RCCL Excursion vs going on your own

[bbingham526]

This is our 3rd RCCL cruise but our first 7 day. We are going to St Thomas and St Marteen and we just want to hang out on the beach. I am trying to figure out if we should be a beach excursion thru RCCL or just go on our own.

[d4nny_]

I always go with the cruise line for piece of mind. The boat is guaranteed to wait for you if your bus was late getting back to the ship for example. Bit more expensive but it's worth it in my honest opinion.

 

My personal preference of course!

 

 

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Edited August 11, 2016 by d4nny_

[epcopres]

St Thomas has a great beach Meagens bay No waves plenty of shade. You can get a taxi right at the port. St Maarten has a few beaches Orient beach, Maho Beach (where planes land) Also taxis easy to get but traffic in St Maarten is kinda bad so make sure you give youself atleast an hour to get back to ship on time.

[dividedsky]

We had no problem at all getting a taxi in St. Thomas and doing our own thing. If you book a private excursion those folks know that you need to get back to the ship, they don't want the bad press (trip advisor) against their company for not doing so. That being said there is a side of caution of booking anything for a long excursion if not through the ship. But a simple tour or beach run shouldn't be a problem :D

[TBone2K]

You can also find some more information about your options by searching in the port of call area of CC.

[Merly]

At St Martin you can either walk into the town and the beach ( very nice beach) is right there. Or you can get the water taxi for a few dollars. On the beach there are vendors who try and sell their sun beds and umbrellas but you can just take your towel and walk right down to the end of the beach away from the crowds. Behind the beach are plenty of bars and then on the street behind them you will find the shops. It's lovely.

[Daycare Provider]

Do it on your own....We took a taxi to Coki Beach in St. Thomas for 1/3 of the price through RCCL....then for $40.00 when we were do at the beach the taxi drive gave us a tour of the island.

 

St. Maarten...very easy to do on your own..Great Bay is right there when you get off the ship, taxi over to Orient Beach or best yet...MAHO beach for the food, drink and excitement of watching the planes land. taxi stands are at all of the beaches..

[gagirl7143]

At St Martin you can either walk into the town and the beach ( very nice beach) is right there. Or you can get the water taxi for a few dollars. On the beach there are vendors who try and sell their sun beds and umbrellas but you can just take your towel and walk right down to the end of the beach away from the crowds. Behind the beach are plenty of bars and then on the street behind them you will find the shops. It's lovely.

 

 

We agree that beach in town is excellent. We opt for the chairs and umbrella from venders and most include 5 beverages with the purchase. Easy walk. From ship.

[matj2000]

Why do you need to book through the cruise line just to go to the beach?

Edited August 11, 2016 by matj2000

[bbingham526]

Thank you all for you response.

 

The cruise lines have beach excursions which we have done in the past but it doesn't seem to last very long.

[ColoradoGurl]

I always take a taxi to the beach. There is not a lot of room for error in taking a ride from point A to point B and you can leave yourself plenty of time to get the same (or a different) taxi to bring you back, in case for some reason something happens to delay you getting to the ship (like a flat tire or something).

 

A taxi will cost you about $14 round trip per person on many Caribbean islands, and you can choose your beach, and choose the amount of time you stay there. If you pay $50 or $60 to the cruise line, you're just getting ripped off, and going to a beach that is guaranteed to be overcrowded because of the number of people they are dropping off there, and you are stuck on their schedule.

 

 

 

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[cruiselvr04]

Do some research on the port of call boards. Easy to do beaches on your own.

Secret beach is an exception and hard to get to on your own. Then I would go with the excursion. ( Great secret by the way if you like quiet and secluded with few people.)

 

If you want active beach with lots of people, music, food and drink take a cab to where you want to go.

[karena1]

This is our 3rd RCCL cruise but our first 7 day. We are going to St Thomas and St Marteen and we just want to hang out on the beach. I am trying to figure out if we should be a beach excursion thru RCCL or just go on our own.

 

 

Go on your OWN!!!!! Those 2 islands are super easy. We have been to both multiple times and NEVER have done a ship excursion.

 

Which beach in STT and SMX do you want to go to?

 

In STT - if docking in Havensight, just get off the ship and grab and open air cab. They will take you to wherever you want to go and there are always cabs/open air buses to bring you back. Fares are regulated

 

SMX - get off the ship and follow the signs to the taxis. Again, all regulated. So just pick the beach and you are good.

 

We love Coki in STT and Orient in SMX. Both are so easy to get to. Orient has tons of bars/restaurants and the best people watching ever! Coki has good snorkeling. Magens is great, but they do charge an entrance fee and no chairs/umbrellas before 9 or later. So we quit going there.

 

Seriously in those 2 islands there is no reason to pay for a ship excursion to go to the beach. Grab a cab and go. They will be back to pick you up whenever you are ready! Very safe, easy and the only way to do the beaches there. We get off the ship the minute we can, grab a cab and go enjoy our day and head back to the ship about an 1.5 or 1 hour before we have to be back. Works great!!

Edited August 11, 2016 by karena1

[silentbob007]

Do it yourself, just don't cut it close on the way back.

[bbingham526]

Go on your OWN!!!!! Those 2 islands are super easy. We have been to both multiple times and NEVER have done a ship excursion.

 

Which beach in STT and SMX do you want to go to?

 

In STT - if docking in Havensight, just get off the ship and grab and open air cab. They will take you to wherever you want to go and there are always cabs/open air buses to bring you back. Fares are regulated

 

SMX - get off the ship and follow the signs to the taxis. Again, all regulated. So just pick the beach and you are good.

