Nice Beaches on the Eastern Caribbean Explorer Itinerary

[invisible777]

We're leaving on the June 16 Explorer through the Eastern Caribbean, stopping at:

 

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Labadee, Haiti (was there on Voyager, I know there's no service here...)

 

I was just curious which of the first three have the nicest beaches and should be designated the "beach port". I've been to Labadee and know that's definetly a beach stop.

 

Also, are any beaches within walking distance (besides Labadee)... and how much to get onto the beach if it's not free/public or however it works.

 

Thanks!!

[wrp96]

San Juan is not really a beach port at all.

 

St. Thomas has some great beaches, none are within walking distance of the port though. My favorite on St. Thomas itself is Sapphire Beach which requires a taxi ride (I think $10 per person each way) but no charge to actually get on the beach and there are services available there. Other nice ones I've heard are Coki Beach, and Magen's Bay (for which I've heard there is an entrance fee). If you have the time, you may want to take the Ferry over to St. John's and go to either Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay. Trunk Bay is absolutely gorgeous and has great snorkeling.

 

St. Maarten, no beaches in walking distance either, but there is a beach downtown that is only a water taxi away ($5 for unlimited rides from the cruise pier to downtown). The beach isn't the greatest, as the water is murky but it works if you just want to get your feet in the water. Lounges are available for rent all along the beach. There are much better beaches though than this.

[BopRN]

We have been to Magan's Bay on St. Thomas....small but nice. BUT Orient Beach on St. Maarten wins hands down in my book! Watersports....many beach bar/restaurants..... large wide beach....a great place to spend the day.

 

Divi Little Bay is my 2nd choice...it is in a resort but anyone can go there on their own.

I have pictures of all 3 but the files were to large to attach. I can send them to you if I have you PM me your e-mail address.

[cruisinfanatic]

We have been to Magan's Bay on St. Thomas....small but nice.

I think we went to different Megan's Bays. It's definately not small.

[Alexis]

Here is a great site for "seeing" all the beaches on the islands.

 

http://www.cruiseprofessionals.com/Destination360s.html

 

When it opens, click on 360 Degree Images of Ports. Click on the Caribbean, then the island you want and have fun. You can view them all in 360.

[Garycruz]

We've been to Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas, Trunk Bay in St. John's, and Orient Beach in St. Maarten.

 

They're all excellent beaches and each has its own advantages.

 

Meghan's Bay is a great beach which is conviently located and features scenic views and soft fine sand.

 

Trunk Bay is the most beautuful beach we have ever seen but is not as convenient to get to as Meghan's Bay.

 

But we like Orient Beach the most of all. Although not quite as aesthetically magnicificent as Trunk Bay, it is our favorite in which to spend a day. There is so much to do and so many places to eat and have a drink that there always seems to be a buzz in the air. It definitely has a more lively atmosphere than the other two.

 

These are all great beaches and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

[mcgore83]

"Bo Bo Jam" at Orient Beach in St. Martin. Quiet, great food, and great people watching! One of the best days of my life.

[cruisincorey]

We were in St. Thomas and St. Maarten in March, had wonderful beach experiences there. On St. Thomas, we went to Sapphire Beach, and it was fantastic. There were services there (a little shop, restrooms, bar, grill, waterhose by the pool to hose yourself off after walking in the sand, etc) and the water was crystal clear and the waves were just right, there's even plenty of trees to sit under when you need a break from the sun.

 

On St. Maarten, we went to Dawn Beach, where we had a fantastic morning. There's no trees, or at least very few, but there are beach chairs for rent ($10 each I think), and the water was warm and the waves were just right here also. Services were there also, a restaurant, restrooms, and a rigged shower in the parking area to rinse the sand off of yourself. We would definitely go back. Send me your email address and I can send you some pictures if you want them.

 

Have fun!! We did, and we're looking forward to going back on the Mariner again next year!

[cme]

Another vote for Bo Bo Jam beach (sp)? They had the best ribs at the little open air resturant. You even get a birds eye view of the naked people as the stroll on the beach:eek: I would spend the entire day there if I go again.

 

The beach in town is fun also. It is nice because you can shop and swim. Lots of people and activities. Great view of the ships. A good option if you don't want to go to far.

