Warning in St Maarten /St Martin

[DRMizzou]

We were at St. Maarten last Tuesday. Read all of these dire warnings before we left on the cruise and made sure we brought repellant. Took Bernard's Tour and stopped at Orient Beach, Marigot and Maho Beach. Not only did we not see a mosquito; I am not sure I ever saw an insect of any kind (although I know they were there). People need to be cautious and self-aware (and bring repellant); but I have to say that all of these dire warnings appear to be a little sensationalized.

[Lard Greystoke]

I always think of mosquitos coming out at night, by which time I would be back on the ship.... I wonder if they consider cruisers at risk? :confused:

 

The Asian tiger mosquito, which I believe is a vector, is a day biter. I've been bitten at mid-day in Ohio.

 

The risk depends on the interaction between 3 factors: the disease agent, the host, and the carrier.

 

The disease agent is a virus which seems capable of fairly quick mutation, which is bad. That means it can adapt to control efforts.

 

The disease is hosted, as far as I know, by primates. The more susceptible primates in an area, the worse, because preventive measures effective in humans cannot be applied to wild animals. Fortunately the US and many areas of the Caribbean are not stocked with wild primates.

 

The carriers, unfortunately, are widespread, adaptable and aggressive mosquitos. Control measures are going to be capitol- and/or labor intensive. (Fogging is basically a PR measure to convince taxpayers the authorities are "doing something").

 

Risk for a casual visitor is probably pretty low right now, but more than zero. Mosquitos are short-lived, so there is a limited window when the mosquito can bite an infected human and then you. If you are a long-term visitor the odds go up, and for a resident they go up higher.

[emdia43]

The Asian tiger mosquito, which I believe is a vector, is a day biter. I've been bitten at mid-day in Ohio.

 

The risk depends on the interaction between 3 factors: the disease agent, the host, and the carrier.

 

The disease agent is a virus which seems capable of fairly quick mutation, which is bad. That means it can adapt to control efforts.

 

The disease is hosted, as far as I know, by primates. The more susceptible primates in an area, the worse, because preventive measures effective in humans cannot be applied to wild animals. Fortunately the US and many areas of the Caribbean are not stocked with wild primates.

 

The carriers, unfortunately, are widespread, adaptable and aggressive mosquitos. Control measures are going to be capitol- and/or labor intensive. (Fogging is basically a PR measure to convince taxpayers the authorities are "doing something").

 

Risk for a casual visitor is probably pretty low right now, but more than zero. Mosquitos are short-lived, so there is a limited window when the mosquito can bite an infected human and then you. If you are a long-term visitor the odds go up, and for a resident they go up higher.

 

Thanks- I didn't know that..

[kathy884]

We were there on Saturday (3/22/2014) on the Carnival Valor. The only warning about anything by the ship was a warning on the Fun Times Magazine, saying that to avoid mosquito borne illnesses that long sleeved light colored pant and shirts and Deet spray was recommended. This was listed as a warning on St. Kitts too. I had read a lot about this in advance and wanted to take precautions, as I'm a mosquito magnet, but many on the ship I believe never had heard anything about it and didn't even notice the warning or saw it and didn't take it seriously. (It probably is a really low risk for most cruise passengers, but still. I certainly wanted to minimize risks / take precautions)

 

It looked like I was one of the few people following the recommendation. I covered up in my light clothing and Deep Woods Off over clothing and on exposed skin (I had deep wood off wipes for my face etc. too that I liked using a lot better than spraying the Deet on my hands and rubbing it in), headed to Maho Beach to do some photography -- sea breezes and salt water mosquitos can't breed in -- lower risk than inland I figured and was just there between 12:20 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. // Back on the ship I stayed inside.

[SherriZ366]

Any updates on mosquitoes and the virus?

[Holly2]

Saw your post and went to CDC website, updated April. Still level 1 and warning extended to more islands. That being said, we didn't see mosquitoes in March but did use repellant.

[Life is Good Cruising]

Also there in March, did not see any mosquitos, brought deet with us but did not need to use it as there was a constant breeze on the beach.

[SherriZ366]

Saw your post and went to CDC website, updated April. Still level 1 and warning extended to more islands. That being said, we didn't see mosquitoes in March but did use repellant.

Thanks -- I found the repellant that I bought in January. Do you remember the actual name of the virus. I did not see it on this thread.

[Life is Good Cruising]

Thanks -- I found the repellant that I bought in January. Do you remember the actual name of the virus. I did not see it on this thread.

