8 ships in port the day we dock at St Martin

[we3k9]

Anyone every been in to a port with 8 ships docked the same day. Wont this be a problem? We're gonna be crawlin all over each other. Maybe I will just stay on the ship.

[Toto2Kansas]

Visited Cozumel once when there were 7 ships in port, it was nothing but a giant ZOO! We just went back to the ship...................you couldn't even walk. Sorry! :(

[salt_light18]

Wow! I've never had that happen but it seems like it would be crazy. Maybe you could book some little known shore excursion to get away from the crowds, otherwise I would just enjoy a quiet day on the ship. Does this happen frequently in St. Martin? I'll be there Dec. 26th

[bmc alabama]

If you want to get away from the crowds, get a taxi to Marigot and catch the 15-minute ferry to Anguilla. The ferries run every 30 minutes. Go to Anguilla and take a cab to Shoal Bay East. You will not be disappointed.

[Justmetalkin]

I heard that was coming up. St. Martin is a wonderful place, but 8 ships sounds like a lot. Let us know how it turns out......

[sailinglisa]

8 ships in St. Maarten? At the max, 4 ships will be able to dock, the rest will have to tender. Forget about getting onshore, even the taxis will be at a premium! Stay on the ship and treat it as a sea day.......and you probably won't be the only ones doing that. Ports and cruise lines really need to think about this kind of scheduling.

[JanetMarie]

Yes, you can expect crowds. Go to the other side of the island, to the French side and at least get away from some of the melee downtown.

[crsshiplover]

and I was surprised it wasn't worse. We were the first ship in and I was at the taxi stand about 8.15-8.30. We did a tour then shopped in Phillipsburg. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. St. Maarten, in my opinion, offers too much to stay on the ship all day.

[JohnsonPamEd]

we3k9:

Where did you get your information about the number of ship in port for that day? Sometimes the more people you have the more interesting thing get!!:) :)

[Northender]

You didn't say when you were going. Right now they have the front street torn up so make sure to wear sneakers. And be careful, lots of tripping hazards abound. There are some nice places to hang out right at the wharf area for a few hours. Depending on what you want to do, sightseeing tour, go swimming, lunch, etc. will make the difference in the crowds.

Getting a cab to return to the ship can be very frustrating. :eek:

[JohnsonPamEd]

Sorry, about that! We will be sailing on the Caribbean Princess 15-22 Jan 05. We've been to St. Maarten once before an we loved it!:) :) :) Sometimes the trick to getting a cab is traveling on times went no one else is traveling.:D

[Pam in CA]

I think eight ships in St. Maarten is way too many -- too crowded for me, particularly with the larger ships with 2,600+ passengers/ship. You're talking about 20,000 - 25,000 people there for the day.

 

As an FYI, "St. Martin" is the French side of the island. The port is in St. Maarten, the Dutch side. Ya had me confused there for a minute.

[majo7777]

Here is one site to get info on ships in ports. Sometimes doesn't work so patience required...

 

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/

[teach223]

We were in St. Maarten last week and there were seven ships and it was really crowded. I agree with others. You will be better off to head to Marigot in the morning and shop. However, most of the stores do not open on the French side until 9:30. We went to the beach from Marigot. We stayed there for several hours and went back to the ship. Around 2:30 we went to Phillipsburg via of the water taxi. It is $5.00 round trip. It puts you on shore right at the town square. It only takes about ten minutes to get there. Please don't stay on the ship. St. Maarten is a beautiful island and you will really miss out on a great time.

[cyberrat67]

Here is one site to get info on ships in ports. Sometimes doesn't work so patience required...

 

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/

 

 

hmm...according to this, the 12/03 Dawn itinerary is WAY different than Princess says it is...use with caution...

[we3k9]

:eek: :eek: http://12.101.60.81/cruiselist/sxm.cgithis is the link i used to find out about how many ships would be in port on Dec 15th . I will be on Caribbean Princess . Why would they let so many in one port on the same day? especially with the road construction going on.

[Tina0922]

Caribbean ports are very busy from Nov till April. This is PRIME TIME for all of the ships that are in the Med, Alaska, & exotic ports during other months. Most ports will have 3-4+ ships now. Go and know what to expect. Why take a cruise to see islands and then stay on board just because of too many ships? If there is nothing you like as for tours or you have been to a port several times before then I can see no getting off. Don't let this spoil your expierence of the islands. Enjoy the cruise!

 

Tina

[sailinglisa]

Do you really think you get a true "island" experience when you share the island with 20 to 25 thousand other cruisers? Wake up!!! Gone are the days when it was "just" two or three ships in port - and even those were crowded! Between St. Thomas and Cozumel and now St.Maarten......what kind of damage is being done to the coral reefs, etc, in search of the almight dollar and tourists? I am not a liberal environmentalist, but am someone concerned with the future of cruising and our oceans. There has to be limits!!!

[ECCruise]

Looks like January 12 will be the busiest day in St. Maarten with 10 ships in port.

 

1/12

Sun Princess

Caribbean Princess

Westerdam

Queen Mary 2

Carnival Victory

Century

Maasdam

Summit

Explorer Of The Seas

Carnival Glory

[WeBeGone]

Anyone every been in to a port with 8 ships docked the same day. Wont this be a problem? We're gonna be crawlin all over each other. Maybe I will just stay on the ship.

Don't stay on the ship. If possible, and sailing ships don't scare you, try to get in on the America's Cup Sailboat Race. It's one of the most fun things we've ever done in a port. Combine this with a taxi to the other side for shopping and you have your day. I don't care for all the people either but I'll not let thousands of other people deter me from having a great time. Just join in.

[LARGIN]

I was in St. Thomas once with 8 ships plus a US Navy Aircraft carrier and one escort ship. What a madhouse..

[sue d. miller]

I was in St. Thomas once with 8 ships plus a US Navy Aircraft carrier and one escort ship. What a madhouse..

 

Boy, would I love to have seen that!!! :eek: :D

[tlmlb]

Anyone every been in to a port with 8 ships docked the same day. Wont this be a problem? We're gonna be crawlin all over each other. Maybe I will just stay on the ship.

 

Another reason not to cruise the Caribbean.....

[geoherb]

There were eight ships in St. Thomas when we were there on the Golden Princess. We had been there twice before. We did Captain Nautica's snorkeling and had a great time. We did not even make it into town--just shopped at the dock.

 

I just checked the ports for our Christmas cruise. We'll have two of Windstar's ships with us in St. Thomas--along with the Carnival Glory and RCI's Voyager. In St. Maarten, there will be the Victory and Explorer of the Seas in addition to the Glory. In St. Kitts, we'll get to see the Queen Elizabeth II.

[zackiedawg]

I was lucky on the Summit a few weeks ago...we met the Serenade of the Seas in St Maarten, were alone in St. Lucia, met one Princess in Barbados (Can't remember which one!), were alone in St. Kitts, and met the Constellation and the Deutschland in St. Thomas...with the small German ship chugging off by 1pm.

 

Most I've been with in port would be 4 in San Juan, 5 in Cozumel, 5 in Grand Cayman (talk about a tight fit!...it felt like Times Square on New Year's Eve just before the ball drop), and 6 in St. Thomas - which included two Voyager-class ships, the Grand Princess, the Carnival Destiny, and two smaller vessels.

 

8 in St. Maarten sounds insane...because it felt crowded in Phillipsburg with only two! Especially with the main road all torn up and everyone trying to take turns walking the planks (glad I had crappy sneakers, so I could just trounce through the dirt).