 

Carrie

[premiumrican]

Orient Beach in St. Martin!!!! no doubt about that!!!

[luv2travel29]

Just returned on Explorer Eastern Caribbean - we loved Divi Little Bay in st. marten - my DH and DS did waverunners there. then around noon we headed to Maho Beach - where the airplanes fly right overhead... amazing!!! this was a hilite of our trip.. we also had lunch at sunset beach bar and grill - which was great... had drinks and lunch for $60.00 - a steel band was there....

On st. thomas we went to coki and snorkled - the fish were plentiful and it was very nice but crowded.

We were able to rent umbrellas and lounge chairs at 2 (maho was no charge for the chairs:D )

[thekorrs]

invisible777, Join us on the Roll Call Meet & Mingle page for the Explorer 6-16-06 postings. We have a lively group that have been chatting and getting to know each other.

[Hoya]

We were in St. Thomas and St. Maarten in March, had wonderful beach experiences there. On St. Thomas, we went to Sapphire Beach, and it was fantastic. There were services there (a little shop, restrooms, bar, grill, waterhose by the pool to hose yourself off after walking in the sand, etc) and the water was crystal clear and the waves were just right, there's even plenty of trees to sit under when you need a break from the sun.

 

On St. Maarten, we went to Dawn Beach, where we had a fantastic morning. There's no trees, or at least very few, but there are beach chairs for rent ($10 each I think), and the water was warm and the waves were just right here also. Services were there also, a restaurant, restrooms, and a rigged shower in the parking area to rinse the sand off of yourself. We would definitely go back. Send me your email address and I can send you some pictures if you want them.

 

Have fun!! We did, and we're looking forward to going back on the Mariner again next year!

How did you get to Sapphire beach - and back? Price?

[Guest cruzr44]

How did you get to Sapphire beach - and back? Price?

 

Taxi to Sapphire is $13pp each way.

 

I did like Sapphire but my favorite was Megan's. I would rather have calm water than waves. If you like to snorkle then Coki is good. They are all very nice beaches with their own atmosphere.

[Inshape]

Taxis to anyplace on St Thomas if you are more than 2 people is costly. For a family of 4 going to a beach costs way too much. So we used that day to stay on the ship. Been to St Thomas and do not like it. Now St Maarten is a totally different thing. Nice nice nice. Rent a car right there on the pier, go to many of the places on each side. The roadside is nice. Orient beach is great...but with the kids this time we opted for the more sedate Bikini Beach...only a few topless bathers... kids did not even notice! Nice clean beach, restaurants there, bathrooms, changing rooms. Water sports...

[superjerryw]

Magens Bay is a great beach to go to on St Thomas. A taxi is now about $8 per person and admission to the beach is $3 per person. You can rent chairs, but for some reason you cannot rent umbrellas. There are picnic tables under the trees all over the beach so you need to get there early to grab a table if you want to have some shade. The great thing about Magens Bay is that there is really no current and no waves. As someone mentioned, there is a beach in downtown St Marten right where you get off the water taxi. You can use the beach for free. There are also numeorus establishments along the beach that will rent you a chair and an umbrella. We always go the the beach in front of the Holland House hotel. For $10 we get two cushioned chairs and an umbrella.

[morebeaches]

We have been to both Megan's Bay and Orient Beach, both are great. Megans bay deffinately was quieter when we went (12 years ago) very picturesque. Orient Beach also is very beautiful and much more lively, great restaurants and bars, abundant chairs with umbrellas, the occasional topless or nude person which didnt bother us though it might bother some.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I think it depends on what you like to do. We have been to both Orient Beach and Sapphire Beach on our recent cruise. We liked Orient Beach. As others have said it is lively with lots of services. The day we were there it had a huge surf. We are snorkelers and brought our gear, but couldn't use it there. Our friends, however are body surfers and it was perfect for them. It was a great beach for a large group (as we had) to spend a fun and relaxing day. However, if it were just DH & I alone we would probably skip Orient and find a snorkeling excursion.

