If you have not yet had a chance to visit the gorgeous island of St. Maarten (aka St. Martin) on a cruise, we highly recommend that you include this Caribbean gem in your next booking. What makes this island unique is that it is home to two separate countries, with diverse cultures, languages, currencies, food, and people. The Dutch side of the Island is called St. Maarten, with its capital of Philipsburg, and the French side is known as St. Martin, with its capital of Marigot.
Cruise ships dock on the Dutch side and generally provide their passengers with a full day to see what the island has to offer. We recommend taking a private taxi, to enable traversing the 37-square-mile island at leisure–stopping where, when and with whom you choose. Private taxis can be easily booked right at the cruise ship port taxi stand. Please note that full-day private taxi service can cost between $200 and $300 a day, and these drivers do not accept credit cards, so visitors should have plenty of U.S. dollars on hand.
One of the very first things you may notice when exploring the Dutch side of the Island, shortly after exiting the port, is the number of casinos and bordellos peppering the roadside. Marijuana is openly available, too. Whether those elements are attractive or repulsive, they reflect the Dutch culture made famous in Amsterdam.
On the French side, visitors can find nude beaches, French pastry shops, and the sultry architecture found in Marigot the capital city. Also, those who enjoy shopping at upscale French boutiques like Chanel and Louis Vuitton will not be disappointed with the shopping on St. Martin’s Rue du Général de Gaulle and Rue de la Liberté, which are lined with boutiques, French grocery markets, and wine shops selling high-end champagne, foie gras, and caviar.
Hiring a Cruise Ship Injury Lawyer for Your Cruise Ship Accident Claims
The island is truly beautiful, one of my favorites, and not to be missed. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, MSC, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and Viking Ocean all frequently include St. Maarten on their Caribbean itineraries, bringing thousands of passengers from around the world each week to this sleepy port. Most of those passengers don’t realize that if they are injured on board their cruises to and from St. Maarten, while exiting the ship on a steep and wet gangway, or on an excursion, the cruise line may be legally responsible for their injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, transportation reimbursements, as well as the loss of the enjoyment of their cruise.
Claims against these major cruise lines are not made and filed in St. Maarten or St. Martin, but in the United States Federal Court–for the most part in Miami or Fort Lauderdale Florida, even when the passenger and the ship never visited either US port. This is because the cruise lines have craftily buried language deep inside the passenger ticket contract that requires that all claims against them be litigated in the United States, within one year of the date of the incident.
If you have been hurt on your cruise, it is very important that you consult with an experienced cruise ship passenger injury lawyer as soon as possible. Simply because you were injured, the cruise line will not necessarily pay you anything voluntarily. Rather, these types of cases require proof and evidence as well as the expertise of an experienced maritime injury attorney who knows and understands the complex nature of Federal maritime tort cases.
Our cruise ship accident law firm in Miami has over 30 years of combined legal experience helping people like you who have been seriously injured on a cruise ship hold the cruise lines accountable. Call us today, toll-free at 1-866-597-4529, locally at 305-441-0440, or reach us by email or SKYPE, to speak with a maritime personal injury lawyer about your potential claim. We are ready to help you.
