Took an independent Bernard's Tour Island and Beach Tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the day. Got to see several beaches and swim/sunbathe. This included the one where airplanes take off and land right over your head. They took us to a typical family home and got to see the iguanas they raise to supplement their tourism income. We had an opportunity to shop on both the French and Dutch sides of the island. They freely offered drinks including rum punch and beer, as well as made frequent rest stops and opportunities to take photos of the wonderful scenery.

The traffic was really bad going back to port near Phillipsburg as the roads and infrastructure was being updated. If you are touring on your own, be sure to build in extra time if going to Orient Beach by taxi.

St. Maarten

The Butterfly Farm is way overpriced. Would have felt we were ripped off if there had not been a bird show included in the price. The facility is nice but pretty small compared to other butterfly facilities we have seen in the US. Families with small children seemed to enjoy the experience the most as it was a short walk from the ship and the butterflies would land on your hand for good photo opportunities. You had to pay to have photos with the exotic birds. Rate this excursion 4.


We also took the St. John's Beach Break with Snorkeling at Trunk Bay. This was a super value. The water taxi picked you up right outside the ship on the pier and returned you there after the excursion. A van met you once on St. John and took you back and forth from Trunk Bay. 

This cut off at least an hour to an hour and a half travel time from doing this excursion yourself which involved taking a taxi in St. Thomas to the other side of the island, taking the water taxi from there, finding a taxi in St. Johns and then returning the same way. The difference in price was maybe $10-15 more with the ship's excursion but so much easier and less nerve wracking worrying about missing your water taxi which goes maybe once a hour.

Trunk Bay itself was breathtaking beautiful. Just like a postcard. The aqua blue water was warm with gentle waves along the horseshoe beach with an island in the middle. There is an underwater snorkel trail where park personnel would help beginners with lessons and a rubber raft if you got tired. This service was included as part of the equipment rental which was included in our fee. 

The island is 3/4 national park with lush rain forest greenery and beautiful flora. We had about two hours at the beach and will definitely return again. There was maybe 50 people total using the beach that afternoon. You could walk over to the other side of the bay and feel totally alone. There were mangrove trees growing right up to the beach to offer shade. We will do this again when we travel to St. Thomas. Rate this excursion 5 plus.

We ended the cruise on Sunday and got another one-way car rental for our overnight stay in Orlando at the Hampton Inn Florida Mall and flight back the next day.We ended a long day with cocktails at one of the numerous lounges while catching parts of the World Series in the sports lounge on the 3rd level which became our routine throughout the cruise.

Freedom of the Seas Review

Lots of Fun and a taste of Old Florida

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