Most passengers follow the crowd to Philipsburg, do a little shopping, and head back to the ship. We’ve lived here for 25 years. There’s so much more than that.
The good news: the best excursions on this island are not sold on your ship. They’re booked independently, at 30 to 50% less, with the same operators — sometimes the exact same boat.
Here’s what we’d do with one day in St Maarten.
📍 Your ship docks at Port St Maarten in Philipsburg, on the Dutch side of the island. The port is located at Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facilities. Philipsburg town center is a 10-minute walk from the port gates.
💰 CURRENCY
Dutch side → US Dollars widely accepted (official: Netherlands Antillean Guilder)
French side → Euro (official), but USD accepted everywhere
🚕 GETTING AROUND FROM THE PORT
– Walk to Philipsburg town center: 10 minutes, free
– Water taxi to Bobby’s Marina / Walter Plantz Square: $7/person round trip (cash only, USD or EUR)
– Taxi to Maho Beach: ~$10/person
– Taxi to Orient Bay (French side): ~$25/person one way
– Taxi to Grand Case (French side): ~$30/person one way
🌡️ WEATHER
Tropical, warm year-round. 27-32°C / 80-90°F. Bring reef-safe sunscreen.
🛂 DO I NEED A PASSPORT?
Yes — keep it with you. You may cross freely between Dutch and French sides
(no border control), but you’ll need it to board back.
⏰ THE GOLDEN RULE
Always know your all-aboard time. Build in 30 minutes buffer minimum.
All tours we recommend are cruise-friendly — operators know the schedules
and get you back on time.
We picked these 10 for one reason: they’re all cruise-friendly (3-4 hours), bookable in advance, and significantly cheaper than ship excursions. Every profile covered — from beach fainéants to adrenaline junkies.
When you’re in her van, you feel the difference immediately. No script. No rehearsed speech. Just a woman who genuinely loves this island and wants every single person in her van to leave with the same feeling she has every morning when she wakes up here.
She takes you to spots the big buses can’t reach. Down a road the cruise ship excursion would never turn onto. Past a viewpoint that doesn’t exist on any official map. She stops when something is worth stopping for — and she knows what’s worth stopping for.
One reviewer put it perfectly: “She even helped our mother walk around on unpaved areas and took pictures of our group.” That’s Mama Gucci. She notices. She cares. And she’s been doing this long enough to know exactly when to get you back without you having to worry about it for a single second.
The meeting point is the EDC Parking Lot right at the cruise port — no taxi, no confusion, no walking around with a printed confirmation in your hand asking strangers for directions. You walk off your ship and she’s there.
✅ Departs from the cruise port · ✅ Air-conditioned van · ✅ Drinks included · ✅ Cruise-friendly return guaranteed
🔥 This one fills up first. When there are multiple ships in port — and there often are — there are thousands of people all looking for the same thing. Book the moment your itinerary is confirmed.
In 3h30 you get the full picture. Dutch side highlights: Maho Beach, the airport, Simpson Bay lagoon with its absurd collection of mega yachts. Then you cross into the French side — the countryside opens up, the roads get quieter, the views get better, and Grand Case appears below you like something out of a postcard.
The jeep format changes everything. Small group. No 40-person bus trundling down roads it barely fits on. You stop when something is worth stopping for — a viewpoint, a local vendor, a spot that would take 30 seconds to drive past on a regular tour but that your guide has decided you need to actually stand in front of for a moment.
The guides are local. Born and raised. They know which beach bar makes the best rum punch, which hill has the best view of the lagoon, and which stretch of road on the French side turns gold in the afternoon light. They’re not reading from a script — they’re showing you their home.
✅ Both sides of the island · ✅ Small group · ✅ Pickup offered · ✅ Cruise-friendly · ✅ Free cancellation
🔥 Limited spots per departure. Families love this one — it fills up faster than you’d expect on peak season days when every ship in port has 3,000 passengers all looking for the same thing.
That’s four thousand five hundred people who got off a cruise ship, spent a day with Captain Bob’s crew, and came home and immediately opened their laptop to tell everyone they knew about it.
Here’s what your day looks like.
You walk 10 minutes from the cruise terminal to Dock Maarten Marina — follow the palm trees, look for the yellow buildings, ask for Captain Bob. You board a deluxe speedboat and within minutes you’re flying across the Caribbean with the wind in your face and Philipsburg disappearing behind you.
First stop: Tintamarre Island. Uninhabited. Inside the French Nature Reserve. Large groups are forbidden — which means the moment you slip into the water, you’re not surrounded by 200 other tourists. You’re in a protected bay with sea turtles and stingrays moving quietly around you in water so clear you can see the bottom from the boat.
Then Pinel Island for lunch — a real island lunch, not a sad box of crackers. Then Creole Rock for the best coral snorkeling in the Caribbean. Then Mullet Bay for one last swim in water that doesn’t look real. Then Maho Beach — where you float in the shallows with a beer in your hand and watch a 747 come in so low over your head that you feel it in your chest.
And then back to the dock with a free ice cream for the walk back to your ship. Guaranteed on time. Every time.
I could recommend this tour on reputation alone. People come back from this day for 25 years — sunburned, saltwater-happy, already talking about when they’re coming back. It delivers every time.
