First Time Cruisers - St Marteen Stop

[Sandy1975]

Hi, my husband and I will be having our first cruise experience. We are taking Oasis of the Sea and one of our stops will be Philipsburg/St. Maarten. We will have about 8 hours there. I want to take full advantage of our time there so in your opinion, what are the things we should see/do there? We are 36 with no kids. The other stops are St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and Nassau. I will probably post something similar on these forums but if you have any input of these ports as well, I will appreciate feedback. For example, if we want to do a snorkeling excursion, which port will be better? Thanks!

[Karysa]

Hi, my husband and I will be having our first cruise experience. We are taking Oasis of the Sea and one of our stops will be Philipsburg/St. Maarten. We will have about 8 hours there. I want to take full advantage of our time there so in your opinion, what are the things we should see/do there? We are 36 with no kids. The other stops are St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and Nassau. I will probably post something similar on these forums but if you have any input of these ports as well, I will appreciate feedback. For example, if we want to do a snorkeling excursion, which port will be better? Thanks!

 

The only place that I have had great luck with snorkeling on St. Martin is at Creole rock. A nice day for you might be to take a taxi to Petite Plage in Grand Case and spend some time at the beach and take the snorkeling trip out to Creole Rock that Creole Rock Water sports runs from the beach. The boat ride is about 5 minutes and Seb knows the area very well and provides a really good excursion for up to 5 people at a time. The whole excursion is about 1hr 45 minutes. After snorkeling and beach time you could have lunch at the restaurant on site which is called Sunset Cafe or walk in to town which is 5 minutes or so and have lunch at one of the local BBQ "restaurants" called the LOLOS or at one of the restaurants open for lunch on restaurant row.

 

Here is the website: http://www.snorkel-trips-sxm.com/

[Host Faith]

Hi, my husband and I will be having our first cruise experience. We are taking Oasis of the Sea and one of our stops will be Philipsburg/St. Maarten. We will have about 8 hours there. I want to take full advantage of our time there so in your opinion, what are the things we should see/do there? We are 36 with no kids. The other stops are St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie and Nassau. I will probably post something similar on these forums but if you have any input of these ports as well, I will appreciate feedback. For example, if we want to do a snorkeling excursion, which port will be better? Thanks!

 

Our first time in St. Martin, my husband and I hired a taxi driver to take us around the island. We stopped at several scenic points, the Marigot market, and Orient Beach. It was enjoyable because we got to customize the day to what we wanted to see, and we were able to have a great conversation with the driver regarding day to day life, and the history of the island. It cost us $80 including the tip, and was a great way to get an overview of the island.

 

I went to St. Martin with a group that had never cruised before (see my Serenade review from 2010 in my signature), so we did something similar the second time and I enjoyed it just as much. If it's your first time on the island, I recommend taking a tour and including some beach time.

 

For snorkeling, I would recommend St. Thomas, taking the ferry to St. John's and going to Trunk Bay. The most gorgeous beach I've ever seen, and there's an underwater snorkeling trail that you can swim to right from the beach. We went there when sailing the Serenade of the Seas last year. I have pics of that beach in my review from last year, and here is a really great thread that gives details on how to get there from the ship: Thinking about St. John and how to go. Well worth the trip. I think we'll go there every time we dock in St. Thomas.

[Sandy1975]

Thanks for the Tips!

Host Faith: I have done more research and I think that we will dod something similar to what you did in St Martin.

I think I was getting St Thomas and St Martin confused for snorkeling activities.

 

I still have tons of research to do before the trip. I was not to excited about doing the cruise at the beginnning but I am getting there. Reading reviews and looking at pics is really helping me as well.

 

I will read both of your reviews!

[ebcjjc]

The only place that I have had great luck with snorkeling on St. Martin is at Creole rock. A nice day for you might be to take a taxi to Petite Plage in Grand Case and spend some time at the beach and take the snorkeling trip out to Creole Rock that Creole Rock Water sports runs from the beach. The boat ride is about 5 minutes and Seb knows the area very well and provides a really good excursion for up to 5 people at a time. The whole excursion is about 1hr 45 minutes. After snorkeling and beach time you could have lunch at the restaurant on site which is called Sunset Cafe or walk in to town which is 5 minutes or so and have lunch at one of the local BBQ "restaurants" called the LOLOS or at one of the restaurants open for lunch on restaurant row.

 

Here is the website: www.snorkel-trips-sxm.com/

 

Thank you for your post. Can we spend the day at the Grand Case Resort and use their facilities?

[Karysa]

Thank you for your post. Can we spend the day at the Grand Case Resort and use their facilities?

 

No you can not go on the resort grounds or use their facilities and they do have security walking around.

[Hlitner]

There are quite a few options on this wonderful island. Regarding snorkeling, there is some reef accessible off of Dawn Beach, but it can often be too rough for good snorkeling. The best snorkeling is on Pinel Island, so if that is your priority you might want to book an excursion to Pinel. Otherwise, forget snorkeling and just enjoy the island with its many nice beaches as well as the decent shopping in Phillisburg (easily accessible by water taxi from the port).

 

Hank

[Sandy1975]

Thanks. We are forgetting about snorkeling in St Martin. Might do it in St Thomas.

After reading so many reviews I have so many options that I think I need another cruise after this one!!