Phillipsburg, St. Maarten


Bigger ships have already docked! We have to 'tender' in


We drop several lifeboats to work as "tenders"





Boarding the tender


Heading to shore


The ocean looks calm but 2-3 ft waves make for a bumpy ride in a small boat



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The Boardwalk is crowded with so many big ships, each with 3,000 or more passengers
9

Lizzy's has everything


The Courthouse





Front Street


Front Street


The cruise lines feed you well


Old Street








The Boardwalk


Big island, little island


The little island








One of the big ships is leaving








Good-bye St. Maarten
The was no sailaway party since we were anchored so far out

Phillipsburgh, Dutch St. Maarten - Cruise #4 (Dec 2012)

The beautiful island of St.Maarten / St. Martin


The pilot arrives


With the pilot on board, we head into Phillipsburg, St. Maarten


Ship traffic is heavy in Phillipsburg


Two large cruise ships are already in port


Two more cruise ships follow us into port





NCL's 6,000 passenger Epic is docked on our port side


Breakfast at the Lido affords a great view of the two ships behind us


The larger ship begins turning around


The smaller ship, Royal Carribean's Vision of the Seas, docks right behind us


The larger ship is Royal Carribean's Adventure of the Seas. It backs into port next to the Epic


Royal Carribean's 6,000 passenger Adventure of the Seas


Phillipsburg, St. Maarten


All these ships are in port
Left to right, the Majestic, Serenity, Adventure of the Seas and the Epic





The Island definitely looks like a paradise


Construction continues along the coast


A panaoramic view


Small boat harbors are abundant around the island





Touring the island

Marigot, French St. Martin - Cruise #4 (Dec 2012)

Crossing the border from the Dutch side to the French side of the Island


Marigot, St. Martin


Outdoor market


Joan couldn't resist buying one of the cool T-shirts


I regret NOT buying this T-shirt for myself


Marigot, the capital of French St. Martin


The Mall in Marigot on the French side, St. Martin


Inside the Mall


St. Martin's is known for vibrant, family-popular beaches as well as many secluded clothing optional ones


There are some pretty fancy yachts docked in Marigot





A closer look at one of my favorite yachts


So I'm thinking 007 owns this yacht


An old merchant ship beached during a hurricane


The island has many beautiful sites


This monument stands at the center of a round-a-bout


A 100 year old house











Back in Phillipsburg, it's time for a late lunch


A Guiness, conch fritters and potato skins. The food was great!


Time to go shopping in Phillipsburgh


Old Street, Phillipsburgh








A group of musicians make a last ditch effort to make money from passengers returning to their ship


Back at the Serenity


The crew was working while we were in port


The Celebrity Reflection and RC's Vision of the Seas


The Epic and Adventure of the Seas as we prepare to leave port


St. Maarten/Martin on the horizon