✅ Lunch included · ✅ Open bar all day · ✅ Snorkel gear + flotation devices · ✅ Guaranteed return to ship · ✅ 10-minute walk from cruise terminal · ✅ Free cancellation
🔥 This is the most booked tour in St Maarten. On busy port days it sells out weeks in advance. Not days. Weeks. If your cruise itinerary includes St Maarten, book Captain Bob the same day you book your flights.
Four hours is enough to do one thing well. Don’t try to see everything.
Our recommendation: pick ONE of these three —
→ Maho Beach (airplane spotting) — take a $10 taxi from the port, spend 2 hours watching jets land literally over your head, grab a drink at Sunset Bar & Grill. Back at the ship in time, no stress.
→ Philipsburg boardwalk — walk 10 minutes from the port, stroll Front Street, grab a Guavaberry rum sample at the distillery, eat at one of the beach bars on Great Bay. Relaxed, free, local.
→ Great Bay Beach — chairs and umbrella are 5 minutes from the pier.
Cleanest option if you just want sand, sea and a cold drink.
This is where it gets interesting. And this is what most cruise guides never tell you.
The French side of St Martin is a completely different island from what you see at the cruise port. No cruise ship crowds, no duty-free shops, no slot machines. Instead: Orient Bay — one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean — and Grand Case, the gastronomic capital of the region.
Getting there: taxi from Philipsburg to Orient Bay costs around $25/person one way. Shared taxis (called “buses”) run for $3-5 but require some local knowledge. Easiest option: book one of our recommended tours that covers both sides — jeep tour, or Captain Bob’s speedboat.
⚠️ Time check: Orient Bay is 25-30 minutes from the port by taxi (sometimes +50 minutes in high season).
💡 Quick reference — transport from Philipsburg cruise port:
I've lived in St Martin for 25 years — and I'm an epicurean at heart, in love with my island. I've been giving out insider tips for almost 15 years.
Let me help you plan your perfect vacation in St Martin / St Maarten!
The best options are a cultural island tour with a local guide, a jeep or ATV tour covering both sides, a speedboat snorkeling trip, or simply heading to Maho Beach to watch the planes land. If your ship departs at 5pm or later, Orient Bay on the French side is worth the taxi ride.
Yes — Philipsburg town center is a 10-minute walk from the port gates. The boardwalk, Front Street, and Great Bay Beach are all within easy walking distance. For beaches beyond Philipsburg like Maho, Orient Bay, or Grand Case, you'll need a taxi or organized tour.
About 25-30 minutes by taxi. The fare is approximately $25/person one way from Philipsburg. Orient Bay is on the French side of the island — no border formalities, no passport needed, just a scenic drive through both sides of the island.
Independently — almost always. Ship excursions typically cost 30 to 50% more than the same tour booked directly through Viator or the operator. The only advantage of ship excursions is the guaranteed return policy — but all the tours we recommend are cruise-friendly and operated by locals who know exactly when to get you back.
US Dollars are accepted everywhere on both sides of the island. On the Dutch side, the official currency is the Netherlands Antillean Guilder. On the French side, it's the Euro. In practice you'll rarely need anything other than USD — just keep small bills for tips and the water taxi ($7 round trip cash only).
Most cruise stops are 6 to 8 hours. With 4 hours, stay Dutch side — Maho Beach, Philipsburg, or a short excursion. With 6 hours or more, you can comfortably visit the French side or do a half-day boat tour with turtles and snorkeling. Always build in 30 minutes buffer before your all-aboard time.
Yes. St Maarten is one of the safer Caribbean islands for independent exploration. Philipsburg is very tourist-friendly, taxis are regulated with fixed rates, and the island is small and easy to navigate. Common sense applies — don't carry valuables on the beach and stay in tourist areas if you're exploring on foot.
Yes — and it's one of the best experiences on the island. Captain Alan's 3-Island half-day snorkeling tour is specifically designed for cruise passengers, with transport from the terminal and a 4-hour duration that fits any cruise stop. Tintamarre Island and Creole Rock are the best spots for turtle sightings.
Keep it with you at all times — you'll need it to reboard the ship. You can cross freely between the Dutch and French sides of the island without showing it at any border. The only exception: if you book the Pinel Island tour or any excursion that involves crossing to Anguilla, your passport is mandatory.
Up to 5 cruise ships can dock simultaneously at Port St Maarten in Philipsburg. On days when multiple ships are in port, Philipsburg gets very busy and popular excursions sell out fast. Check the St Maarten cruise ship schedule before you travel — if your port day is a heavy traffic day, book your excursions well in advance.
→ Vacation Rentals : Start with our own curated selection of villas and rentals — some owners accept direct bookings. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, VRBO and Booking.com have a wide selection.
→ Hotels : Expedia and Booking.com are our go-to for the best rates.
→ Car Rental : Renting a car is essential in St Martin. DiscoverCars searches all local companies for the lowest rates.
→ Tours & Excursions : We book through Viator and GetYourGuide — both offer free cancellation on most tours.
→ Flights : We search Expedia for the best deals to SXM Airport.
→ eSIM : Skip the roaming fees. Airalo works perfectly in St Martin.
