Good morning,
Today we had a short walk into the dockside area of St. Maarten.
I turned around and got a great shot of the back of
Freedom of the Seas.
It's only a few steps into the shopping area at the port.
I also turned around and took a shot of the entrance to the dock to return to the ship. It's easy to come and go through security if you have your Seapass card (ship issued identification) and a photo identification to return to the ship. Don't leave the ship without it!
There are plenty of stores and shops, but most carry typical tourist items.
This is the ramp over to water taxis that will take you into the older part of town.
To the right center is a Welcome to St. Maarten arch that is a popular photo op spot.
The areas of stops in the more permanent buildings are some of the standards found in most of the island shopping areas.
The first one on the left is Boolchand's, known for cameras and jewelry. There are also many smaller shops and stalls with all the usual t-shirts and other tourist valuables. ;)
I was out there a little early before many of the stores and shops opened so I headed back to the ship for awhile.
Some folks had stopped to enjoy the view.
...and others were just on their way into the shopping area or on to the water taxis to go into the old town.
More views of the ports to come.
Enjoy!
Lois
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Looks like Culebra Island to me, only Culebra is so small and not as neat. :)
ReplyDeleteEvery time you show the interier of Freedom of the Seas it's simply amazing, but then seeing just the rear of this ship gives some indication of just how HUGE it is. It would be such fun to be on the ocean and see it go by in all its glories hugeness. St Maarten looked lovely from the intro shots, Lois. Have you shopped yourselves out from previous trips?
ReplyDeleteSt. Maarten is on my "bucket list" to visit one day. Looks so pretty with its lovely colors all around.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't every place a cruise ship docks have shops like those, with "specials" just for the cruise visitors? They must do a good business, but I was not enthused about their offerings. I'd much rather head to the old town section and see the local color.
ReplyDeleteGood morning,
ReplyDeleteYes, there are shops at most of the ports now and they have certainly grown and changed through the years. The shops at St. Maarten are replicas of the ones downtown, only in a more modern mall setting. The charm of old downtown is missing out at the port shops, but all the "stuff" is there to buy. There are plenty of brand name cameras and lots of jewelry as well as all the t-shirts and tourist items. Yes, Elaine, there are "specials" advertised daily for cruise ship visitors. Yes, Beatrice, I think I was shopped out about 25 years ago. ;)
I am having problems with my Sunday (only day of the week I can get to a land based tower) Verizon cell tower connection in Port Canaveral lately and it is quite difficult to get your pages to load. It drives me crazy because I can see the titles of your posts, but the system times out before your pages will open/load. There is nothing wrong with your pages, it is simply an overload of the bandwidth here. I will keep trying.
Thank you so much, everyone, for stopping by.
Very best,
Lois
Now...that's what I call a big Rear End!! lol Enjoyed the shops, it looks pretty clean! nice and tidy! ...debbie
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