is this excurstion time return too close??? Opinions please

[vmom]

We will be in St. Maarten in January. Our ship is there from 10:00-6:00 (island time).

 

There is an excursion through Island Marketing that I really like. Its a catamaran excursion and will drop us off near/at the ship port pier at 4:45. Our ship leaves at 6:00 so I am assuming that we will need to be back on ship around 5:15.

 

I have booked private excursions in the past with great results, but I have always left a buffer of time between the time the excursion ended and the time we had to be back on ship as a "just in case". I have usually booked the excursions so the excursion will allow us to get back to the port area 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the ship leaves if it is a privately booked excursion.

 

If I book with the cruise line, I don't worry about what time the excursion will get back.

 

I am trying to decide between the Golden Eagle catamaran excursion, booked through Princess

vs

the French Connection catamaran from Island Marketing.

 

The French Connection catamaran excursion will have fewer people and is slightly longer in length. The fewer people and the itinerary for the excursion really appeals to me. The Golden Eagle has great reviews, but I have heard can be a bit crowded since its a popular excursion.

 

Any recommendations, thoughts, or advice???

[marys350]

We will be in St. Maarten in January. Our ship is there from 10:00-6:00 (island time).

 

There is an excursion through Island Marketing that I really like. Its a catamaran excursion and will drop us off near/at the ship port pier at 4:45. Our ship leaves at 6:00 so I am assuming that we will need to be back on ship around 5:15.

 

I have booked private excursions in the past with great results, but I have always left a buffer of time between the time the excursion ended and the time we had to be back on ship as a "just in case". I have usually booked the excursions so the excursion will allow us to get back to the port area 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the ship leaves if it is a privately booked excursion.

 

If I book with the cruise line, I don't worry about what time the excursion will get back.

 

I am trying to decide between the Golden Eagle catamaran excursion, booked through Princess

vs

the French Connection catamaran from Island Marketing.

 

The French Connection catamaran excursion will have fewer people and is slightly longer in length. The fewer people and the itinerary for the excursion really appeals to me. The Golden Eagle has great reviews, but I have heard can be a bit crowded since its a popular excursion.

 

Any recommendations, thoughts, or advice???

 

Hi,

I think that Island Marketing offers two different 4 hour catamaran excursions. Which one are you thinking of booking- the power catamaran or the regular catamaran? I'm not sure, but I think that the regular catamaran provides pick up and drop off at the cruise pier and the power catamaran leaves from a spot at a coffee shop near the pier and requires a transfer back to the cruise terminal at the end. I've heard that there is road construction going on in St. Maarten that could affect traffic. I did a French Connection catamaran excursion in the past and was happy with it. I posted about it in a different thread about catamaran excursions in St. Maarten.

 

I don't know when Princess requires passengers to be back on the ship, but I've sailed Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and passengers have to be back onboard 30 minutes before sailing time.

 

It may make a difference in how comfortable you feel about getting back to the ship in time, if you re-read the descriptions of the two different catamaran excursions. The one with direct drop off at the pier would probably cut down on the risk of getting stuck in traffic.

 

Maybe somebody else can share their experiences. Good luck with your decision.

 

Mary

[zqvol]

If it is back on time or even 30 minutes late you will be fine. It gets dark around 5:15 local time that time of year so unless there are problems you will be back with plenty of time to spare.

[vmom]

Its the French Connection excursion that picks you up and drops you off right by the cruise pier so the time it will take to get back to ship will be minimal.

 

Mary 350,

This sounds like it may be the same trip you took. Sounds like you enjoyed it. Did you get back right on schedule?

 

zqvol,

Thanks for making the point about the daylight hours. I didn't take that into account, but it makes sense.

[marys350]

Its the French Connection excursion that picks you up and drops you off right by the cruise pier so the time it will take to get back to ship will be minimal.

 

Mary 350,

This sounds like it may be the same trip you took. Sounds like you enjoyed it. Did you get back right on schedule?

 

zqvol,

Thanks for making the point about the daylight hours. I didn't take that into account, but it makes sense.

 

Hi,

You should have no problem being back onboard your cruiseship in time.

 

We went on the French Connection excursion in 2008, through Island Marketing. It was a different catamaran back then, which was docked in Marigot. Ours was booked as a private trip for 8 people, with pickup by van at the cruise terminal, morning on the catamaran, several hours shopping, etc. in Marigot, and then van transportation back to the cruise terminal. We were back to our ship in plenty of time.

 

Mary