Best beaches/things to do with a 5 year old in St. Maarten, San Juan and Amber Cove?

[nicoleds]

Cruising on Magic in December 2023, I'm just wondering if anyone has suggestions for things to do.

 

I was thinking airplane beach would be cool to see in St. Maarten but it's probably really busy right? Are there any quiet beaches/hidden gems?

 

Is exploring San Juan on foot with a five year old realistic? Can you walk to some of the forts? Do they have a trolly type system or anything for getting around? Any decent beaches there?

 

We did an excursion last time we were at Amber Cove, so I'm not familiar with the port really. Is there a beach that's walkable?

 

We're just looking for anything family friendly that won't cost a lot.

 

Any tips would be helpful, thanks so much!

[Essiesmom]

Amber Cove has a pool bigger and better than Grand Turk.  There is a free HoHo bus in San Juan and it takes you by both forts.  Downtown is walkable.  Stop for a snack in the area across from the pier.  EM

[nicoleds]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

Amber Cove has a pool bigger and better than Grand Turk.  There is a free HoHo bus in San Juan and it takes you by both forts.  Downtown is walkable.  Stop for a snack in the area across from the pier.  EM

Is the pool right there, free and open to anyone? That'll be awesome, my kid will love that.

 

Thanks for the San Juan tip!

[carol louise]

The pool in Amber Cove is right near where the ship docks, yes, and free to the passengers. Be aware there is no beach right there, however. You'll have to make other arrangements if you want a beach.

[Essiesmom]

There are slides, too, and a zip line.  Not sure about age/height requirements.  EM

[caribsun]

Great Bay Beach St. Maarten is in walking distance from the pier. In Old San Juan take taxi to Escambron Beach about 15 minutes away. 

[Organized Chaos]

Much of San Juan is walkable, but you might be pushing the limits for your 5 year old. One fort is about 1/4 mile from the port, the other about a mile, and they're about a mile apart from one another. The free shuttle buses mentioned above go around the perimeter of the city and stop near each fort.

 

Amber Cove is Carnival's privately owned port area, so cruise ship passengers will be the only ones there. There's the typical port shops, a restaurant, and the really nice pool mentioned above. It's huge with quite a bit of seating, but I'm sure they fill up fast. It's located in an area kind of by itself with a main highway leading in/out, so walking isn't really an option. No beaches nearby. There will be a ton of cabs ready & waiting when the ship arrives.

We took a cab into Puerta Plata (about 15 min. drive) and took the Teleferico (cable car) to the top of Mt. Isabel de Torres. Is was beautiful up there. There's a smaller version of Brazil's "Christ the Redeemer" statue, some local vendors, and a really nice walking path that goes throughout the jungle. We had a guide that met up with us at the bottom, but it's not necessary. If you decide to do this, I recommend going as soon as you get off the ship, because when we were headed back down the mountain an hour or two later, big crowds of passengers had arrived.

[1025cruise]

You should ask on the ports of call boards.

[leafsnation]

In St Maartin you may want to take him Mahoo Beach and watch the planes really amazing.

Bob

[dbrucern]

20 hours ago, nicoleds said:

Cruising on Magic in December 2023, I'm just wondering if anyone has suggestions for things to do.

 

I was thinking airplane beach would be cool to see in St. Maarten but it's probably really busy right? Are there any quiet beaches/hidden gems?

Maho Beach will cost you a taxi ride and as many times as we have been there have not really seen children probably because the planes coming in can at times send sand flying. There is a beach right across from the port. While you can walk around to it there is also a direct short ride ferry right at the port for a minimal fee.

Is exploring San Juan on foot with a five year old realistic? Can you walk to some of the forts? Do they have a trolly type system or anything for getting around? Any decent beaches there?

San Juan is a beautiful city for exploring but the streets are cobble stone and narrow as well as the side walks and they can be quite heavy with foot traffic when ships are in port. And there is a lot of uphill and down hill which maybe too much for some 5yr olds. There is the trolley but we didn't find it real reliable and had to wait quite a while for it to arrive. Taxi's are right there when you get off the ship and it was not expensive for the ride over to the Fort, which has a beautiful lawn that a 5yr could run around on and then walk back which would allow you to explore and its all downhill

 

We did an excursion last time we were at Amber Cove, so I'm not familiar with the port really. Is there a beach that's walkable?

The pool at the port is great, The Zip line cost extra and the water slide is not much to right home about and bathrooms are very clean. If you ever decide to increase spending the Poolside Cabana's are wonderful

 

We're just looking for anything family friendly that won't cost a lot.

 

Any tips would be helpful, thanks so much!

 

[ninjacat123]

I think do whatever is easiest for you.  I recently asked my 21 year old DD if she remembered our trip to DisneyWorld when she was 5 and the cruise with another family (that had kids!) the same year.  "Nope, don't remember anything" was her answer.  Oh well, the memories were for me and DH and that's important!  Hope your cruise is great!

Edited September 22, 2023 by ninjacat123
wrong Disney ;)

[leafsnation]

Bethany did you get my email?

Bob

[ninjacat123]

11 minutes ago, leafsnation said:

Bethany did you get my email?

Bob

Just responded👍