Shore excursions are a fun part of cruising, and one of my favorite ones is jet skiing. I had the privilege of going on a jet skiing excursion on the islands of St. Maarten a few years ago and it was an absolute blast. 
Here are a few tips to make your jet skiing experience in the Caribbean as painless as possible.
My wife and I actually paid for our excursion once we were off the boat, since we were not really sure what we were going to be doing on the island. But you can buy your jet ski adventure on the ship, which is actually what I recommend. There are 2 very good reasons for buying through your cruise line:
- You can easily get a refund when buying through the cruise line (just in case something goes wrong).
- The ship will not leave you behind when you buy an excursion through them.
Of course there are also reasons for buying some excursions directly from the people at the ports. Sometimes you can save a few bucks and you may not even think of a certain activity until you see it once on the island anyway.
We paid $50 for half an hour of jet skiing on some of the most beautiful water in the Caribbean. We could have paid for a whole hour, but we decided to just trade places on the jet skii and get the most bang for our buck. Although, I’m pretty sure I got more time in the driver’s seat than my wife did. But I couldn’t help it. It was just so much fun. Hitting those ocean waves at crazy speeds and getting some air was an awesome part of our cruising experience and time on St. Maarten.
Some advice:
- Ask one of the guides to take your picture while you are out there, since you can’t really do this yourself.
- Put your wallet in a plastic zip-lock bag and keep it in your pocket so you can keep it dry.
- Ask how far out you can go on the jet ski. (you don’t want to get in trouble and the boundaries aren’t always easily marked)
- Go first thing in the morning. (you can beat the lines this way)
- Hang on tight when you rev the engine. (you can easily fall off if you aren’t careful)
