellas and chairs?

Is there anything that you think we should not miss?

[Riverroad]

The barbecue is held on the beach at Prickly Pear Island. There are plenty of lounge chairs as well as tables with umbrellas that you can sit at for lunch.

 

In my opinion, the only "don't miss" on this cruise are the Baths at Virgin Gorda. However, you said your mother cannot walk far so I don't think this would be an excursion for her. There is a climb down to the beach and then you are walking through giant boulders, sometimes through very narrow spaces. The excursion to the Baths was cancelled on our cruise due to high seas, however we'd been there before. We took a private tour on St. Kitts which was interesting but I wouldn't call it "don't miss".

 

We did a lot of relaxing and reading on deck, enjoyed the great food and were very glad to be out of the cold in NY for a week.

[B_and_B]

The barbecue is held on the beach at Prickly Pear Island. There are plenty of lounge chairs as well as tables with umbrellas that you can sit at for lunch.

 

In my opinion, the only "don't miss" on this cruise are the Baths at Virgin Gorda. However, you said your mother cannot walk far so I don't think this would be an excursion for her. There is a climb down to the beach and then you are walking through giant boulders, sometimes through very narrow spaces. The excursion to the Baths was cancelled on our cruise due to high seas, however we'd been there before. We took a private tour on St. Kitts which was interesting but I wouldn't call it "don't miss".

 

We did a lot of relaxing and reading on deck, enjoyed the great food and were very glad to be out of the cold in NY for a week.

 

Where did the tour of St. Kitts take you and was there beach time on the trip?

 

My husband and I are on the March 6th trip. We love to snorkel, and would like to know what islands have good snorkeling, especially where you can snorkel from the beach as opposed to signing up for a trip.

 

Other than the Baths, are there any other things you recommend on the other islands in the itinerary?

 

Thanks.