Grand Cayman - what if we cannot anchor?

We are on a Western Caribbean itinerary in December (only two stops are GC and CC). I know seas can be rough in the winter*, and there is a potential for us not being able to visit Grand Cayman. At what time do they give up? What does Disney do? Just a slow day at sea? Do they put the pedal to the metal and try to get to Castaway Cay early?

Just curious.

* - The last time we tried Grand Cayman (on RCCL), it got cancelled due to rough seas. The captain made up for it with a 2-hour open bar. That was fun. :D

We are on a Western Caribbean itinerary in December (only two stops are GC and CC). I know seas can be rough in the winter*, and there is a potential for us not being able to visit Grand Cayman. At what time do they give up? What does Disney do? Just a slow day at sea? Do they put the pedal to the metal and try to get to Castaway Cay early?

 

Just curious.

 

* - The last time we tried Grand Cayman (on RCCL), it got cancelled due to rough seas. The captain made up for it with a 2-hour open bar. That was fun. :D

Not sure if there's a certain length of time they try before they "give up". But, if the Captain deems it unsafe to anchor, he won't. Typically it will turn into a sea day.

We are on a Western Caribbean itinerary in December (only two stops are GC and CC). I know seas can be rough in the winter*, and there is a potential for us not being able to visit Grand Cayman. At what time do they give up? What does Disney do? Just a slow day at sea? Do they put the pedal to the metal and try to get to Castaway Cay early?

 

Just curious.

 

* - The last time we tried Grand Cayman (on RCCL), it got cancelled due to rough seas. The captain made up for it with a 2-hour open bar. That was fun. :D

Generally it's just a sea day if the ship cannot dock somewhere or drop anchor in the case of GC, unless they can make it to and back from an alternate port which space available.

When they make that decision depends on the weather. It could be the day or night before if they know with certainty that the wave height will be too high (if there is a tropical storm), or generally that morning if it is just choppy waters.

There is no real point trying to get to CC early. The ship won't be cleared by customs until the agreed day and time. The Dream or other ships may already be there. Generally they take a slower cruise that way and dock as per the itinerary.

I've not read about open bars as compensation on DCL. Thats not to say it hasn't or couldn't happen though.

ex techie

a few technical details from a sailor's standpoint (this sailor sat in the Captain's chair)

1) the decision about being safe to anchor is FIRST made by the Port Captain. If he closes the port .... end of conversation

2) the Captain CAN also decide it is unsafe even if the port captain says it is OK ... unusual but possible.

3) the decision issue at Cayman's main landing of Georgetown is not typically the anchoring, but the safety of the tendering operations since Cayman has no cruise ship pier. THIS IS a Captain's decision and is 95% predictable by the direction of wind and swell for experienced Captains.

4) Grand Cayman has an alternate anchorage on the east side of the island and sometimes ships shift to this location. However this site can only accommodate one or two ships so if more were scheduled ... do the math.

5) IF Cayman looks "iffy" the decision to do something else must be made well in advance. Remember a cruise ship is moving about 20 miles per hour TOPS, and islands are usually hundreds of miles apart.

6) how long to try b4 they give up is usually more applicable to Castaway where docking is VERY weather dependant. there, on an 'iffy' day the ship MUST back in. If they CAN back in they CAN get out and not so the other way. So Captains will try HARD to back in ..... how long to try????? BUT on the other hand one must remember that if the weather is SO bad that the ship can not get to the dock, what will the beach be like????? IF the ship does a sea day, they may be able to find smooth seas and sun just an hour away.

Thanks, everyone. Just kind of a bummer that we could only potentially have one stop on our cruise, and it's a private island. That's the risk of a December cruise. :)

Things like the spa are wide open on the day we tender at Grand Cayman, and the ladies got shut out on trying to arrange for something together on the At Sea days. So I'm just thinking out loud how quickly (and how early in the morning) those spa spots fill up on the day we arrive at Grand Cayman and we cannot tender.

Normally, you'll have another At Sea day if the Captain decides it would not be safe to tender. ;)

Had this happen to me previously on Royal Carribbean when we were suppose dock at Grand Turk (I Believe). The boat made a couple attempts and then tried from a different angle but was still unable to dock so we just had a sea day. I don't recall having any sort of compensation or "open bar" as a result

Normally, the CD will put out a list by noon of additional activities for that afternoon. :)

Port charges will be refunded. You will CRUISE all day. You bought a cruise not a port.

Port charges will be refunded. You will CRUISE all day. You bought a cruise not a port.

Snarkiness aside, how are the charges refunded?

Port charges are refunded in the same way they were paid. If you used a credit card to pay for your cruise, you will see a refund to the credit card. If you used a Disney Gift Card, it goes back to the gift card....it is NOT refunded as on board credit.

