St. Maarten

The Port of St. Maarten Cruise Facilities comprises of the Dr. A.C. Wathey Pier, the John Craane Cruise Terminal, the Tender Jetty, Capt. Hodge's Wharf and Harbour Point Village. These integrated facilities cater to the demands and needs of the cruise sector.
The ultra-modern cruise facilities at the Port of St. Maarten puts St. Maarten in the ninth place among the top twenty world cruise ports and destinations, according to G.P. Wild International, a management, marketing and economic consultancy practice based in the United Kingdom.

The Port of St. Maarten also ranks number nine of leading ports and destinations in the Caribbean Region.

The island as a cruise destination has grown from 105,000 cruise passengers in 1980 to more than 1,4 million in 2006.

The Port of St. Maarten offers simultaneous accommodation for four cruise vessels alongside the 2100 feet cruise pier. Our facilities include seaside and boulevard promenades along with the John Craane Cruise Terminal offering bus, taxi and water taxi operations, car rentals, banking, tours, telecommunication services and much, much more.

Water taxi's leave the cruise facility and head straight into the duty-free shopping mecca of the Northeastern Caribbean, Philipsburg. Cruise passengers disembark at the Capt. Hodge Wharf from water taxi's and tender boat shuttles.

Harbor Point Village was opened in May 2003 and complements the shopping center of Philipsburg (Front Street). The village features a shopping arcade consisting of 12 shops and 12 market-stalls.

Tender Jetty Facilities

The Tender Jetty facilities cater to home porting, water taxi's and water base tours. The new tender jetty has been described as the largest in the Northeastern Caribbean.

The island of Saint Maarten (Dutch)/Saint Martin (French) is the smallest land mass in the world to be shared by two different nations in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years. A miniscule 37 square miles are jointly owned by France and the Netherlands Antilles. The border is almost imperceptible and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country.

     All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small cafe's and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole, the atmosphere remains very relaxed.

     On the other hand, St. Maarten with its busy cruise port and bustling commercial district, has long been an active center for trade and tourism. More developed and at the same time more informal, it is very Dutch in flavor and still has strong ties with fellow compatriots in the other Netherlands Antilles. Between the two different cultures in St. Martin and St. Maarten, vacationers will be able to find just about every kind of activity they might want for a perfect holiday in the sun.

     Some noticeable differences though: there are casinos on the Dutch side (not allowed in the French) and topless beaches on the French side (not allowed in the Dutch).

The Guavaberry Emporium is the most popular tourist attraction in Philipsburg and well worth a visit. Located in a former governor's home -- not much more than a rough cedar building, actually -- the store sells all manner of products derived from the native guavaberry, notably a tasty folk liqueur blended with rum and cane sugar. (Even today native St. Maarten/St. Martin residents make their own guavaberry liquor at home.) The shop offers visitors samples of the liquor as well as guavaberry coladas (excellent) at a walk-up bar; also offered for sale are barbecue sauces, hot sauce, and even honey blended with guavaberry juice.

Connecting Back Street, Front Street, and the Boardwalk are a series of short side streets, typically jammed with small souvenir shops and a few hidden cafes and restaurants. Many of the shops sell a similar assortment of tropical shirts and nic nac's, but you also can find mom-and-pop shops selling smooth flavored rums and Indian crafts.