LittleMissMagic's ~INDEPENDENCE~ Christmas Cruise **Photo Review**

[BuzzBuzzen]

I really enjoy reading your reviews and love the photos. Thank you for sharing with us all , cheers !

[Susie51]

Thank you for you pics.

[LittleMissMagic]

Would love to see the compasses as well. The main thing I'm looking for is the page with what dining places are open at what times. We cruise Indy Eastern in July, and we are in San Juan from 4pm-11pm (doing Bioluminescent Bay, can't wait!). I want to see if anything is open to eat before we leave the ship for our excursion. I saw on some compasses from March 2014 that WJ was open somedays from 3:30-5:30 for snacks, so was wondering if it was the same. And, what "snacks" mean.

 

That sounds like a much better time to be in port for San Juan - I've heard the Bioluminescent Bay is really cool! "Snacks" in the Windjammer from 3:30-5:30 means that a small portion of the buffet is open. It was consistently salad, nachos, and sandwiches during our sailing (we ate at weird times and ended up eating "snacks" on more than one occasion).

 

I'll upload the Compasses at the end of the review!

[LittleMissMagic]

I think $6 is actually a great price for burger, fries and dessert. :-)

 

I definitely wouldn't mind paying $6... if I wasn't also paying cruise fare. The way I see it, the $6 is paying for a seat at the table, not the actual food.

 

It was $3.95 as recently as 2008. Plus if you were a C&A member you got a waiver coupon. I wish they would switch back to that instead of the BOGO milkshake.

 

Ah, so my dad isn't completely crazy! He got into a bit of an argument with the waiter, telling him that we had vouchers with our C&A coupons. I wouldn't even mind a BOGO service fee of $6 for C&A members.

[LittleMissMagic]

[Day 4] St. Maarten

 

We awoke in port next to the Ruby Princess, whom we had been sailing along with from Fort Lauderdale.

 

Ruby Princess by vshingl, on Flickr

 

St. Maarten was flooded with tourists today with six cruise ships in port. I'd be interested to do a study on population spikes in port cities when cruise ships dock.

 

At the newer dock, I could see the Norwegian Getaway and Holland America Line Zuiderdam (who was badly in need of a paint job).

 

Norwegian Getaway by vshingl, on Flickr

 

As well as an old friend, the Disney Fantasy!

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

My mother and Rachel had sailed on the Jewel of the Seas, so they had been on three of the ships in port.

 

Jewel of the Seas by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited January 13, 2015 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

There is a reason why the Disney ships remain in such pristine condition...

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Maho Beach

 

Normally when we visit St. Maarten, we head to Orient Beach on the French side of the island. This time we decided to switch it up and visit Maho Beach for the first time.

 

Maho Beach is located on the Dutch Side of St. Maarten, adjacent to the Princess Juliana International Airport (which I would have flown into if I didn't make the cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale). The beach is unique because large commercial airplanes fly low directly over the beach to land. Airplanes also take off behind the beach, creating jet blasts strong enough to knock you off your feet.

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Due to the large quantity of cruise ships in port, the beach was very crowded. We were lucky to get four beach chairs ($20 for two chairs and one umbrella - not a bad deal).

 

You could spot the planes coming in from quite a distance, and you can tell whether they are small planes or large commercial jets by their wing configuration (high wings, small plane).

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

There's also a schedule of arrivals and departures posted at Sunset Bar & Grill.

 

St. Maarten Airport by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Captain Morgan is posted there, too.

 

Captain Morgan by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Maho Beach is chaotic. Sure, if you're headed to a beach that airplanes fly over consistently, you probably aren't looking for a relaxing beach break. However, it's not the planes that create chaos, but the people. Crazy people running to get photos of the plane (yes, we partook), random buses of tourists who come just to see the beach rather than to be at the beach.... it's just restless.

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

But it's pretty cool...

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

The portion of the beach over which the airplanes lands doesn't have chairs or umbrellas. I'm guessing that's because the jet blasts from planes taking off would certainly blow them away.

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I don't know this woman, but she is a wonderful subject...

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Have you seen those advertisements for the "selfie stick"? People usually share the link on the wall of their most narcissistic Facebook friend, saying, "Haha, you need this!" Well it turns out that the selfie stick is no joke. I don't know how many selfie sticks I saw during this vacation - unbelievable! I would give one to my father as a gag gift, but I know that he would actually use it.

 

Also, nice touch with the matching swimsuits...

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Dad really struggled taking photos of us with the planes. He would cut off part of our faces or just miss the plane entirely. Every time, he'd bring me the camera. "Check them out." "Dad, you were supposed to get us in the photo, too." "What? You're not in there?" "No, that's just the top of my head. What were you doing???" "What!?! I give up! I'm not taking anymore photos!" And then five minutes later, he'd come back. "Give me your camera, a plane is coming! Quick!"

 

But the wonderful thing about digital cameras is that there is instant feedback and no film wasted. I'll spare you from viewing the bloopers (at least right now).

