5 ships in port - Le Galion?

[GwenyP]

Ugggh. St. Maarten is one of my favorite ports and previously we have been lucky enough to have been there when there's only a couple of other ships in port. Coming up in November there will be 5 ships (!!), including Oasis, so I don't see us going to Orient as it will probably be wall to wall people. We're not really shopping types and we'll have our 3 and 7 year olds with us so we're looking at Le Galion beach as an option. I've heard that beach is great for younger kids anyway, but will it be as crowded as Orient with that many ships in port? Also how long should we allow to get back to the ship from Le Galion? We will be there in mid-week.

[Karysa]

Ugggh. St. Maarten is one of my favorite ports and previously we have been lucky enough to have been there when there's only a couple of other ships in port. Coming up in November there will be 5 ships (!!), including Oasis, so I don't see us going to Orient as it will probably be wall to wall people. We're not really shopping types and we'll have our 3 and 7 year olds with us so we're looking at Le Galion beach as an option. I've heard that beach is great for younger kids anyway, but will it be as crowded as Orient with that many ships in port? Also how long should we allow to get back to the ship from Le Galion? We will be there in mid-week.

 

Le Galion is a very popular beach with the islanders so it is pretty on the weekends. Cruisers don't tend to go there in the numbers as Orient. It really is a great beach for kids and I think that you will have a very relaxed beach day at Le Galion. See if your taxi driver will pick you up at a set time and even accept payment at time of pick up. Something else for you to consider is that LeGalion is within a short walk to the Butterfly Farm which your children might like. I would say that it will take 30 minutes to return to the pier from the beach. Personally I would add another 45 minutes for a buffer if I had a car but since you will probably be relying on a taxi I would increase that buffer considerably. In that situation I would ask the driver to pick me up at least 2 hrs before I needed to be back on the ship. Orient is a different story, since there are so many taxis there to take you back an hour and fifteen would be plenty of time to give yourself from there.

[memparrot]

We went to Galion at the end of May. I don't remember how many ships were in port that day but the beach was empty on a Monday. Water is calm and shallow. It is part of a park so no jet skis are allowed. My kids found coconuts. There are shady areas. We absolutely loved it there especially for a family with 3 & 5 year old.

 

There is one place for food and I believe they had a restroom. They also rent umbrellas and chairs.

 

It took us about 30 minutes to get back to the dock but then you have to walk another 5-10 minutes to get to the ship. I would try and arrange return transportation ahead of time because taxis do not usually go there.

[mrspjotter]

We were at Le Gallion in Feb with 6 ships in port and one of those was Allure of the Seas and the beach wasn't crowded at all, we've got 3 kids aged 10,7,7 and they had the best time.