During our Disney cruise to the Caribbean one of our ports was St. Maarten. We had never been before and with it being us three girls we thought that taking a Disney excursion would be a good idea. We choose the 2 Flags Island Tour that takes you to both the French and Dutch sides of the island.
The tour was late getting started, we were loaded on the bus and sat and sat and sat. The majority of the time that the tour was taking place – 3.5 hours was spent driving around the island with a narrative of what we were seeing and the history. After a while I am sorry but I totally zone out.
We were supposed to have 4 stops, but ended up only having 3. The amount of time Disney has listed at each stop was not the amount of time we had – we had about half as much time.
Getting gelato at the carousel was so chaotic. There was no line just a mob of people. We didn’t think that we would get any before it was time to get back on the bus, but I had promised S.
We felt very rushed at each stop and spent way too much time on the bus!
Maybe it was me, maybe after having such great excursions (non-Disney) in Alaska I was expecting more, but I cannot recommend the 2 Flags Island Tour. Disney is batting one for two on excursions that we have taken with them. Our tour of Vancouver with a stop at Capilano Suspension Bridge we did enjoy and my parents loved their snorkeling adventure in Ketchikan.
So what would I recommend ?
What to DO in St. Maarten
After our not so great morning excursion, we went back to the ship and had lunch. I recommend going back to your ship for lunch because you have already paid for the food aboard so you might as well get your moneys worth. 
The night before docking in St. Maarten, we had talked to our waiter about what he has done on the island. He told us about a water taxi that for $7 per person, unlimited for the day from the pier to the heart of Philipsburg and Great Bay Beach and back.
So, after lunch we decided to go to the Great Bay Beach. S loves going to the beach and I don’t think that you can go to a Caribbean island and not visit the beach.
When you walk off the dock from the cruise ship, the water taxi is located on your left past some shops. You purchase your ticket and are shown to a boat. The boat takes you across the bay to the beach. It’s a quick trip.
The beach has a promenade that runs most the length of it and is lined with bars and restaurants plus some shops.
The Great Bay Beach was relatively quiet, our Disney cruise ship was the only ship in port that day. We had a huge section of the beach to ourselves which I really liked. We were approached twice by women wanting to sell their goods, but when we said no, thank you they both moved on with no pushing or pestering.
There were chairs and umbrellas to rent, however since we were not spending a ton of time on the beach we chose to just use our beach mats.
There were plenty of shells to collect. The water was warm and clear with the traditional turquoise, greens and blues that the Caribbean is so famous for. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.
Have you been to St. Maarten? What do you recommend for a day on the island?
You may find me linking up with the following: Mon: Magic Moments; How Do You Do It? Parenting Linkup; Made by You Mondays; Creative Mondays; Click and Chat Social Media Link Up; Merry Monday Linky Party; Motivational Monday; Weekend Wanderlust;Tue: Treasure Box Tuesday; Turn it Up Tuesday; Good Tip Tuesdays; Project Life Tuesday; Lou Lou Girls Link Party; Delicious Dish Tuesday; SoMe2; Wed: The Wednesday Roundup; The Super Mommy Club Party; Centerpiece Wednesday; Whatever Wednesday; Retro Repin Party; Wake up Wednesday; Creative Spark; A Little Bird Told Me; Thur: Weekly Kids Co-Op; The Pin Junkie Pin Party; Thrify Thursday; On Display Thursday; Fri: Pretty Pintastic Party; Foodie Friends Friday; That’s Fresh Friday; Family Fun Friday; For the Kids Fridays; Craft Frenzy Friday; Product Review; Friday Favorites; Weekends: Show and Share Saturday; Country Kids with Coombe Mill; The Weekend Social; Snickerdoodle Sunday; Show Me Saturday; Ultimate Link Party; Coast to Coast Blog Post Party
I heart St. Maarten! We spent 2 weeks in St. Maarten a couple of years ago and will be taking the grands in July. They’ve never been. We try to visit a different island every year, but we loved St. Maarten so much that we’re going back. We’ve also taken tours that were no fun at all! What we’ve learned to do is to hire a private taxi and take our own tour. It doesn’t cost any more than those tours where you’re packed like sardines into vans. We get to take our time and do what we like to do.
Can hardly wait to visit my fave French bakery and grab some more macarons. 🙂
I think a private taxi is the way to go! The macarons sound awesome! We will have to do those two things next time! I am sure we will be back since the guys were not with us! Your grandsons are so lucky to get to go with you this summer!
I went to St. Martin on my honeymoon, and my husband is taking me back this year! We absolutely loved it. We rented a car (for very cheap) and drove all over the island. My favorite part was visiting all the different beaches. They were amazing. Oh, and speaking French, of course!
That sounds great! I hope you have a wonderful trip back this year.
I haven’t been on a cruise since our honeymoons for this very reason.. we got into every stop late and were rushed on every excursion. I would rather go to one place from now on and take in the whole area for awhile.
