TravellingBritNY

The "farm" part is not in the name any more - the place is called the Cayman Turtle Centre to try to emphasize that while they do farm the animals they also do a lot more.

There are many reviews, pro and con, some very..er... selective in what they say. Each visitor needs to make up their own minds after informing themselves of both sides of this.  

One place you can read is the TripAdvisor page on the place, which has 3,000 reviews on it - you can read what different people thought of it and decide for yourself.  At the time of writing this there were 1,861 "Excellent", 1,376 "Very Good", 673 "Average", 229 "Poor", and 176 "Terrible" ratings.  There are also some responses to reviews given by the management of the centre, giving their side of things, too (like why you can no longer pick up the animals, and how 90% of the turtles in the wild around the island had a genetic link to those from the Turtle Centre).  The link is here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1006573-d2173510-Reviews-or5-Cayman_Turtle_Centre_Island_Wildlife_Encounter-West_Bay_Grand_Cayman_Cayman_.html

Be informed, and make choices based on your own values.

If you are willing to do it yourself, get the bus or taxi to either Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach (both parts of Seven Mile Beach).  I think that those are really nice, uncrowded sections of the beach.

I think if you take out the stingrays you would have time to do the rest of your itinerary.  Getting to and from the Stingrays takes a while, as you will be on a boat - the rest can be done by car.

Worst case you can use taxis to get you around between the locations and "do it yourself" - that way you would be able to take as much or as little time as you wish in each spot.

Note that there are now two breweries on Grand Cayman - the older Cayman Islands Brewery ( https://www.cib.ky/ ) and the newer 1981 Brewery ( https://1981brewingco.com/ ).  Both offer tastings and tours.

On 1/7/2020 at 3:13 PM, Dunfer said:

Can you just sit at the bar at both Royal Palms and not rent a chair/umbrella?  We would like to wander up and down the beach, stopping when we want to refresh.

 

Thanks.

Yes you can sit there.  At a table, belly up to the bar or use one of the outdoor couches.  They would probably insist that you bought at least drinks if you did that, though, of course.  I have done that many times.  Of course you can't reserve one.

If 80 degree water is too cold for you, then bookbabe's recommendations are going to be the best.  I would also go to Camana Bay for gelato from Gelato and Co by the water fountains - really good gelato made with local ingredients.

Seven Mile Beach is actually over 5 miles long.  To say that the whole beach gets crowded when there are more cruises ships in is inaccurate.

Most cruise visitors want the same thing - renting beach chairs or a cabana, food and drink available, nice swimming beach, washrooms and showers.  There are currently three places that offer this - Royal Palms Beach Club, Calico Jacks and Coral Beach.  Therefore most cruise ship visitors will gravitate towards those places and they get crowded.

However, if you are willing to do without these, then there are long stretches of the beach that that very far from crowded even on the most busy cruise ship days.  You can bring your own food and drink to the beach, so could ask your taxi driver to stop somewhere to pick up some drinks, and head to either Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach and have a very quiet, relaxing beach experience.

I have done a tour with them to Stingray City and the two snorkel stops.  Very nice tour, not crowded at all.  Staff were friendly and efficient.

Calico Jacks is still in it's original location - there's talk of a move but nobody knows when - it may be just a bit up the beach to the north, though.  Public Beach is exactly that - public - you can bring your own food and drink there.  Royal Palms is a private beach club, however, and they do not allow outside food or drink to be brought in.

I went to Coral Beach when I was there this past October - the location is new, and could still use some work, but there were beach chairs and umbrellas, showers, washrooms, and a restaurant.  I may have got unlucky with the food, though, because I wasn't that impressed.

Define "tourist trap", please.

Opinions are quite divided on the Turtle Centre, previously known as the "Turtle Farm" - some see it is a preservation work to breed and release turtles, others see it as a way to raise the traditional turtle meat that has been common on the island since it was first inhabited, still others see it as a captive sealife experience like dolphin experiences, and so on.

A lot of people have their own opinions on this, and some are very willing and eager to come on to Internet forums and propound them.

Bottom line is, it's really up to you - a lot of people really enjoy it, some have issues.  I don't think there is one right answer...

14 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

That was one of my questions..if you just say Calico Jacks to the shuttle, they will drop you there? 

Yes they will.  It's not a "shuttle" though, it's a taxi.

14 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

 

And there is no entrance fee, just for the chair/umbrella rental?  Also, I have read of some water toy/trampoline, is there a fee for this?

Correct - no entrance fee.  I haven't seen the water toys/trampolines there in a while, but Red Sail Sports has a place there where you can rent Stand-up Paddleboards and the like.

14 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

For Royal Palm, is it cheaper if you book a cabana day of, and do they usually book up? 

 

Will they rent the pool cabanas if you have kids even if they dont use the pool?  Also, I read all cabanas are for 6, we are 7 people (5 plus 2 teens), will they allow this, we would not even all be in the cabana most of the time.  This would be a defining factor for us, as I would never rent 2 of them for the 7 of us, so hoping they are flexible. What is the difference in royal vs palm cabanas, they are the same price, but the royal seem a bit nicer location/ closer to restroom?