 

We love Coki in STT and Orient in SMX. Both are so easy to get to. Orient has tons of bars/restaurants and the best people watching ever! Coki has good snorkeling. Magens is great, but they do charge an entrance fee and no chairs/umbrellas before 9 or later. So we quit going there.

 

Seriously in those 2 islands there is no reason to pay for a ship excursion to go to the beach. Grab a cab and go. They will be back to pick you up whenever you are ready! Very safe, easy and the only way to do the beaches there. We get off the ship the minute we can, grab a cab and go enjoy our day and head back to the ship about an 1.5 or 1 hour before we have to be back. Works great!!

 

Thank you. Strange question, we normally go with a large group but this time it is just my wife and I. If we leave a bag by our chair on the beach, will our stuff be fine? Its never been an issue before but like I said, never just been the 2 of us.

[Pmorton3360]

I've been on plenty of beaches and watched the cruise excursions come after us and leave a long time before us. Always do those islands on our own. Even where we go to St. Johns. We always leave our snorkel bags and cooler by chairs. If someone is nearby, ask them to watch. Money and cruise card go in a waterproof case on waist.

[Jenjer]

Those ports we always do by ourselves. Super easy.

 

Just a piece of advice in St Thomas once you pick a beach we do the most popular Megan's bay but we go early and come back to the ship early. You can either hire a private car or take a jitney. The jitneys are open air and make multiple stops. They also won't go until they are full but they cost less. A private Van will generally take others with you but your all going to the same place.

 

St Marten has the best taxi system At the taxi stand you just line up where you want to go, its well signed and they load up vans with everyone going to the same place and off you go.

 

Do not cut it close to sailaway time at all. Give your self plenty of time to get back on ship.

[Jenjer]

Thank you. Strange question, we normally go with a large group but this time it is just my wife and I. If we leave a bag by our chair on the beach, will our stuff be fine? Its never been an issue before but like I said, never just been the 2 of us.

 

It should be safe but crime happens. My advice get a small waterproof case and keep your cards and cash with you in your pocket while you swim.

 

That way if the worst happens and you loose your sunblock and towels not a big deal.

 

On Orient bay the guys that rent the chairs, run the bars watch over your stuff. There are vendors walking up and down the beach but if to many tourists get robbed no one would come to so its in their best interest to keep your stuff safe.

 

Meagan's bay is all tourists we leave our stuff on a picnic table in the shade and enjoy the water. coming back and forth to reapply sunscreen.

[jules815]

At St Martin you can either walk into the town and the beach ( very nice beach) is right there. Or you can get the water taxi for a few dollars. On the beach there are vendors who try and sell their sun beds and umbrellas but you can just take your towel and walk right down to the end of the beach away from the crowds. Behind the beach are plenty of bars and then on the street behind them you will find the shops. It's lovely.

 

This is what we've started doing in St. Maarten. Works great.

 

In St. Thomas, there are plenty of cabs available to take you to the beaches.

[Doug S]

For beach days like that, fairly close, I'd have no qualms at all about just catching a taxi on our own. We never cut our return time close. For something clear across an island, like Dunns River Falls from Falmouth, or a scuba / Snorkel trip, I'd be more inclined to go through the ship, since there is more opportunity for things to go wrong...

[lynncarol]

In St. Thomas we took the local ferry to nearby Water Island. The ferry is cheap, runs frequently and for several hours we had the beach at Water Island practically to ourselves. (Ultimately, a cruise-tour pirate boat showed up). Just bring your own food and water, as at least several years ago, there were only bathroom facilities on the beach. (We did see someone manning a grill, but I think that food was intended for the pirate boat gang).

[Big_G]

The only time we do a ship excursion in St. Thomas is when going to St. John. The ferry leaves right from the cruise ship pier and returns you there.

[George C]

We love St Martin, very easy and cheap to grab a taxi and go to Orient beach, beautiful beach with loads of restaurants/bars that will rent chairs , we like getting back a little early so we can do some shopping

[BillOh]

This is our 3rd RCCL cruise but our first 7 day. We are going to St Thomas and St Marteen and we just want to hang out on the beach. I am trying to figure out if we should be a beach excursion thru RCCL or just go on our own.

 

I haven't read all your replies yet, but taxis are plentiful there, we usually get off the ship, get one to Orient, spend the day, head back around 3pm (make variances for the ship your own, day of the week, and your ship's departure time. We usually get back in town early enough to walk around and shop.

[BNBR]

Depends how long you want to stay on the beach and how organized you want it.

 

In St. Thomas, we did the island tour with the taxi and stopped at Magens Bay. It looked somewhat crowded and not terribly impressive to me.

 

If you want more time on the beach, just grab a taxi. When you get off the ship, just keep walking through the little market place to the road, there is a taxi station there, lots of taxi's, prices on a board, etc. VERY easy to take a taxi.

 

If you don't care too much for doing it on your own.... I think an official excursion is the way to go and it's not THAT expensive. For one, the excursion will include drinks and often lounge chairs, etc. - and that guarantee is nice peace of mind. Ship won't leave without you. After drinks, park admission, taxi, etc.... we aren't talking a huge different in price. Maybe $40 - or no difference at all if you drink and prefer chairs, snorkel equipment, etc. etc. However, you won't get a ton of time on the beach.

 

Secret Sands seems to be a well rated beach excursion and includes a skyline drive.

 

My wife and I get a kick out of all the people (including locals) who don't know how to pronounce "Magen" --- for what it's worth, it's much more similar to "may-yen" than the english name "Meagan" - the g is essentially silent - but even the locals don't know this. A lot of Danish history in St. Thomas and we enjoy exploring that aspect (my wife is Danish).

Edited August 12, 2016 by BNBR