St Maarten General Tour

Description

St. Maarten/St. Martin General Tour:

2-2.5 hours

Tour meets at the Dr. A. C. Wathy Cruise and Cargo Facility and deliver a Historical Tour with time for shopping and beach. This tour begins at Point Blanch town with a comprehensive account of present day statistics and travels through Palm Field and Great Salt Pond where relevant historical information will be given then continues to Fort William, Fort Amsterdam, Phillipsburg, Fan Sanbay. the Dutch Quarter, the Monument of the Partition Treaty, and the Line of Demarcation separating these two nations that still share this gorgeous, well managed and governed, liberal Caribbean island. While in the French side in Marigot, you will tour the French Quarter, Grand Case, Simpson Bay, view glorious Pic Paradise and enjoy the included time to shop until you drop. Traveling back to the Dutch side shopping district (walking distance from the cruise ship port) or going to the beach, you will hear the recital of history at all the stops including Grand Cafe, Orient Beach, and Lookout Point. This volcanic island has some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world so bring your camera to make the memory last forever and sharable.

Morning Tour
9:00 A.M. (on this tour schedule you can swim (optional) from 11:30-1:30 +/- have lunch and be back to your ship or locale by 2:00 – 2:30 P.M.)

Afternoon Tour
12:00 P.M. (on this tour schedule you can swim (optional) from 2:30 +/- have a late swim until 3:30 and be back to your ship or locale by 4:00 P.M.

Adults- $75.00

Child – $55.0

St. Maarten/St. Martin Timeline

800 B.C.- 1300 A.D.: African (“Indian”) tribes

1493: Columbus names St. Lucia “Isla de San Martin”

1513-1520: Spanish settlement

1624: French settlement on St. Martin 100 years after settling in America.

1631: Dutch settlement Solt in Groot Baai

1633: Spanish navy captures St. Maarten builds a fort but was subsequently ceded back to French and Dutch settlers after and due to the West Phila Agreement.

1648: French and Dutch settlements- French settles St. Barths.

• 1651 St. Barths sold to French Knights of Malta by french Crown.

1679-89: French sole settlement

1689-1792: Dutch zone re-established under Dutch West India Co.

1690-1699: French ?

1690-99: English?

1699-1702: French

1703-1717: Dutch

• During the French and British Wars the french inhabited St. Martin off and on.
• 1762 France gives Louisiana to Spain through the Treaty of Fontainebleau
• 1763 at this period, the end of the Seven Years War Great Britain removes France from America.
• 1773: France is assisting Americans in fighting against Great Britain for their independence.

1776-1777: French contributions of manpower (Marquis de La Fayette), gunpowder, and other ammunitions helped George Washington survive the severe British attacks in America.

• 1784 the the island of St. Barths was handed over to Sweden as they were increasing in power in exchange for warehousing in Sweden and trade routes St. Barths became a freeport.

1793-94: Dutch

1795-1801: French

1798-1800: French American War (France was so weakened that they did not resettle until 1816.

1801-1802: British (French and Americans Fighting 1798-1800.

1803: Under Thomas Jefferson Napoleon Bonaparte gives Louisiana to America dissing Britain by saying “I have given England a maritime rival to humble her pride.”

1810: Annexed with the Netherlands

1810-1816: British

1816: French and Dutch settlements restored

• 1878 St. Barths is bought from Sweden by France.

1919-1983: St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius unite as the Netherlands

1936: “St. Maarten is adopted as the Dutch spelling

2003: Vote on secession from Guadeloupe

2006: St. Maarten and Curacao sign agreements of “status aparte.”

2007: St. Martin becomes a separate overseas collectivity of France

2010: Date set for dissolution