St Martin experiencing chaos

[SomeOtherGuy]

What the tourist bureau never wants to get out is that Sint Maarten is an extremely violent island. Only living there do you get the full extent of the daily violence.

Well that's interesting. I was there once c. 2006 and didn't see too much. Felt like a laid-back Caribbean island for the most part (I've been to several). Restaurant service was slow and poor, but... Caribbean. ("Soon come" or whatever that would be in French and Dutch.) Shame because it's a cool island and otherwise was on my go-back-to list.

[6933]

Well that's interesting. I was there once c. 2006 and didn't see too much. Felt like a laid-back Caribbean island for the most part (I've been to several). Restaurant service was slow and poor, but... Caribbean. ("Soon come" or whatever that would be in French and Dutch.) Shame because it's a cool island and otherwise was on my go-back-to list.

Being a tourist and living there gives you two very different perspectives. What the tourists "hear" and what the islanders "know" is not the same.

We could have stayed on Sint Maarten permenently but were ready to leave.

[WillBrink]

Well that's interesting. I was there once c. 2006 and didn't see too much. Felt like a laid-back Caribbean island for the most part (I've been to several). Restaurant service was slow and poor, but... Caribbean. ("Soon come" or whatever that would be in French and Dutch.) Shame because it's a cool island and otherwise was on my go-back-to list.

Just like people who visit NYC and find it a fun dynamic cool place cuz they see the best of it. Until you live there a time, impossible to have a legit feel for it.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

Have to agree. I thought I was one of those people, for "obvious" reasons who would hate being on a cruise, and went in protest with GF. I had a great time and did three more, and bang (no pun intended...) for the $, hard to beat. I also love being on the ocean coming from a long line of sailors, and that added some win too. People who gain all sort of weight on cruises are full of chit with excuses too, I had no problem eating well and good food, hit the gym, took long walk on the deck, swam, walked a ton off the ship, etc and partied a plenty. Didn't gain 1lb, may even have lost a few.

I have never done a cruise but have always told myself that I will one day just to check it off the list. But I have to be honest, the idea of being stuck on a boat with 3-5k retarded tourist doesn't seem appealing. When I travel I tend to look for off the path or at least smaller places to go. I have no real interest in the party scene anymore and don't love large crowds. I would also rather see fewer places but at least in my opinion be able to experience the ones I do see and that requires more than a day long cruise excursion. I was just speaking with someone the other day and the conversation moved into travel. I mentioned Belize and how much I have enjoyed traveling there, they said they had been too. Then I found out they were only there for partial day excursion on a cruise. While no doubt fun, they didn't really see much of Belize. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I want.

[WillBrink]

I have never done a cruise but have always told myself that I will one day just to check it off the list. But I have to be honest, the idea of being stuck on a boat with 3-5k retarded tourist doesn't seem appealing. When I travel I tend to look for off the path or at least smaller places to go. I have no real interest in the party scene anymore and don't love large crowds. I would also rather see fewer places but at least in my opinion be able to experience the ones I do see and that requires more than a day long cruise excursion. I was just speaking with someone the other day and the conversation moved into travel. I mentioned Belize and how much I have enjoyed traveling there, they said they had been too. Then I found out they were only there for partial day excursion on a cruise. While no doubt fun, they didn't really see much of Belize. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I want.

It's like going to a buffet vs sit down dinner. You get a taste of various things in a very condensed time. I also went to Belize, and we went way up the river and spent the day seeing mayan ruins, and back to the ship. From what I saw of Belize "city" and what I know from others who live there, etc, I saw just about all I wanted to of that place. We also went to Mexico, and that too was a nice day, but could have stayed longer to see more, etc. If I wanted to spend an extended time really seeing a place (such as my regular trips to Panama) I'd fly in and stay longer. Just another tool in the tool box of vacation styles but I enjoyed the cruises more than I expected, and like anything (choosing hotels etc) ship and company you pick does matter and may emphasized what you like and minimize what you don't. Do some research on that one.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

It's like going to a buffet vs sit down dinner. You get a taste of various things in a very condensed time. I also went to Belize, and we went way up the river and spent the day seeing mayan ruins, and back to the ship. From what I saw of Belize "city" and what I know from others who live there, etc, I saw just about all I wanted to of that place. We also went to Mexico, and that too was a nice day, but could have stayed longer to see more, etc. If I wanted to spend an extended time really seeing a place (such as my regular trips to Panama) I'd fly in and stay longer. Just another tool in the tool box of vacation styles but I enjoyed the cruises more than I expected, and like anything (choosing hotels etc) ship and company you pick does matter and may emphasized what you like and minimize what you don't. Do some research on that one.

Spot on with Belize city, it's a dump. Fly in and leave asap whether that is driving or catching a puddle jumper. The puddle jumpers down to the Placencia area an experience in an of itself.

[ABNAK]

Yeap

My vacations have been limited to western US hunting/fishing trips and I am perfectly fine with it.

I refuse to go to New York, Chicago, California, or any other leftist shithole.

I would never go on a cruise with 5000 other retards on some ship.

It even gets dicey on some of my outdoor trips because you never know what type of freak trespasser you will run into.

"You gots purty teeth boy!"

[scottryan]

You are really missing out. Yosemite? Northern California? Vineyards? Death Valley? The Met? The Bean? Hundreds of chicks partying their ass off until the wee hours of the night with a room right below decks? Cruises are a really efficient and cheap way of seeing and doing a lot of things in the Caribbean, but I can see the port from my office. Even still, if you wait for a deal and go on Norwegian/RC and not Carnival you'll be away from a lot of the 25 year old bartender crowd (if thats not really your scene) you'll get to go places for way less prices than you could go otherwise. Tortola is a shithole, but the baths were amazing. I would never fly to BVI and take a boat to the baths. It isn't worth it. But as an excursion on a cruise ship? Sign me up, and then lets wreck dive on the way back to the boat.

Don't sell yourself short man. You only get one life and avoiding beautiful and/or historic places just because >51% of the population's politics don't align with yours is like giving up on breathing because someone else farted.

I can go to my own ranch in Wyoming, have an AR-15 with me the entire time, and do whatever I want. Yosemite? National Parks are for retarded city dwellers who know nothing about the outdoors.

What exactly do I need to "see" in the Caribbean? African 3rd world squalor? I went to the Bahamas one time and that was enough.

I'd rather take the week off and sleep all week at home, than go on a cruise.

[WillBrink]

Spot on with Belize city, it's a dump. Fly in and leave asap whether that is driving or catching a puddle jumper. The puddle jumpers down to the Placencia area an experience in an of itself.

And there you have it, other than the Myan stuff, my interest in that place is at zero, so perfect for the cruise ship thing. Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, etc are places worth spending days, etc in. Other places, one long day more than sufficient.

[WillBrink]

I can go to my own ranch in Wyoming, have an AR-15 with me the entire time, and do whatever I want.

Was my invite lost in the mail ya bastad?