Any excursion recommendations for Eastern Caribbean Cruise? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Any excursion recommendations for Eastern Caribbean Cruise?
Hi again everyone! We're cruise novices, so I was hoping for some advice. We'll be on the Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy in late April (Easter at Sea!), and I wondered if anyone had recommendations for shore excursions. The ports are St. Thomas and St. Maarten, I believe, and our kids are 13 and 15. Also, given the number of days at sea, are there things to do that we should be reserving in advance on the ship itself? Thanks in advance!
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If you like to snorkel the Eastern Caribbean excursion in St. Thomas is my FAVORITE! It's the Caribbean Sea Safari, i believe is the official name of the excursion. You take the Virgin Breeze speed boat to Turtle Cove, which has AMAZING snorkeling. There is an awesome coral reef there and a ton of fish and huge sea turtles that you get to snorkel with, then you go to honeymoon beach on water island, which is, as it states...accessible only by water. There is a lady there, a retired attorney I believe who BBQ's on the beach, her burgers are awesome. And you can literally sit in the sand and have a burger.
They give out free rum drinks after the snorkel (be careful...they get stronger as they go and they are DELICIOUS) and soda, beer, etc. It's a really, really fun excursion. We do it every single time we go on that itinerary. The crew is really fun and they do a great job making sure everyone else is having fun too.
Any adult dining or spa appointments you'll want to pre-book or book the first day onboard. If you go to the spa raffle the first day you board there will be a spa special, usually for some sort of sampler (a mini facial, back massage and neck massage)(for example).
The wine tastings and alcohol seminars are fun, but they are super generous with the quantities so make sure the teens are enjoying themselves in the teen clubs before you register for one of those!
There will be movies and trivia and games, etc onboard so you'll have plenty to choose from once you're onboard.
We did the St. John Island Tour on our St. Thomas stop and I would thoroughly recommend that, as it was a beautiful place to visit. We stopped at Puerto Rico, rather than St. Maarten on our cruise, so I can't help with that one I'm afraid.
We did the St. John Island Tour on our St. Thomas stop and I would thoroughly recommend that, as it was a beautiful place to visit. We stopped at Puerto Rico, rather than St. Maarten on our cruise, so I can't help with that one I'm afraid.
We JUST returned from that itinerary! In St. Maarten we did the Golden Eagle Catamaran, which we all really enjoyed. In St. Thomas we did the full day sail & snorkel and that was awesome. You sail on a "pirate" schooner to Trunk Island to snorkel with sea turtles and a coral reef. Then you sail to Water Island and Honeymoon Bay for more optional snorkeling, and just swimming or lazing on the beach. They served a fairly decent lunch on the beach. My kids taper almost 14 and 17, and loved both.
We did the Rhino Rider Boats on St. Maarten and had a blast. Here is the Website info: St Maarten Rhino Rider Excursions and tours
They take you out on a tour of the Island from the water view than a stop at a private beach for a swim. The beach was awesome ! The tour was run well and can be for anyone. I rode with my 11 year old daughter and we both had a blast.
Hi Julie, we are also on the Fantasy Eastern on April 19th We have a 16 yr old DD and a 15 year old DS.
Previously, we all enjoyed the Doubloon Sail and Snorkel. It was one of our all time favorite excursions. Turtle Cove had wonderful snorkeling and the crew was fantastic. The Bananna Bender boat drinks served after snorkeling weren't too shabby either We booked that excursion again on this trip.
On St. Maarten we booked the Golden Eagle Catamaran but I'm still looking at other options.
Hi Julie, we are also on the Fantasy Eastern on April 19th We have a 16 yr old DD and a 15 year old DS.
Previously, we all enjoyed the Doubloon Sail and Snorkel. It was one of our all time favorite excursions. Turtle Cove had wonderful snorkeling and the crew was fantastic. The Bananna Bender boat drinks served after snorkeling weren't too shabby either We booked that excursion again on this trip.
On St. Maarten we booked the Golden Eagle Catamaran but I'm still looking at other options.
Good luck planning!
Gailyn
Should be a fun cruise! Today I booked the Rib Boat excursion on St. Maarten, and the Adventure Snorkel tour on the Sea Blaster for St. Thomas. I also booked parasailing on Castaway Cay. Hopefully everything will be fun!
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Should be a fun cruise! Today I booked the Rib Boat excursion on St. Maarten, and the Adventure Snorkel tour on the Sea Blaster for St. Thomas. I also booked parasailing on Castaway Cay. Hopefully everything will be fun!
Have a great time !!! The Parasailing on Cast Away Cay is awesome !
DH and I did the Rainforest Trek in St. Maarten and it was very cool!! You take an open are truck (think sitting on benches in the bed of the truck) to the highest point on St. Maarten and then you take about 2 hours to hike down thru the islands only Rain Forest. Along the way, the tour guide gives fabulous history and information about the surrounding areas and the hidden gems in the forest. If you love nature, I highly recommend it!
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PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
DH and I did the Rainforest Trek in St. Maarten and it was very cool!! You take an open are truck (think sitting on benches in the bed of the truck) to the highest point on St. Maarten and then you take about 2 hours to hike down thru the islands only Rain Forest. Along the way, the tour guide gives fabulous history and information about the surrounding areas and the hidden gems in the forest. If you love nature, I highly recommend it!
How strenuous is the hike? I'm interested in this one and can walk that long but the knees aren't what they used to be.
__________________
Kim
1984 WDW off-site, 2003 WDW ASS, Poly, Wonder, 2006 WDW PC, 2011 Wonder to Alaska,
2012 Wonder EBPC, 2014 Magic WBTA, 2016 WDW CSR
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How strenuous is the hike? I'm interested in this one and can walk that long but the knees aren't what they used to be.
I didn't think it was bad. They give you a walking stick to help with any of the uneven areas that may be a bit rough but all in all it was a fairly easy hike. We stopped alot along the way to talk about the history of the area (and take pictures of Mick Jagger's vacation home ) We had a wide range of ages in our group from young kids up to more experienced adults
__________________
PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
We JUST returned from that itinerary! In St. Maarten we did the Golden Eagle Catamaran, which we all really enjoyed. In St. Thomas we did the full day sail & snorkel and that was awesome. You sail on a "pirate" schooner to Trunk Island to snorkel with sea turtles and a coral reef. Then you sail to Water Island and Honeymoon Bay for more optional snorkeling, and just swimming or lazing on the beach. They served a fairly decent lunch on the beach. My kids taper almost 14 and 17, and loved both.
I booked both these excursions for my cruise in October. I'm still on the fence about the Golden Eagle Catamaran. DH wanted me to ask if the full day sail and snorkel include free drinks such as rum punch or beer and is there a seafood option for lunch?
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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) We had a wide range of ages in our group from young kids up to more experienced adults 
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