TravellingBritNY

Dive boats will leave from their docks, they won't pick up from the ship - you have to tender ashore then head to the dive boat.

Docking at 8 for a boat departure between 8 and 9 isn't tight, I would say that it was pretty much impossible, unless it's a 9am departure and you can be on the very first tender.

I believe that there are some dive ops that will take our cruise folks, depending on their schedule - the Lobster Pot Dive Centre might be able to get you what you need.

Bear in mind, though, that there are some awesome shore-diving opportunities on Grand Cayman - get a taxi to Macabuca - there is a really nice mini wall dive there (max depth around 70 feet) - the staff there are excellent.  It's not a bad spot for some lunch, too.  As a second dive you could do Lighthouse Point (also up the same direction) or head down the other side of George Town to Sunset House and go and kiss the mermaid.

Hope you get to dive Cayman - it's awesome!

There is a submarine trip there that isn't far from the cruise terminal.

Lots of water sports activities along Seven Mile Beach including parasailing, SUP, banana boats, etc.

The Cayman National Museum has a lot of cultural stuff, as does Pedro St James.

21 hours ago, CLS/KAS said:

5 of us planning on catching the bus to the beach.... or a cab, which we can stop and get "supplies" If you could elaborate more on some options, that would be so helpful. tks

 

I would suggest stopping at Kirk Market - it's on the way and is a large, incredibly well-stocked supermarket (don't expect cheap prices, this is Cayman).

Wonderful fruits, juices and snacks.  Go to the back and check out their cheeses - try something different and pick up some crackers to go with them.  They have a salad bar there as well.  The only thing you won't get there is alcohol, should you be wanting it - ask the cab driver to stop at a liquor store - there are several on the way and you can buy cold beer or wine, or whatever takes your fancy.

Gotta love those photos with totally fake/photoshopped outdoor views!

If by "beach" you mean literally beach (i.e. sand) and not waterfront, then you should look at the Royal Palms ( https://royalpalmscayman.com/rpbc-lunch-menu/ ).  If you want more casual, then Heritage Kitchen (get your food and eat on the sea wall, overlooking the beach), if you can handle more pricey, then Luca ( https://www.luca.ky/ ), or one of the hotels - Coccaloba is right on the beach and does Mexican street food (at Cayman prices) - https://www.seafireresortandspa.com/grand-cayman-restaurants/coccoloba/

If you are ok with waterfront and not specifically beach, then you have far more options.

• Macabuca is waterfront casual and has some great dishes - https://www.crackedconch.com.ky/macabuca/ -
• Catch has fish and seafood - http://www.catch.ky/

There are actually plenty more to choose from - Grand Cayman has an amazing selection of restaurant offerings of all types - there are also a lot of good waterfront restaurant in George town close to where the cruise terminal is.

A great guide is http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/

I agree - do the tour, walk down to MyBar then ask them for a taxi back.  Sounds like a good day to me!

Enjoy!

Stingray City will require an excursion, I believe.  Buses and taxis don't go there.  🙂

Hell takes about 10 minutes at most.  It's right by the Turtle Farm so isn't even far out of your way. Not sure whether the "rum factory" part is Tortuga, where they just offer tastings of rum and rum cake, (with options to buy) or if it's the Seven Fathoms Distillery (which may include a tour).

Stingray City will probably take the longest, as you need to get on the boat, travel out into the North Sound, spend the time with the rays, travel back and disembark.  If they go all that way out, they aren't likely to only keep you in the water for 10 minutes.  🙂

What I'm not sure about is how long they will give you at the Turtle Farm.

Mid February is the heart of the high season on Grand Cayman.  Hotels and condo complexes are going to be full.  I very much doubt that you are going to find any place that will be ok with cruise visitors coming in for the day.

Royal Palms, Calico Jack's/Public Beach and Rum Point are going to be your best options if you need services, which (of course) is going to be where everyone else wants to go).  Two ships in is not massive though - that means between 4 and 6 thousand visitors.  On peak days (like February 28th, 2019) you can get 6 ships in with 17 thousand visitors!).

If you don't need services, then there are far more options for you to spread a towel and have a picnic!

I think that the best beach and snorkel opportunity is Smith Cove.  There is a shower and washrooms there, but no food or drink, so you could go to a convenience store to pick those up first and then head out there.  You would need to take a taxi or rent a car, though.

Maybe do that first, then head back to Royal Palms and/or Public Beach for the  lunch and drinks part of your visit.

cb at sea, this has not been my experience at all.

There are many, many access points to Seven Mile Beach (let alone other beaches on the island like Spotts and Smith Cove) and I would say that the places offering lounger rentals are the exception rather than the rule. 

On 12/16/2018 at 10:11 PM, Travel Mom said:

What do you tell the bus when you want to get off at Calico Jacks?

Are there restrooms here?? ( I know its a restaurant)

 

I looked at Royal Palms...looks crowded and party time.  But for 5 of us...the cabana looks ok and nice restrooms

Yes there are clean restrooms at Calico's, and outdoor showers, too.

