Best St. Maarten Excursion

[cusematt4]

Hi,

 

We've always just gone to the beaches in St. Maarten and are looking for a highly rated, enjoyable boat tour, to combine snorkeling with beach and relaxation. Are there any speed boat tour or other snorkel/beach/relation tours that you would recommend through Royal Caribbean?

 

Thanks!

Edited December 19, 2016 by cusematt4

[John&LaLa]

Golden Eagle used to be a lot of fun.

[nolimits]

Goggle Random Wind

Really nice day has a bit of everything with no pressure

[cpayne]

We sailed on random wind this spring during a land visit to Saint Maarten. Nice day and definitely not overcrowded like a ship excursion might be. Worth looking into

 

 

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[kccrzr]

Not a RCI tour, but we had a great time with Captain Bob, Soualiga tours: http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Welcome.html

Edited December 19, 2016 by kccrzr

[Riff Sniff]

I second the Captain Bob/Soualiga tours recommendation!

 

 

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[pascalle3]

We wholeheartedly THIRD the Captain Bob tour! Highlight of our trip in 2014.

[perkli25]

Another endorsement for Capt. Bob! We had a great time on his tour. And it was a small group. Very personalized.

 

 

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[cusematt4]

Thanks! I've read great things about the Captain Bob Tour.

 

A couple concerns:

-There only seems to be an hour between when it is supposed to return and when the ship sets sail. This seems like a very short window for a non-sponsored ship tour.

-What if it rains? Would we be stuck taking a tour in the rain opposed to being able to cancel with a ship tour?

 

Also, are there any comparable ship tours to Captain Bob's?

 

Thanks!

[perkli25]

Thanks! I've read great things about the Captain Bob Tour.

 

 

 

A couple concerns:

 

-There only seems to be an hour between when it is supposed to return and when the ship sets sail. This seems like a very short window for a non-sponsored ship tour.

 

-What if it rains? Would we be stuck taking a tour in the rain opposed to being able to cancel with a ship tour?

 

 

 

Also, are there any comparable ship tours to Captain Bob's?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

Capt. Bob is located right next to the dock so the hour window was plenty in our case. I'm not sure about the rain but on our tour Capt. Bob was watching weather reports to know where to go. Rain in the caribbean is usually short lived and moves quickly in my experience. Of course there are exceptions to that. You can email him and ask this question.

 

 

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[sammydh82]

We have done the Mirabella Catamaran sail twice now and have really enjoyed it. The crew are extremely friendly and professional. They take you to two separate spots to snorkel and also take you to a beach for some beach time. The first time we went to Mullet Bay, which was gorgeous! The second time the waves would not allow this so we stopped at a beach closer to Maho Beach. It wasn't as beautiful and secluded, but still very nice!

 

They also have always provided sandwiches for lunch and I believe snacks like chips/pretzels, and drinks, including rum punch if desired!

 

Our upcoming trip will actually be our first time in St. Maarten that we won't be going on their Catamaran sail! :D

[janetz]

One of the best

 

https://www.12metre.com/ :)

[molsonschooner]

We sailed on random wind this spring during a land visit to Saint Maarten. Nice day and definitely not overcrowded like a ship excursion might be. Worth looking into

 

 

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that sounds interesting. do you recall what the cost is?

[gmtoolie]

We just did a tour with Billy Bones Boat Charters. It was fantastic. You can find them through TripAdvisor or at their website http://www.boatchartersxm.com. We did the ECO snorkeling tour that included several beach stops and lunch as well as the snorkeling. Captain Kevin and First Mate Chris were excellent. It was a trip well worth doing again.

 

They drive you back to the pier in plenty of time for all aboard!!!

[nolimits]

I believe Random wind averaged 100$ per.You also need cab back and forth to where they pick you up We've done it twice.liquer ,food all included.Great for all ages read website it has it all

[mconthehighseas]

Do any of these excursions take small children, like around 4 or 5 years old?

[Hotdog 52]

Orient Nude Beach.:)

[leosmom08]

We've done a boat tour with Blue Safaris St Maarten and love them! We've used them twice personally and our cruise buddies have used them once.

 

They are close to the pier and drop off right by the ships.

 

Happy cruising!

[NeilD]

One of the best

 

https://www.12metre.com/ :)

 

It was fabulous. I always followed America's Cup Racing. Especially the 12 metres. We were on 'Stars and Stripes' and won.

[Magnetchief]

Not a RCI tour, but we had a great time with Captain Bob, Soualiga tours: http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Welcome.html

 

 

 

Our favorite excursion by far for St Martian.

 

But I would not recommend it for very young or the elderly.

The boats are fast and can be quite 'bouncy' going across open water towards the turtle spot.

 

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Edited December 19, 2016 by Magnetchief

[murphy4]

Thanks! I've read great things about the Captain Bob Tour.

 

A couple concerns:

-There only seems to be an hour between when it is supposed to return and when the ship sets sail. This seems like a very short window for a non-sponsored ship tour.

-What if it rains? Would we be stuck taking a tour in the rain opposed to being able to cancel with a ship tour?

 

Also, are there any comparable ship tours to Captain Bob's?

 

Thanks!

 

We did Capt Bob last March, the marina where you get meet Bob is only a 10-15 minute walk from the ship. They are very aware of the time you have to be back, I would highly recommend them

[cruisin4dhr]

I believe Random wind averaged 100$ per.You also need cab back and forth to where they pick you up We've done it twice.liquer ,food all included.Great for all ages read website it has it all

 

We had a great time with Random Wind. We sailed close along Maho Beach and had those huge planes on approach passing right over the masthead. We'd do it again. But it tends to fill up fast.

[apocalyps3]

We had a great time with Captain Alan boat charters (you can find them on TripAdvisor). There were some rough seas there last week when we did it and he seemed to go out of his way to give us a fun time with a modified itinerary to avoid the choppy seas. They offer 4 and 6 hour tours (we signed up for 6, but because of the conditions we ended doing just the 4).

 

Not sure how it would be handled if it rained. If it was really bad I would think you could cancel without penalty.

[Clancy14]

Hi!

 

I, too, highly recommend Captain Bob. He has more than 1 boat for his charters and he groups his guests by age and abilities, and also by requests, based on the answers to his questions, as to what your interests are, as to what you what to do, on your excursion.

 

The walk to his pier/dock from the cruise ship, is about 15 minutes, along a busy road, in the hot sun. It could be tiring, especially with small children, after a day in the water and sun. You can easily get a quick taxi ride, inexpensively.

 

The 12 meter yacht racing is great, too, but not for children. Not Orient Beach, either.

 

Hope this helps! - Miriam

[EatonDoolittle]

We sailed on random wind this spring during a land visit to Saint Maarten. Nice day and definitely not overcrowded like a ship excursion might be. Worth looking into

 

 

I sail on Random Wind every time I go to St Maarten.

Last month we got lucky - just 5 of us had the entire boat to ourselves!

 

It was so quiet and relaxing - even with a full boat (18 - 20) its a great day.

Owner was having a past passenger discount offered until 12/31/16, she said it was open to everybody.

 

So, just ask, maybe she'll honor it.