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st thomas & st maarten...1st cruise...what to do at ports

MRB102505

By MRB102505,
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MRB102505

MRB102505

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This is my first cruise and have no idea what to do at our stops...one is st thomas and the other is st maarten. I have a 9 yr old son and trying to figure out the best beaches to go to and where to do some shopping...need ideas

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I_heart_vaca

I_heart_vaca

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Its our first time in those ports too, so I am no expert. We are doing private boat tours on both those stops. The best place to find info is in the Ports of Call section of the Cruise Critic boards -- they have a section for each port. Also, join your roll call and ask -- a lot of people visit the same ports and have great tips from previous trips. One final thing I do is look at the excursions the ship offers and then google those areas and types of tours. You can find great beaches that way - although they might be crowded.

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boogs

boogs

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St. Maartens and St. Thomas were on our first cruise ever! We have fond memories of that trip.

 

On St. Maartens we did the "12 Metre Challenge" http://www.12metre.com/, a race between two America's Cup racing yachts. Everyone on each boat had a specific job to do, racing against the other boat. These are real America's Cup boats that competed in past competitions.

 

America

 

 

We then went to Mahao Beach to watch the planes skim over the beach and part the hair of the beach goers below when landing.

St.%20Maarten%20landing.JPG

 

 

On St. Thomas, we took an island tour with a guide we found at the pier, who then took us to Megan's Bay (voted one of the best beaches in the world by National Geographic) so we could have some beach time. He picked us up at the agreed upon time and took us back to the ship.

 

Magens-Bay-Sky-View_Magens-Point-Resort.jpg.img?image=452949

Edited by boogs
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cruisingcanadian

cruisingcanadian

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Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

It's your first cruise. Look at the shore excursions offered by the ship. ;)

LuLu

 

I agree;for first-time cruiser are the ship excursions the safest and easiest.

Definitely recommend it...the private excursions are better for experienced cruisers.

 

Boogs-your pictures are beautiful and express the right mood in all those places. I love Magen's Bay beach on St.Thomas....wish to be there right now:).

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arlodog

arlodog

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There is shopping at St. Thomas close to where the ships dock. Our first trip there we took a tour of the island. There are many options, but if you read the port of call threads for any of the islands you will find the same names come up over and over again. Go with any of the recommended tours/excursions and you will be fine.

 

At St Martin your 9 year old will love Mahoe beach! It is not a beach for swimming, but basically a bar area where you watch the planes come in. Very fun. You could combine it with a beach day. Although the island tour was interesting, I don't think a 9 year old would find it much fun.

 

Enjoy! Hope your family enjoys cruising as much as ours does!

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Marie51

Marie51

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St Thomas and St Marten are 2 of my favorite places. They are both very easy to get around on your own.

Do you know where your ship docks in St Thomas? If at Havensite Mall you will be right at a shopping center where the ship docks. If you want to go to the beach it is very easy to get a cab..they will be lined up when you exit the ship...and go to Coki beach or Megans Bay(Coki is free, Megans has a fee to enter). There will also be cabs at the beaches to take you back to the ship. It's easy.

St Martin is basically the same.....a fairly large shopping area where the ship docks(they make it very easy for you to shop on these islands, don't they).

 

You can look over the ships excursions and take one of those if you find something that interests you.

Good luck!

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kris2cruise

kris2cruise

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We visited both islands for the 1st time in March this year. In StMaarten we went parasailing, booked privately through SXM Watersports, and it was alot of fun & the views were incredible! Then we hung out on the beach where the company was located, not to crowded. On St Thomas we went to Coral World & did the sea lion swim which was awesome!

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cb at sea

cb at sea

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You do NOT need "excursions", ship or otherwise, 1st time or not, to go to a beach! Get a guidebook from your library, read it, and decide where to go! The book will detail transportation, food/drink, shopping...everything!

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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This is my first cruise and have no idea what to do at our stops...one is st thomas and the other is st maarten. I have a 9 yr old son and trying to figure out the best beaches to go to and where to do some shopping...need ideas

 

A popular beach in St. Thomas is ...

 

Magens.jpg

 

Magens1.jpg

 

Magens2.jpg

 

Magens3.jpg

 

Magens5.jpg

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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There is also a sky bucket ride to a mountain top with a great view ...

 

StThomasIV.jpg

 

D8-2.jpg

 

There are two docks in St. Thomas. The Allure & Oasis OTS and Princess use the dock on the right. The sky bucket ride in across the parking lot of the dock on the left ...

 

CorolWorldIMGP0155_zps3a77a78f.jpg

 

Another view of Magens Bay ...

 

D8-3.jpg

 

Another popular place to go is Coral World, which is right next to Coki Beach ...

 

CorolWorldIMGP0092_zps2a2e55aa.jpg

 

CorolWorldIMGP0153_zps53761703.jpg

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

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This is my first cruise and have no idea what to do at our stops...one is st thomas and the other is st maarten. I have a 9 yr old son and trying to figure out the best beaches to go to and where to do some shopping...need ideas

 

For St. Maarten there are two well known beaches. Orient Beach is on the French side and is more or less clothing optional. Maho Beach is on the Dutch side and is right next to the airport.

 

Orient Beach ...

 

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D7-6.jpg

 

Maho Beach ...

 

IMGP0908.jpg

 

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IMGP0880.jpg

 

The big attraction at Maho Beach are the low flying jets landing on the runway that is across the street from the beach ...

 

hStm10_zps1424c244.jpg

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whataboutport

whataboutport

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I would avoid Orient beach bc of the 9 year old unless you guys are from Euorpe. Plus add in the vendors than bug you every few minutes, and you have to rent a beach chair I didn't care for this place. I think Maho would be more interesting for a child. But the beach itself is small and no trees. You can rent an umbrella though.

 

I loved Marigot, also on the French side. There is a fort up top with great views. There is also a sugar cane juice and coconut juice guy there in town. Sweetest sugar cane juice I ever had!

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