Dreams do come true!!

[luvnjonson]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

[skyking]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

 

 

Congrats, In St Marteen we always rent a jeep right there at the pier. You can head to MAHO and hang out for a few hours, then head across the bridge to the French side and hang out on Orient Beach. Very inexpensive way to see the whole island, and it's very easy to get around. ENJOY!

[luvnjonson]

Congrats, In St Marteen we always rent a jeep right there at the pier. You can head to MAHO and hang out for a few hours, then head across the bridge to the French side and hang out on Orient Beach. Very inexpensive way to see the whole island, and it's very easy to get around. ENJOY!

Are you able to go around on your own? Or does it have to be in a caravan?

[MixerDave]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

 

If you can - take the Americas Cup Racing - you actually crew a 12 metre sailboat - retired Amercas Cup yachts.

https://www.12metre.com/ Best excursion I ever took

[skyking]

Are you able to go around on your own? Or does it have to be in a caravan?

 

 

You go around on your own, your time is your time which is why I love doing it, we also do it in Cozumel.

[Jenjer]

We just take cabs. Very easy island to get around on your own. When you get off ship there is a taxi stand and you go to the spot for the place you want to go. Once your at your first destination then you can make plans with that driver or just pick one up. Those guys and gals hustle. They want to come back and pick you up.

 

The don't get the joy or thrill of the airplane beach. The never go near a planes jet wash is just to ingrained in me, living near a air force base. Actually have a friend that studies the physical effect of what jet wash does to humans. So we have never been there.

[matj2000]

Congrats, In St Marteen we always rent a jeep right there at the pier. You can head to MAHO and hang out for a few hours, then head across the bridge to the French side and hang out on Orient Beach. Very inexpensive way to see the whole island, and it's very easy to get around. ENJOY!

 

We rent a car every time.

Cheap & easy.

[Clarea]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

[cleophus12]

Over the past few years, St Marteen has become my favorite destination. Always rent a car--except this time we are taking a taxi to Maho. Never been there. Looking forward to something different.

[MrsKC08]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

 

Highly recommend Liberty Tours. We have used them in the past with one of our St. Maarten trips and it was very reasonable and delightful. They took us to both sides, and we had time for lunch at a quaint little stop on the opposite side of the island. We had about 20 minutes or so at Maho beach as well. Look them up on trip advisor or google them.

[luvnjonson]

Highly recommend Liberty Tours. We have used them in the past with one of our St. Maarten trips and it was very reasonable and delightful. They took us to both sides, and we had time for lunch at a quaint little stop on the opposite side of the island. We had about 20 minutes or so at Maho beach as well. Look them up on trip advisor or google them.

I will definitely do that! My husband likes to hear the history and things so he wants to do something guided. That may be a good option for us.

For those of you that suggested a taxi, will they talk to you about what's here and there or no?

[BNBR]

I will definitely do that! My husband likes to hear the history and things so he wants to do something guided. That may be a good option for us.

For those of you that suggested a taxi, will they talk to you about what's here and there or no?

 

We did the taxi tour in St. Thomas and it was entirely guided and pretty nice. VERY inexpensive, too. Just get off the ship and walk to the taxi area, it's simple. St. Maarten, no idea, I'm going for the first time in October so following this thread for suggestions, too :)

[SilkySal]

On past cruises, we usually went to MAHO to watch the low-flying planes come across the beach while eating lunch at the Sunset Bar & Grill right next to the beach! Best place to eat and watch people that venture too close to the fence get blown away!!:eek: Cheap buckets of beer are a plus!:cool:

 

This October on Harmony, our family is joining us and our adult kids and their friends have reserved a kayak/snorkeling excursion through the ship! However, DH and I will probably head to MAHO again as usual! Can you tell we like it there? Also, nice shopping in St Maarten!!

