Any recs for excusrsions in St. Thomas and St. Marteen?

[traderneal]

Hi:

 

We are going (my wife, myself and two daughters 5 and 8) are going on the Mariner on 8/20. While looking over the official exscursions, they all seem very nice. Anyone have any opinions as to which ones are great. We are more interested in water sports than sight seeing. Will my little one like the trip to the butterfly museum.

 

Any and all input is appreciated.

 

 

thx

 

Neal

[KelJ]

We loved the BOBs in St. Thomas!

[hac82]

We did the America's Cup Regatta in St Maarten and loved every second of it even though we lost. Seeing that you are sailing soon, they might be sold out but you can still check it out and maybe keep checking on board. I also do not know if there is an age restriction on this since it is mostly a working excursion (you are actually involved in the racing of the 12 meter yachts).

 

We were invited to join on a private excursion on the sailboat Rumbaba in St. Thomas (actually it sailed from Red Hook) for a sunset sail that was very nice. You just have to climb into a small dinghy from the pier so they can get you out to the sailboat mooring. You can look them up online and contact them.

[Nliedel]

St. Thomas: we LOVED Magan's Bay and will be back in the spring.

 

St. Martaan: I've always loved Orient Beach, but if nudity bothers you then skip it.

[ImPcJunky]

these are Bob's ..this is us. we did this.. it was greatest thing we ever did in St. Thomas.. our family of 4 got to all go down together.. No diving lessons need for them.. They are easy to drive.. Kids love them ... and the fish and turtles you see are amazing,.... Go check them out... A must do.. I know when I return to St Thomas .. that is where you will find me again..

[ImPcJunky]

 

bob's are under water scooter ..very little training needed.. They are fun .... and take your underwater camera as the divers with you will take great pic of you and your family for you... It was a blast... It is easyer to bob then to snorkle.. yes very true... and you see much more ..... I seen a 4 foot turtle while I was on the bob..

[Buggy]

My family and I are doing the St. Maarten 4x4 Safari (DH, DS-16, DD-13, DD-10). This will be our first time, so I'm hoping it's a lot of fun for everyone. Can anyone comment?

[Uplink]

St. Maarten...Loterie Farms Tree Top Excursion. It is an adventure course through the tree tops. There are multiple zip lines and other challenging obsticales. It was the highlight of our trip. I recommend you be physically fit!

[Vodad]

Do you havea website for the BOB Scooter?

[Vodad]

For young kids Coral world in St Thomas at Coki beach is nice. Great sea life in their natural habitat

[mjyanne]

My family and I are doing the St. Maarten 4x4 Safari (DH, DS-16, DD-13, DD-10). This will be our first time, so I'm hoping it's a lot of fun for everyone. Can anyone comment?

 

We did this a few years ago and thought it was a waste. While we saw the island there was little off road activity. The beach they took us to was flithy (dead rats, no chairs, litter, etc). We also only had about 90 minutes for lunch/shopping and it is almost impossible to eat in that amount of time. There were 16 of us on the bus and we all demanded that the driver take us back to the ship rather than give us 90 minutes at the beach. When we got back to the ship we demanded and received a 50% refund (as I said the tour of the island was OK but not the rest).

 

Maybe things have changed since then but I know I wouldn't do that excursion again.

[mjyanne]

Do you havea website for the BOB Scooter?

 

www.bobusvi.com/

 

Have done this twice. It is great. And I agree with the other poster that it is easier than snorkling (since I can't snorkle:( ) Highly recommend this excursion.

[intentionaltourist]

Check out Godfrey's on St. Thomas

These people are honest, reliable, and very helpful. for example they watch your packages from shopping while you are at the beach.

You do not pay until the trip is over with them, so you are completely satisfied, we were not dissapointed.

They must know where the water sports are located.

We went shopping, the rain forest, and then to a very clean beach.

They came highly recommended to us by other CC posters last year.

I do not remember the web site. Others may remember.

[Twaincruisers]

In St Maarten I heartily recommend the America's Cup Regatta. We had a slow race due to slack winds, but it was still a unique experience. I have also read great reviews of the BOB experience. If underwater is your thing, but BOB not quite it, try the Atlantis submarine in St Thomas.

