We enjoyed visiting the beautiful island of St. Maarten!

Here are some pictures we took during our excursions that day!

When we got out at each port there were maps of the location and usually a lot of people offering to “help” us see the island.  We had our excursions planned the day before so it allowed us the freedom to say “No Thank You” to all the offers.  Plus one of the many benefits to going on an excursion that was through the cruise line was that they guaranteed that you would arrive back on the ship in time or they would hold the boat for you.  When you go on an independent excursion if you don’t make it back to the port on time they just leave you!

Mom, Dad, Jake, and I walked through the town.  It was neat seeing all the different shops and talking with the people that lived on the islands.

It was difficult getting a picture near signs without having other tourists in the middle of the shot.  This sign was further on away from the port so we were able to get pictures without a group of random people being in it.  This picture was taken on the edge of a little park in Philipsburg.

This boat was huge and docked near our ship, it was Steven Spielberg’s boat (or so we were told)!  You know a private boat is big when they have garages on their boat for smaller boats!

Snorkeling was a fun adventure!  It always takes some time getting use to the gear but everyone had fun swimming around!

Our camera is waterproof so Jake was able to bring it into the water and take some pictures of the fish.  They were a little harder to see with all the sand in the water but we still found a few.

We saw some amazing ships while on the catamaran.  I had no idea that there were so many private boats.  It was a beautiful place to visit.

It was really neat watching an airplane land in St Maarten.  The plane really looked like it was going to land on the beach with all the people.

We saw this helicopter on the port on our way back on the catamaran.  It had a rough life that ended in a crash and was being stored on the pier.  We knew our little one who enjoys cars, trucks and planes would get a kick out of seeing this one.

If you are planning on going to the beach these Beach Taxi Boats were a great choice.  You could ride them as much as you like all day for $6.  They went back and forth every few minutes.  You could spend the morning at the beach go to the boat for lunch then come back to the beach and hang out for the rest of the afternoon.

A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!