Grand Cayman shore excursion/ time question

[etc1etc1etc1]

We are leaving on a cruise in a couple of weeks. Our ship docks in GC around 7:30 and leaves at 5PM. We have narrowed our excursion list to 2 choices. Both do snorkeling at coral gardens and sting ray city, one also adds lunch and time spent at 7 mile beach. Both leave at 8:30, the short one would get you back aroung 12:00 and the one with 7 mile beach around 3:00. My question is: Is it worth the extra money and time to pay a tour operator to take you to seven mile beach or can you easily do lunch and beach on your own. If you would chose on your own is the beach/ town etc.. easily accesible from the peir or will transportation be needed. In other words is Grand Cayman a good port to spend some time on our own laying on the beach/ shopping etc... or should we fill the vast majority of the time on a tour.

[bookbabe]

Don't pay to go to the beach. Go on your own.

 

Royal Palms or Sea Grape (two sections of Seven Mile Beach, the main beach) have free facilities (changeroom/washroom/showers), rental chairs/umbrellas/watersports, and a bar/restaurant where you can easily purchase lunch and drinks.

 

A taxi there from the port area is about $4-6 per person each way, but you can usually have the tour operators drop you off at the beach on your way back from the excursion (assuming you booked privately...might be tougher if it's a ship excursion) and save the taxi fare one way.

[Karysa]

Don't pay to go to the beach. Go on your own.

 

Royal Palms or Sea Grape (two sections of Seven Mile Beach, the main beach) have free facilities (changeroom/washroom/showers), rental chairs/umbrellas/watersports, and a bar/restaurant where you can easily purchase lunch and drinks.

 

A taxi there from the port area is about $4-6 per person each way, but you can usually have the tour operators drop you off at the beach on your way back from the excursion (assuming you booked privately...might be tougher if it's a ship excursion) and save the taxi fare one way.

 

Thank you for the helpful information that you posted. Are these beaches near the Westin? Is one better than the other?