Celebrity Eclipse returned to St Maarten

[gerelmx]

Eclipse returned today to St Maarten

You can see the ship docked at PTZtv http://www.portstmaartenwebcam.com/

[Veinless]

Two landfills are on fire here presently, contributing to a poor air quality situation unfortunately.

[TobyKnits]

I will be watching for posts from the passengers about how it was today. I know a number of tours have been operating and I also read a news articles about the landfill fire this morning. Can't really see smoke on the live webcam shot.

 

We're scheduled to be there overnight on Reflection in 6 weeks....

[DragonOfTheSeas]

 

We're scheduled to be there overnight on Reflection in 6 weeks....

 

I will be on the Reflection in 3 weeks. I hope all is well. I will post and let you know.

[Veinless]

The Prime Minister has advised citizens to not go outdoors without respiratory protection. Free face masks are being handed out to the locals.

[Forecheck]

Cruise ships should just avoid this stop until the island has had a chance to properly repair the damage. I have read several reports of unhealthy conditions happening on the island . It's great to say that they need the cruise passenger traffic to recover but there are other ways to raise money for the island ... I know we will not be getting off our ship on our stop to st marten in April.

[Vagabond Knight]

Oh, geez. I guess this answers my question about what to do in St. Martin when we arrive for our April cruise.... don't get off the ship. This is the only port I had misgivings about in the current itinerary and was going to ask for opinions of the excursions offered by Celebrity at this port. My first cruise was 30 years ago and we had a stop in St. Martin and I considered it a wasted stop. The only highlights seemed to be planes flying low over one of the beaches and shopping, shopping, shopping (especially jewelry shopping) and since shopping is not one of my preferred activities when I cruise, this stop was definitely not a favorite. I'll keep watching for updated news, but with the cruise only 50-some days away, I'm not sure we'll see a huge change.

[chaub]

I am here today in St Maarten on the Regal Princess and wish I had read this earlier. No visible fires but I found myself coughing quite a bit walking through the downtown area. Ongoing construction, lots of damage still visible and I wish I stayed onboard. Shops are empty, deep discounts on everything. Only this ship and Allure of the Seas in port. Holland America was responsible to cancel their port visit today. By the end of March or April things should be better.

 

 

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[BillOh]

I am here today in St Maarten on the Regal Princess and wish I had read this earlier. No visible fires but I found myself coughing quite a bit walking through the downtown area. Ongoing construction, lots of damage still visible and I wish I stayed onboard. Shops are empty, deep discounts on everything. Only this ship and Allure of the Seas in port. Holland America was responsible to cancel their port visit today. By the end of March or April things should be better.

 

 

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I've bought camera stuff at Boulchand's, but I'll bet they just transferred their inventory to other stores.

[susietb]

Hope everybody stays on the ship. Better beach chairs and more pina coladas for me!

[gerelmx]

I'll be at St Maarten in four weeks myself aboard the Reflection. Love Orient Beach! Please report back your experiences there and the condition when you have a chance. Thanks!

 

At Orient Beach you will find only the beach, no bars, restaurants, etc. Celebrity switched our shorex to Kim Sha Beach. All past cruises always go to the OB

[michaelsop]

People making comments that haven’t even been there, lol. We were there this week, enjoyed our time driving around the island and going to sunset beach along with shopping and drinking on the boardwalk. These people need our money and we were glad to help any way we could.

 

Yes they are burning debris in the landfill, what exactly do you want them to do with it? It’s only noticeable if you get down wind from it and you drive through it in 30 seconds.

 

St. Maarten is beautiful if you get away from the shopping areas, live a little people, they could use the support.

[MasonK]

I was there on Feb 7 and the landfill fire was visible, but not too noticeable. Apparently it had been burning (smoldering, really) for three days. I had zero issues with air quality in port and that day it was blowin out to sea.

 

They need tourism dollars. I was happy to contribute.

[MasonK]

At Orient Beach you will find only the beach, no bars, restaurants, etc. Celebrity switched our shorex to Kim Sha Beach. All past cruises always go to the OB

 

Not quite- the Club Orient area had a bar, booze, and food. I ate grilled grouper, had a few Caribs, and enjoyed the whole day.

 

That being said, yes... Club Orient is pretty much completely destroyed to the foundations. There is a covered bar/restaurant area, two bathrooms, and plenty of chairs and umbrellas for visitors.