Going on Princess Cruise in April with family of two children ages 8 and 2. Would love some suggestions on side excursions (to be book seperate from cruise line) on St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Actually, do you recommend booking seperate or going through the ship? Thanks!!

We don't care for the ship's shore excursions--I just don't so well being part of a herd. And they always seem to spend too much time at places with gift shops and not enough time at the sites I find interesting.

In St. Thomas, I would recommend taking a cab to Coral World--I think the kids might enjoy seeing all the fish, and the touch tanks are fun. Coki Beach is right next door.

St Maarten is ideal place to rent a car and explore on your own. The island is small, the roads are good, and the traffic is overall pretty light (can be a bit crowded in the towns but not bad). There are car rental vendors right at the docks but they are more expensive. We used Dollar, they picked us up, drove us to their office (near the airport but not far) and we picked up our car. We were able to see the whole island, have a nice stop for a drink and snack, return the car, and even get a touch of shopping downtown Philipsburg. Dollar also returns you to the dock, or if you want, like we did, will just drop you off downtown Philipsburg. The cost of the car ( a tiny little SUV but more than adequate) was $25 (US) plus the $10 I spend on gas that I used. Cheap for sure. I opted out of extra insurance since my CC covers me 100% - if you want to buy insurance the cost of car will be more. Note that driving on St Maarten and St Martin is on left just as in USA so no issues there.

I find that many of the ship excursions are highly over-priced. You will be on English speaking islands, do it on your own. Negotiate with the cab drivers.

"Note that driving on St Maarten and St Martin is on left just as in USA so no issues there."

??? I drive on the right.

Kids will get antsy with even a 2-3 hour excursion (as I'm sure you know) so comitting to a ship excursion could trap you when you want to stay or go as you please.

I'd do some research at home - tell a cab driver the 2 or 3 things you want to see and then spend the rest of the day on a beach or pool on the ship.

Save the big tours when you are cruising without your children.
Have Fun

OK OK so I was asleep at the wheel .... yes the driving is on the right just as in USA...now sometimes I drive on left after a long day of Fodoring.....

In St Martin rent the car - without the traffic it takes about an hour to drive around the island you get to see several beaches - the kids would like the butterfly farm on the way to Orient Beach- there is also a small tower on that road which they would enjoy climbing and when the tide is low there you can wade out to the little island - keep your shoes on and be careful there are lots of sea urchins you would want to avoid lurking in the water but if you are careful it is not a problem - at some point in the day there is a complete path that is above the water. The beach at Grand Case is very quiet and not nearly as crowded as Orient - which is a bit of a Circus and you may have to explain the topless ladies to your little ones.

In St Thomas you have a couple of options - the dock is not right downtown and they do drive on the other side of the road there so that complicates the car idea. . It took us several trips before we started renting a car so you may want to give the car there some thought and it is more expensive than St Martin. The kids would enjoy Coral World - lots of marine life to see and things to touch. There is an underwater tank with demonstrations and kid friendly exhibits.It is a goodly distance from the dock but you can make arrangements with a cabbie to come back and pick you up - their cabs seem pretty worn but the drivers are okay - never had a problem and we have been staying on the island for years. There is good snorkeling and beach area at Sapphire Beach and it is not as crowded as some of the others - it is not far from Coral World. There is a restaurant there in case you get hungry and bathrom facilities. There is snorkeling at Coral World too but again crowded.

I am trying to remember if the rates are fixed on both islands for cabs - can' t remeber right now but I believe it is on one if not both of them . I guess we have been renting cars too long!. St Martin is our favorite of all the islands and we always go to the Butterfly Farm - not big but the kids we see there love all of the butterflies fluttering around their heads and the owners are really nice. Have a great time!