We have been on at least 2 cruises where we couldn't tender at GC. There were no "free drinks" or other compensation. There was an extra Navigator released with lots of on board activities added. Yes, it just becomes a sea day.

As with everything, safety is the first importance. It is sad to miss a port, but not the end of the world. Sea days are awesome.

The reputable private tour operators (Captain Marvin's, etc.) do not bill your credit card if your ship cannot tender. All excursions booked thru DCL are refunded.

Disney will do whatever they can to satisfy the people on board.

For example, our last western trip on the Disney Magic, seas were too rough to reach Falmouth, Jamaica. Ship had tried and then turned around and docked at Montego Bay, Jamaica at a RCI port.

They provided shuttles from Montego to Falmouth for those who had excursions booked.

Now, being that Grand Cayment is a tender stop, things could be a little different, but they do try their best to please their guests.

Of course, safety 1st.

Have a great cruise

Disney will do whatever they can to satisfy the people on board.

For example, our last western trip on the Disney Magic, seas were too rough to reach Falmouth, Jamaica. Ship had tried and then turned around and docked at Montego Bay, Jamaica at a RCI port.

They provided shuttles from Montego to Falmouth for those who had excursions booked.

 

Now, being that Grand Cayment is a tender stop, things could be a little different, but they do try their best to please their guests.

Of course, safety 1st.

 

Have a great cruise

Glad that DCL was able to arrange another nearby pier and thus save a good portion of your cruise, but this is a rare situation. Most islands do not have multiple piers available with locations such that rough seas on one will not impact another. And in those that might, both piers are likely to be booked by cruise ships for the day.

Yes, DCL will try to satisfy their guests, but there is no alternate island or port in this situation. The only option for the day (at least on the two occasions when we were impacted) was to increase the number and variety of on board activities. Yes, it is sad to miss a stop or even to need to deviate to a different island (which we have had happen on an Eastern). But much is dependent on the attitude of the guest. If this alteration in plans is viewed as the end of the vacation, the guest is upset. If it is viewed as an adventure or the chance to do something unexpected, it can be seen as a positive. While many cruises occur exactly as planned, many others do not. Disney does not yet control the weather!

We sailed in October for our honeymoon 3 years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Our cruise that was stopping at Grand Cayman and Jamaica got rerouted to a day at sea and Costa Maya. They also had made the decision to tender to their private island and had to cease tender operations due to the increased swells. To make a long story short, we still had a wonderful time, even though our plans completely changed.

With that said, think positive! We just sailed the 5 Nt Western Caribbean itinerary and went to GC and CC. We had beautiful weather....and October is hurricane season.

Enjoy your cruise!!:cool:

We sailed in October for our honeymoon 3 years ago during Hurricane Sandy. Our cruise that was stopping at Grand Cayman and Jamaica got rerouted to a day at sea and Costa Maya. They also had made the decision to tender to their private island and had to cease tender operations due to the increased swells. To make a long story short, we still had a wonderful time, even though our plans completely changed.

 

With that said, think positive! We just sailed the 5 Nt Western Caribbean itinerary and went to GC and CC. We had beautiful weather....and October is hurricane season.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!:cool:

Are you talking about Disney's Castaway Cay?

Are you talking about Disney's Castaway Cay?

No I'm not. Haha! Good catch. I need to edit to add that was on NCL. Tendering would be silly to CC considering they have a port, right? :p Silly me. The point of me mentioning all of that (even though not a Disney cruise that time) was that no matter what happens, keep an open mind, and it will be a great cruise. :D

Let me go edit that post now....hehe

Grand Cayman is a lovely island. This won't help you by December, but they are currently debating building a new port so cruise ships can dock. In addition to the cost, there a substantial environmental concerns for the reef.

http://www.travelpulse.com/opinions/column/cayman-islands-cruise-port-project-creates-tough-choices-and-strong-sentiments.html

I honestly had no idea there were so many cruise ship visitors to the Grand Cayman Islands - the article said there were 1.6 million cruise ship visitors in 2014, the fifth-highest in the Caribbean.

Last Dec. (2014) we couldn't anchor by Georgetown because of a big wave surge, but were able to anchor on another side not too far from Georgetown. Was sort of a bummer since I was planning to snorkel Eden Rock, but ended up snorkeling right by where we tendered into and it wasn't too bad. Not much around the "port", though. A few shack shops and lots of taxi buses to take you into Georgetown or beyond. Another time we missed Grand Turk, but went to Samana instead. ONly time we missed a port was Holland America's private island in April of this year. It was a beautiful day, but the surge was too rough.