anquilla from St. Maarten

[lieno]

Has anyone taken the ferry from Marigot to Anguilla.

we are in port from 8 - 6. The trip seems shorter than going from St.Thomas to St. John and I would love to see this island. Is it doable?

[Zeno]

Has anyone taken the ferry from Marigot to Anguilla.

we are in port from 8 - 6. The trip seems shorter than going from St.Thomas to St. John and I would love to see this island. Is it doable?

 

I am going out on a limb here - so take my opinion for what it is worth.

I think that provided you made it a point to go to Marigot (where the ferry to Anguilla leaves from) as soon as you got off the ship and made sure that you allowed plenty of time to get back to the ship on returning from Anguilla, it would be doable.

Keep a couple of things in mind:

You need a passport to land on Anguilla. I am pretty sure about this but someone correct me if I am wrong.

You do NOT want to get caught in rush hour on your way back from Marigot to the cruiseship dock. I suggest leaving Anguilla NO LATER than 3PM (or thereabouts) depending on ferry schedules.

You need to be very aware of return ferry schedules.

Time factors:

1. Taxi to to Marigot to catch the ferry.

2. Ferry ride to Anguilla

3. Taxi on Anguilla to beach

4. Taxi back to Anguilla ferry dock from beach

5. Return ferry ride

6. Taxi from Marigot back to cruiseship dock (avoiding rush hour at all costs).

 

I hope someone who has actually done this from a cruiseship will reply.

If you do it let us know how it went please.

[lieno]

Thanks for the response. I'm still a little confused about the timing from St. Maarten to Anguilla. Does it take much longer than the trip from St. Thomas to St. John. Can't figure why everyone is so cautious about going to Anguilla, but not about going to St. John. What's the reason. I certainly don't want to risk missing the boat. But givin a choice, I think I'd prefer to see Anguilla, since I probably won't get there again.

[Zeno]

Thanks for the response. I'm still a little confused about the timing from St. Maarten to Anguilla. Does it take much longer than the trip from St. Thomas to St. John. Can't figure why everyone is so cautious about going to Anguilla, but not about going to St. John. What's the reason. I certainly don't want to risk missing the boat. But givin a choice, I think I'd prefer to see Anguilla, since I probably won't get there again.

 

Probably there is some caution for a couple of reasons:

Anguilla is a separate country from St Martin (hence passport requirement) - unlike St Thomas and St John.

There is only one ferry route to Anguilla from SXM. There are 2 ferry routes from St Thomas to St. John.

I also suspect that there are much more frequent ferries between St. Thomas and St John than there are between SXM and Anguilla

Getting caught in Marigot in rush hour traffic with the drawbridge up could really delay your return to Philipsburg and the cruiseship dock.

 

In your case with a whole day to play with I don't think you will have any major problems - so if you really want to see Anguilla - I think you should go for it! Please just let us know how it all went.

[RoryS]

You can do it... just be sure to get there early. There is typically a line to get thru the customs leaving St Martin. You stand on one line to get signed up for the ferry, then go to another to show your passport and get a ticket, then to another waiting area to actually board the ship. It took us almost a half hour just to get to the waiting room to board. Here is some info on the times, etc. Also, once you get to Anguilla, you have to go thru their customs and immigration, which took all of 2 minutes. They didn't give us our cards when we came thru and we had some problems getting back on the ferry to return, so make sure you get all your forms when you arrive in Anguilla. We were able to get a private ferry back to St Martin (this was during TS Chris, this past August and no other ferries were running), and after a very harrowing ride, we arrived in Simpson Bay - across from the airport.

Ferries: Anguilla / St. Martin

Ferries are a popular way to travel between Anguilla and St. Martin. No reservations are necessary. Between 7:30AM and 7:00PM, ferries run at approximately 30 minute intervals between Blowing Point, Anguilla and Marigot Bay, St. Martin. Ferry crossings are $12 each way, plus $3 departure tax.The 6:15pm ferry from Anguilla and the 7:00pm ferry from St Martin-fare $15.00 plus departure tax. Last ferries of the day are 6:15 p.m from Anguilla and 7:00 p.m from Marigot Bay fare US $15.00 each way. Ferries are also available for charter.

[lieno]

Thank you so much for the info and explaination. Very helpful in making my decision. I'll report back when I return and let you know what we decided.;)

[Aquaholic101]

Wondering if you made it to Anguilla. We were there for a Jimmy Buffett concert in March. We plan on getting over there again while on the Carribean Princess cruise 7/15. I am worried about the times but sounds like it is doable