Glad to see the rest of the time there worked out! It looks beautiful!!
St Maarten was very beautiful!
I have really loved getting to know your blog via the Southern group. This is interesting about ST. Maarten tours. I’ve never been on a cruise, and am going to go back and go through some of your Alaska posts. That may be the cruise for us one day.
Our cruise to Alaska was one of our favorite vacations! The cruise was perfect! Let me know if you have any questions!
We took a zipline tour of the rainforest, and it was WONDERFUL. It was a Royal Caribbean trip, which sanctions the excursions and rates them. I’ll never travel with another cruise line!
Zipline tour sounds like a lot of fun! My daughter was too young this cruise maybe next time!
We went to St. Maarten on our honeymoon cruise and did a zipline tour that was one of the highlights of the trip! Good to know that the tour you took is one to skip whenever we’re back there again!
I seriously need to go on a zipline tour! Sounds like so fun!
I have never been on a Disney Cruise (surprising huh?) before and it is on my bucket list. St Maarten looks like a beautiful place and I would love to travel there.
You should take a Disney Cruise! We had never been on a cruise until last year and ended up taking two in the same year!
That is too bad about the cruise excursion. I cruise a lot and know hoe precious time in the ports are! I am glad you were able to enjoy beach time with your family. Looks pretty!
Thanks Nadeen! St. Maarten was very pretty!
A friend and I will be going on our 2nd cruise together in March on Holland America. Though we are both 48-ish, we each have mobility issues: she uses a rollator; I use an electric wheelchair but can walk very short distances. This particular trip will be very budget-minded . We just want to rest and relax and enjoy some good beach time, as neither of us can afford shopping or excursions. I have to be in shade due a strong family history of both carcinoma and melanoma skin cancer. I narrowed down our choices to either a cruise with a St. Maarten stop, or a Western Caribbean that includes Montego Bay, Grand Cayman & Key West. Can you recommend one over the other? Did you happen to notice how accessible you might think St. Maarten is? I mean, obviously if we have to use a water taxi, I won’t be able to use my wheelchair, so I see that as a problem if there’s a lot of walking involved to get to/from the taxi and beach. We appreciate your input and that of anyone else! Thanks…
Rachelle, from the dock in St Maarten to town/beach it would be a couple miles walk and it’s not pedestrian friendly. You would really need to use a regular taxi or the water taxi. From the water taxi dock to the edge of the beach was probably about 2 city blocks. In general, I think St. Maarten is a wonderful island and the residents are very friendly. I have not visited Key West or Grand Cayman before and when I was last in Jamacia was almost 10 years ago. Jamacia has probably my least favorite island. Let me know if you have any further questions.
I represent villas, hotels, resorts and private islands in The Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico from my virtual office in the Northeast, and learned early on not to purchase excursions from the cruiseline (I have taken several cruises) whenever possible and practical. First of all, you pay a lot more. Secondly, by booking with a local tour company, you will get a much better experience. A good travel agent can recommend a reputable on-island company. Sint Maarten / Saint Martin has so much to offer! On the Dutch side (Sint Maarten), there is incredible duty-free shopping in Philipsburg. You can walk along the beach promenade and visit all kinds of shops, restaurants and bars. There is also casino gambling. The French side (Saint Martin) is known for its fine cuisine (including amazing pastries) and the “lolos” (local food shacks) offer an array of grilled chicken, fresh fish and lobster at very reasonable prices. Other places not to be missed are the Butteryfly Farm, forts, zip lining (as several,people mentioned), and ‘hidden’ beaches like Friar’s Bay.
Thank you for your input Lori! We did end up having a great time in St. Maarten once we were on our own. We also loved our time on St. Thomas, again going on our own and not an excursion from the cruise ship.
So many reviews/sites will tell you go and do this…but then never give details into how! I love how you described the taxi, how much, where to turn once you get off the ship to find it…and everything else. Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much Hailey! I hope you have a wonderful time in St. Maarten if you are traveling soon!
We travel to St. Maarten at least every other year with our timeshare. I would recommend taking a taxi to Maho and eating at a small Italian restaurant called Trattoria. It sits to the left of the Maho Casino on a small back street. The best beach is just past Maho and is called Mullet Bay. The water is amazing, though at certain times of the year the waves can be rough. Rosie’s Shack sits on the beach and has the best ribs and Bailey’s Banana Colada you have ever tasted! The people are very friendly there and the chairs/umbrellas aren’t too expensive to rent. The snorkeling is really nice at Mullet Bay. Beautiful fish and sea life. We love St. Maarten!!!!!
Thank you so much for your recommendations Deidra!
We did the Butterfly Farm excursion (through DCL). It was pretty fun and Autumn enjoyed it.
That sounds like so much fun! I know S would have loved the Butterfly Farm!