[b]4x4 Jeep Tour[b]

[phinn]

Thinking of doing this tour. Can anyone tell me if they put four people to jeep or do they allow two people if that is all that is in your party? Also, how much time do they allow you on the beach? Any insight would be appreciated.

[momtogo]

Thinking of doing this tour. Can anyone tell me if they put four people to jeep or do they allow two people if that is all that is in your party? Also, how much time do they allow you on the beach? Any insight would be appreciated.

 

 

Don't know the answer but we are doing this in a few weeks. Will report back as it is difficult to get feedback on this excursion.

[phinn]

I would appreciate that. Otherwise, my thoughts are to take the little two seater tour.

[MICHLEV1974]

Hi, thanks for the question. I did this tour w/my 9 yr old son in 2007/sept. It was fun and kid friendly. **ADDING SOME INFO BASED ON YOUR QUESTION: WE WERE A PARTY OF 2. I DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE, SO I ASKED THE GUIDE. HE DROVE FOR US. HOWEVER, THERE WAS ANOTHER COUPLE THERE AND THEY LET THEM DRIVE JUST THE 2 OF THEM. WE HAD 11 JEEPS IN ALL. THEY ARE FUN FUN FUN! IT DIDN'T SEEM TO POSE A PROBLEM TO HAVE THE JEEPS TO JUST 2 PEOPLE. PERHAPS THEY MIGHT BE STRICTER IF THEY HAD FEWER JEEPS LEFT OVER. THIS IS A GREAT TOUR. HAVE FUN!

 

You get a Wrangler Jeep, bright yellow, that seats 4. You meet right at the end of the pier in St. Maarten and leave your group behind while you go w/the guide to sign the waiver and they take a photo of your license. You caravan all the jeeps in line and head back to the pier @ 15min short drive.

 

They take you up to the top of the MT. so you can get out and take pix. Then you head to a beach area for @ 60 mins to soak up the sun. They have plenty of water avail for free, which is nice. They also have a first aid kit (I learned that real quick when I stepped on a 4 inch piece of glass that went right thru my sandals and into my arch of my foot, ouch!).

 

When you leave that beach area, you drive for a bit thru some construction sites (bumpy roads make great fun for the kids), and then you arrive at a downtown area for local wares/shops/flea market type to shop. There is an ATM somewhere down there--find it, cause you need cash for the next stop.

 

The next stop is Orient Beach (only experienced one set of topless swingers out there---my son never even saw it). You have to pay to rent the chairs and umbrellas and boogie boards. There is lunch avail at a discount and some locals selling typical island wares also. They take VISA for lunch, but not for the rentals--you need cash. We were there for 90 mins or so.

 

Next was the fun---everyone got into their jeeps and we headed out for some fun 4wheellin' (although, I don't necessarily call driving thru construction sites and mud true 4 wheelin' but everyone seemed to have fun). We looked like a caravan of bumble bees as we bounced over the sites...it was fun. Plenty of time to stop/get out/take photos.

 

On the way back to the ship, they stopped the entire caravan a few times for photo ops and such.

 

Worth the $$$. Great for the kids bcs you don't stay in one area too long.

 

Tip: Bring cash and your VISA. Bring a lot of sunscreen and a few extra towels. You stop twice at beaches and our towels were drenched and sandy. A hat and sunglasses are a must also!

 

Have fun!

don't hesitate to book this!

 

ps. if you don't want to drive, you can ask to have the guide drive. (I did)

[gracie65]

How much was this per adult & child? Did they also happen to stop at Maho Beach to see the planes come in?

 

Thanks

[MICHLEV1974]

We didn't stop at that beach to see the planes, however, I wouldn't be surprised if you could request your group head that way. Our guides seemed to be very open to our input.

 

Cost was $89 per person (no price difference for kids). Don't forget, you need cash for this one while you are out there. Lunch is not included.

 

Have fun!:)

[kimbo444]

Hi, thanks for the question. I did this tour w/my 9 yr old son in 2007/sept. It was fun and kid friendly. **ADDING SOME INFO BASED ON YOUR QUESTION: WE WERE A PARTY OF 2. I DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE, SO I ASKED THE GUIDE. HE DROVE FOR US. HOWEVER, THERE WAS ANOTHER COUPLE THERE AND THEY LET THEM DRIVE JUST THE 2 OF THEM. WE HAD 11 JEEPS IN ALL. THEY ARE FUN FUN FUN! IT DIDN'T SEEM TO POSE A PROBLEM TO HAVE THE JEEPS TO JUST 2 PEOPLE. PERHAPS THEY MIGHT BE STRICTER IF THEY HAD FEWER JEEPS LEFT OVER. THIS IS A GREAT TOUR. HAVE FUN!