 

In St. Thomas we went to Sapphire Beach and decided that it was the perfect spot for the two of us. Since it was our 4th port, most of our group decided to skip the beach and just shop. Our body surfer friends saw the calm waters and decided to join them. So it was just DH & I. Great, clear water & wonderful snorkeling. It was a quiet and not crowded beach with a beach grill for (expensive) hamburger fare. We only had a couple of hours there as we had been on a tour & our guide (Sunny Liston) dropped us off and picked us up there again. DH & I have already decided that next time we go to St. Thomas we will just grab a taxi & go there to spend the day.

 

Where ever you decide to go I know that you will have a great time! BTW - we loved the Explorer last year!:D

[texancruzer]

On St. Thomas we took a taxi to Red Hook ferry and went over to St. John. Then took another taxi to Trunk Bay...... it was absolutely gorgeous. Not hardly any people there and pretty good snorkling (we are hard to please as we are all divers and have been to some pretty amazing places). St. John is 2/3's National Park and therefore seems so pristine..... even when there are resorts or buildings they seem to blend into the background giving it a very undeveloped feel.... really nice. Of the ports we went to - this is the one I want to go back to and do a land vacation for a week. Cruz Bay has a sleepy village feel and the burgers at Woodys were superb. We did not like what we saw of St. Thomas at all.... lots of junk cars, refrigerators and stuff and just not kept up very nice.

 

On St. Maarten we rented a jeep and went all over the island..... fun fun fun day.... spent 2 hrs or so at Orient and it was windy that day so snorkeling was so-so only at one end. But nice beach.

 

San Juan is not really a beach stop..... but we spent 3 days/2 nights precruise there (we were on Serenade which left and ended there) and Old San Juan is not to be missed in my book..... we loved it !!!

[Langley Cruisers]

Another vote here for Magan's Bay, St. Thomas. It is absolutely postcard beautiful - hubby and I really enjoyed it.

 

Just back from Explorer, Apr.30. We had no idea what to do in St.Thomas, but a co-worker suggested Magan's Bay and so we took a chance on it. Walked off the cruise ship and asked someone about it; he directed us to a big open taxi (a Ford 250, converted into a safari taxi for about 16 people) and it was going to be $8.00 each, each way as mentioned above. Entrance fee is $3.00, payable by each at the gate before entering while you are still in the taxi.

 

The ride there is on a winding road, but the scenery is lush and tropical. The views are spectacular, and once you see Magan's Bay in the distance, you'll know you made the right choice. It is gorgeous. We both felt extremely "safe" there, something we didn't feel at other beaches in other ports. Honestly, there were very few locals selling their wares and no one bothered us. We left our beach bags and digi camera on the beach and swam for hours. It was perfect.

 

Drinks are a little expensive and the food is very expensive; you're a captive audience once there, and they get you on the food and beverages. But all in all, a great day at the beach.

 

We went to the beach first at around 9 am (hey, we were both up early!), and were swimming before 10 am. We stayed a few hours, caught the shuttle taxi back, and went shopping in town for another few hours.

 

Have a great cruise! We certainly did. :)

 

~Karen

[shrimp0]

I agree that the taxis are very costly on St Thomas. Here is what we did.... We booked the day with Sunny Liston. For 25 dollars per person we were picked up by the ship and brought to the down town shopping area ( you can pick between 1-3 hours of shopping time), Then, Sunny took us on a driving tour around St Thomas.. up to the look out place where you can see a beautiful view of the surrounding islands and beaches. Then, he dropped us off at Saphire beach for 2 hours. We got to the beach after lunch and there was plenty of room and lots of shade. Sunny then picked us back up from the beach and dropped us off at the ship. So, for a full day of adventures plus some beach time... this is a really good deal. ( since you will be paying around the same price for one round trip per person just to the beach).

[johnjen]

We're leaving on the June 16 Explorer through the Eastern Caribbean, stopping at:

 

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Labadee, Haiti (was there on Voyager, I know there's no service here...)

 

I was just curious which of the first three have the nicest beaches and should be designated the "beach port". I've been to Labadee and know that's definetly a beach stop.

 

Also, are any beaches within walking distance (besides Labadee)... and how much to get onto the beach if it's not free/public or however it works.

 

Thanks!!

 

Invisible, we're on the same cruise! You are cordially invited to the Meet & MIngle thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=185063&page=45

 

Sign up for the M&M party onboard!