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Cruises to St. Maarten
St. Maarten is a high-reward cruise stop if you pick one mood early: planes, beaches, French-side grazing, reefs, or rainforest.
Upcoming visits
486
Best fare
$80 per night
St. Maarten is a high-reward cruise stop if you pick one mood early: planes, beaches, French-side grazing, reefs, or rainforest.
Find St. Maarten on Google Maps before you plan the port day.
Philipsburg is one of those Caribbean calls where the easy version is genuinely good, but the memorable version requires a little discipline. The port gives you a rare mix: a beach with jets dropping low overhead, a big white-sand scene with clubs and watersports, a boardwalk that folds shopping into Great Bay views, and a French-side market with crepes, spices, and yacht harbor scenery. The trap is trying to turn all of that into one heroic loop.
For a port day, St. Maarten works best when you choose a headline experience and build around it. Aviation nerds should not overthink Maho Beach. Beach-first travelers can choose between the social energy of Orient Beach and the quieter cove feel of Mullet Bay. If you want less sand in the day, Philipsburg and Marigot deliver an easy culture-and-snacks route, while Loterie Farm and Creole Rock are better for travelers who would rather climb, zip, hike, or snorkel than browse duty-free shelves.
Maho Beach is the St. Maarten image people remember: planes coming in low over the sand, the airport right behind the beach, and crowds posted up for the next landing. It is not the island's calmest beach day, and that is the point. Prioritize it if you want a quick-hit spectacle, a loud story, and photos that look nothing like a standard Caribbean stop. If you are sensitive to crowds or noise, treat Maho as a targeted visit rather than the whole day.
Aviation fans, first-timers, and travelers who want one unmistakable St. Maarten memory.
Orient Beach is the obvious pick when you want to commit to sand, water, and a more social beach setup. The long white-sand stretch has beach clubs and watersports, so it suits groups that want options without constantly moving around. It is also nude-optional, with the quieter side giving it a different feel from the busier club areas. For cruise passengers, the smart move is to make Orient the anchor of the day, not a quick add-on after too many other stops.
Watch planes land inches overhead at airport beach. Jet blast fences for thrill. Aviation spectacle.
Nude-optional white sand stretch with watersports and beach clubs. Nude side quieter. Epic beach day.
Duty-free shopping, Front Street bars, and beach. Great Bay cruise views. Dutch charm.
French-side stalls with spices, cheese, and crepes. Yacht harbor views. Euro-Caribbean fusion.
Current sailings visiting this port, sorted by the lowest tracked cabin price per night.
Built 2004
Barcelona · Tangier · Antigua · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · La Romana
Built 2004
Genoa · Florence · Marseille · Barcelona · Tangier · Antigua · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · La Romana
Built 2004
Marseille · Barcelona · Tangier · Antigua · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · La Romana
Built 2002
Rome · Valencia · Cartagena · Málaga · Tangier · St. Maarten · San Juan
Built 2004
Rome · Genoa · Florence · Marseille · Barcelona · Tangier · Antigua · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · La Romana
Built 2022
Barcelona · Fuerteventura · Tenerife · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · St. Vincent · Barbados · Grenada · Martinique · Guadeloupe
Built 2022
Barcelona · Fuerteventura · Tenerife · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · St. Vincent · Barbados · Grenada · Martinique
Built 2022
Rome · La Spezia · Marseille · Barcelona · Fuerteventura · Tenerife · St. Maarten · St. Kitts · St. Vincent · Barbados · Grenada · Martinique
Built 2011
Miami · Half Moon Cay · San Juan · St. Maarten · St. Thomas
Built 2011
Miami · Princess Cays · San Juan · St. Maarten · St. Thomas
Built 2011
Miami · Half Moon Cay · San Juan · St. Maarten · St. Thomas
Built 2011
Miami · Half Moon Cay · San Juan · St. Maarten · St. Thomas
This is the beach for activity and atmosphere, not total seclusion.
The Philipsburg Boardwalk is the low-friction version of St. Maarten: duty-free shopping, Front Street bars, a beach, and views across Great Bay that keep the cruise-day context in frame. It is useful for travelers who do not want to spend the stop chasing transportation or overplanning a route. The boardwalk is not the island's wildest adventure, but it is a solid choice for an easier day with browsing, drinks, and water views close together.
A relaxed day, mixed-interest groups, and anyone who wants beach plus shopping without a complicated itinerary.
Marigot Market gives the day a French-side texture, with stalls for spices, cheese, and crepes set near yacht harbor views. It is a better fit for curious grazers than for shoppers looking only for duty-free bargains. Pair it with one other focused stop if you want variety, but do not treat it as filler; the appeal is in slowing down enough to actually taste and look around. This is the St. Maarten option for people who like their port days with a little street-level detail.
Snack-driven wanderers, market people, and travelers who want the island to feel less like a beach checklist.
Mullet Bay Beach is the smarter call if your beach fantasy is less about beach clubs and more about a cove, surf, and fewer people around you. The golf course views add a different backdrop, and the local surf reputation gives it more personality than a generic sand stop. It is especially appealing if you are choosing between Maho and a quieter place to actually swim and sit. For a cruise day, Mullet Bay is the decompression option.
Travelers who want a beach day with breathing room and a more local-feeling edge.
Loterie Farm is the port-day reset for travelers who are already over beach chairs. The draw is rainforest activity: zipline routes, a rope course, and a waterfall hike, with lunch part of the experience. It works best when everyone in your group actually wants an active day, because this is not a casual stroll dressed up as adventure. If your itinerary already has plenty of sand, Loterie Farm gives St. Maarten a greener, more physical counterpoint.
Active groups, repeat visitors, and anyone who wants the island beyond the shoreline.
Snorkeling at Creole Rock is the cleanest choice if your ideal port day is more reef than retail. The appeal is a short boat trip to clear water, with turtles, fish, and colorful reef life doing the heavy lifting. It is not as instantly iconic as Maho, but it can be the better memory for travelers who want to be in the water instead of looking at it from a bar. Prioritize this when conditions and your schedule support a focused snorkel plan.
Water people, confident snorkelers, and anyone who wants a compact nature-focused excursion.
Secluded cove with surf and golf course views. Fewer crowds. Local surf spot.
Zipline, rope course, and waterfall hike in rainforest. Lunch included. Jungle adventure.
17th-century ruins with Great Bay panorama. Free entry. Historic vantage.
Vibrant reefs with turtles and fish on short boat trip. Clear waters. Quick underwater escape.