What to do in port when everything's sold out?

[mbklein]

Long story short: I'm cruising with my dad, my sister, and my teenage daughters next week. We planned and booked the cruise pretty late in the game for various reasons I won't go into here. I talked them through all the shore excursion options from RCCL as well as a couple reputable third party operators recommended by my travel agent, and we decided on three. I went to book them, and two of them are sold out. There's really nothing left that matches the interests and activity levels of the group.

 

So, what's the best way to make our own fun for five people, ages 14-84, in St. Maarten and San Juan? What can I plan in advance vs. winging it when we get there? Is there any chance anyone on board will be able to help us plan things, or are we completely on our own?

[Canuker]

You're not a planner, are you?

If you're not, no amount of suggestions here will amount to much.
You have to do some work on this file.

[mbklein]

14 minutes ago, Canuker said:

You're not a planner, are you?

If you're not, no amount of suggestions here will amount to much.
You have to do some work on this file.

 

Sorry, but what? I'm a reasonable planner. I'm not Type A about it, but I get the job done. What file?

[SewMuch]

It's possible you might be able to book the excursions that are listed as "sold out" on the website when you get onboard. And if you check out the St Thomas and St Maarten boards you may get some ideas

[mbklein]

2 minutes ago, SewMuch said:

It's possible you might be able to book the excursions that are listed as "sold out" on the website when you get onboard. And if you check out the St Thomas and St Maarten boards you may get some ideas

 

Thanks! I just found the various port of call boards and I'm looking them over now. It's good to know that some currently unavailable stuff might open up for on-board booking. 

[mom says]

I agree with Sew Much. Have a look at the Ports of Call boards for each of your ports. Look at Trip Advisor too. Most places are easily done DIY versus group excursions .With so many different things to do or see on these islands, I highly doubt that everything is fully booked.

Edited December 23, 2019 by mom says

[Tapi]

You can do a lot at these ports without having to book an organized excursion. San Juan in particular has tons of attractions not too far from the cruise terminal. I travel there frequently  for work (and I’m also from there) and I use Uber frequently. Very inexpensive to go into Old San Juan and explore. 
 

I know that you’re limited with time but you still have time to do a bit of research on websites like trip advisor, pick out some places of interest , and create your own tour. 
 

You’ll have a great time even without an organized excursion! 😀

Edited December 23, 2019 by Tapi

[Host Kat]

Howdy mbklein!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and thank you for your first new thread posted on First Time Cruisers! 👍

 

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Now that you have found the Ports of Call forums, please browse through the thread titles in both the St. Maarten and San Juan, PR forums looking for threads related to your inquiry. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members may have already posted questions and received answers regarding your inquiry.

 

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[mbklein]

Thanks, Host Kat. I'll follow up in the Roll Call thread. Sorry if I broke protocol. 🙂

[Host Kat]

 

Don't worry, we were all newbies at one time too!  

 

 

[donaldsc]

Many of the Caribbean ports have people at the docks trying to sell tours although I am not sure about St. Maartin.  In fact, they will swarm you trying to sell you tours.  

 

DON

[mbklein]

11 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Many of the Caribbean ports have people at the docks trying to sell tours although I am not sure about St. Maartin.  In fact, they will swarm you trying to sell you tours.  

 

DON

 

Yeah, I figured. But I also kinda hate being accosted and trying to evaluate the trustworthiness of an un-vouched-for tour operator on the spot. 🙂

[crazyank]

6 hours ago, Canuker said:

You're not a planner, are you?

If you're not, no amount of suggestions here will amount to much.
You have to do some work on this file.

Why make a completely unhelpful and nasty comment like this?  What a jerk!

[shipgeeks]

At St. Maarten you can walk, or water taxi, to the beach and town.  No excursion required.  

[John Bull]

7 hours ago, Tapi said:

You can do a lot at these ports without having to book an organized excursion. San Juan in particular has tons of attractions not too far from the cruise terminal.
 

You’ll have a great time even without an organized excursion! 😀

 

Ditto St Maarten.

You've given yourselves the opportunity to have a great and inexpensive day freewheeling at your own pace, with the minimum of research. 

 

There'll be vans shuttling cruisers to 

- Orient Beach. Probably the best beach on the island

- Maho beach. Google it for YouTube videos - amazing, but I believe there are now restrictions on standing under the flight-path or hanging onto the fence

- Marigot. The capital on the French side of the island, quite up-market. (no passports needed, there's border between Dutch & French sides. Local currency on the French side is the euro, but USD widely accepted just like most Caribbean islands.)

 

Or walk (15-20 mins?) or water taxi to Philipsburg town. Still lots of locally-owned shops along & off Front Street, and beach behind Front Street.

 

Much the same in other Caribbean ports.

In half a dozen or more Caribbean cruises I guess we've pre-booked no more than 3 or 4 excursions.  

 

JB 

[RocketMan275]

When in San Juan, do this:  while the cruise lines sell excursions to the El Moro castle, you can easily do it on  your own.  There is a modest admission fee, maybe $3.  Just walk off the ship.  Ignore the taxis offering to take you to El Moro for $50.  The further from the ship, the cheaper the taxis become.  Still, just ignore them.  When you get to the street corner, watch for a hop-on, hop-off.  It will take you to El Moro (nice tour of parts of San Juan too) and it's free.  You can take it back. 

