Asking for review of a few eastern caribbean excursions

[crazycuda]

Hello,

My wife and I are taking our first cruise in October and we are very excited.   The 3 ports being visited are Nassau, St Thomas, and St Maarten.   I am very inquisitive and I want to make sure the excursions we are looking at are quality or not.   Being our first time being on a cruise and first time leaving the US other than trips into Canada we have decided to stick with Royal Caribbean promoted excursions.  I tried searching this site but couldn't accurately say the reviews i found were for the exact excursion we are looking at.  Any help from some more seasoned crusiers would be greatly appreciated.   

Nassau - Balmoral Island Beach and Kayak Adventure

St Thomas - 5 Star Island Tour

St Maarten - Pinel Island Eco Escape

 

Thanks for your help

[Matt]

I have not experienced any of those particular excursions. 

If I were in your shoes, assuming no one weighs in to provide info to you, try searching Trip Advisor.  Often times RC's excursions are also offered as a third party tour and/or are visits to publically available places.

[JLMoran]

How long do you have in St. Maarten? If you have a full day (8 AM to 5 PM), and you wanted to go to Pinel Island anway, could I suggest booking with Soualiga Destinations? I'm becoming bit of a "pimp" for this excursion, but it was a fantastic way to spend a full day on St. Maarten and very reasonably priced for what you get. You see Pinel Island for beach time, and a few other spots for snorkeling, more beach time, sightseeing, etc. A nice lunch and beverages (including beer) are included in the price. Have to book directly with them, not offered through Royal, but they are very careful to make sure you're back in time for all-aboard as long as your ship is in port for the window I gave.

You can find them at https://soualigadestinations.com. I gave a review of them here on the shore excursions board a little while back: