Which Dawn Beach resort is used for this excursion?

[TimATL]

I'm thinking of booking this excursion through Celebrity, but I'm wondering which Dawn Beach resort they use. Is it the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa? It mentions that the resort has a swim-up bar, and the Westin has a swim-up bar too. Do you suppose the complimentary beverages mentioned includes alcoholic beverages?

 

 

Best of St. Maarten - Exclusive Resort, Beach, Shopping and Sightseeing - SMD1

 

Air-conditioned transportation departs from the Cruise Ship Pier in Philipsburg on a sensational island sightseeing drive, stopping off at Harold Jack’s for panoramic views and a brief picture stop before arriving into quaint and colorful Marigot, Capital of the French half of St. Maarten. Spend approximately 30 - 45 minutes to explore the many shops, boutiques, markets and side walk café’s!

 

After Marigot, the sightseeing drive will continue, passing Grand Case, Orient Beach and Oyster Pond before arriving at the Exclusive Dawn Beach Resort. Guests will have approximately three hours to enjoy the beach, non-motorized beach watersports (incl. equipment for snorkeling at the wonderful Dawn Beach Reef located immediately off the beach) , beach lounge chairs, umbrellas, towels, a casual lunch from the delicious Deli selection and complimentary beverages from the bar (incl. swim-up bar) Enjoy, it’s included within the “Dawn Beach Resort” program!

 

Afterwards, your air-conditioned transportation will continue through magical valleys and cliffs with views of St. Barts & Saba, before arriving back to the Cruise Ship Pier (30 mins drive).

 

Persons wishing to explore Philipsburg’s Main Street and Shopping Bazar, may take advantage of an optional drop-off in Philipsburg, where you can then make your way back to the pier at leisure.

[gtaylor]

I don't see how it could be anything other than the Westin. No clue about the alcoholic beverages. How much does this tour cost?

 

(click)

 

gary

[TimATL]

The excursion is $114. I'll call Celebrity and try to find out for sure if it's the Westin and if alcohol is included.

[Janet987]

I called X shore excursions desk last week with same question, they didn't know but suggested I email Shore Excursions desk at RCCL. Here's the answer:

 

Dear Guest,

 

Kindly note that tour SMD1 - BEST OF ST. MAARTEN- EXCLUSIVE RESORT, BEACH, SHOPPING & SIGHTSEEING does take guests to Dawn Resort which is a Westin property. Please advise if we may be of further assistance.

 

 

Thank You and Enjoy Your Cruise

 

Jennifer Hernandez

Shore Excursions & Explorations! Department

***Fax: 305.982.2547****

***Email: Shorex@rccl.com****

 

ps: I emailed the Westin directly about a day pass, but answer was that they do not offer Day Passes in High season (Jan 18). So this sounded good to us, I've been to St Maarten many times but my friend hasn't so the tour & hotel made sense for us. We're booked.

[TimATL]

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. Did they happen to mention if the complimentary beverages included alcohol?

[Janet987]

Didn't ask, not of interest. Why I posted name & email of contact for any further questions. If you do take this excursion next month, would appreciate posting a review here on this board. Thanks, Janet

[L_T]

Tim - just for your information about the Westin.

 

We're staying on the French side of Oyster Pond again this year, right near Dawn Beach, during our winter vacation. My wife loves to visit the Westin for their (small) casino and we have enjoyed decent dinners there. The pool area is wonderful and they maintain the beach very well. It is a modern boxy building that many don't like, but is more luxurious than any place we normally stay.

 

We have always felt very welcome and the staff has been very good to us. It isn't a rustic beach-side kind of place, but we enjoy the great variety of places to visit in St. Martin/Sint Maarten - and we'll see a bunch of them during our 28 day Jan/Feb vacation!

 

Be sure to let us know how the trip goes. I know you will have a wonderful time!

[smoosh21]

Does the Westin offer day passes that are not part of this excursion? I have some friends doing an all day excursion that ends up here, but we are on a half day morning excursion. I would love to catch up to them at the resort.

[gtaylor]

Does the Westin offer day passes that are not part of this excursion? I have some friends doing an all day excursion that ends up here, but we are on a half day morning excursion. I would love to catch up to them at the resort.

 

There's a post a few above yours that states that they checked and The Westin does not offer Day Passes during high season. They might consider your date as high season.

 

gary

[TimATL]

I asked the cruise line about this excursion too and this is what they told me. They didn't specifically say that the Dawn Beach Resort is actually the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, but the post above confirmed that already. This does confirm, however, that alcoholic beverages are included.

 

Dear Guest,

 

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience in delay. Kindly note, our local tour operator has advised that the tour hotel is the Dawn Beach Resort. Also, alcoholic beverages are also included in complimentary beverage.

 

If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

Thank You and Enjoy Your Cruise,

 

Natasha Carulo

 

Shore Excursions & Explorations! Department

***Fax: 305.982.2547****

***Email: Shorex@rccl.com****

[hcat]

Thanks for posting about this tour-- we did not see it before & figured we'd spend the day on the Boardwalk & have lunch at taloula mangos..

 

still not sure if we will book it-- I love the idea of the resort but it is only for three hrs, I am not a drinker & it's a deli lunch--

 

the other down side is that we'd have to go all the way to marigot & stay there for 45 minutes--not our favorite spot-- way too crowded..,,

 

it is tempting however-- we always wanted to go to the Westin for the day!!

