Lou G Posted June 1, 2018 Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 Sailing to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in June. Looking for suggestions on shore excursions for family of 5 (19, 17 and 13). How do the Islands look after the hurricane? Does one island appear better than the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted June 1, 2018 Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 In Summary Both are open and progressing well. Have no reservations or hesitation about visiting but when you do, remember what they have gone through. Be understanding and generous, if you can. I've been to both and live blogged, capturing my experiences here on RoyalCaribbeanblog.com as I experienced it. You will likely see some storm damage, make no mistake. I've chosen not to focus on that so much, but on the positive energy of the people as they move forward which they have in leaps and bounds. St Maarten St. Maarten got it hard but this isn't their 1st tango with a hurricane. They've rebuilt before and they are rebuilding again. I've been to St. Maarten 3 times since they started accepted ships again. On no occasion did I feel unsafe or unwelcome. In fact, they very much made me feel very, very welcome. Most recent St. Maarten visit in May 2018: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6297-adventure-5-nights-5518-repositioning-san-juan-to-bayonne/&do=findComment&comment=67904 April 2018 St. Maarten here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6002-serenade-33018-10-night-eastern-caribbean/&do=findComment&comment=64798 and https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6002-serenade-33018-10-night-eastern-caribbean/&do=findComment&comment=64819 Christmas Day 2017 stop in St. Maarten: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5195-independence-122117-9-night-christmas/&do=findComment&comment=51956 St. Thomas St. Thomas I've been twice since the storms. I used to work and live on St. Thomas so it's closer to home and I lived through it (VIA former co-workers and friends). While not as bad as St. Maarten they got hit pretty hard too. However life is very much back to normal and they are ready, willing and able to accept cruise guests. In places you would have no idea what had happened but then you turn a corner and see some damage. St. Thomas in April 2018 here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6002-serenade-33018-10-night-eastern-caribbean/&do=findComment&comment=64272 and Dec 6, 2017 here (right after they started accepting ships again): https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/&do=findComment&comment=50580 from the same trip https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/&do=findComment&comment=50598 It's potentially a valuable lesson for our youth. We've got it pretty good here in the US. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted June 1, 2018 Report Share Posted June 1, 2018 I was also in St. Maarten back in April and have my own live blog of the day there, which looks at things from a slightly different angle than @twangster's live blog and includes some discussion of my favorite excursion of the entire cruise -- the All Day Beach and Snorkeling Adventure from Capt. Bob's Soualiga Destinations. This was a fantastic excursion that I can't recommend enough. You have to book directly through them, not through Royal, but they are very good about getting you back to the ship in time. Only requirement is that your ship arrives in port no later than 8 AM and doesn't depart until at least 5 PM, as the excursion goes from 9:30 until 4:30. A very good lunch is included in the price. Live blog of the day in St. Maarten Review of Capt. Bob's / Soualiga Destinations excursion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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