blueberry

In Fort Du France a cc will work most places. At beach cafes you will need euros. 100 euros will cover most anything for a beach day. Get them from AAA and return anything unused!

You take the Pointe du Bout ferry. There are 3 ferry piers- it is the middle one. There is a large sign with " Pointe du Bout" and a complete schedule. You should look up the days of the week in advance so you know which schedule applies. I didn't go to the beach in Pointe du Bout but many people did and I did not hear any complaints. There are several reviews here of the various beaches nearby.

You do need Euros. Get them in advance. Aaa has them as do most banks - although you may have to order them a few days in advance. Aaa charges no fee, some banks and all online exchange services do. You can use us dollars on the ferry, at a premium, $10 for 7 euros ( exchange rate at 1.20= 8.40) however in Pointe du Bout if you want a drink, or an ice cream cone you will need Euros. There is a public rest room near the fery stop that takes a 20 centienne coin so cash a euro on a small purchase to have that available.

Think about a Frenchmen walking into a small store or Cafe in the US and trying to pay in euros- wouldn't work. Same here.

Sorry, I am not sure of the name of the Pier. If you look on a map it is the one at the end of Rue des Gabares. I remember seeing the fort, but not sure if it was east or west.

There were no showers at the beach, or public restrooms. Nor did I see any taxi cabs in either Pointe du Bout or Grand Anis. In fact I don't recall any cabs waiting by the ship either, certainly not like other ports where they are lined up and waiting. However we were right in the middle of rush hour on a week day.......

Grand Anis D'Arlet was very quiet. A few families. A little busier on the northern end but still pretty empty. Weekends may be very different.

Forget Timothy Beach. We stopped there, it is a pit.

When we were going there all of the loungers etc were gone by 10:00am. Others just sat on towels with no issue. There is a long beach, Carambola is at one end, shipwreck the other with lots of open sand in between if you want a little extra space.

If you have little ones I would be most concerned with shade. Except for umbrellas there is none on the beach near Carmabola. Get/ bring a simple pop up sun space and you can go anywhere.

We were there last week. Three ships in port, we could not even get a reservation. Happened to be a happy coincidence for us.

We arrived at 9:30, no chaise loungers were left so we rented a loveseat which was like a bed. More expensive- at 20 but lovely. Much more comfortable than a chaise and perfect for napping. More importantly for us, it was right on the water and private. They have put up two large tents on the beach and lined up 3 rows of chaises underneath. No ability to move when the sun moves. No privacy at all.

By 10:00 all the loveseats were gone.

I just posted about our trip to Grand anis D'arlet. It is closer to Pointe Du Bout and has some good reataurants. The one we had heard about was Chez Claude et Fab. It was closed so we randomly chose someplace else and it was fabulous.

The ferry pier to Pointe du Bout is next to the ship's pier. The ship's pier itself is very long, once on land the ferry is no more than 2 minutes. In Pointe du Bout the avis is a quick, easy, 5 minute walk.

Great way to see the island.

Just back from Summit. Like many was stumped for info on Martinque. Here is what we did.

First, got Euros from AAA. $1.19 exchange rate. Got 200 euros, can return unused ones. No wasting time looking for an ATM.

Got off ship, walked to ferry terminal right next to the pier. ( VERY long pier here) waited in shade for the 8:45 ferry to Pointe du Bout. 3 ferry piers, one in the middle, clearly marked with a posted schedule. Boat in and left exactly as stated. 7 euros for rt trip paid on board.

20 mins accross harbor to Pointe du Bout. Walked off and took a left onto the main drag. 2 min walk up the street, Avis and Budget on the right, on a corner, very easy. Had reserved in advance the only mid size in the lot. Many, many smaller ones which in retrospect would have been fine and cheaper and easier to park! We paid 66 euros for a very fancy car. Smaller ones under 40 euro for day. Got a great map and off we went by 9:30.

Roads great, clearly marked. Drove to grand Anis. Arrived in about 20 minutes. Parking was on the side of the road. Go as far south as you can. Road runs along the beach for a while and then goes inland. Park as close to the inland part as you can. The best part of the beach is to the south of the long pier, keep going past the pier. There is shade from trees. Towards the end of the beach there are a few restaurants with chaise lounges. We inquired about renting the lounges and were asked if we wanted to eat. ( this all inour very bad h.s. French and much pantomining) we recognized the universal word " mange" to eat! We said yes, then were asked when. This was harder to understand and answer but we managed to get to 12:30. Smartest thing we ever did!

We set up our 4 chaises under the tree and 2 of us went to snorkel. The rocks on the southern side looked like they may be interesting - and they were! Beautiful, unspoiled coral right out to and around the point. The best our whole trip. Lots of fish- hundreds, visibility fabulous. Warm water, very calm, little current. We were so entranced that we were out for nearly 3 hours and decided to go back to shore because we were hungry! Kicked straight back to our friends with weary legs!

