Shockey1655 Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hey all, Soon to be leaving on another RC cruise on board Oasis of the seas. One of our stops is St. Maarten. Im really looking forward however, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t confused with all of the excursions. With all of the different beaches and tours that are available, I didn’t know if there were any that were above the rest. I’d love to see the island. But also get to experience the shopping and obviously some beach time as well. I believe we’re there from 8-5. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 When I visit an island for the first time, I always do a "familiarization" kind of excursion that includes a broad overview. Look for one that will give you a guided tour (usually bus or trolley) and then allow time for shopping at the end. Often these kinds of tours will do a short beach stop if time permits. I normally do not get wet during these brief stops but it will give you some idea of the types of places you might want to go to when you come back to that island on another cruise ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Take a look at KLA's live blog of Adventure of the Seas. She highly recommends Bernards SXM tour. I haven't used them but they seem highly recommended on this and other sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floski Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 2 hours ago, melski94 said: Take a look at KLA's live blog of Adventure of the Seas. She highly recommends Bernards SXM tour. I haven't used them but they seem highly recommended on this and other sites. We did Bernard's (tour 2) in April of '16 and it was great. Plenty of stops, with Maho and Orient Beaches getting about 1-11/2 hours each, so we never really felt rushed. The guides are great, and they have beer, soda, and rum punch on the bus. We really enjoyed it. Going back to St. Maarten in November so trying to figure out if we'll do it again or just take a taxi to a quiet place. The beach along the boardwalk is great, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firebuck Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 I highly recommend the ATV tours in St. Martin. They're usually offered as an excursion, but you could also save some money by booking them via third party. They usually take you all around the island stopping at a few beaches for a bit (Orient Beach is usually included on most tours) as well as other scenic destinations. Both of the ATV tours that we were on (one through Royal, the other third party) dropped us down at the shopping district, which isn't terribly far from where the ship docks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtd Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Would Bernard's tour be okay for a 12 month old? Is there anything else anyone else suggest to do on St. Martin. We will be going in March for our first cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 We have been there a couple of times and we did an excursion tour an America`s cup yacht. You can participate or just enjoy the fun of being on a racing yacht. Looking forward to going back there and hope they still offer that excursion. Otherwise we enjoy roaming around or taking a tour that can be very informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 1 hour ago, Courtd said: Would Bernard's tour be okay for a 12 month old? Is there anything else anyone else suggest to do on St. Martin. We will be going in March for our first cruise. I haven't been on this tour. One thing to give you an idea is look at cruise critic and look up the poster "harryfat1" aka Cheapo dad. He did an extensive review of Bernards with lots of pictures...some in the St. Maarten forum and the main one on the RC forum "Cheapo dad review of Indy" (its up to 75 pages) but the St. Maarten tour happens around pages 35-45. Having now 4 older kids, I'd think it would be fine for a 12 month old. It looks like there are lots of stops to take a break including a beach stop. A baby is so happy to be in your lap and looking out the window or watching fellow passengers....that ends when they get older..."OMG I'm soooo bored, are we there yet?" If for some reason, the baby is upset and you feel like you need to get back you can always ask the driver to call you a taxi to take you back to the ship. Another option is just the beach (Great Bay) right near the ship which is a water taxi over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 34 minutes ago, fonemanbob said: We have been there a couple of times and we did an excursion tour an America`s cup yacht. You can participate or just enjoy the fun of being on a racing yacht. Looking forward to going back there and hope they still offer that excursion. Otherwise we enjoy roaming around or taking a tour that can be very informative. Unfortunately as of right now, this is closed due to the wrath of Irma. According to their website they are hoping to be operational again this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtd Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Excellent I was able to read some reviews sounds like it would work for everyone thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 13 hours ago, Courtd said: Would Bernard's tour be okay for a 12 month old? Is there anything else anyone else suggest to do on St. Martin. We will be going in March for our first cruise. Check out randomwind.com. Their sailboat, Random Wind, was destroyed by Hurricane Irma and they now have a 54' catamaran (Random Wind II) they charter. I understand from some on line posts the new boat has 5 cabins, one would be perfect for the little one for a nap. It's pretty much an all day sail with lunch and drinks included, snorkeling, beaches, sailing etc. Diane is good about getting back to you with any questions you may have. You can also find them on face book. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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