Has anyone been on cruise ship shore excursions on St. Maarten. If so, are there ones you recommend or don't recommend?

you might be better off posing this question on cruise critic message board, st. maarten port.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

It is a very civilized island - some like the Lotterie farm with the zip line - I find the 4x4's and jeeps to be a bit of a joke during rush hour as well as the ATV's which clog the roads but the beaches are great and the island tour is not bad either - leave some time for wandering Phillipsburg. The market in Marigot is especially interesting on Saturday and Wednesday. Oh yes and there is the Butterfly Farm too. I did not find any of the cruise excursions very interesting - rented a car and did the day on my own - but have been there a lot on island. Hope you have fun - love the place

i would recomend not choosing a shore ex. with the ship. they tend to be very big, and crowded! i have had lots of luck going through www.shortrips.com they are small groups and very well priced. have fun, and good luck finding something.

We stayed in St. Maaten twice and must admit there is little to do. Folks talk about the shopping but trust me other than some linen at maybe 25% off there are few bargains. The butter fly farm is only worth visiting if you are near there. We went through it in 20 minutes and found it o.k. but not a special destination. On the french side there are several very nice quaint places for lunch (La vie en Rose, for one) and several art galleries but that is about it.

One of the most popular excursions is the 12 metre yacht Challenge.
It's a lot of fun,and you don't have to know a thing about sailing.

http://www.12metre.com/

Actually I did forget, the Yacht Callenge trip was pretty enjoyable if it is not too hot. The only suggestion is I would board early so you can get cover from the sun in the early going and then pick the time you want to be in the sun. Enjoy.

Our ship was there from 8-6 as I recall. We rented a car and spent part of the day exploring, saw the whole island, and even after turning in the car had time for some bauble shopping in Philipsburg before returning to the ship. Easy to drive there.

YOu don't say what you like to do.
We are beach people and when we've made a cruise stop at St. Maarten, we just get a taxi to Orient Beach and spend a wonderful day there.