It was nearly 1:00 and our table was waiting. Toes in sand, umbrella, for shade, wine glasses. Place was full and many turned away- thank goodness for our reservations! We regonized " coq" as being a chicken dish and ordered it and wine and a bottle of water. Got a fabulous salad, bread, the chicken stew which was very tasty and fries, banana, and a vegtable none of us could identify. We left before dessert ( much to our waitress' concern- apparently it was included) in order to catch our ferry. The bill was under 50 euros per couple including tip.

Drove back up to Pointe Du Bout, filled up the car (5 Euros) and dropped it off. Did a little shopping, used the very clean public loo (20 cent coin) and got the 3:15 ferry back to Fort Du France.

Fabulous day.

YOU CAN RENT A CAR We just did it and it was great. We took the ferry to Pointe du Bout. There are several car rentals right there, just up the street from the ferry stop- a 2 minute walk at most. We rented from Avis- there was a Budget next door. Quick, easy. Cost was 66 euros for a mid size Audi. Could have gotten smaller and cheaper 30-40 euro).

The web site said they were closed 12:30-3:30 for lunch and we wanted the 3:15 ferry. Spoke to the agent and we just left the car in the lot, locked with keys in it. No problem.

The ferry is very quick and efficient, 7 euros round trip. Very prompt service, about 20 mins ride. Ferry terminal is right next to the ship - very short walk maybe 2 minutes from the pier.

The ferry schedule is available on line here and posted at the dock on both ends and unlike other ports, the schedule is accurate. Just make sure you get the sunday- dimanche- schedule.

The advantages are incredable. No long lines to rent like at an airport, cars right there. More importantly no having to fight traffic or drive a great distance to the beach. Also lots of choices on where to go. Fort du France is huge and congested. Actually quite shockingly so compared to most ports in the islands. More like Honolulu than St. Thomas. By taking the ferry you get away from all of that to a really beautiful, clean. Friendly island.

Great map from Avis. We went to Grand Anis D'arlet beach.. I'll review that seperately. About a 20 minute drive from Pointe du Bout.

In st george's go to the little beach to the left of St Catherine's fort. Not the big beach on the right-the little one that is down a set of stairs and very narrow.

The snorkeling there is very good, but if it is not too choppy go out through the bay and go left. You can go all around to the first opening at Tobacco Bay. We then usually get out and have a drink at the bar, rest a while and warm up, then do the reverse. There are lots of little bays and inlets and it is magical.

Just be careful because at one point you have to go accross the opening of a harbor so watch for boats coming in and out. However it is very short, and clearly visible so just be aware.

Last year our Celebrity ship didn't sale and we made a last minute change to A Holland ship. Arrived in Vancover on a Sunday instead of Friday so we had to rebook our flights. We were both due back to work Monday am on the east coast so our options were very limited.

We booked a National car at the pier. Did self disembarcation and the car rental was right there when we emerged from the customs area, in the same building. The car was parked in a garage right outside. I think the cost was about $100. The rental was a breeze at both ends.

Time was a major factor for us so I was glad we had a GOES pass allowing us to bypass the lines at the border- otherwise it would have taken us an hour more. Seattle airport was also a horror- even with our tsa pre approval and first class tickets it took us over an hour to make it to our gate.

I had looked into other options - there is a private express bus service, as well as a train. Least expensive option is a city to city bus- don't remember the name but similar to the Bolt or Mega buses we have here in the East. However you had to get to city center in Vancover and then from the center to the airport in Seattle. None of the options worked for us time wise.

Interesting thread. Just wanted to clear up a few misconceptions.

The ADA provides public access for service dogs. That can include Psychiatric service dogs. A service dog by definition does a task of some kind. Remind someone to take medicine, stop suicidal behavior etc.

The ADA does not address emotional support animals. The Fair housing act and the ACAA ( right to airplane transportation) both address and permit emotional support animals, but apply only to housing and airplanes.

Emotional support animals do not need to be trained because they do not perform a task, they are part of a patient's treatment plan usually in ptsd or anxiety or depression situations. In order to have an emotional support animal you need to be disabled, as certified by a mental health professional. A disability means that you can not perform a required function. For people who need an emotional support animal that can mean not being able to get out of bed, or having severe panic attacks that prevent you from leaving the house. The animal also needs to relieve a specific symptom of the illness. landlords and air carriers are allowed to require a signed certificate from an MD certifing a disability and that the dog provides a real part in mitigating the person's symptoms.

ESA are real and serve a very real function to those that need them. A legitimate mental health professional should never certify someone's need for an ESA Although there are, unfortunately people in every profession who do not follow the rules. Please do not judge someone because their disability may be very real, just not easy to see. I have a family member who has an ESA and who has been able to control her symptoms much better since getting the dog. As a result she has been able to work steadily, hold down a job and function relatively normally. She had been unable to do so before her dog was part of her life despite therapy and medication for more than 10years.

However, that being said there is absolutely no right, and frankly, in my view No real reason to have an ESA ( unlike a service animal) on a cruise. The person has no right under the ADA to take the animal on a bus, into stores or restaurants why should they on a ship? Finally even on a plane or in housing situations an ESA can be ejected if not well behaved.

I do not understand why any cruise line allows an ESA on board. To allow one that is not well behaved is beyond the pale.