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Has anyone been to St. Maarten and/or San Juan recently (last 4-5 months)?


theporglife

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I was booked on Allure Nov. 2017 that was set to sail to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Nassau. After Irma and Maria, we got rerouted to Labadee and Falmouth. ?

Finally going back out this year on Harmony to St. Maarten, San Juan, and CocoCay. I'm wondering if anyone has been to St. Maarten and/or San Juan recently (last 4-5 months) that can provide input on how the islands are fairing after the hurricanes? Is Maho Beach recovered? 

 

Thanks!

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I was in St.Maarten on Oasis in September but only did a beach day in Phillipsburg, Great Bay Beach.  Yes, you could see upper floors still without windows but the street level stores and restaurants along the beach were humming with activity. 

I can give you a much better report as I am back there January 21st on Freedom. This time we have a car rental for the day and plan to go around both sides of the Island. 

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1 hour ago, Irieman said:

I was in St.Maarten on Oasis in September but only did a beach day in Phillipsburg, Great Bay Beach.  Yes, you could see upper floors still without windows but the street level stores and restaurants along the beach were humming with activity. 

I can give you a much better report as I am back there January 21st on Freedom. This time we have a car rental for the day and plan to go around both sides of the Island. 

I'll be anxious to hear your "report" since my wife and I will be on Freedom on the March 3 cruise (ABC Islands & St. Maarten).

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I've been to St. Maarten five times since the hurricane.  My first return was on one of the 1st ships to call on St. Maarten post-hurricane.  

I've done excursions including a bus tour, catamaran and self explored such as taking a taxi to Maho Beach.  I thoroughly enjoyed every stop there.

In all cases they were very happy to see tourists return and welcoming.  It's bad enough a storm devastates your community but the loss of employment is like salt in the wound.  Tourists mean jobs, a sense of purpose and reason to get up in the morning.  Anyone who has lived through storm damage will know there is a funk that hangs over everything day after day.  Having a job to do breaks that monotony, provides a distraction and a sense of normalcy, that everything will work out.  

On my visits I went out of my to buy things and didn't haggle on the price, sometimes giving more than they asked.  

This isn't their first brush with devastation.  In the 90's they had a similar experience and lots of resorts, homes and businesses were lost.  Some never rebuilt.  Most did.  It will be the same this time as it will in some future decade when it happens again.  Very resilient people.  

Be kind and understanding when you visit, but do visit and do something there.  

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32 minutes ago, twangster said:

I've been to St. Maarten five times since the hurricane.  My first return was on one of the 1st ships to call on St. Maarten post-hurricane.  

I've done excursions including a bus tour, catamaran and self explored such as taking a taxi to Maho Beach.  I thoroughly enjoyed every stop there.

In all cases they were very happy to see tourists return and welcoming.  It's bad enough a storm devastates your community but the loss of employment is like salt in the wound.  Tourists mean jobs, a sense of purpose and reason to get up in the morning.  Anyone who has lived through storm damage will know there is a funk that hangs over everything day after day.  Having a job to do breaks that monotony, provides a distraction and a sense of normalcy, that everything will work out.  

On my visits I went out of my to buy things and didn't haggle on the price, sometimes giving more than they asked.  

This isn't their first brush with devastation.  In the 90's they had a similar experience and lots of resorts, homes and businesses were lost.  Some never rebuilt.  Most did.  It will be the same this time as it will in some future decade when it happens again.  Very resilient people.  

Be kind and understanding when you visit, but do visit and do something there.  

Thank you for all the Islanders. My family in San Juan is still living with other relatives in Jamaica.

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

This isn't their first brush with devastation.  In the 90's they had a similar experience and lots of resorts, homes and businesses were lost.  Some never rebuilt.  Most did.  It will be the same this time as it will in some future decade when it happens again.  Very resilient people.  

I had also heard that the Dutch side was in much better shape than the French side due to French insurance rules/laws, so that side was a little slower to recover.

That may be old news and everything may be fine now.

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5 hours ago, Irieman said:

I was in St.Maarten on Oasis in September but only did a beach day in Phillipsburg, Great Bay Beach.  Yes, you could see upper floors still without windows but the street level stores and restaurants along the beach were humming with activity. 

I can give you a much better report as I am back there January 21st on Freedom. This time we have a car rental for the day and plan to go around both sides of the Island. 

That would be great! Thank you!

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

I've been to St. Maarten five times since the hurricane.  My first return was on one of the 1st ships to call on St. Maarten post-hurricane.  

I've done excursions including a bus tour, catamaran and self explored such as taking a taxi to Maho Beach.  I thoroughly enjoyed every stop there.

In all cases they were very happy to see tourists return and welcoming.  It's bad enough a storm devastates your community but the loss of employment is like salt in the wound.  Tourists mean jobs, a sense of purpose and reason to get up in the morning.  Anyone who has lived through storm damage will know there is a funk that hangs over everything day after day.  Having a job to do breaks that monotony, provides a distraction and a sense of normalcy, that everything will work out.  

On my visits I went out of my to buy things and didn't haggle on the price, sometimes giving more than they asked.  

This isn't their first brush with devastation.  In the 90's they had a similar experience and lots of resorts, homes and businesses were lost.  Some never rebuilt.  Most did.  It will be the same this time as it will in some future decade when it happens again.  Very resilient people.  

Be kind and understanding when you visit, but do visit and do something there.  

Definitely excited to be visiting! I was very bummed when we got re-routed originally. Just curious what it's looking like. 

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8 hours ago, baltodave said:

I'll be anxious to hear your "report" since my wife and I will be on Freedom on the March 3 cruise (ABC Islands & St. Maarten).

I will be live blogging starting next weekend.  I had a blast doing it  in September on Oasis. Very excited not having much of a specific plan for our day at Saint Maarten.  I do know that we will head to the French side to start in Marigot. Then off to some beaches and some views.  Who knows so stay tuned! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

We are going on Freedom of the Seas the week before Easter, staying in an OSJ local hotel before and after the cruise and we contacted Leroy Brown  (thanks Matt) for an all day tour of St. Martin.  We are looking forward to the trip. We will have lunch wherever Mr. Brown takes us, visit Maho (teenage boys love planes), visit a quiter beach, seek out french pastries...  visiting and touring will be good for both us and the local residents.

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