Mariner Eastern Caribbean

[agennis]

Hello All,

We are leaving on the Mariner the 26th of this month and did not book any shore excursions. Does anyone know if all three ports we will be visiting (St Thomas, St Maarten and Coco Cay) are all "doable" without an organized tour? Thanks so much!!

[Gator0178]

CocoCay--definitely co do w/o an organized tour.

 

St. Thomas--We did a scuba diving excursion. But before we went, we did shopping within walking distance from the ship.

 

 

St. Maarten--Do an independantly booked excursion through Bernards Tours. $35/pp for all day. Very highly recommend. I found it on CC.

 

Have fun!!:D

[beachbum6264]

Hello All,

We are leaving on the Mariner the 26th of this month and did not book any shore excursions. Does anyone know if all three ports we will be visiting (St Thomas, St Maarten and Coco Cay) are all "doable" without an organized tour? Thanks so much!!

 

Thanks to Hurricane Gustav we went to St. Thomas and St. Maartin. Not having planning time we just beached it both days. Took a cab to Megan's Bay in St. Thomas and also cabbed to Orient Beach in St. Maartin. Spent some time wandering around St. Thomas before returning to the ship. Did not have much time in St. Maartin, so we just shopped at the port shops. Loved both days, we will go back.

[sadie8]

We did not book any excursions in September. Mainly because we had been to the islands before and done tours.

 

If you don't want to book anything and enjoy beaches.........St. Martin - taxi to Orient Beach, St. Thomas - taxi to Megan's Bay. Both have everything you need for a day of relaxing - bars, chairs, restaurant, etc.

 

Have a great cruise, we loved the Mariner!!

[fridaythe13th]

Hello All,

We are leaving on the Mariner the 26th of this month and did not book any shore excursions. Does anyone know if all three ports we will be visiting (St Thomas, St Maarten and Coco Cay) are all "doable" without an organized tour? Thanks so much!!

 

We are on the same cruise. Come join our Roll Call, it's VERY active!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=536204&page=451

 

At STT and STM there will be plenty of taxis waiting to give you a ride to wherever you want to go or even an island tour. We are booked with http://www.bernardstours.com and http://www.godfreytoursvi.com. We have done them in the past and it's a nice tour, beach and shopping for a good price.

 

Mariner Booozers web site http://mysite.verizon.net/resvochb/homeofthemarinerbooozers/index.html

[agennis]

Thanks all.....sounds like a good time around the bend. Happy Cruising!:)

[cb at sea]

Coco Cay is a beach day--no need to purchase anything extra there. St. Thomas is a good place to shop, be it "window" or for real! Or, they have some lovely beaches, too! No need to buy an excursion. Same with St. Maarten...

We almost never do excursions--they're costly, and I have seen stingrays, dophins, waterfalls.....I'm not paying for the privelege!!!!

[Georgiagolfer]

If you love chocolates, be sure to go to the belgian chocolate shop in St. Maarten. It is downtown on a side street, can't recall the name of the street. I'm sure that it is marked on the shopping map you get onboard. Just take the water taxi to the town square from the dock and it is a short walk.

Megans Bay in St. Thomas is a beautiful spot from high above so be sure to take your camera. There is a large shopping complex at the dock in St. Thomas with any type store you may be interested in.

[cage keeper]

I find the ship excursions to be very over crowded. Just grab a cab when you get off and explore on your own. It's also less expensive.

[DonnaK]

St Maarten: we generally walk down to the end of the pier - it's less than a mile long and lined with little eateries and shops. There's a cute little beach there and the main shopping street runs behind that beach. We got two chairs, an umbrella and two drinks of our choice for $10. There is also a water taxi for $5 per person for an all-day pass if you do not want to walk. Sure, there are lovelier beaches on St. Maarten, but this is so easy convenient and inexpensive if your looking for some relaxation on a budget.

 

If you're looking for something more exciting, take a cab to Maho Beach, which is in front of the airport, and the airplanes fly in so very low overhead.

[katiel53]

St Maarten: we generally walk down to the end of the pier - it's less than a mile long and lined with little eateries and shops. There's a cute little beach there and the main shopping street runs behind that beach. We got two chairs, an umbrella and two drinks of our choice for $10. There is also a water taxi for $5 per person for an all-day pass if you do not want to walk. Sure, there are lovelier beaches on St. Maarten, but this is so easy convenient and inexpensive if your looking for some relaxation on a budget.

 

.

 

I am a bit confused by your posting of walking to the end of the pier. The pier where Mariner docks has no beach there. It does have a shopping area and the water taxi to take you into downtown Phillipsburg where there is a beach such as you described.

 

I understand, but haven't done it, that people do walk into town but it's not on a pier they are walking. It's sidewalks that go to downtown. It's so much easier, and cooler on a hot day, to take the water taxi over.

 

 

OP,

We are going on the same cruise you are and in St Thomas we are doing Godfrey's shopping and beach tour to Magen's Bay. We love going to Magen's and we need to go shopping, so this combination is perfect for us and less expensive than doing his other tours.

 

In St Maarten, we will shop a bit and then go to the casino which is near the water taxi drop-off and the beach.

 

You really don't need to have shore excursions in these ports. Enjoy and I hope to see you at the Meet n Mingle.

[DonnaK]

I am a bit confused by your posting of walking to the end of the pier. The pier where Mariner docks has no beach there. It does have a shopping area and the water taxi to take you into downtown Phillipsburg where there is a beach such as you described.

 

I understand, but haven't done it, that people do walk into town but it's not on a pier they are walking. It's sidewalks that go to downtown. It's so much easier, and cooler on a hot day, to take the water taxi over.

 

 

 

Yes, this is what I meant. The actual pier extends into the long sidewalk that leads to the beach and shopping area in Phillipsburg. (I apologize for referring to the entire stretch as the pier) It's less than a mile, and not too bad of a walk (we do it all the time), however the water taxi is available for those who do not wish to walk.