Cruising to St. Martin, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico
 

we are planning a cruise to St. Martin, St. thomas and Puerto Rico. Does anyone have suggestions on what to do in Puerto Rico, we will be there at night, how safe is it?

any good shopping tips for jewerly in St. thomas and st. martin?

thanks

You may get more help if you post this on the Carribean or Cruises boards, rather than the US board.

Does your cruise offer a biolumenescence (I know that's probably the wrong spelling - sorry,)night Kayak excursion? That looks fascinating to me.

St. Thomas: we took a taxi to the Redhook Ferry dock and then took the ferry to St. John. We took a taxi to Trunk Bay and had a wonderful, glorious day snorkeling and enjoying that absolutely gorgeous beach. It was idyllic that we strongly considered abandoning our cruise ship and becoming self-imposed castaways. :-)

We took an insulated cooler bag along and got sandwiches, cookies, etc. on the ship to take to the beach with us. It saved money and we didn't have to hassle with finding something to eat.

cruisecritic.com gives good information on various ports of call.

Have a wonderful time.

If you love to sail, in St Thomas catch Captain Max, a lady captain with a gorgeous sailboat. She will take you to the nicest spots for snorkeling around St John, give you a nice lunch and beverages, plus provide top notch snorkel gear. Whenever we take our yearly Celebrity cruise, if we stop in STT, we book with her and have never been disappointed. For shopping in STT, Captain Max sent me to the jeweler she and her local friends use--Vinni and Imperial jewelers. I bought a diamond and platinum ring mounting and it was appraised at twice what I paid for it back in the USA. Plus, if you buy jewelry in STT, you are allowed a higher exemption than in many other ports. For St Maartin, forget the shopping and go to Orient Beach--half nude, half clothed!!

I answered your post on the Caribbean forum, but just in case you miss it there.....

I can highly recommend AMA Jewelers on Front Street in St. Maarten. I've been using them for years. Also, they have recently renovated the Front Street area and have a lovely boardwalk on Great Bay....lots of shops, bars, eateries, etc.

As for San Juan, I would recommend spending your time in Old San Juan. Shop, dine, people watch, see the sites, etc. It is perfectly safe as long as you aren't walking around very late at night.