[MisterBill99]

In St Maarten I heartily recommend the America's Cup Regatta. We had a slow race due to slack winds, but it was still a unique experience. I have also read great reviews of the BOB experience. If underwater is your thing, but BOB not quite it, try the Atlantis submarine in St Thomas.

I would love to do the America's Cup but I don't think the rest of my family is particularly interested. I think we might do the butterfly farm and Marigot, where I wanted to go anyway.

 

How much is the BOB? I can't find that info on their website (or I am just missing it)? Not sure my wife would be interested -- she refuses to snorkel, says she gets claustrophobic. But the rest of my family (15, 19) would probably love it.

 

Any recommendations for San Juan, other than the rum factory :-)?

[mjyanne]

I would love to do the America's Cup but I don't think the rest of my family is particularly interested. I think we might do the butterfly farm and Marigot, where I wanted to go anyway.

 

How much is the BOB? I can't find that info on their website (or I am just missing it)? Not sure my wife would be interested -- she refuses to snorkel, says she gets claustrophobic. But the rest of my family (15, 19) would probably love it.

 

Any recommendations for San Juan, other than the rum factory :-)?

 

If I remember correctly the BOB is $99 for about a 3 1/2 excursions. It's about 15 minutes to get to the site and then groups of 6 do the BOB. You're on the BOB for about 25 minutes. Until it's your turn you can snorkle/swim. I still think it is well worth it.

 

In San Juan: The El Yunque Rain Forest and Old San Juan and the Fort at El Morro are excellent. I've heard the rum factory isn't worth the price of admission but have not first hand knowledge.

[CTShore]

A lot of the sugestions posted are undoable for the OP's children as they are 5 and 8.

[copnlpn2]

Check out this excursion! Very reasonable and extremely fun! Our Cruise Critic M&M group went last year and all agreed this was the best part of our seven-day cruise! And it would be highly entertaining and education for your youngsters. Need more info, just let me know...

 

http://www.lordsheffield.com/

 

Cindy

[FR926]

Is there a claustophobic feeling while you are in the helmet? My DW gets claustophobic easily.

[elhenry]

We really enjoyed the butterfly farm and Marigot excursion in St. Maarten, although that was over seven years ago. The butterfly farm is small, filled with the critters, and they have explanations of the life cycle that is fascinating for kids and that I still remember. Marigot is cute, with an area that you can bargain with vendors if that is your thing. I would definitely do that with young children, rather than the America's Cup. In fact, we planned to go again to the butterfly farm last year, but it was pouring rain ...oh well, rain on a cruise is better than a sunny day at work.

 

el henry

[2-4-cruisin]

I myself get somewhat claustrophobic in certain situations. I was not able to snorkel until I took a "Discover Snorkeling" course at a local dive shop, as well as swimming lessons. I am happy to say that on our latest cruise this past May, I found that I was much more comfortable in the water and did some snorkeling. I also did the BOB excursion, much to my own amazement! The helmet has more room in it than you think it does.

 

You will be able to reach inside of it - your face is not too close to the front of the helmet.

 

The swimming and snorkeling lessons I took ahead of time helped immensely. I would do the BOB excursion again! It was great fun! The excursion was $99 per person. If your wife is not comfortable giving it a try, they won't make her follow through. The guides on the excursion are all experienced divers and do their best to make you feel at ease. I highly recommend it!

[MisterBill99]

If I remember correctly the BOB is $99 for about a 3 1/2 excursions. It's about 15 minutes to get to the site and then groups of 6 do the BOB. You're on the BOB for about 25 minutes. Until it's your turn you can snorkle/swim. I still think it is well worth it.

 

In San Juan: The El Yunque Rain Forest and Old San Juan and the Fort at El Morro are excellent. I've heard the rum factory isn't worth the price of admission but have not first hand knowledge.

Well my wife said no to the BOB. Not worth arguing over when it will cost me $400 if we go.

 

Can anyone say if this excursion is the same as the ship's El Yunque tour? RCI's claims to be 4.5 hours, as I recall, while this one says 4 hours.

[MisterBill99]

We really enjoyed the butterfly farm and Marigot excursion in St. Maarten, although that was over seven years ago.

Well my kids are not young (15 and 19) but they will probably enjoy it. I will enjoy Marigot. Does anyone know of a 3rd party provider of this? I didn't find it at portpromotions.com or the other place my TA pointed me at.