We will be on our second cruise in August 2008. Should we pre register for shore excursions. We did not on our last cruise & it was fine. I've heard a lot that the pre registered plans are more expensive & really not necessary for eastern caribbean i.e. st.thomas, st.maarten

Hi Griffin, my suggestion is if it is something that you really would be disappointed by not getting to go, then book it early. There are a lot of excursions that fill up very quickly, then there are others that won't.

I was just on a cruise to those ports and I have to recommend any type of SNUBA excursion. I took one on st Thomas and it was wonderful!!!

Welcome to Cruise-Chat, JP4HIM! Your suggestion on SNUBA excursions is a very good one—especially for those that are looking for something great for the whole family. HERE is a site that answers questions about SNUBA.

Sonny

Regular 'ol scuba diving in St. Maartin is a blast, too! My fiance & I took a scuba diving excursion for inexperienced, non-certified divers in Dec. of '06 and had a FANTASIC time.

We wanted to do something crazy and out of the ordinary (for us), and it was the perfect choice. There was one dive instructor for every 4 people, though we got lucky and had an instructor all to ourselves. Good thing, too -- I ended up being terrified after I got all the gear on and definitely needed one-on-one attention! He was very patient and was by my side every step of the way. We ended up going down about 25 ft. and saw some amazing sights. Never be afraid to try something new when you're in a new place.

A favorite of my wife and I is the "America's Cup" sailing regatta in St. Maarten. It is a great way to spend a few hours. You get to work a genuine America's Cup sailing ship and race against another team. It really is fun.
RA