Too Many Cruise Ships!

We are visiting St Maarten in early December on Arcadia. On the same day, another 5 cruise ships will also be in port, so the place will be heaving. With that number of passengers in port, is it even worth getting off the ship, let alone taking a tour?

Yes - it is worth it to most people. Do not let the number of possible cruisers on shore deter you.

Absolutely. We had 9 ships in port while we were there. This is a beautiful island and one of my favorites. I can't imagine staying on the ship. We did Joyce Prince as a private tour and loved it. But, there are cheaper options. Look through this thread as well as Trip Advisor. We didn't find it too crowded. Yes, when we returned from our tour Phillipsburg was hopping but we still found a bar on the boardwalk to enjoy some drinks and food with a view.

Very much worth it. Not all passengers will get off at the same time. Nor will everyone be in the same excursion nor place at the same time. Enjoy St. Maarten!

What other ships do you think are there? I only see 3 on Dec 4th:

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/St_Martin__St_Maarten/511-Philipsburg/December_2017/

If you look down the second column, you'll see that ~6800 is not close to the maximum for Philipsburg so you ought to be fine.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Mike - according to 'crew centre' Britannia will also be in port, plus Viking Sea, although no port tines given for the latter, so only 4, possibly 5, and not as bad as I originally thought. Am considering booking Bernard's Tours - seems to get good write ups.

It's rather normal for St. Maaten to have lots of ships in port.

Enjoy your day there! :)

Not always the number of ships. 2 Oasis ships = 6 2000 passenger ships.

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What other ships do you think are there? I only see 3 on Dec 4th:

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/St_Martin__St_Maarten/511-Philipsburg/December_2017/

 

If you look down the second column, you'll see that ~6800 is not close to the maximum for Philipsburg so you ought to be fine.

Except that site is highly inaccurate. They don't show that the Britannia and the Viking Sea are also in port. That adds about 4500 to 5000. But I have seen more than that there. No site is perfect. I use this site when I am looking several months ahead:

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Interesting, I've never had an issue with cruisett, though admittedly I probably wouldn't notice an issue unless it were something I'd personally find notable like The World. I will save the link. :)

The problem of "too many" permeates everything. cars on I-95, ships in port, passengers on ships, people on the Lexington Avenue subway, tourists in the Sistine Chapel --- you name it. Life is crowded - and it's only going to get more so.

Absolutely. We had 9 ships in port while we were there. This is a beautiful island and one of my favorites. I can't imagine staying on the ship. We did Joyce Prince as a private tour and loved it. But, there are cheaper options. Look through this thread as well as Trip Advisor. We didn't find it too crowded. Yes, when we returned from our tour Phillipsburg was hopping but we still found a bar on the boardwalk to enjoy some drinks and food with a view.

We used Joyce as well and really enjoyed our day with her.

We are visiting St Maarten in early December on Arcadia. On the same day, another 5 cruise ships will also be in port, so the place will be heaving. With that number of passengers in port, is it even worth getting off the ship, let alone taking a tour?

Of course it's worth it, you paid for a vacation!!

Forgot a few but here's the majority:

Carnival Ecstasy 1994

Carnival Triumph 1997

RCL Voyager of the Seas December 1999

RCL Explorer of the Seas November 2001

RCL Navigator of the Seas April 2002 & November 2002

RCL Mariner of the Seas November 2003

RCL Explorer of the Seas April 2004

RCL Navigator of the Seas April 2005

RCL Freedom of the Seas April 2006

RCL Mariner of the Seas November 2006

Princess Crown June 2006

NCL Pride of America (formerly Pride of Hawaii) June 2007

Celebrity Solstice December 2008

RCL Oasis of the Seas May 2010

NCL Epic June 2010

RCL Jewel of the Seas April/May 2011

RCL Oasis of the Seas June 2012

Carnival Pride November 2012

RCL Jewel of the Seas May 2013

RCL Independence of the Seas June 2013

RCL Freedom of the Seas May 2014

RCL Explorer January 2015

NCL Getaway May 2016

RCL Adventure of the Seas December 2016

Thanks again - we have booked the 3 hour cycling tour (although I think it may be nearer to 4 hours in our case!). Hope the crowds will stand well back as I try and pick up speed.

Don't worry how many ships are in port.

Just have a nice time.

Keith

Except that site is highly inaccurate. They don't show that the Britannia and the Viking Sea are also in port. That adds about 4500 to 5000. But I have seen more than that there. No site is perfect. I use this site when I am looking several months ahead:

 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Wow; according to this site my Oasis is the only ship in each of our three ports on our sailing.

For St Maarten this is the site I look at:

http://201.220.14.28/sxm/MainMenu.aspx?ShipScheduleType=2