Wildgrits

On 2/17/2024 at 11:34 AM, Blaise said:

 

Our excursion stopped by this beach (on a recent Tuesday). We were dropped at Uncle Sam and Sons across the street to the East end of the bay. Good bar and food there. We only had 20 minutes so I only had time to take a peek at the beach. Seemed pretty busy to me... 2 and 3 rows of chairs as far as I could see.  How was your experience of the crowds?  Given that this is one of the only beach options, I'd expect it to get pretty busy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blaise, I think you and I were on the same cruise.  Jewel from 2/3-2/10?  The umbrellas and chairs were at least 3 deep.  But with so many food and bev options, we never waited for anything.

We use Jo Junie Tours when we are in St Maarten.

https://www.jojunietours.com/fun-day-tour/

Cosol Tours!!!

Here is a copy of the Cosol Tour.

The tour is about 6- 7 hours.

 A non-refundable deposit of $20 pp is required to secure booking. Balance can be paid in advance or in cash.

 Confirmation reply required. You are guaranteed to be back in time.

 We will be stopping every 10 mins for your "wow" photo moments. Entrance fee to the volcano is included in the price.

 We will be visiting the banana plantation where you will learn about the banana growth. Then we drive through two fishing villages, Anse La Raye and Canaries. Also, if time permits, we will be visiting Marigot Bay where the movie Dr Doolittle was filmed.

Then, we will be stopping to sample the local fish cakes, johnny cakes, coconut cakes, and a variety of local fruits from the Island. We will have a mobile bar with complimentary rum punch, water, local beer and sodas.

 As we descend towards the town of Soufriere we will have an overlook of the twin pitons. 

We will be taking the water taxi to Sugar Beach, which is located between the piton for swimming and snorkeling. During the ride you will enjoy the unbelievable views of the coast. 

Please bring along your snorkeling gears. It is also available for rental for US$10 per set.

Then, to the only drive-in volcano in the world, you can either do the volcano tour or mud bath.

For the Volcano tour, you will be getting an informative guide to show you around and give you a brief history of the place.

Or you could dip in the mineral mud bath and feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

We recommend wearing dark bathing suits for the mud baths, as the sulphur in the water may stain suits.

There will also be a stop at Morne Fortune viewing point, you will have a brief view of the city and a view of the Governor General House. You can also shop for local souvenirs to take back home.

 Bring along your camera and towels. Because of the small changing room at the stops, it is advisable to wear your swimsuit under your garment to save time.

Just got back from our cruise.  LOVED Maracas Beach!!!! 

The vendors are very polite. 

There are about 5 Bake & Sharks to choose from.  We ate at Richard's and were not disappointed.

Two chairs and an umbrella was $20.  The Sandwiches from the Bake & Shark were $9 each.  Got a coconut from a vendor for $5.  Beers and sodas were around $2-$3 each.

A very long beach but I didn't find a good area for snorkeling.  We will definitely return but will leave our fins and masks at home.   our 

I never got any info.  I will leave a response once we return from this cruise.

As a rule I love Embassy Suite for a crowd.  They sleep six and have a very nice breakfast.

I buy a pack of 25 ducks to hide per cruise. 

I LOVE finding them as well.  Normally I don't re-hide but save as my spoils of the game.

I also wear Mickey Ears.  

It saddens me that someone would actively hunt ducks just to throw away.  That's pretty mean-spirited.

If you decide to just go to the airport, SJU has two clubs you can buy into.  They can be found at terminals A & C.  Food, drinks & WIFI offered at both for $40 a person.

Both also have flight monitors so you dont lose track of time.

Our cruise stops in Trinidad & Tobago.  

I was sad to see that every option I found for entertainment was for weekends only.  

Has anyone ventured over to this beach and eatery?  We are all about trying street food and options that the locals like.

Hi all!!

I was wondering if anyone knew what themed parties they still offer in the evening.

We are a 7 night of the southern Caribbean on the Jewel.

Hello!

I just watched a video review.  They mentioned that there was a STYX cover band in June 2022.  IS there anyway to learn if they will still be onboard, or what their replacement is?

Thank you all for this info.  It has really helped.

I see that RC has a thing called the Key.  I have a family of 4, I would like to be off the ship earlier.  Is there some sort of VIP to pay for or is the Key the only thing?

Missy Be

Thank you all for your knowledge.

With cruise lines calling things by different names, I wasn't sure.

Thanks a bunch.

I am traveling on the Escape in January.

Bartenders receive an 18% automatic gratuity from all beverage service charges. Those purchasing beverages packages will be charged the 18% gratuity and service charge when purchasing the package.

