Can non-swimmers do Stingray City?

Neither I nor my kids know how to swim. I have a life preserver type thing for my daughter, and my son isn't afraid to go into the water, but I'm afraid to go in anything past my chest.

Would we be able to do Stingray City? I've heard that the water isn't too deep and I'm tall enough to be able to stand in it with no problems (I think), but how do you get to the sandbar? Do you have to swim there or jump into the water?

We really want to do this, but I don't want to get there and freak out if they tell me I have to jump in. :eek: If I can hold onto my husband who can swim, I guess I could do it.

Do they have life jackets available?

Edited to add, are Stingray City and Stingray Sandbar the same thing? If not, which is better? We are looking to do it through Carnival if possible.

One more question since I can't edit the other post, what is Stingray Beach? I see that listed under Carnival excursions. Do you think that might be better?

There is also a "Discover Caymen" excursion that says "Relax on the boat ride out to Stingray City Sandbar where you can stand in the shallow waters, as you swim or snorkel, pet and hold the friendly stingrays" So is that one the deeper "City" or the more shallow "Sandbar"?

No need to be a swimmer at the Sand Bar location (3-4 feet deep), especially with a floatation aide. Most boats have ladders for entry and exit. To give you an idea of what to expect:

The original Sting Ray City is a dive and snorkel site in 12 feet of water.

Thanks!

Just got back from Grand Cayman Sting ray City tour with Moby DickTours.com. I've had 4 back surgeries and 5 knee scopes before having my knee replaced. I was a little hesitant getting down in the water. The folks helped me down and made sure I was confortable thru the tour. Back on ship I compared notes and others who had booked thru the ship had been dropped off without "ANY" assistance. Check their site. They are cheaper than thru the cruise line but went WAY out of their way to accomodate me, and families with small children. I RECOMMEND THEM HIGHLY

We went with Soto Tours to Stingray City and a coral garden. You don't have to swim, they do help you out and they even put on life preservers but around your waist so you aren't uncomfortable and can float around. I recommend them but there are a lot of tours.

We also just got back from Grand Cayman. I would say the water was 3 1/2 feet deep where we were. We went with Capt. Chip, he had life jackets for the ones that wanted them. We were a very small group compared to other tours.

My kids are very strong swimmers...but I always put those yellow blowup lifejackets they have on the boats for snorkling. I even use them. I think it really is better for the kids. That way they can just float there if they choose.

Awesome pictures. I missed that when we were there.

I'm hoping there's more sting ray cities at other islands.

Thanks for all the advice. My husband insisted that it be through Carnival because he "doesn't want any problems". LOL It's been a looong time since we've cruised and he's afraid he'll miss the ship, etc. So I went ahead and booked it.

I did this excursion several years ago on Celebrity. I cannot swim!!! Just ask when you book the excursion. Ours went out by way of a catamaran and they did tell us that they could not guarantee they would dock in shallow or deep water. It was deep water!! And of course, I panicked a bit but between the friend I was traveling with and a random stranger, they got me out there! And it was probably 3 foot of water ... I'm 5'2" and no problems there!!

It was an amazing experience with the stingrays - not to be missed!! Once our tour guides realized there were actually several who could not swim or were not strong swimmers they helped us all back on the catamaran. It was an experience I have not forgotten for a couple of reasons!! Would I do it again?? Probably!

Thanks for all the advice. My husband insisted that it be through Carnival because he "doesn't want any problems". LOL It's been a looong time since we've cruised and he's afraid he'll miss the ship, etc. So I went ahead and booked it.

First, we did the Stingray City excursion through Carnival on our cruise this past February. We had a great time, and everything went very smoothly. I know a lot of people recommend the private excursions, and I would be happy to try those excursions as well, but . my wife is like your husband and was worried about missing the ship. The benefit to the Carnival excursion is that the ship will not sail if your ship sponsored excursion is late getting back. The ship excursion was more expensive than the private tour, but only $7 per person.

Second, while the pictures above depict a very serine setting, do know that the water can be extremely rough. When we were there in February the ship had to drop ancher on the far side of the island as opposed to in Georgetown. I should have considered this as a sign. The boat that took us to Stingray City was chuggin up and down in the rough seas, and when we got out we were swimming in 3-5 foot waves (not depth of water but actual size of waves). It was still a great time, but not knowing how to swim would definately have prevented me from getting into the water.

if you KNOW you can not swim

and you knowingly go into water

deeper then your ankles

you should never blame anyone else for the

eventual outcome.

