Pinel Island Day Trip

[yoguycruises]

I am taking a cruise onboard the Norwegian Gem Jan 20th and one of the ports of call is St. Maarten. I was just wondering what the taxi rate is from the cruise ship dock in Phillipsburg to the ferry station in the French Cul-de-sac for transportation to Pinel Island. I have heard a number of different prices so I was hoping someone could provide some clarification on this.

 

Thanks

[pghsteelerfan]

I am taking a cruise onboard the Norwegian Gem Jan 20th and one of the ports of call is St. Maarten. I was just wondering what the taxi rate is from the cruise ship dock in Phillipsburg to the ferry station in the French Cul-de-sac for transportation to Pinel Island. I have heard a number of different prices so I was hoping someone could provide some clarification on this.

 

Thanks

 

I saw you post was still unanswered so I'll answer as best as I can. What I don't know is what the charge for a cab would be from the ship dock in Phillipsburg to Cul-de-sac to take the ferry over to Pinel Island. We did spend the day there on our cruise last May but opted for a private tour instead. While doing research, mainly from these boards, I found that it is easy enough to get a cab from the ship dock in Phillipsburg to Cul-de-Sac but getting a cab back might be a problem since that isn't a popular spot for cruise passengers so cabs usually aren't there waiting to take you back. We were in Pinel Island on a snorkel excursion that we booked through the cruiseline on our first cruise in 1992 and there was nothing there, not even loungers and we just put our towels in the sand. I remembered how pretty it was and know that it has been built up some since we were there last, but it's all improvements for comfort and convenience (restaurants, restrooms, loungers). With all of this, it's still not a popular destination for cruise passengers so it may be one of those "secrets". :) There were a couple of recommendations I saw here on Cruise Critic on getting there. One was to see if we could arrange with a cab driver to arrange to pick us up at a certain time, but we didn't want to chance that. The other was renting a car since there is a car rental area right outside the cruise terminal. We didn't want to do that either. Finally someone else posted about going to Pinel Island and highly recommended it and when I asked how, they told me they always used the same private tour company. I know we aren't supposed to give recommendations on these boards unless someone specifically asks, so I'll attach a recent thread where someone asked and I provided the name and link to their website. I think this will be ok. Anyway, the cost was $74.00 per person, but that included the transportation to and from Cul-de-Sac, use of loungers/umbrellas for the day, snorkel equipment (snorkel, mask, and fins) and unlimited snorkeling. The cost for the ferry is $7.00 per person, round trip and there is also a $2.00 per person Marine Reserve fee once you get on Pinel Island. To us it was well worth it and we had a wonderful day.

 

Here's the link to the other post with the name of the tour company we used. Hope this helps.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1960559

Edited January 9, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[gtaylor]

Many have posted here about concerns of finding a taxi for their return trip (use search), but the taxi rates are set and posted.

 

(click)

 

gary

[Karysa]

Many have posted here about concerns of finding a taxi for their return trip (use search), but the taxi rates are set and posted.

 

(click)

 

gary

 

I would only visit Pinel Island while visiting on a cruise if I had a car. At this point in time relying on a taxi to come and pick me up at a set time is just a little nerve racking for me. I have read about folks being stuck at the cul de sac area when their driver failed to show on more than one occasion.

[pghsteelerfan]

I would only visit Pinel Island while visiting on a cruise if I had a car. At this point in time relying on a taxi to come and pick me up at a set time is just a little nerve racking for me. I have read about folks being stuck at the cul de sac area when their driver failed to show on more than one occasion.

 

This is the very reason we didn't want to rely on a cab to get to Pinel Island. We were left "stranded" by a cab driver who promised to pick us up, at a certain time, on our very first port of call (not St. Maarten) on our very first cruise. Fortunately there was a ship sponsored tour at the same beach (we were the only ship in port that day) and we were able to get a ride back with the tour group on the bus. We definitely lucked out because it was late in the day. That is a mistake we will never make again.

[#1TravelMom]

SOOOO easy to do this on your own. Reserve a car at Coastal right at the pier. They offer GPS for $5 with all sights preprogrammed. They will have you on your way in no time. Drive to the parking area at the ferry dock. Driving is on the right and not difficult at all. Very expensive to do by cab and you can easily get stranded. We have never had any issues driving ourself.

[navybankerteacher]

I don't get the attraction of Pinel - yes, it is a bit less built up than the rest of St. Martin, but there is not that much there to make it worth the time and cost. The variety of beaches on St. Martin makes the Pinel trip unnecessary. If you are determined, and cannot locate a tour to get you there, you will probably want to rent a car so you will not have to rely on a taxi driver picking you up. If you do drive yourself, you should head up the east side of the island, past Dawn Beach, and through Orleans, to avoid the traffic mess of getting through Phillipsburg an Marigot. This will be very important getting back to the pier in the afternoon: you do not want to face afternoon traffic on the west side of the island.

[Karysa]

I like Pinel and think that it is a very nice beach on the island. I haven't visited for a couple of years though either because of the hassle and extra cost to get there but I definitely think that is worth a trip at least once if you have your own transportation that is.

[#1TravelMom]

I agree with Navybankerteacher. We've been to Pinel several times - nothing spectacular. We like Le Galion beach just as much. It is also very easy to rent a car and drive there. It is nice to stop in Marigot and climb Ft. St. Louis for a spectacular view.

[Bobble Head Cruiser]

tx you sealed the deal for me

[Karysa]

I agree with Navybankerteacher. We've been to Pinel several times - nothing spectacular. We like Le Galion beach just as much. It is also very easy to rent a car and drive there. It is nice to stop in Marigot and climb Ft. St. Louis for a spectacular view.

 

OP if there are just 2 of you then Compare the cost of a rental car plus gas to taxis if you only plan to go to Le Galion or just to Marigot amd Le Galion. I think taxis will come out cheaper and that way you can get dropped off very near to the last set of stairs to the fort and can just walk all the way down to town saving finding a parking spot in Marigot.