The Best Time to Visit St. Maarten on a Cruise
Best Time to Take a Caribbean Cruise
Travelers planning a Caribbean cruise often wonder what is the best time to visit St. Maarten.
The best time to visit the Caribbean on a cruise depends on your priorities. February and March offer some of the driest weather and are popular for major events. December through April is the busiest cruise season, while summer months and especially September often offer lower prices and fewer crowds.
Deciding on the best month for a Caribbean cruise is based on some key choices.
• When do you want to leave? Are you a “snowbird” wanting to visit the region when it gets cold up north, or are you open to a summer visit, too?
• Do you like busy and bustling holidays, or do you prefer more laid-back dates and routes?
• Do you like bigger ships with many amenities, or smaller ones that can reach smaller ports?
• What is your budget?
• What type of weather do you prefer?
Best Months to Visit St. Maarten on a Cruise, and by Extension the Wider Caribbean
St. Maarten is one of the largest cruise ports in the Caribbean, welcoming both larger and smaller ships and over a million of cruise visitors spending a day here every year. For choosing a St. Maarten cruise timeframe, these choices coincide with the wider Caribbean, as they do when choosing the best time for an island resort or boutique hotel.
Quick Guide: Best Time for a St. Maarten Cruise:
| Travel goal | Best months |
|---|---|
| Best weather | February and March |
| Busiest cruise season | December through April |
| Best events | February and March |
| Fewer crowds | Summer months |
| Lower cruise prices | September and other summer months |
| Best balance between weather and crowds | October, November, May, and June |
Caribbean Cruise Considerations Month by Month – A St. Maarten Example
As one of the most popular cruise ports of the region, let us use St. Maarten as an illustration of Caribbean cruise considerations per month:
• Most cruise ships arrive on the island in winter (October through April). Depending on your date of arrival in the cruise calendar, the port and island are bustling. December through April is also St. Maarten’s event season and is the busiest timeframe. Especially February and March, home to the Caribbean Multihull Regatta, French Side Carnival, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and the SXM Festival, are busy.
• If you want to stay outside the high season but still visit when the weather is better compared to much of northern America, consider October, November, May, or June.
• Both small and large ships visit St. Maarten throughout the year. Small ships also do homeporting from the island, often combined with some days to explore the base of departure. For homeporting cruise trips and most smaller ships, you need to be on the island in the high season.
• Like the rest of the Caribbean, August through November are the wettest months, averaging 100 to 150 mm of rainfall, though rain mostly does not persist too long. If you really want a dry trip, February and March are your best bets, with only 45 to 50 mm of precipitation.
• If crowds are not your thing, consider the summer months. Most cruise ships depart from Europe or other moderate climates from April to October, right in time to return to the Caribbean to receive snowbirds. In the meantime, cruise ships still visit the island during a far quieter period. And that has its benefits, as all shore excursions, bars, and shops remain open as normal.
• This also helps with pricing. The summer months and especially September can have considerably lower prices than high season. If you are going for a bargain, consider local deal websites like Visit VIP Pass and StMaartenAuction.com.
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