Nassau, St.Thomas & St. Maarten

J

JCrabin

Guest
Hi All,

I'm going on the Mariner on Jan 4th. Stops are Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

I've been on several Voyager-class ships before with my family and have been to Nassau and St. Thomas but have mostly just walked around and gone shopping (although went to Atlantis in Nassau when it was still free to walk around). Personally, I would prefer to just stay on the ship - to me cruising is all about the ship. However, this time I'm taking my girlfriend and she has never been to any of these places.

I really want her to have a great time but to be honest, I'm not used to paying for 2 passengers (just turned 24 on the weekend and still trying to earn a decent living). Anyhow, the RCCL shore excursions can be a little expensive, especially for us Canadians because our dollar is still worth 30% less.

So I'm calling on all you experienced cruisers for some ideas for fun things to do in these ports on a budget!

Your help and understanding is much appreciated!

Thanks!

Btw: Has anyone tried to upgrade cabins closer to the end of the trip? It's our anniv. on the 2nd last night and I thought maybe there is a way to move to a better room just for a couple nights at a lower price than upgrading on the first day for the entire week.
 
D

dreamer

Guest
You might want to try the Atlantis hotel in Nassau...you can take a cab there and wonder a bit yourself..or pay 25 dollars and take the tour.
In St. Maarten...the shopping is the best with a beach right there.....no cost and they deliver drinks to you.
In St. Thomas you could spurgle and do a tour or a nice beach day with a fee.
check it out on the Royal caribbean website.
If your weather is good you will enjoy it whatever you do.
We kept our trip simple and I love to shop so I was in heaven.
Our weather was perfect up to the last day in Nassau.
enjoy
dreamer
 
Z

Ziggy

Guest
In St Martin Two weeks ago we signed up with Luckey Stables for a 2 hour horse ride. It was like $50 a person and well worth it. But you could in all three ports get a taxi and have them take you to the beach. If you bring along your own snorkeling gear you can really save money. Bring some zip lock bags from home and pack you lunches from the windjammer. Aslo take a roll or some bread put it in a sandwich bag and poke holes in it, carry it with you into snorkeling and watch the fish you will have them all around you. If you dont want to carry your own lunch there are fast food resteraunts at all the ports, some may be a little bit of a walk. In Nassau you can take the local bus to cable beach I think its less then a dollar per person. Snorkeling there is not real good but its a pretty beach. What ever you do just make sure you are back to the boat on time, and have afun.
 
M

mom2kanda

Guest
We were in Nassau early Dec. We enjoyed going on a catamaran sailing and snorkling. We found the tour over where the water taxi lets you off on Atlantis Island. It cost $45 pp. We went in the afternoon and caught the sunset on the way back in. The price includes the gear, and 1 drink.

We also wandered around the grounds of the Atlantis Hotel. You can't go everywhere, but you can get the idea!

As a woman, I would suggest offering your girlfriend the chance to just lay on the beach, that is really all I wanted to do.
 
J

jdnkn

Guest
In St. Thonas, take the ferry over to St. John's and hop a cab to Trunk Bay for the day. This beach is the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean and is well worth spending the day.

In St Maarten, take a bus to the French half and have lunch in the main city there (the name escapes me). The food alone is worth the trip. On the way back, you can stop at one of the topless beaches and have some eye candy for desert.
 
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