Best Snorkeling/Jet Skiing in East Carib?

[Scioneyed370]

Hello all. My wife and I bought tix for the Eastern Caribbean cruise in late April '12 :D

 

We know we enjoy snorkeling and jet skis. Which of our ports have the best spots for these two activities?

 

Our ports of call (aboard the Oasis of the seas) are:

 

1. Nassau, Bahamas

2. Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

3. Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

 

Also we see these "SUB" excursions; how are those? What else is a "must see" besides shopping? Is Atlantis worth visiting? We went to the one in Dubai. It seems like it might be the same thing...

 

Thanks!

[blue_water]

The 2 best spots for snorkeling on your cruise are both on St Thomas -

Coki Beach and Sapphire Beach. You will find tons of info on these beaches in the Ports of Call forum under St Thomas.

Coki is a buiser vibe while Sapphire is less busy. We spent a week at Sapphire and loved it. We love Coki too but it's just too crowded when ships are in and Sapphire is a larger bay and remains pretty quiet on big ship days. Drinks and food at either. I would also look at ending your day at Paradise Point near the Havensight dock. If you're docked there you can walk from the tram (Skyride to PP) back to your ship. Look for information on Paradise Point in the St Thomas section of the Ports of Call too. You can buy the tram tickets through your excursions desk.

 

St Marten - our favorite excursion there is the Golden Eagle day sail (sailingsxm.com). The half-day sail include a stop on Tintamarre Island (beautiful) and a snorkel stop and lunch. This is one of the best crews we've sailed with. We returned to take their full-day Friday Farewell sail and spend a week on the island. I wouldn't follow the crowd to Orient Beach because it's not worth the time it takes (we spent our week there, decent but very crowded and commercial).

 

Nassau, if you have not done the tour of Atlantis on Paradise Island that's a must in my opinion, mainly the Dig and the grounds and not necessarily the water park and beach unless you want that. The ship excursion for Carnival is $59 and includes a harbor tour. You can go on your own for $45 (ticket and taxis) but if the resort is crowded they may not sell tickets to get in.

Then head to the Colonial Hilton beach bar (behind the noisier Senor Frogs) for a relaxing cocktain on the beach. Or taxi to Cable Beach for the day.

[hladygirl]

in st maarten avoid blue bubbles for jet skis. it was the worst ever!