 

The virus is called Chikungunya and here is the latest update from the CDC.

 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/chikungunya-saint-martin

[SherriZ366]

The virus is called Chikungunya and here is the latest update from the CDC.

 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/chikungunya-saint-martin

Thanks

[smalltimecruiser100]

Just came back from St Maarten on the ExOS and did not see any mosquitos. We were there between 1-8pm.

[Luckyroot]

According to this recent article, it's expected to at some point, start spreading thru the US. Then what, will we all move? Take appropriate mosquito precautions and enjoy your vacation. Or live under a dome.

 

http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/chikungunya-virus-gallops-across-caribbean-may-hit-united-states/article/382760

[jnc411]

Hi all: I just read through this entire thread, first thanks for all the important information. We will not be going to St Maartin until Oct. , on a cruise stop, so I am going to keep an eye on all the information . Right now , we will still go on the cruise , but wheather or not we get off the ship at that port , not sure. It would depend on the information I gather during the time before the cruise. We are senior citizens also and my husband has some health issues , so his well being is utmost concern for us. If we need to stay on the ship

( indoors) for this port then so be it. Perhaps they will have a better handle on the situation in a couple months. Going to keep checking CDC , etc. for updates. When we booked this cruise we were not aware of the issue , but regardless we are traveling with DEET and some long sleeve tops and light weight pants for sure. Thanks again for posting this information.

Cori

[SeaDiva21]

Thank you for the warning. We are going on the Allure in March 2015 to the eastern carribean and I'm really glad we got the med insurance.

Stay Well,

Robin

[Giantfan13]

Just read this

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/florida-officials-warn-about-painful-new-virus-n107606

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Life is Good Cruising]

Going back to St Maarten in less than 10 days and upon return will report of any mosquito sightings.

[bchdestinies]

Hi there..I see you've been to St. Maarten before..This will be our first time. Was wondering if you recommend ferrying out to the nearby islands of Anguilla or St. Bart's..thanks so much☺️

 

 

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[SeaDiva21]

Hi,

This will be our third time in St. Maarten. We really love both sides of the island. We will likely take a tour of both sides and then spend time going shopping on the Dutch side probably and then visit the beaches if there's time and weather is good. If we had more time we would visit nearby places, but we have only a short stay. Enjoy your cruise. No matter what you do, you will have fun.

Robin

[Life is Good Cruising]

Hi there..I see you've been to St. Maarten before..This will be our first time. Was wondering if you recommend ferrying out to the nearby islands of Anguilla or St. Bart's..thanks so much☺️

 

 

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I have not taken the ferry to either of those islands from St Martin. I do know the ferry to St Barts is 45 mins and the ferry to Anguilla is about 20 mins. You would catch the ferry in Marigot which is about 20-30 mins from the port in Philipsburg. If you are not on a cruise, by all means go to both these islands as you don't have to worry about the time to get back to catch your cruise ship.

 

If your on a cruise ship I personally would not chance taking the ferry as I wouldn't want to miss my ship. Maybe others have taken the ferry when in port just for the day on a cruise ship. You can also post a new question in this forum asking about the ferries to both islands.

 

 

Here is the ferry schedule for St Barts

http://www.greatbayferry.com/schedule-and-prices.html

 

some reviews on the ferry to St Barts

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147346-d2149265-Reviews-High_Speed_Ferry_to_St_Barths-St_Maarten_St_Martin.html

 

Ferry schedule to Anguilla

http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/anguilla-ferry-system.html

 

reviews on the ferry to Anguilla

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147238-i388-k21764-Ferry_from_St_Maarten-Anguilla.html

[PortMaster]

I just returned from St Maarten/St Martin a couple weeks go. I always bring a 99.7% DEET repellent and am confident all will be fine. We did not even see an insect the entire time we were there. I personally did not worry about this but took the precautions we always take with the DEET. No issues for my wife or myself.

[Life is Good Cruising]

Hi there..I see you've been to St. Maarten before..This will be our first time. Was wondering if you recommend ferrying out to the nearby islands of Anguilla or St. Bart's..thanks so much☺️

 

 

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We were just in St Maarten on 5-26 and I did ask our tour driver your question concerning the ferries and this is what he told me.

 

It is not advisable to go to St. Barts for the day by ferry as there is only 1 return ferry trip each day from St Barts so you will never make it back to the ship on time.

