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Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive January 2008:
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We're going to be going to San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. With 5 of us going, we can't afford to do expensive excursions. Are there things to do at or near the piers on these islands? We'll be in San Juan from 5-10pm, but the other 2 will be full days.
Thanks for any advice you can pass along.
Geez, I KNOW I posted a response yesterday!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRR
OK, we have been to all 3 places.
San Juan:
Like you, we were only there for a few hours. The pier is within walking distance to an old fort that you can tour, we did that. Some of the local architecture was very interesting. Otherwise, there is nothing but shopping nearby. (SURPRISE! NOT!) There were supposedly *outlet* stores, and we actually went in a couple of them, but I'll be darned if *I* would pay those prices for anything. We didn't really research what there was to do there, simply because we were there for 6 hours only.
St. Maarten:
Hated it! Period! GORGEOUS water and beaches. People not so great. We booked a tour there, which was supposed to have been a tour of the area, shopping and ending with lunch at a private beach. We were on both sides of the island. On the French side, the people and vendors were incredibly rude and nasty to all of us. Our tour bus broke down when it overheated, we had to wait for a replacement, then they tried to cram two busloads of tourists into one bus. The tour driver was nasty to us when we complained that all of us wouldn't fit/it wasn't safe. We were then taken through 90 minutes of total poverty winding through and around the island, with a stop at a market where we were treated badly, before reaching our final destination (where my swim suit top broke and exposed me to everyone on our tour! ROFL! Thankfully the guy who ran the place found something to fix it with, though it was after telling me it was a topless beach and I was free to go topless - Yeah, RIGHT, at my age...NOT!) The meal was wonderful, as were the drinks, and it was hands down, THE most beautiful beach and water I've ever seen, so it wasn't all bad.
Marcia, we had a freak bad experience, we booked this tour privately, research what you can do there.
St. Thomas:
Loved loved loved it!!!!! We booked a snorkel trip that was just fantastic. But that's what we like. Obviously we don't have kids with us, where cost is a major consideration - much cheaper for 2 people to do stuff that 5 or 6, right? Again, research.
I will say, if you like water activities, the beaches and waters down there are absolutely breathtaking.
Sorry I couldn't offer better suggestions. I can only tell you what we did.
Have you read any posts on Cruisecritic, or any of the other cruise messageboards? We like Cruisecritic, there are sections for specific ports and activities. Many people offer great suggestions there.
Thanks, Karen. I think we'll wear Canadian pins when we go to SM. Maybe the Frenchies will like us better. LOL But seriously, my parents were told to wear Canadian pins when they went certain places, because the treatment would be completely different.
I knew you said one of the islands had the best beaches, but couldn't remember which one. Do either of those 2 have any beaches near the pier, or do you have to travel to get to them?
I honestly don't remember, since we had planned tours, sorry! It seems to me that St. Thomas probably does though.
I found my review that lists my experiences in the ports:
PORTS:
SAN JUAN: We took the rain forest tour. It was AWESOME! After reading so many mixed reviews I was a bit worried about this tour. Our guide was informative, friendly and just plain fun. The bus was air conditioned and extremely comfortable. The stop at the rest area was simply that- a stop so everyone could stretch their legs and use the restrooms. Yes, there were shops/venders but no-one pressured or even asked us to buy anything. The rain forest itself was very pretty and we had many photo opportunities. We learned a lot about the area and felt it was one of the best tours we have gone on. This was my children's favorite tour. When we returned home my son called his best friend and told him all about the frogs in the rain forest and how cool our guide was.
ST. MAARTEN: The guys took the America's Cup sailing Regatta tour and loved it. They said it was an experience of a lifetime and were glad they went on it. The rest of our group took the Explorer cruise & grand island tour. It was an easy relaxing day. We Took a bus to the shopping area and after drinking our rum punch were given time to shop before going on the boat tour. We didn't find anything we absolutely needed to purchase but did enjoy some yummy croissants in one of the open restaurants. If you get the opportunity try the chocolate croissant. Very yummy! The boat tour was informative but slightly boring. The tour guide told us several times that the French and Dutch side live in harmony and peace. Not quite sure why this had to be said so many times? Perhaps she had nothing more to tell us? On the way back we had a different tour guide and she was a bit more informative. We traveled throughout both sides and really got to see how they live.
ST THOMAS: We took the Godfrey tour and I highly recommend him. He was outside waiting for us (with a sign with our name on it). We were a half an hour early and he was already waiting for us. He had the chance to take additional passengers and he turned them away stating he did not want to crowd his group. There was a total of 16 people on this tour-he could have easily taken another 4 people if he wanted to crowd everyone onto his vehicle. For this we tipped him even more (as it was so nice to not be crowded on a tour bus? not sure what to call his vehicle). We really enjoyed his tour! He took us to all the major landmarks and stopped for several photo opportunities. He was extremely informative and his knowledge of his area was extensive. We went to Coki beach and found it to be a beautiful clear beach--perfect for snorkeling. A few times (during our shopping time) people came up to us for donations/hair braiding/etc after telling them we were with Godfrey we were left alone. We did purchase the children sharks tooth necklaces and outfits in the shopping area. It was not necessary to bargain with the people as they offered us lower prices than what the items were marked and we felt we were given a fair price on the items we bought. Of all the tours we took this was the best value. At $20.00 per person you cannot go wrong with the Godfrey tour!
NASSAU: We took the Blackbeards Cay Beach Break. It was a fun relaxing day. The beach was clear but very few fish to be seen so we really didn't use our snorkel gear. Be warned there is no shade or umbrellas so plan on applying sunscreen several times to avoid getting a sunburn. It is about a 25 minute boat ride to the beach so in reality you are only on the beach for approx. 2 hours. It wasn't too crowded when we arrived (we were on the 12:30 tour) but two more groups arrived just before we left so we were glad we chose the earlier tour as we almost had the beach to ourselves (a much smaller group than what arrived later) It was a great way to end our cruise (ports) by just relaxing on the beach but I am not sure that we would do it again.
Godfrey tours
godfreytoursvi.com
read this:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=13
and this:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=17
Wow, I need to diversify when it comes to cruise port activities! LOL We automatically book snorkeling or beach things.
We try to do different things each time we go. It can be difficult because we go on excursions as a family. Along with my parents, that is 3 generations to please.
Thanks!! On our last cruise we did the tour you told us about in Jamaica, and it was awesome! We just walked around the the pier on Grand Cayman. In Mexico we went to a beach, and Nicole swam with the dolphins. It was nice to different things each time. I will check out the tour you took, Yvonne. It sounds perfect, especially for the price. I think that DH might do things with some of the other guys, while my mom, the girls and I do our own thing. There will be about 30 of us traveling together. 
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