 

You get a Wrangler Jeep, bright yellow, that seats 4. You meet right at the end of the pier in St. Maarten and leave your group behind while you go w/the guide to sign the waiver and they take a photo of your license. You caravan all the jeeps in line and head back to the pier @ 15min short drive.

 

They take you up to the top of the MT. so you can get out and take pix. Then you head to a beach area for @ 60 mins to soak up the sun. They have plenty of water avail for free, which is nice. They also have a first aid kit (I learned that real quick when I stepped on a 4 inch piece of glass that went right thru my sandals and into my arch of my foot, ouch!).

 

When you leave that beach area, you drive for a bit thru some construction sites (bumpy roads make great fun for the kids), and then you arrive at a downtown area for local wares/shops/flea market type to shop. There is an ATM somewhere down there--find it, cause you need cash for the next stop.

 

The next stop is Orient Beach (only experienced one set of topless swingers out there---my son never even saw it). You have to pay to rent the chairs and umbrellas and boogie boards. There is lunch avail at a discount and some locals selling typical island wares also. They take VISA for lunch, but not for the rentals--you need cash. We were there for 90 mins or so.

 

Next was the fun---everyone got into their jeeps and we headed out for some fun 4wheellin' (although, I don't necessarily call driving thru construction sites and mud true 4 wheelin' but everyone seemed to have fun). We looked like a caravan of bumble bees as we bounced over the sites...it was fun. Plenty of time to stop/get out/take photos.

 

On the way back to the ship, they stopped the entire caravan a few times for photo ops and such.

 

Worth the $$$. Great for the kids bcs you don't stay in one area too long.

 

Tip: Bring cash and your VISA. Bring a lot of sunscreen and a few extra towels. You stop twice at beaches and our towels were drenched and sandy. A hat and sunglasses are a must also!

 

Have fun!

don't hesitate to book this!

 

ps. if you don't want to drive, you can ask to have the guide drive. (I did)

Michel:

 

Thanks for the review. We wanted to do this on our upcoming cruise and I'm glad you had a great time. Our kids are similiar in age so this should be perfect - thanks!

[momtogo]

Hi, thanks for the question. I did this tour w/my 9 yr old son in 2007/sept. It was fun and kid friendly. **ADDING SOME INFO BASED ON YOUR QUESTION: WE WERE A PARTY OF 2. I DIDN'T WANT TO DRIVE, SO I ASKED THE GUIDE. HE DROVE FOR US. HOWEVER, THERE WAS ANOTHER COUPLE THERE AND THEY LET THEM DRIVE JUST THE 2 OF THEM. WE HAD 11 JEEPS IN ALL. THEY ARE FUN FUN FUN! IT DIDN'T SEEM TO POSE A PROBLEM TO HAVE THE JEEPS TO JUST 2 PEOPLE. PERHAPS THEY MIGHT BE STRICTER IF THEY HAD FEWER JEEPS LEFT OVER. THIS IS A GREAT TOUR. HAVE FUN!

 

You get a Wrangler Jeep, bright yellow, that seats 4. You meet right at the end of the pier in St. Maarten and leave your group behind while you go w/the guide to sign the waiver and they take a photo of your license. You caravan all the jeeps in line and head back to the pier @ 15min short drive.

 

They take you up to the top of the MT. so you can get out and take pix. Then you head to a beach area for @ 60 mins to soak up the sun. They have plenty of water avail for free, which is nice. They also have a first aid kit (I learned that real quick when I stepped on a 4 inch piece of glass that went right thru my sandals and into my arch of my foot, ouch!).

 

When you leave that beach area, you drive for a bit thru some construction sites (bumpy roads make great fun for the kids), and then you arrive at a downtown area for local wares/shops/flea market type to shop. There is an ATM somewhere down there--find it, cause you need cash for the next stop.

 

The next stop is Orient Beach (only experienced one set of topless swingers out there---my son never even saw it). You have to pay to rent the chairs and umbrellas and boogie boards. There is lunch avail at a discount and some locals selling typical island wares also. They take VISA for lunch, but not for the rentals--you need cash. We were there for 90 mins or so.

 

Next was the fun---everyone got into their jeeps and we headed out for some fun 4wheellin' (although, I don't necessarily call driving thru construction sites and mud true 4 wheelin' but everyone seemed to have fun). We looked like a caravan of bumble bees as we bounced over the sites...it was fun. Plenty of time to stop/get out/take photos.

 

On the way back to the ship, they stopped the entire caravan a few times for photo ops and such.

 

Worth the $$$. Great for the kids bcs you don't stay in one area too long.

 

Tip: Bring cash and your VISA. Bring a lot of sunscreen and a few extra towels. You stop twice at beaches and our towels were drenched and sandy. A hat and sunglasses are a must also!

 

Have fun!

don't hesitate to book this!

 

ps. if you don't want to drive, you can ask to have the guide drive. (I did)

 

I had promised to write on this when we got back but I see that most of it is covered here. We had a pretty similar experience. We did pair up with another couple whom we had a great time with. There were 11 jeeps in our tour as well. At times it can be difficult to keep up with the group as you do encounter traffic and road signs at time. They do have a guide in the middle and the end to make sure no one gets lost, this made me feel better.

 

There was no free water provided to our group. We did stop at the top of the mountain for pictures then headed to Mullet Bay which is a beautiful beach. We were there 45-60 min- way too short, this to me was the best stop of all.

 

We then went to the Marigot market area where there is some shopping, mainly touristy souvenir stuff. We decided to grab a sandwich here and take it to the beach with us because I had read that it can take a long time to get lunch at Orient Beach. This stop again was about one hour but walking from the parking lot to downtown took at least 10 minutes each way. Again, another quick stop.

 

From Marigot we headed to Orient Beach. May be my expectations were too high, but I was disappointed. The water was rough and there were tons of people. We did find chairs that we did not have to pay for. We were scheduled to be there for 2 hours but 9 of the 11 jeeps wanted to go to Philipsburg for shopping so they left Orient after 45 min. A guide remained with us at Orient until it was time to leave.

 

We never really did any "off-roading". There was a very bumpy road going into and out of Orient Beach but that was about it.

 

Overall I would recommend doing this tour. The jeeps are a bit beat up but it is a great way to see the entire island in a short amount of time. We did feel very rushed but we got to see so many places so it was worth it. It was nice driving around the island in an open top jeep instead of a tour bus packed with others.

 

Hope this helps.

[kkpcruiser]

I had promised to write on this when we got back but I see that most of it is covered here. We had a pretty similar experience. We did pair up with another couple whom we had a great time with. There were 11 jeeps in our tour as well. At times it can be difficult to keep up with the group as you do encounter traffic and road signs at time. They do have a guide in the middle and the end to make sure no one gets lost, this made me feel better.

 

There was no free water provided to our group. We did stop at the top of the mountain for pictures then headed to Mullet Bay which is a beautiful beach. We were there 45-60 min- way too short, this to me was the best stop of all.

 

We then went to the Marigot market area where there is some shopping, mainly touristy souvenir stuff. We decided to grab a sandwich here and take it to the beach with us because I had read that it can take a long time to get lunch at Orient Beach. This stop again was about one hour but walking from the parking lot to downtown took at least 10 minutes each way. Again, another quick stop.

 

From Marigot we headed to Orient Beach. May be my expectations were too high, but I was disappointed. The water was rough and there were tons of people. We did find chairs that we did not have to pay for. We were scheduled to be there for 2 hours but 9 of the 11 jeeps wanted to go to Philipsburg for shopping so they left Orient after 45 min. A guide remained with us at Orient until it was time to leave.

 

We never really did any "off-roading". There was a very bumpy road going into and out of Orient Beach but that was about it.

 

Overall I would recommend doing this tour. The jeeps are a bit beat up but it is a great way to see the entire island in a short amount of time. We did feel very rushed but we got to see so many places so it was worth it. It was nice driving around the island in an open top jeep instead of a tour bus packed with others.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

So if you book only as a two...you would be sharing a jeep possibly?? We have done this in Aruba but had kids with us and enjoyed it but honestly would only want to be in a vehicle with my DH and drive.