[Janet987]

hcat,

The Westin does offer day passes, but apparently "not in high season". The details for it and others in the Caribbean are listed in this recent Smarter Travel article:

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/resort-passes-an-affordable-alternative-to-expensive-shore-excursions.html?id=5972366&source=nltype_cruise&value=2010-10-12+00%3A00%3A00&u=3BC6D9B7D7

 

Although Caribbean high season could be considered roughly Xmas to Easter, January is usually slow for travel so I was surprised by hotel's negative reply. If we hadn't decided to book this excursion, I would have phoned the Westin before leaving for the cruise to ask the front desk again about day pass when room bookings are firmer. Also consider just going there for lunch (patio of Ocean looks gorgeous) and then using the public Dawn Beach, which is quite nice.

[L_T]

January is considered high season on St. Martin and can be fairly busy.

 

Perhaps you won't need a "day pass", especially if you don't need a room. Ask the Westin how much it would be to rent beach chairs - you may be able to just show up and rent chairs on their beach or at the pool.

[smoosh21]

Are there any other vendors 'renting' chairs at dawn beach? Or is everything overrun by the Westin?

[stones902]

I'm thinking of booking this excursion through Celebrity, but I'm wondering which Dawn Beach resort they use. Is it the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa? It mentions that the resort has a swim-up bar, and the Westin has a swim-up bar too. Do you suppose the complimentary beverages mentioned includes alcoholic beverages?

 

 

Best of St. Maarten - Exclusive Resort, Beach, Shopping and Sightseeing - SMD1

 

Air-conditioned transportation departs from the Cruise Ship Pier in Philipsburg on a sensational island sightseeing drive, stopping off at Harold Jack’s for panoramic views and a brief picture stop before arriving into quaint and colorful Marigot, Capital of the French half of St. Maarten. Spend approximately 30 - 45 minutes to explore the many shops, boutiques, markets and side walk café’s!

 

After Marigot, the sightseeing drive will continue, passing Grand Case, Orient Beach and Oyster Pond before arriving at the Exclusive Dawn Beach Resort. Guests will have approximately three hours to enjoy the beach, non-motorized beach watersports (incl. equipment for snorkeling at the wonderful Dawn Beach Reef located immediately off the beach) , beach lounge chairs, umbrellas, towels, a casual lunch from the delicious Deli selection and complimentary beverages from the bar (incl. swim-up bar) Enjoy, it’s included within the “Dawn Beach Resort” program!

 

Afterwards, your air-conditioned transportation will continue through magical valleys and cliffs with views of St. Barts & Saba, before arriving back to the Cruise Ship Pier (30 mins drive).

 

Persons wishing to explore Philipsburg’s Main Street and Shopping Bazar, may take advantage of an optional drop-off in Philipsburg, where you can then make your way back to the pier at leisure.

 

FYI you can take a cab out to Dawn Beach and camp out for the day just outside of Mr. Busby's Beach bar. Every day they offer .75 Caribe beers that can't be beat. I am sure it's much less expensive than camping out at the Westin (which is a very nice resort).

[TimATL]

FYI, this excursion was awesome! We left at 10am in a nice coach and made our may to Marigot, stopping to take pictures at a lookout point along the way. We had about an hour in Marigot to walk around and shop. Then we got back on the coach for the drive to the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa. When we arrived, there were cabanas and lounge chairs with towels on them waiting for us on the beach. The servers immediately gave us a menus to order lunch: sandwiches and salads. The also gave us a wristband that allowed us to order anthing we wanted from the pool bar, including alcohol. The beach and pool were gorgeous. We were there for several hours. Then we got back on the coach for the return trip to the pier. They will drop you off in Philipsburg if you want to shop there too, but then you have to make your own way back to the pier. I highly recommend this excursion!

[houlacruiser]

Thanks for posting that review Tim. We are taking this excursion, and it is a bit pricey so I was hoping that we wouldn't be dissapointed. You've put my mind at ease! :)

[rxdoll]

We were on the LIberty of the Seas 12/12-12/19 and took this tour. It is the Westin Dawn Beach. We were greeted by a staff member, given wrist bands, handed a menu to order our lunch, were told there was an open bar for us and a cabana on the beach.

The sea was rough, it rained a little, but the cabana was nice, complete with towels, and our lunch was brought to us. The resort was not full of guests and I enjoyed a near empty infinity pool. There is a restroom close, so changing is not a problem. The staff was very accomodating. There were only 5 of us on the tour. 114 a piece which included a stop at Marigot. Basically dropped us off at the open Market. Would have liked to have walked around the area more. Hope this helps.

[rjjjcj]

Thanks for the review! We are booked on this excursion for our FOS March cruise. Don't usually do excursions thru the cruiseline but have been to St. Maarten quite a bit and wanted something different. Did you notice if they have boogie boards available to use?? Our daughter became addicted in Puerto Vallarta!

Thanks in advance!

[maggieq]

FYI, this excursion was awesome! We left at 10am in a nice coach and made our may to Marigot, stopping to take pictures at a lookout point along the way. We had about an hour in Marigot to walk around and shop. Then we got back on the coach for the drive to the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa. When we arrived, there were cabanas and lounge chairs with towels on them waiting for us on the beach. The servers immediately gave us a menus to order lunch: sandwiches and salads. The also gave us a wristband that allowed us to order anthing we wanted from the pool bar, including alcohol. The beach and pool were gorgeous. We were there for several hours. Then we got back on the coach for the return trip to the pier. They will drop you off in Philipsburg if you want to shop there too, but then you have to make your own way back to the pier. I highly recommend this excursion!

 

 

This is great to hear. We will be there on 1/12; which is my 40th birthday so I thought this would be my birthday present to myself. It's more than I would usually spend but seems worth it. Can you elaborate on the drinks and food offered?

[auggiemom]

Any other new reviews of this excursion. We are traveling in December with my 66 year old Mom and her 68 year old friend and they are looking for something with some shopping and a beach tour. I would rather have them go with a ship tour then venture out on their own.

 

Thanks.