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Carib by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

When I showed these photos to Max, he commented that it was really interesting that in all of the photos, everyone is captivated by the landing plane.

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I didn't hang onto the fence as a plane took off, but I watched other people try. Some would get blown into the water. It's a powerful jet stream!

 

Ready for Takeoff by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

We were nearing the end of our beach day when Rachel said, "You know what would be a cool photo - if we did the airplane with an airplane!"

 

Rachel and I monkey around a lot. Typically, I am flying and she supports me. But since her foot was injured, it was my turn to base.

 

Dad didn't get the photo the first time around... well, he took photos of us, just no airplane.

 

Airplane Fail by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The retry turned out to be even more comical. Wanting to be certain that he got the plane, Dad cut me out of the photo almost entirely...

 

Airplane at Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Sometimes accidents produce the best results. So if one day "airplaning" with airplanes takes off (pun intended), know this was our great idea.

[Laney219]

Airplane by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This is my fav pic of yours from Maho!

 

What was your mode of transportation to and fro?

[ckrobyn]

Great photos!

We always go to Mullet Bay Beach which is right next door to Maho - close enough to see the planes, but far enough away to have a relaxing beach day.

 

Carib beer is my favorite - I was shocked to find it in Toronto, and now there are always a few bottles in my fridge ;) you know, to remind me of the Caribbean between cruises;)

[redwings1958]

We were nearing the end of our beach day when Rachel said, "You know what would be a cool photo - if we did the airplane with an airplane!"

 

Rachel and I monkey around a lot. Typically, I am flying and she supports me. But since her foot was injured, it was my turn to base.

 

Dad didn't get the photo the first time around... well, he took photos of us, just no airplane.

 

Airplane Fail by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The retry turned out to be even more comical. Wanting to be certain that he got the plane, Dad cut me out of the photo almost entirely...

 

Airplane at Maho Beach by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Sometimes accidents produce the best results. So if one day "airplaning" with airplanes takes off (pun intended), know this was our great idea.

 

Loving the photos; On our 2012 Indy cruise, we opted to rent a car and go to Marigot instead of the usual trip to Orient beach. The town was cool and then we ended up in Restaurant Row in Grand Case Beach; Great food,beach, and not crowded at all! Next trip to St. M will definitely do Maho beach

[samzgirl84]

DH & I will be sailing on the Independence in 4 days--same itinerary. So I am thrilled to be able to follow your review. Thank you!

Did you attend the Mystery Dinner Theater?

[mickev99]

That sounds like a much better time to be in port for San Juan - I've heard the Bioluminescent Bay is really cool! "Snacks" in the Windjammer from 3:30-5:30 means that a small portion of the buffet is open. It was consistently salad, nachos, and sandwiches during our sailing (we ate at weird times and ended up eating "snacks" on more than one occasion).

 

I'll upload the Compasses at the end of the review!

 

Thanks so much for that information! We will be there from 4-11 and need to get off the ship right when it docks, so sounds like we can do a late lunch and pick up a sandwich on our way out.

 

Also so happy to see that you went to Maho and posted such great pictures, that's where we'll be going in St Maartan and then on to Mullet Beach after we watch some planes (I have heard it is less crowded at Mullet, so we can hang there and relax for a while).

[mickev99]

Great photos!

We always go to Mullet Bay Beach which is right next door to Maho - close enough to see the planes, but far enough away to have a relaxing beach day.

 

Carib beer is my favorite - I was shocked to find it in Toronto, and now there are always a few bottles in my fridge ;) you know, to remind me of the Caribbean between cruises;)

 

Sorry for the hijack, but I was wondering how close Mullet really is to Maho. Can you walk there, do you know? We are going to Maho for the planes, but want to head to Mullet afterward to relax without the massive crowds.

[SunshineCruiser24]

Wait.. you can't stop. I need to know if you guys got the airplane/airplane picture with both of you in it!!

[Clarea]

Wait.. you can't stop. I need to know if you guys got the airplane/airplane picture with both of you in it!!

I think that was the last photo in post #113.

[ckrobyn]

Sorry for the hijack, but I was wondering how close Mullet really is to Maho. Can you walk there, do you know? We are going to Maho for the planes, but want to head to Mullet afterward to relax without the massive crowds.

 

Mullet is super close to Maho - basically the next beach over :) It is by far our favorite beach in the Caribbean - and we have been to many.....

[Clarea]

Mullet is super close to Maho - basically the next beach over :) It is by far our favorite beach in the Caribbean - and we have been to many.....

Robyn, can you walk from Maho to Mullet, or would that be a taxi ride?

[gnatz007]

Robyn, can you walk from Maho to Mullet, or would that be a taxi ride?

 

Our favorite too. Its about a 10-15 min, easy, walk. Past the golf course, some shops, a hotel, and you are there.

[Clarea]

Our favorite too. Its about a 10-15 min, easy, walk. Past the golf course, some shops, a hotel, and you are there.

If I'm standing on the beach at Maho, looking at the water, is Mullet to my right or left?