 

Are they both around the same distance from the port?  Thank you in advance!

It is not cheaper to book same-day.  I have no idea whether they fill up, though.

I don't know the policy about the pool cabanas, sorry.

Frankly I would contact them with your questions, as they are fairly specific to your group.

Calico Jacks is further from the port than Royal Palms, or the new option Coral Beach, which is right by Royal Palms.

The only thing that Smith Cove has over Cemetery or Governors is a washroom and an outdoor shower and some picnic tables.  There are no beach chairs, umbrellas, food or drink there, but if no frills is ok, then I agree it's also a good option.

You won't need an umbrella at any of these locations - the trees there provide ample natural shade.  But if beach chairs are a need then none of them are going to fit, sorry.

If you are willing to deal with your fellow cruise visitors then Royal Palms or the new Coral Beach may well satisfy the needs if you want facilities.  Possibly even Calico Jack's. 

If you are willing to go shopping a bit for food and drinks, etc. and not have all the luxuries, then places like Governor's Beach or Cemetery Beach would come into consideration.  Bear in mind, though, that there are NO facilities there.  For that reason they tend not to get a lot of cruise visitors, so will be less populated.  This type of option would put a LOT of work on you.  With a group that large I would probably go for the option with more facilities, but I am not you.  🙂

On 8/25/2019 at 3:30 PM, Husky61 said:

We don't travel to resorts or beaches to take a bus.  Not the way I want to spend a vacation.

Taxis will also take you to wherever you want to go, and pick you up.  There are plenty available at the cruise port.

If you are looking to go to the same places with facilities that every other cruise ship visitor wants, then yes, it's going to be crowded.  However, if you are willing to do things like picking up some food and drink at a supermarket, and throwing down your towel on the beach and enjoying the calm, then no, it doesn't have to be - you can go to Cemetery Beach or Governor's Beach and be on that dreamy Caribbean beach that many dream about and only have a handful of people there.  

I will go to those locations far more often than the beach clubs with facilities.

I wouldn't class Rum Point as a high quality beach experience, I'm afraid.

For the services you are looking for your best bet is going to be the various facilities along Seven Mile Beach.  There are three currently - all of the have loungers and umbrellas to rent and food and drinks to purchase... Royal Palms is a beach club that also has an adult only swimming pool, changing rooms, end showers.  Calico Jacks/Public Beach is a little more beach bar style.  A new place has just opened called Coral Beach, just north of Royal Palms - don't know anybody who has been yet, but here is their website: https://coralbeach.ky/

A question - do you want the drinks and the food to be available at the beach location, or are you willing or able to go somewhere and buy the food you need to take to the beach?  Because the answer to that will change your options.

The rum named after Richard le Noir, known as Big Black Dick is made by Blackbeards.

They have 3 locations - http://blackbeards.ky/store-locator/ - Grand Harbour, The Strand, and Cayman Falls.

On 8/18/2019 at 12:58 PM, miss_rach said:

looking to see where we can find some fresh conch and/or conch fritters?

 

Fresh conch is not easy to find at all - conch season on the island is November 1 to the end of April.  Outside of this any conch that you find is going to be imported, which means it's frozen.  

There are also catch limits in the season - five per person or 10 per boat each day, whichever is less, which makes it difficult for restaurants to get enough supply.  You may find it, but may have to go searching for it.

Many places will do conch ceviche and conch fritters and it's very enjoyable.  The list that bookbabe posted is a great resource.

I would say that the food is pretty good.  I have been there a few times - did pizza one time and it was very good.  The other times I have done apps and they were good too.  You won't starve!  🙂

If you go to the main Tortuga Rum place they often have hot patties inside.  Lots of good stuff to eat there, including the jerk and rum cake!

But yes, most gas/petrol stations will have them too.

Right now Grand Cayman is booming as a destination - occupancy rates are through the roof, both for hotels and condos.

This means that hotels are pretty full, even in the so-called "off season", so they won't be selling day passes.

If you really want to access a hotel property then your only real option is to book an overnight room.  They won't be cheap, though.

For those who wonder about taxi costs on the island, there is a new official app that will give the information.  It's called CI:GO and is released by the Cayman Government.  It's available in the Google Play Store (if you have an Android phone) and the Apple Store (if you have an iPhone).  Search for "CIGO" or "cayman taxi fare".

You put in your location (or use your current location), plus where you would like to go, how many passengers, how many bags and it will give you the fare in US dollars and Cayman Dollars.

This should help with any doubts about what a taxi driver will charge.

As another data point, I did the Captain Marvins Stingray Sandbar and 2 snorkels and they were most definitely taking photos during the stingray encounter part.  It was a very enjoyable trip.  There were several cruisers on the boat - they were taken to the boat from the cruise terminal, but there was plenty of room on the boat - they definitely didn't pack them in.

There are several dive ops going out of the Lobster Pot - you can check with each to find out what they have available:

https://www.lobsterpotdivecenter.com/

http://www.deepbluediverscayman.com/

https://www.walltowalldiving.com/

There may be others I have forgotten, but you definitely have some options!

Macabuca for lunch and watching the divers and maybe a snorkel.