Vacation: “Catamaran Adventure” on Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Part 2 – Pictures)
We enjoyed visiting the beautiful island of St. Maarten!
Here are some pictures we took during our excursions that day!
A map of St Maarten in the port! 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 and Dad in St Maarten! 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.
Spending time together in St. Maarten! (Jake & Bridgette) 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.
Huge private boat docked at the same port! We were told that it was Steven Spielberg's boat! 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 near St Maarten, somehow I was one of the first people in the beautiful water! Snorkeling was a fun adventure! It always takes some time getting use to the gear but everyone had fun swimming around!
We saw some schools of Black & Yellow striped fish and pieces of metal during our snorkeling adventure! 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 several beautiful and huge boats on our excursion! 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.
The airport was so close to the beach it literally looked like the airplanes were landing on the beach with all the people! 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.
Helicopter that had crashed on the port....now retired! 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.
One of the Beach Taxi Boats going back and forth all day! 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!
A Wild Ride
We took several "taxi" rides during our vacation but the one from the airport to the port was the craziest! The neat part about some of the services at the airport is that their fees are regulated, however, that does not always mean it will be a smooth ride! Since we had a larger group we took two van taxi’s to the boat. Jake, Josh, Dad and I went in the first one and the remaining five took the second one. Our taxi was a dented mini van with smoke bellowing out the back. Unfortunately, there were no working seat belts in the van and at times we felt like we were in a roll cage at an amusement park as we whipped through the streets of downtown San Juan to avoid the traffic on the main highways. We were tracking our movements on google maps, which was pretty funny to watch as we took a zigzag path through the city before arriving at the port. Even though it was a rough ride we arrived at the port in record time. We saw all kinds of interesting sights as we zoomed through the town.
We arrived at the port more than fifteen minutes before the our the party. We were beginning to grow concerned about them since they only left moments behind us. It was only then that we realized that our group was the ones that had all the walkie talkies and cell phones that were still on. The rest of the group had already turned theirs off. Within a few more minutes and what seemed like many mini vans later everyone arrived safely at the port. We were able to check onto the Serenade of the Seas and start exploring!
A hint for those who have never traveled outside of the United States. Bring plenty of $1 dollar bills. You tip for almost everything you do. Even with a wild taxi ride you are expected to tip (some people would pay big bucks to go on a ride like that at an amusement park)! Tipping $1 to $4 each time adds up quickly when you are doing it every day and sometimes multiple times a day. Also, you have to pay for things you get for free in the US, for example, on a tour we stopped at a restaurant and in order to use their restroom you had to buy a drink (a can of Coke was $4.50), purchase a souvenir, or pay $1 per person.
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!
