Found some pics of the new St. Maarten Harbor Village that is in development. It looks pretty cool and multi cultural.

Harbour Village Pics

Do you know where it will be ?

I would think in Philipsburg near the ships since that is the present name of that area.

Thats the plan but will it actually happen. If it does then St Maarten better get the crimes under control. Been quite a few lately.

Its supposed to be in the Pointe Blanche area, near the harbour.

Tat is very true, it has been ridiculous as of late.

If I wanted Disneyworld, I'd live in Florida...if this happens we will hate it

Scubaman, I doubt that building this weird place will have any effect on crime, quite the opposite. If cruise passengers are kept near their ships, what incentive would there be to fight crime in Maho, Simpson Bay or even Philipsburg ? None.

By the way, taking about crime the whole of the time is not going to improve things.

This is just like Casa Maya in Mexico. Cruise ship owned and they tell passengers it too dangerous to leave the fenced area so they can get all money spent, not the island.

Here , at TTOL Mexico, I contacted someone who told me they (Casa Maya) wouldn't even let cabs in to take you elsewhere on island and he told me to go to the restrooms find the break in the fence walk out and hail a cab.

Found all things offered outside were better, less expensive, than inside. It will be our duty to tell cruisers to leave that area and explore a great SXM!

When I first looked at that site plan Disneyworld was the first thing that came to mind <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />.

It shouldn't affect the visitor that stays on Island but it will have an impact of places and businesses that cruisers normally would go. I personally don't care what they put there since it would not be on my agenda.

YUCK !!!

You would care if you were renting a villa in Pointe Blanche!

I do not have plans to do that so my statement is valid....and I don't see how building something for the cruisers in an area presently used by them would affect a rental in the surrounding area any more than it does now but maybe I'm missing something.

It is not that hard to walk out gate at Costa Maya and get a taxi - either for a pre-arranged trip or otherwise. Lots of people do it - we have.

I certainly won't hold my breath on this thing being built. However I will say that the Port area as it exists now is definitely one of the nicest of the various Caribbean stops -- quite well organized & friendly. My understanding is that it has a hotel as well as the things to do, shops etc. Don't think that is where I would stay....

There is a "home plate" shaped property right where the 2 cruise piers originate that is the proposed site. It is presently undeveloped. People could literally walk off the ship and into the park.

I dont think we it will be bad. The Harbor Execs are pretty good at recognizing what tourist are interested in.

They wont make it like Disneyland, despite what the pic looks like.

Sungoddes...from what I see in the pics this is exactly what we DON'T want to see in a tropical island. We're with you...go to Disneyworld..leave the islands alone and let us explore their natural beauty.If the Harbour Execs think this is what tourists are interested in they must be thinking of cruise ship tourists..which is exactly why we DON'T go on cruise ships.

Seabourn is starting three cruises originating in St. Maarten. I wonder where the people that fly in for a cruise will stay. Check out www.seabourn.com for particulars.

Several years ago rumor had it that SXM would become a start point for cruising and that a hotel was to be built at Pointe Blanche so I assumed this "Harbour Village" would include a hotel.

The reason I started to go to the Caribbean is because I want to feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere on an island paradise. I don't go to the Caribbean for a trip to Disney World. It just seems bizarre that someone would waste their money to go to the Caribbean to sit around in such a manufactured experience. But, to each his own, of course.

The multi-colored shacks going up at Orient were disparaged, and rightly so, by many on here, for the same reason. We don't want the island turning into a sanitized tourist destination. The shacks actually aren't that bad, but even they seem to be a harbinger of negative changes to the island. Time will tell.