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Bernards Tours, or not?????


Bob NC

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  • 2 weeks later...

You don't need your passport due to touring both sides of the Island.

 

I always take ours though.........I think it's personal choice. It is not required though.

 

Enjoy your tour with Bernard and the beautiful island of St Martin. One of our favorites!

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We are thinking about doing a tour with Bernard my DH is just worried about making it back to the ship in time since we heard traffic can get really back up. Anyone had any bad experinces??

 

Bernard is very aware of the traffic and not only will he get you back in plenty of time...........you will also have a bit of time left to shop around the port area!

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We were very pleased with Bernards in June. Due to EOS port times that day, we went to Maho but did not see any planes - did see it on youtube!

There were approx 20 of us - split into two vans. We did travel together - Bernard is very knowledgable - it was like getting a private tour.

Other than a sign on the road, there is no "official" notification that you have traveled from French to Dutch. We had no need to worry about getting back in time - Bernard wants to end his day just as much as you want to get to the ship in time. He lives on the French side and has to travel all the way back there in the traffic.

 

I have not read one negative thing about Bernard's - and you know cc'ers are not always a positive, non-whiny group. If there was something negative about Bernard someone would certainly say so - but they can't as it was great!!

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Has anyone done a private tour and asked for Bernard to take you to Grand Case for Lunch? I am not sure how far away that is from the standard stuff Bernard does. Thanks!

 

When you do a "private" tour with Bernard you can ask him to take you anywhere. Just email him with your request and I'm sure he will be happy to accomodate you.

 

When we toured with Bernard we had two ladies in our group who wanted to go to a casino rather than the beach with the rest of us so he was very happy to take them and of course pick them back up.

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If we do the $350 private tour with Bernard, it would just be the 4 of us in the van with a driver? And they can customize what you see/do?

 

If you book a private tour you do have say in where you go and how long you stay and there will be no one else in the van with you. You just need to book it as such.

We worked out an itinerary with Bernard for our private tour by e-mail. We changed it some.

We stayed longer at Maho Beach and stayed a shorter time at Orient Beach and did not do any beach time.

Some stop for nice lunches and he certainly can give you recommendations. We did not, just grabbed something to hold us over till we got back on the ship.

Don't hesitate to e-mail him with your questions. He is very accomodating.

bernard1332002@yahoo.com

Enjoy your cruise.

Laura

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If you book a private tour you do have say in where you go and how long you stay and there will be no one else in the van with you. You just need to book it as such.

We worked out an itinerary with Bernard for our private tour by e-mail. We changed it some.

We stayed longer at Maho Beach and stayed a shorter time at Orient Beach and did not do any beach time.

Some stop for nice lunches and he certainly can give you recommendations. We did not, just grabbed something to hold us over till we got back on the ship.

Don't hesitate to e-mail him with your questions. He is very accomodating.

bernard1332002@yahoo.com

Enjoy your cruise.

Laura

 

Thanks! I did send him an email. I like the idea of being able to move more at our own speed.

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How did ya'll end up working out the deposit with Bernard? I also do not want to email the cc # due to safety concerns.

 

I wonder if I could buy a check card just for this? Just put enough $ on it to cover the deposit? That way I'm not putting my own account at risk?

 

What have others done?

 

I did email Bernard yesterday, he responded quickly & was very nice. I've very excited. It seems like a great way to see St. Martin without stressing over traffic, getting lost, etc.

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You can request a private tour. The private tour is 45/person. It gives more flexibility. In our case 13 are going including one w/severe disabilities and a 2.5 year old. 3 want to go horseback riding. So we will not go to Orient Beach but will go to Le Gallion Beach where there are stables. Also much better for the 2.5 yr old. Pretty much once I told what we had going on the private tour was recommended.

 

Definitely didn't get 45/person when I asked about a private tour. However, it would have been for only 2 of us so I imagine it would be more expensive for us. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
You can request a private tour. The private tour is 45/person. It gives more flexibility. In our case 13 are going including one w/severe disabilities and a 2.5 year old. 3 want to go horseback riding. So we will not go to Orient Beach but will go to Le Gallion Beach where there are stables. Also much better for the 2.5 yr old. Pretty much once I told what we had going on the private tour was recommended.

Hey-just noticed your posting of st maarten. Stu and I are going on the Emerald in Nov with our DD and niece and will stop in st maarten. When are you going, or did you already go

 

Nice to meet up with you on the boards again

 

linda

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I spoke with Bernard last week and felt really bad. Of course due to weather some ships were cancelled but that's understandable......BUT CCL made it to port and Bernard had 19 people that did not show up!!

 

I know he goes through a lot of work to prepare for his tours. I just wish folks would realize this is his livelyhood. Or any of the other tour operators.

 

When you book through the cruise line itself you don't get a refund unless it's weather or medical. Very sad for the private tour operators:(

 

He is working very hard to get a secure credit card procedure in place.

 

It's so unfair when people do not show or even call or email him.

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You can request a private tour. The private tour is 45/person. It gives more flexibility. In our case 13 are going including one w/severe disabilities and a 2.5 year old. 3 want to go horseback riding. So we will not go to Orient Beach but will go to Le Gallion Beach where there are stables. Also much better for the 2.5 yr old. Pretty much once I told what we had going on the private tour was recommended.

 

Can I ask where you found information on horseback riding? That may be something our kids would love. I am planning on scheduling a tour with Bernard, and instead of beach/shopping this may be a good option for us. TIA!

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Our ship arrives at 900am and his website says for cruise passengers to book the 900am tour. Has anyone ever missed the tour because of this?

He is quick to respond to questions, why don't you ask him about your ship, time and date and he'll surely let you know

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We had a fantastic time with Bernard...he was excellent and we only had 8 in our van. We waited for a half hour for people who were even later than that...he had someone else wait for them as so it would not interfere with our tour. Here are some photos:

 

Philipsburg Harbor

8932_1151156111255_1598206996_388222_8082154_n.jpg

8932_1151156191257_1598206996_388223_4833557_n.jpg

 

Maho Beach with plane coming in for a landing

8932_1151155191232_1598206996_388200_2232238_n.jpg

 

Marigot (French Capital)

8932_1151155271234_1598206996_388202_2319435_n.jpg

 

Open Market in Marigot (French Capital)

8932_1151156271259_1598206996_388225_381108_n.jpg

8932_1151155391237_1598206996_388205_773188_n.jpg

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