[Hlitner]

There is a little reason to book an overpriced excursion on either St Maarten or San Juan.  It is quite easy to do your own thing on both of those islands.  In fact, if you are wedded to the idea of excursion itineraries you can look at what the excursions do and simply do the same thing on your own.  Want to go to Orient Beach while in St Maarten.  Simply grab a taxi at the port (the taxi folks will often put you in a large van/taxi where you share the cost with others).  Once at the beach you can rent chairs, eat food, drink, etc.  You will see the folks from the excursion nearby and can smile knowing that they are paying more then you for the same thing.  If you want to explore the whole island you could simply rent a car at the port or hire a taxi driver for a few hours (negotiate a good price).   San Juan is an easy city to explore on your own and you can walk to El Morro for Free :).  If you want to explore places outside the city you will need to hire a taxi, rent a car, or book some kind of private tour at the port (there will be plenty of options).  In fact it is the same for all the islands of the Caribbean.  For about forty years we have been visiting those islands and have yet to take any kind of tour.

 

Hank

[Nebr.cruiser]

As Hank says, with a little research you can DIY in most Caribbean Islands.  We have also had good luck with booking a tour from the people selling them just off the ship or dock.

[bonsai3s]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  Agree with all the above...Tapi, JB, Don, Hank...these are all experienced cruisers we've learned from...on occasion would disagree but mostly learn from them.

 

We often do DIY.  We just came back from both St. Maarten and San Juan.

 

In St. Maarten, the cruise terminal looks new and relatively bigger than other cruise terminals...lots of shopping and restaurants before you even get to the main gate.  As previously stated, you can easily visit the nearby town of Philipsburg...with a beach/boardwalk and Front Street...more restaurants, shops, diamond stores, casinos, flea market, government buildings.  Note: At the beach, they will try to sell you lounger/umbrella/bucket of beer combo..prices will vary from $15 to $25.  These vendors have taken over the beach with all their loungers strategically placed all over the beach/sand......but if you want to just use your towel and lay down...it's ok, it's a public beach, it's FREE...but they won't tell you this.  If you get really thirsty, you can get a local beer for a dollar (at restaurants on Front Street...just a block from the beach.) 

 

3 ways to get to Philipsburg: Water taxi is $5 one way/person or $7 roundtrip/person, Land taxi $4 or $5/person, or take a leisurely walk.  We walk, so we don't have to spend time on the treadmill onboard...walk out the main gate, turn left along the green cyclone fence...there's a sidewalk...about 20 minutes you'll get to either the beach boardwalk or Front Street. 

 

If you decide you still want to do an excursion...there will be many vendors at the gate area selling you tours to beaches and around the island...you could join another group or do a private tour.

 

San Juan...ships that visit usually docks in Old San Juan. (RCCL/Celebrity embarks from the Pan American pier located across the bay from Old San Juan.)  Most of the sights in Old San Juan is within walking distance...and there's also the free trolley. (We've never used the free trolley and allow those who really need it, use it.)  There's just so much to see in and around Old San Juan.

 

If you need to get around, we highly recommend using Uber.  We used Uber to get to Isla Verde and Condado beaches, to the Casa Bacardi rum factory, to and from the airport, and to our hotel.

 

No matter what you decide to do....Happy Sailing!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[SbbquilterUT]

I also suggest you read the Ports of Call boards for information from recent cruisers.  Last we were in St. Maarten there was still a great deal of work to be done away from the port area.  In SanJuan we can second the opinions of a self guided walking tour up to Fort Morro including the beautiful cemetery below the fort.  As it is a National Park if you collect stamps on your NP passport, you can here.  Then we wander along the colorful streets (lots of construction as storm damage continues to be taken care of).  Finally we always find a restaurant that seems filled with locals and eat well.   

[donaldsc]

On 12/22/2019 at 10:14 PM, donaldsc said:

Many of the Caribbean ports have people at the docks trying to sell tours although I am not sure about St. Maartin.  In fact, they will swarm you trying to sell you tours.  

 

DON

 

I should have added that at one Caribbean port, there was a guy who followed us for several blocks trying to sell us his tour.  We said that hell w it and went back to the ship.  That was what soured me on the Caribbean forever.

 

DON

[Essiesmom]

Perhaps you should not try to please everyone with a single excursion in each port.  Maybe your dad would like to do something different than your sisters...EM

[mbklein]

5 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Perhaps you should not try to please everyone with a single excursion in each port.  Maybe your dad would like to do something different than your sisters...EM

1 sister, 2 daughters. Anytime anyone asks my dad what he would like to do, the answer is that he wants to spend time with his grandkids. So …

Edited December 25, 2019 by mbklein

[cruznjan]

You can have a good time walking around the port area.

[sanger727]

What did you plan to do that is now sold out? Knowing what activities you did take an interest in could help guide people to give you suggestion on similar things you could still do.