julie

My family will be on the Disney cruise (first time) in March; it stops for a day in St. Maarten. We will also stop for most of a day in St. Thomas. My husband and I are scuba divers and have never visited either island. We have dived the Cayman Islands, Hawaii and the Bahamas and would like to dive either St. Maarten or St. Thomas but not both, because we have a child too young to dive. If feasible, we might bring our 7-year-old along to snorkle while we dive (the grandparents will be with us). We want to do a non-dive excursion on the other island. <BR>Does anyone have advice for us as to which island offers better diving/snorkeling, and which offers better land excursions? My fear is that St. Thomas/St. John is better for both, and if that's the case, please tell me whether you think we should even do anything on St. Maarten. The comments I have read about St. Maarten haven't been very good. Thank you for any advice you can give us. <BR> <BR>

Paul Therault

Hi Julie,<BR><BR>I would say no to St Maarten. The best dive sites in the Virgin Islands are on St. Croix. Since you have dived Cayman I do not know where you would find anything near comparable in St. Thomas.<BR><BR>I do not know of any operators in St. Thomas.<BR><BR>You can take the ship tour and I believe there is a shipwreck and the reefs should be fairly nice. I doubt you will see any large animals.<BR><BR>Try going to www.usvitourism.vi and see if anything is listed.<BR><BR>Sorry I can not be more positive.<BR><BR>Paul<BR><BR><BR>

julie

Thanks, Paul. Looks like I'll skip diving St. Maarten...maybe just sail or something. I'll look into diving St. Thomas. Thanks for your help.

Gail

If your family enjoys a day at the beach, St. Martin has some beautiful ones.

Kathy

Anyone know anything about a butterfly farm on St.Maarten?

Paul Therault

Yes Kathy there is a Butterfly Farm and it is really nice. It has music, flowers (of course) and warterfalls.<BR><BR>Butterfly farms are fun for the entire family.<BR><BR>Paul

C

The butterfly farm would be really neat for child -- but I don't recommend going with the cruise excursion, but find out what time they expect to be there. Then go later or earlier if you can. There will be too many people there to really get full enjoyment of the place. You could get a car rental for the day and do your own exploring (it's not a big island and easy to drive the 'loop' around the island). Or have a taxi take you and pick you up later. <BR><BR>Another neat thing to do would be to go to Pic Paradis (forgive the spelling if I got it wrong) -- the highest point on the island. You can drive partway up and hike the rest of the way on the path. It's kind of steep but worth it.<BR><BR>St. Martin has nice beaches, but be aware that some of them are top- or clothing- optional.

Mac

You go to St. John's to enjoy the natural beauty. St. Martin has great beaches, the best cuisine, good shopping and European culture. St. Thomas is known for its shopping, violent crime, racial tension and drugs. None of them is known for diving, but St. John's would be the best. St. Thomas would be second.

Cathy

I have been to both St. Thomas and St. Maarten many times. Mac, I stayed on St. Thomas for 10 days one time and saw none of what you have described. <BR><BR>Julie, I am not a diver...yet! But I have snorked fairly extensively (Caymens, Cozumel, Aruba, Curacao, British and American Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Great Barrier Reef Australia, St. Lucia). Scuba was invented in St. Thomas and there are several dive shops. St. Thomas or St. John will probably be your best bet. I don't know if the reefs are in the same caliber as the Caymens. Paul is correct in that the serious divers go to St. Croix - fantastic walls and after snorkling Buck Island in St. Croix - it was beautiful!<BR><BR>There is a magazine called "This Week in St. Thomas" which is really a monthly magazine. You can get a copy by calling the USVI tourist office. They list many of the dive operators there. They often know secret reefs that the cruises and most tourist don't know about. Coki Beach Dive Club is one operator that comes to mind. It may not be the best reef experience but it may turn out to be a nice dive. Anyway, it is better than not diving at all!

Paul Therault

St. Thomas is safe if you stay on the beaten path. Do not go wandering off by yourself. Same as any unfamiliar city.<BR><BR>The only dangerous time is during the annual Carnival. All the stores close and the police do not go anywhere near the town. During Carnival it is best to stay on the ship.<BR><BR>Paul

John

The same thugs that are there during Carnival are there all year round. Please be careful on St. Thomas. It has some nice resorts and beaches. Know where you are going and go directly there.