You can definitely snorkel from the beach - I have taken folks there who have never snorkelled before to start getting used to the sensation of breathing with their face underwater and using fins.  However, there is basically nothing to see - it's mostly sand and a few flat rocks.  If you want to see more, go up the beach a little further to Governor's Beach and swim out to the coral heads there.  You could then take the bus back to Royal Palms to enjoy all the facilities there (as there are none at Governor's)

If the weather doesn't cooperate and the ships come in through the Spotts alternate location, there will be transport into George Town available.

Yes, you have two options for the near future - Calico Jack's and Royal Palms.  CJ is a picnic tables in the sand type of beach bar, but they have chairs to rent, showers, washrooms and bar food.  RP is a little more upscale - nicer food, adult-only swimming pool, but also more expensive.

Both facilities have announced that they will be closing at some point in the future, but I believe it's more than a year out for both, and we don't know what will be replacing them.  Calico Jack's is looking to relocate to a new spot further north, but they are hitting some planning permission issues.  The company that owns RP (Dart) has not announced what will replace it, or whether it will be available to cruise ship visitors.

Please be aware that once in a while you get unlicensed vendors renting Jetskis.  News stories are out there like this one: https://www.caymancompass.com/2016/11/01/public-beach-vendors-fined-500-vow-court-fight/

How does this affect you?  Chances are they carry no insurance at all - no liability, etc.  If the craft doesn't work, or harms you, they won't be covering it.

So just a word of warning before you automatically go with the cheapest.  Once in a while the government will crack down on them, but sometimes they show up again.

On 11/28/2018 at 6:06 PM, Capt_BJ said:

and at times the 'better to ask forgiveness than permission' rule may apply!

I think that depends on whether you mind being labelled as the stereotype of the obnoxious cruise ship visitor or not... just sayin'.  

The beach is 5.5 miles long.  Most of the road has a place for pedestrians to walk safely.  The walk is about 2.5 KM to the south end of the beach - assuming you are fit and can take the heat it would be about a half hour walk either way.  However, the south end of the beach isn't the best part, as the beach isn't very deep there and it's where a couple of hotels are (Comfort Suites, Marriott).  You could go a little further to the Royal Palms Beach club - that is 3km and about a 40 minute walk.

Or you could use the public buses which cost about $2.50 in each direction, and will take you to any part of the beach.

Last time I was at Sunset House I asked if we could use the pool, and was told that it was overnight guests only.

I am assuming that because you reference a dive operator, she is looking for a boat dive.

As bookbabe says, there is nothing like that on the west side of the island.  I think that the challenge with Rum Point is going to find a dive op that is willing to work with your schedule - once you have tendered off the boat, picked up your rental car and driven the 45 minute around the island you would be too late for the morning boats, and too early for the afternoon ones.

Then you have the reverse challenge - of getting back to the cruise port, dropping off your car and getting to the tenders in time.

I see you have posted the same question over on TripAdvisor and gotten similar answers....

There are jet ski tours available, for those that want them, but the rentals on Seven Mile Beach are self-guided.

In my personal opinion Eden Rock is a far better snorkel site than Sunset House. 

It's odd, because as a dive site it's the other way around.  🙂

Far more fish to see, and more underwater topology too.

There is a small market close to the port where you can get locally-made goods.  Some are junk, some are very nice.  It's worth looking around and it doesn't take too long.

Caymanite is a local rock that they make into jewellry.  Some of those pieces are really nice.

If you are willing to rent a car, there are two locations out of town that I would recommend - Pure Art is a store with all sorts of art made by local artists.  Paintings, wall hangings, knick-knacks, you know the sort of thing.  This is just south of George Town.

Further out in Bodden Town is Beach Bubbles - a lady there (Nina) makes her own all-natural soaps and lotions which I and my friends think is amazing.  She does things with Neem and Moringa that are very nice.

And here is an off-the-wall suggestion - go to the Grocery store!  Kirks Market is north of George Town, to3ards the southern end of Seven Mile Beach and has all sorts of European goods, especially British.  You will also find Caribbean spices, marinades, sauces and mixes that you probably can't get at home.  You could get there by bus from the cruise terminal.

So there are a few suggestions.

Other than the Turtle Centre, the only place you would stand a chance to swim with the turtles is Spotts Beach, which is on the south shore.  These are turtles in their natural habitat, and it's not a sure thing that you will see them - there are no "encounter"-type tours for there, though.  The area can get strong currents, and rough seas, but I have been there 4 times, and only once was it not possible to get into the water.

Turtles are everywhere around the island, pretty much - I bump into them (figuratively) while snorkelling and diving from time to time, but Spotts is easily your best bet and the water is shallow.

You would probably need a rental car to get there.

Actually, sorry to disagree, but there are lots of access points up and down seven Mile Beach which do not have loungers or umbrellas to rent.

The only ones that do it that I know of are Public Beach/Calico Jack's and Royal Palms.  None of the other major parts of the beach - Governor's, Cemetery, West Bay Dock or any of the access points by the condos provide such service.  Hotels will reserve the beach furniture for their guests, unless they offer a day pass (which depends on the season)