People drown in their bath tub . . . .

lifetime life guard sends ...

we do NOT like pulling you up

but we do it

While Capt_BJ has some advice worth contemplating, wear a life vest or flotation device and you'll be fine. Can accidents happen, sure. You could drown in your morning cup of coffee or your ship could hit an iceberg off Cozumel. If you somehow survive the excursion you'll have no one else to blame for the amazing time but yourself. If you get there and don't feel comfortable, stay on the boat and watch the goings on from there.

Jan-Mar are the windiest /choppiest times on the North Side where Sting Ray City is located. More often then not, it looks just like the pictures.

The 1st time we did the Sting Ray excursion my then 10 year old daughter would not let go of me when we were in the water it was at the end of March and the waves were kind of rough. We went back the next year and did the exact same excursion (I loved it both times) and she was not afraid and loved it. If the water is calm then there is no need to worry at all if you can not swim. With a life jacket on there is no way you should be afraid even if the water is not calm. My other daughter was around 12 and she had no problem even when the water was rough, but liked it better the 2nd time we went as the water was more calm.

We were on Legend 11/08 - Captain Marvin - Stingray city and snorkel stops...

Stingray city was choppy - cloudy, windy, rain showers - It was difficult to keep your balance at times. That being said...there were less people out there and a LOT MORE ATTENTION by the rays. These are amazing creatures, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Those of us lucky enough to go back for a repeat visit do it for a reason! BUT....it was difficult to stay put - the waves bounced us around a bit.

When we left port, it was just cloudy, and a little threatening. No thunder - no lighting - just "off in the distance". Our first stop snorkeling at the "reef" (I think) was pretty magnificent! Although the sun only poked through once or twice the entire afternoon, and the colors werent as vivid, there was STILL a lot of action under the surface. I am a strong swimmer, and decided to let the life vest do all the work. I swum around one group of coral for probably 10 minutes and counted over 20 varieties of fish/sea life! The disposable water camera...not such great pix without the sunlight. The second stop - it started to rain. Not much at first, but heck - we are already wet whats the big deal?! So Im out there floating around and it starts raining hard! Great big welts of rain on my back and legs - But I didnt care at the time. Yes I felt it, but I was completely enthralled with the world below me. And then the EEL showed up! Screaming through a snorkel doesnt work well. Apparently there were two that were playing with each other - I only saw the one. And they were NOT interested in the people. AT ALL. But so friggin awesome I cannot describe how cool that was!

The life vests will keep you a float - If you dont snorkel, then you take a deep breath - hold it in, and look around this strange underworld. What you may see could be something you will remember the rest of your life! Danger - sure. There is danger in walking down the street. But C'mon - you are on vacation! Live a little!

I saw a life jacket in Target for $15 and was thinking of buying it and bringing it. Or would that be a dumb idea? Would I be the only one bringing my own life jacket? I was thinking maybe I should get it just to make sure I have one. The thought of losing my balance if the water is rough makes me nervous.

Most, if not all, the tour ops should have life vests or snorkel vest for customers to use. I would not be hesitant about taking your own along if not too much of a bother. Rather be safe and confident/comfortable so to enjoy th experience.

not with the cruise line. We used Captain Marvin once (just google him) and shoretrips the other time. Both were way better then the cruise line. Because they take less people you get more personalized service and better docking spot for the sting rays. They get there before the crusie line so it isn't too crowded. Both times we saw the cruise line arrive with hundreds of people. We only had about 30 in our group. Great experience. Would do it again in a second.

We did this tour with the ship's excursion on Princess in 2002, and my daughter and husband did the same in 2007, also on Princess. This was not a vessell with "hundreds" of people. Both times, it was a boat carrying no more than 30 or 40 people, and we had a great time. The guides were very informative and helpful with the less than brave passenger and those having a hard time getting in and out of the boat. We are doing another excursion with Princess this year, and hope the experience will be the same.:)

My mom is not a swimmer, and when we went the water was a bit choppy and it did actually start raining right as we were ending the tour...she got out for a few minutes with the stingrays, but then got back on the boat...we went with Moby Dick and loved it...I wouldn't worry about not getting back to the ship in time...these tour operators are pretty good about getting you back in plenty of time. Either way, have fun! And I also think they will have life jackets for your use...probably don't have to bring your own.