I have read different info about this topic. If you get the "Unlimited open bar (Premium Beverage Package) for two ($138.60 service charge per person not included)" will you be charged gratuity per drink when ordering them or does this Service Charge cover that?

Also, when it states a service charge daily of $15, is that the same as gratuities or will we be charged tips to our on board account once we are on the ship? 

 

Has anyone done a cruise that gave them a chance to spend time on St Martin after the sun goes down?  If so was is there to do?

Although there are some great reviews on this site, I would suggest searching "mitsugirly". She was just there a month ago and her family seem to be people who really go local. I found her to be very inspiring to try new things.

Havensight Port?

I could see a Budget right from the boat.

I repeat: PLEASE do not feed the fish dog biscuits! It is not a natural food source for them, it interferes with the ecosystem, and it brings up predator fish.

 

Thank you.

While you are correct that Milk Bone is not in their normal diet, what would you suggest people bring to feed the fish?

I have seen crackers, cereal, bananas........without an alternative, folks can only rely on what they already do.

The cab fare is $9-12 per person each way. The walk is 1/2 mile that includes a hill.

 

Sapphire BEACH does not need tlc - some of the buildings at the beach do.

 

Coki can get very crowded for a VI beach.

Yes, you are correct, I misspoke. It would have been roughly $20 round trip per person.

And yes, I already stated "It's a bit of a walk up hill but so worth the $70's we just saved."

I just wanted to add my experience to the board.

This was our third visit to St Thomas. In the past we have done Magen's Bay and Sapphire Beach.

Magen's Bay is a lovely place with calm water. IMHO Magen's Bay is the place to go if you have little ones.

Sapphire Beach is in desperate need of some TLC.

In the past I have shied away from Coki Beach because it looks like a shanty town and is a bit intimidating to me. But I heard that the snorkeling was really good and I got a Ninja mask for Christmas so I decided we would give it a go.

I find the price of taxis to be a bit expensive so we decided to give the Safari Bus a try. At $2 a person as oppose to $20 a person each way, it was worth he walk.

So we walked up to the K-mart and waited for one with some locals. It stopped and I asked the driver if she would be going near Coki Beach. She said she wasn't going to the beach but thru Coki Point and that we could walk from there. She was great. When we got to Coki point she let us know and we got out. It's a bit of a walk up hill but so worth the $70's we just saved.

Coki Beach. You know you have arrived when you see the cemetery. IT did not disappoint. The place was really nice. We set ourselves up with Miss Rochelle, no chairs for us as we will be in the water most of the time, and she kept the others away.

Snorkeling!!!!! Let me just say, this was the BEST snorkeling we have ever done. No we are not seasoned snorkeling folks, but if you want to snorkel and you will be in St Thomas, do not miss this beach. We brought some dog biscuits and loved watching all the Sargent fish and Needlefish going nutz over them.

Ninja Mask. If you are in the market for new snorkel gear, I cannot say enough about these. We didn't buy the expensive ones. I think my mask and flippers cost $65 on Amazon. They worked without issue the whole trip.

If you don't look like your passport photo, or you don't have a passport, they take your picture with an iPad, or some similar tablet.....

 

Sent from my Galaxy 4

Good to know. Yeah I don't even look like I am the sister of the person on my passport or DL.

Was on the Fascination last week. We received our cards at check in, but they were in an envelope. They scanned our passports, and since I look nothing like mine anymore, my picture was retaken when we boarded the ship. They did not retake my husbands. I think if they had mailboxes on the Fascination the cards could have easily been in the mailbox!

Ok, that's good to know too. My family has the odd idea that because I make the vacation plans, I know exactly what is happening every step of the way.:cool:

They place the Passport on a scanner and it takes the picture from there. Don't know if they scan DL or not as I have been traveling with a Passport exclusively the past 9 years.

OH I thought they were saying they pulled you pic from when you signed in online. What you said makes more sense.

dont they input the drivers license photo?

 

Honey lost 100 pounds since his passport photo. TSA always look at him wierd.

I probably sound quiet dumb but what kind of equipment do they have that they can just pull up pics from government ID's?

Personally I cannot wait till they go to the RFID medallions like WDW. So much more convenient when its on your wrist than keeping a card.

Anyways our cruise is on the Fascination so I cannot imagine they will be one of the first to roll out anything new.

Maybe I am missing something but what is the benefit to getting the card in your room vs at check in? And as far as using your passport pic on the sign and sale card people can change a lot in between the years you need to renew your passport.

I don't personally care either way, just feel like I am missing some benefit or something with this new system.

I agree.

I have lost 150lbs since my passport pic was taken. I look nothing like that person. Also, one in our group has no passport and is using the birth cert.

Oh well, cruise is in two days. I won't worry about this too much.