 

Which ship and what week? You may want to check out your "roll call" for your cruise week and meet your fellow cruisers, who will be glad to help answer your questions!!;)

Edited May 3, 2017 by SilkySal
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[MrsKC08]

I will definitely do that! My husband likes to hear the history and things so he wants to do something guided. That may be a good option for us.

 

For those of you that suggested a taxi, will they talk to you about what's here and there or no?

 

 

Sorry, I totally gave the wrong tour company name. It was Bernard's Tours. I've been working on other cruises and got my tour companies crossed. Anyway, I feel you'll be pleasantly happy with them should you choose them. They meet you right at the St. Maarten sign.

 

 

Lynn & Ken

[Prinny11]

+1 for Bernard's.. We used them in February and it worked out great. Toured the whole island. Went to Maho beach (planes), French side to shop and eat, you can add in a beach stop if you want. Super easy to deal with, very reasonably priced.

[johnjen]

Our family's FINALLY going to St Thomas and St Maarten!!!!! Now. I need excursion help please!! Mostly for St Maarten. I want to see both sides (especially the planes coming in) and I want to stop in Pandora for a charm. Any advice? :)

 

On our Explorer cruise back in '06, We made the mistake and took one of those "around the island" excursions in St. Maarten and COMPLETELY MISSED OUT on Maho Beach aircraft landings. The excursion around the island was not only boring - but seeing baby dolls hanging by their necks from a tree told me how racist the place was - and the bus driver was driving excessively fast (he nearly ran into a rock wall at one point, his rear view mirror scraped that wall), told me that excursion was a waste of money, unsafe, and loss of valuable plane spotting time.

 

So on this last ANTHEM cruise we did Maho Beach - and saved a lot of money by NOT taking the around the island excursion again. One time was enough for me to say never again.

[bigque]

For what you want to do in St. Maarten I would suggest Bernard Tours! It goes to both sides including a two hour stop at Orient Beach and 1 hour stop to see the planes takeoff and land at Maho Beach. They have all you can drink Beer, Wine, water or soda during the tour. At the end you can either be dropped off back at the ship or in town for shopping. :cool: Well reviewed here on CC and Trip Advisor!

[luvnjonson]

This makes me so excited!!!! Thanks everyone!!

[bigque]

For what you want to do in St. Maarten I would suggest Bernard Tours! It goes to both sides including a two hour stop at Orient Beach and 1 hour stop to see the planes takeoff and land at Maho Beach. They have all you can drink Beer, Wine, water or soda during the tour. At the end you can either be dropped off back at the ship or in town for shopping. :cool: Well reviewed here on CC and Trip Advisor!

 

I meant to say Rum Punch not wine. And the Rum Punch is potent! :cool:

[Kilmarlic]

The taxi tour around the island is the way to go.

 

It was a rainy, windy day when we were there so the stops at the beaches gave us enough time to look around and get some pictures. It would not have been enough time to go for a swim (had it been a nicer day). Our driver was very, very nice and full of stories about the island and the places we were seeing. I especially liked the option of getting out at Front Street when the tour was over or being dropped off at the actual cruise terminal.

 

Since it was just my sister and I we opted to join in with some other pairs of travelers for the tours. I think there were 10 of us all together. 4 from our Cruise line and 6 from another ship. It was an interesting blend of folks. It worked out to $25 per person.

[DonTreadOnMe]

Bernard on St Marteen. Self guided tour to St John, and take a taxi to the most photographed beach in the Caribbean (for good reason), and spend the day at Trunk bay at St Thomas.

[Debitoo]

+1 for Bernard's Tours. Request "Mailman"

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Two places are a must. 1. Maho Beach 2. Serafina's Bakery

Take in as much as you can in and around these two spots and you'll have a great day.

[obsessedsc]

Another vote for Bernard's tours! We have used them 3 times! Our fav spots Le Gallion Beach and Maho!

 

 

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[luvnjonson]

Thanks so much! We booked a private tour with Bernard tours!