Hello out there! I'm going on a cruise for the first time next week with a friend. We are flying to San Juan and cruising from there to St Thomas, St Maarten, and St Croix for 4 nights 5 days. Is there any one thing I must do or see while there?

JEN: ON ST THOMAS THERE IS A GONDOLA RIDE UP TO THE TOP OF A HIGH HILL, ABOUT 750 FT UP. IT OVERLOOKS THE BAY WHERE ALL THE SHIPS DOC. ITS ONLY ABOUT 12-15 PP FOR A JITNEY RIGHT UP AND BACK AND THE GONDOLA UP THE MOUNTAIN. BE SURE TO SEE THE FORT AND EAT LUNCH AT A REST WITH STELL DRUMS <BR> ST.MAARTEN IS ACTUALLY TWO COUNTRIES ON ONE ISLAND. TRY TO GO TO BOTH TOWNS. BOTH HAVE A DIFFERENT CULTURE AND ARCHETECTURE. <BR> YOU STILL HAVE TIME RUN OVER TO YOUR LIBRARY AND GET FODORS OR FROMMS BOOKS ON ISLAND TRAVEL. VERY INFORMATIVE. YOU CAN EVEN TAKE THE BOOKS WITH YOU. <BR>

Jennifer - have a great time (it's hard not to have a great time on a cruise)! At St. Maarten we took the catamaran tour (I think it was called the "Eagle") and had a blast - it went out to an island where we had an hour to snorkle off the boat - the water was so clear and beautiful all around the island - the best we had seen. The trip gave us plenty of time to walk around the shopping area of the town before getting back on the ship, too. But save your big $$ to shop in St. Thomas -USVI territory gives you the best value for your American (?) dollar, plus with purchases on a USVI you get additional value for your money (check out the US Customs website for specifics on what needs to be declared depending on where you purchase it. If either of you golf, Mahogany Bay on St. Thomas is a beautiful course - but will take up most of the day there to do 18 holes. Have a great time.

In St. Maartin one of the most gorgeous (clean) beaches you can spend a day at would be Orient Beach. It is a clothing optional beach which puts many Americans off, but we only saw 2 nude people while we were there and they were so natural and casual that we had to "look" to notice. &lt;LOL&gt; <BR> <BR>St. Thomas (St. John) has some of the most gorgeous snorkeling spots. You'll have a great time no matter what y

Hi Jennifer: What a great itinerary for your first cruise. We have never been to St. Croix but have been Twice to SanJuan,St.Thomas and ST.Maarten,Oct/93 and Apr/99.Magens Beach is very beautiful and easy to get to by taxi. The downtown is lovely also but shopping is shopping and not the main reason we travel the Caribbean. We took an afternoon excursion to St John and really enjoyed it. We travelled by taxi across part of St. Thomas to the ferry .The first time we went to St Maarten we rented a car, this was great! We went to Marigot, Bay Long, Cupocouy Beach, Guana Bay ect we had a great day. In April we took a taxi to Orient Bay for a day at the beach. It is a very busy beach and you will see all there! There are alot of watersports available and alot of places to eat but they are costly. We found a nice spot in Philipsburg, the Holland Beach Hotel patio bar,its lovely. San Juan is a great old city, both forts in Old San Juan are worth visiting. Just walking those narrow streets you become overwhelmed with the history of such an old city. Walk along the stone walls for a beautiful view. The Old San Juan Wyndham Hotel has a casino and a nice outdoor patio that overlooks the dock area it is lovely at night and only steps from the ship. E-mail directly if you want more info [email protected] Karen