Caribbean Princess - St Maartin

[xavier]

Does the ship dock at the French or Dutch Side? My husband and I are walkers. Is it possible to walk from the ship to both the French & Dutch Sides?

[johnmik1]

Ship docks in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side and walking to the French side would be prohibitive.

[GloriaF]

The ship has always docked on the Dutch side when I've been to St Maarten. I dont think you can walk to the French side -we've taken excursions that took us to Orient Beach on the French side and the bus ride took 30 minutes to an hour and it is a rough and bumpy ride. I would not want to try it.

 

Although I guess on second thought at one time you could walk around the island if you so desired -- the story of how it was decided how much area would go to the Dutch and the French is that both countries had a man at the same starting place, one walking each direction and where they met up again was the boundary. True? I haven't a clue, but interesting. I would think that now you would run into a lot of private property that you would not be allowed to cross is trying to walk the shoreline of the island.

[jpancake]

I believe it docks on the Dutch side. Everywhere is within walking distance if you have enough time ;) However, I don't remember how far it is to the French side and whether or not it's possible.

[Pam in CA]

It's very easy to tell where the ship docks: St. Maarten is the Dutch side; St. Martin is the French side (note the different language spellings) and there's no way you want to walk from one side to the other unless you're one heck of a hiker. It's a beautiful drive from one to the other as you go over the mountain.

 

The airport is on the French side; the cruise port is on the Dutch side.

[gatour]

The Caribbean Princess docks on the Dutch side as there is no large ship docks or anchorages on the French side.

 

I can't see how it would be possible to walk from the Dutch side to the French Side and back again during the time the ship is in port. The only possible exception could be if you only want to walk to the border and back again.

[MaryPoppinz]

I walk several miles a day and I wouldn't walk from the dock to the French side of the island. I *would* walk (and have) from the dock to Philipsburg, though.

 

It's probably only 6 or 7 miles to Marigot, and 3 to 4 miles to the "border," so it's certainly doable distance-wise. But, the traffic is nuts, and you'd be taking your life into your hands walking along the road between the two cities.

[JWpianoboe]

This is my first post here. Hi everyone!

 

Anyway, when we were in St. Maarten we just hopped in a cab right off of the ship and he took us around the island for the entire day, stopping at various points of interest and waiting on us there. It wasn't very expensive, either, and he was pretty knowledgeable about everything we saw. It was a nice way to see both sides of the island. I hope you have fun!

-Justin

[Pam in CA]

Welcome, Justin!

 

We took the Duck Tour which went all around the island, both the Dutch and the French sides, and then entered the water on the French side and we went all around the harbor there. It was a great (and relatively inexpensive) tour if you want an overview. It's also great if you have kids traveling with you. They love being in the Duck.

[Aquarian]

Recently, a columnist in our local newspaper wrote a story about a recent trip to St. Maarten on a cruise ship. She is a long distance runner so she planned to run from the Dutch side to the French side while in port rather than do an excursion. She encountered a pack of wild dogs and had to be rescued by another tourist who had rented a car. I would not plan to walk all over St. Maarten/St. Martin if I were you nor would I walk anywhere by myself in a country that I wasn't fully acquainted with. A suggestion would be to look for walking tours offered through the Princess Excursion Desk. IMHO

[mpdahmer]

Pam in MA: Could you explain what this is as we will have a group of kids with us that want to do something different.

 

Thanks,

 

Mark D.

[Pam in CA]

Mark,

 

DUCK tours started in Boston with WWII amphibious craft and were very popular from the start. There are companies now that make amphibious craft just for these tours and outdoor adventure companies.

 

You climb up a ladder to get into the craft and the tour guides are trained to be knowledgeable but funny. They really play to the people onboard, particularly the kids. I've been on DUCK tours in Alaska, Hawaii and St. Maarten and loved them. Here's the link to the St. Maarten Duck Tour: http://www.caribbeanducktours.com/

 

You can book either onboard the ship or at the pier. They give you a tour all around the island and once on the French side, close the hatches and drive right into the harbor. They give you a tour from the perspective of the water.

 

The vehicles are bouncy and fun... the kids will love 'em. I couldn't find pricing on their website but I seem to remember that it was about $25/adult. Probably less for a child.