 

Yes, you can go to Anguilla for the day by ferry and the ferry runs every 45 mins. so you will be able to return back to the ship on time. You can catch the ferry to Anguilla in Philipsburg or Marigot. In Philipsburg the ferry is only about 5 mins. from the port.

[Life is Good Cruising]

We had a private tour with Bernards Tour last week. Brought deet (never used it) and binoculars on our 5-26-14 visit . I looked for mosquito sightings at Maho Beach, Mullet Bay, Marigot and Orient Beach and never saw any bugs at all. This is our 3rd visit by cruise ship to St Maarten/St. Martin this year and have yet to see any mosquitoes on each sailing.

[Karysa]

We were just in St Maarten on 5-26 and I did ask our tour driver your question concerning the ferries and this is what he told me.

 

It is not advisable to go to St. Barts for the day by ferry as there is only 1 return ferry trip each day from St Barts so you will never make it back to the ship on time.

 

Yes, you can go to Anguilla for the day by ferry and the ferry runs every 45 mins. so you will be able to return back to the ship on time. You can catch the ferry to Anguilla in Philipsburg or Marigot. In Philipsburg the ferry is only about 5 mins. from the port.

 

It's actually possible to go to St. Bart's on some cruise stops. I wouldn't do it or recommend it but here is the info for those interested. I did a mock booking on the Voyager high speed ferry out of Oyster Pond which is a 20 minute taxi ride from the port. On June 10th the ferry leaves at 9:45 and gets in to the port in the town of Gustavia just 30 minutes later at 10:15. You would have time to walk around the town or have a taxi tour or go to shell beach and have lunch. It's a very small island so even though the ferry returns at 2 getting into Oyster Pond at 2:40 if all goes as planned you would be back at the pier before 3:30. Passports are needed so if you miss the ship at least you will have your passport with you.

 

Also there is a high speed ferry out of the Pelican Marina that takes about an hour but there schedule is not conducive for those on a port stop.

 

I have never heard of a ferry from Phillipsburg to Anguilla, snorkelling excursions yes but a ferry that is news to me. I would be interested in learning more about this. Could you post a link or more info on this like which company , how long the trip is and how much it costs as well as if it would work for most cruisers? TIA for this information.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Karysa

[SeaDiva21]

Hi

Although I've been to St Maten, it was a while ago. We took a tour of both sides of the island and then went shopping. It's gorgeous from what I remember. The shopping was also good. So depending how much time you have to spend...

We are planning to do the same or similar tour in the spring from the Allure and will likely go with the RC tours just to be safe with the time factor and all. Because of the mosquito spread virus I will be sure to take repellent and stay away from places likely to attract the little pests.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I know you will have a wonderful time. Enjoy!

Robin

[Life is Good Cruising]

It's actually possible to go to St. Bart's on some cruise stops. I wouldn't do it or recommend it but here is the info for those interested. I did a mock booking on the Voyager high speed ferry out of Oyster Pond which is a 20 minute taxi ride from the port. On June 10th the ferry leaves at 9:45 and gets in to the port in the town of Gustavia just 30 minutes later at 10:15. You would have time to walk around the town or have a taxi tour or go to shell beach and have lunch. It's a very small island so even though the ferry returns at 2 getting into Oyster Pond at 2:40 if all goes as planned you would be back at the pier before 3:30. Passports are needed so if you miss the ship at least you will have your passport with you.

 

Also there is a high speed ferry out of the Pelican Marina that takes about an hour but there schedule is not conducive for those on a port stop.

 

I have never heard of a ferry from Phillipsburg to Anguilla, snorkelling excursions yes but a ferry that is news to me. I would be interested in learning more about this. Could you post a link or more info on this like which company , how long the trip is and how much it costs as well as if it would work for most cruisers? TIA for this information.

 

 

I remember seeing signs for a ferry stop somewhere near Chesterfields. That is when I questioned our tour guide about the ferry to Anguilla and St. Barts. I am personally not interested in taking the ferry on a one day stop while on a cruise ship, but our tour guide indicated that people from cruise ships do take the ferry over to Anguilla from St. Maarten (Dutch side). I am aware of the ferry in Marigot that will also take passengers over to Anguilla.

 

I am going back in September and will be glad to find out the specifics for you and the name of the ferry company in Philipsburg. I just found this info below on google.

 

http://ivisitanguilla.com/by-sea/

http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/anguilla-ferry-system.html