What to do in these ports?

[RevCindy]

Hello all,

 

We're going on our first cruise in Nov/Dec 2017. I'm trying to figure out what to do where.

 

Here's where we're going:

St. Thomas

Dominca

Barbados

St. Lucia

St. Maartan

Puerto Rico (only have a few hours between 3pm and 8pm)

 

Here's what we want to do:

Snorkel

Zip Line

Hike

ATV/Jeep/Rhino tour

Shop (men's watch and local specialties)

Not just lay on a beach

 

The trip is 3 adults. One is a scuba diver and he and myself have snorkeled in Belize so we're spoiled. But my son, 26-years-old, really wants to and we want him to have a good experience. He was looking at those underwater motorized bike thingys. In St. Maartan, we've done the America's Cup Racing experience, which we loved but don't want to repeat.

 

If we were to take a limo from the port to an excursion, which port would be the most reliable for that?

 

Also, can you really just walk of the ship and grab excursions? I don't want to overpay on the ship, but I AM a planner and am nervous about this part of our trip. (NCL Jade, staying in the Haven).

 

 

 

Thanks!

[brunello22]

We do a lot of research for things to do on our own, at our leisure, and also less expensive than booking with the ship.

 

For zip lining, do it in San Juan over the rain forest ... amazing! The zip line in St. Maarten is a bit hokey.

 

In St. Maarten, we have done the Rhino boat / snorkeling excursion. It was a lot of fun and the snorkeling was pretty awesome.

 

Other times In St. Maarten, we have rented a car from Coastal Car Rental and drove around the island at our leisure. There are many interesting places to stop on both the Dutch and French sides. We head west toward Maho, and then drive north to Marigot. In Grand Case, there are a number of mom-and-pop beachfront seafood places to stop for an incredible inexpensive lunch. Along the northeast coast of the island, it is popular for windsurfers, so it is fun to watch them. There are lots of great little coves and beaches, that are void of crowds. It is best to come back to Philipsburg along the east side of the island later in the afternoon, avoiding Downtown, due to the heavy traffic and crowds.

 

In St. Thomas, we take the ferry over to St. John, and spend our time hiking through the national park, and then cooling off at one of the beaches. Trunk Bay is great for snorkeling, but it is the most visited and most crowded, but we have found other less crowded areas to snorkel.

Edited May 17, 2017 by brunello22