One Day St. Maarten Cruise Visit Itinerary “Philipsburg When It Rains”
The Caribbean is known for its amazing weather year round. But an occasional shower can occur even in beach paradises – ironically, you run the most chance of such when most people visit the islands, in winter.
So you’ve reached your Caribbean port of call closest to a beach, and clouds are packing? Do not worry – there is a lot to do during your St. Maarten cruise visit besides soaking up the sun in this Caribbean getaway.
For starters, the Dutch side St. Maarten capital is known for its shopping opportunities and museums to keep you busy for a day. In addition, various amazing restaurants are at your disposal.
If the rainy clouds do not deter you from going all over island, see a general list of ideas what to do on island when it rains or a list of great St. Maarten restaurants. Below, a small day plan is suggested for cruise visitors that want to remain close to Philipsburg for the day – and dry.
Morning – Philipsburg Breakfast
If you see a moment in between showers, walk five to ten minutes from the ship to Chesterfields for a sumptuous breakfast as of 7.30am. This location has a great view over the Philipsburg marina and the Dock Maarten megayacht marina.
Right behind Chesterfields, you find the Rusty Parrot, that is mostly to your availability at 10am. Learn about pirates during its multimedia pirate exhibition.
From here, it is only another five minutes to two museums. Start with a short strawl through the St. Maarten Heritage Museum, in one of the first alleys right off the boardwalk.
Leave the museum on the other end of the alley. Sun or no sun, the Yoda Guy Star Wars Exhibition around its corner is fun regardless. Remember the Mos Eisley Cantina from the Star Wars movies? Take a step back and look at the front of this building. Original Star Wars items traveled all the way to this museum together with their designer Nick Maley. Also other objects from the over 60 movies he worked on are on display – and sometimes for sale, too.
After three immersions in history, you must feel hungry. Holland House Beach Hotel’s Ocean Lounge is only two minutes away from the Yoda Guy museum. It has a large covered terrace to withstand any challenges by the weather.
By now, you’ve seen the many shops alongside main street Front Street. From high end jewelry shopping to consumer technology shops like Boolchands serving cruise visitors (and crews!) for decades, there is a lot to explore in this street – and they are all close to each other. See our detailed jewelry shopping itinerary as guide for in-depth exploration.
3 to 5pm – Boardwalk Barhop
The many beach chairs alongside Philipsburg Boardwalk might not be the best of pastime ideas today – but that does not mean the many bars along the boardwalk are not open! All have covered spaces should the weather still remain to be humid.
Whatever barstool you chose, you only need 20 minutes to strawl back to the ship, or possibly better a five minutes, rain-proof taxi ride from the beginning of the boardwalk.
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