fallbeauty Posted January 26, 2005 #1 Share Posted January 26, 2005 Hi We are planning to rent a car in the Grand Caymans...would love to see some of the more secluded sites..nature and secluded beaches..Any suggestions on beaches and car rentals? Thanks! Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mag Posted January 30, 2005 #2 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Check out grandcaymanexcursions.com...it has info regarding Avis car rentals and several options of vehicles and tours. Also says they provide maps and directions. You connect with them right off the tender pier. We cruise in May and I think this is what we are going to do. But don't forget...you'll be driving on the "wrong" side of the road. If you use them and are cruising before May, please report how it went. Thanks. mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsturntoplay Posted February 3, 2005 #3 Share Posted February 3, 2005 This is what I'm thinking of doing also... Most of my group wants to go snorkeling but two of us are not really in-the-water people, so we have been thinking of getting a jeep and hitting the road on our own. Of course one of us would then have to be DD so still looking for other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseSuse Posted February 7, 2005 #4 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I 've been trying to book a car with Avis through the website. They responded after one week (!) and wrote in one short sentence that we should check with them upon arrival. After emailing back and forth for another two weeks(!), I finally found out that they cannot confirm a reservation for only one day! Well, I must say: VERY unfriendly and very unprofessional! And don't blame it on the laid back Island behaviour! I hope now to find another carrental agency. Check www.caymancarrentalguide.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrqoisWtrs Posted February 7, 2005 #5 Share Posted February 7, 2005 When are you cruising? If its any time soon, one reason they may not be able to confirm is that they don't have that many cars. After Hurricane Ivan, many were totalled and the locals are using the cars that are available. Thats probably why they want you to check when you arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cradawg Posted February 8, 2005 #6 Share Posted February 8, 2005 i just returned from grand cayman. i had emailed grand cayman excursions and kind of got the same response that cruisesuse did. i thought it was strange, but new they were still struggling from the hurricane. i did as the lady told me in the emails, and they had a car for us when we got there. there was also another family from our ship that rented two jeeps through them for the day. we drove all the way around the island to rum point. it is a neat place, but the island has taken a severe hit from ivan. i can't imagine what it must have been like on that island during that storm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseSuse Posted February 9, 2005 #7 Share Posted February 9, 2005 That makes sense with the hurricane and all! Thanks for letting me know. I just don't understand why the Lady in the emails couldn't explain that also in 2 sentences! Well we will just go there (in March!) and hopefully be able to rent a car for the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Time2gocruzn Posted February 9, 2005 #8 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I 've been trying to book a car with Avis through the website. They responded after one week (!) and wrote in one short sentence that we should check with them upon arrival. After emailing back and forth for another two weeks(!), I finally found out that they cannot confirm a reservation for only one day! Well, I must say: VERY unfriendly and very unprofessional! And don't blame it on the laid back Island behaviour!I hope now to find another carrental agency. Check www.caymancarrentalguide.com I was treated EXACTLY the same by a rental place(s) in Cozumel. I had saftey concerns and questions as I am traveling with 2 small kids and was told "kids...okay". Then emailed again saying I needed more deatails and was told to just come in and they "will try to take care of us". Whatever.....:rolleyes: Needless to say they will not be getting our business...nor will any other rental company there. It was been a nightmare trying to find a car that will hold 4 adults and 2 kids AND a company that can give us a guarantee of what they will have for us. Heck I talked to a Hertz rep over 2 weeks ago and was told they would have to check with the local agency and they local agency would get back to me...never heard a thing from them.:mad: Oh well...maybe it is a sign, lol:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooMonkey Posted February 9, 2005 #9 Share Posted February 9, 2005 We've driven twice in Caymen. The first time on motorbike and the second time rented a minivan to take the gang on a self guided tour. It's great be free to get around on your own, but remember... Grand Caymen formerly being british you drive on the 'wrongside' of the road. You must be REALLY REALLY careful while doing so. Simple things like which way you last look, etc are hard habits to break... and you'll find you WILL make a mistake or two no matter how viligant you are. My husband 'enjoyed' the 'challenge'... but that's him for ya! Have fun, but be safe.... the motorcycle was fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbaker Posted October 18, 2005 #10 Share Posted October 18, 2005 We've driven twice in Caymen. The first time on motorbike and the second time rented a minivan to take the gang on a self guided tour. It's great be free to get around on your own, but remember... Grand Caymen formerly being british you drive on the 'wrongside' of the road. You must be REALLY REALLY careful while doing so. Simple things like which way you last look, etc are hard habits to break... and you'll find you WILL make a mistake or two no matter how viligant you are. My husband 'enjoyed' the 'challenge'... but that's him for ya! Have fun, but be safe.... the motorcycle was fun! BooBooMonkey, where did you rent your motorbike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depwife Posted October 18, 2005 #11 Share Posted October 18, 2005 We will be in Grand Cayman in December. We were thinking about renting a jeep, but decided intead to use the bus system. It will be a LOT cheaper. The buses run every 15 minutes and, from what I have read, are very reliable. It's $1.50 (Cayman) each trip. For the group of 9 that we have going, it turns out to be MUCH less expensive than renting a car and/or doing a ship excursion. We plan to visit the Turtle Farm, Hell, Rum Cake Factory and then spend the rest of the day at 7-Mile Beach. Of course, that entirely dependant on Hurricane Wilma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted October 20, 2005 #12 Share Posted October 20, 2005 We have been looking into renting a car also. I've done a lot of research and here's what I found out: The 6 major car rental agencies operating at this time are: Budget- they are the only car rental agency located at the pier. They cost $40 for a one day "cruiser" rental of an economy car (holds 4 people.) Andy's- located at the airport. Their website said $30 a day for an economy car. I e-mailed them about picking up cruisers at the pier but got no reply. Coconut Cars- Located in town, $39.95 a day for an economy car, no info. on handling cruisers at the pier either. Economy car rental- Located in town, $37 a day for an economy car, but also no info. on handling cruisers at the pier. Marshalls rent a car- $35 a day for an economy car but they are not located at the pier and had no info. on picking up cruisers at the pier. Cayman auto rentals- $35 for an economy car. They are an 1/8th of a mile from the pier and drop you off at the port at the end of your rental. On my google search, there was no info. on an Avis car rental in Georgetown GC. I don't know if they changed names or what. But I went to www.caymanautorentals.com and www.caymancarrentalguide.com but they were not mentioned by either website. And these websites list a number of car rental agencies to choose from. Be advised that you will need to purchase a driving permit for $7.50 in order to drive in Grand Cayman. Insurance runs around $9-$15 for $35,000 in coverage with a $250-$500 deductible. And of course, there's the cost of gas and you do have to drive on the wrong side of the road. But when you look at the cost of taking a taxi to 7 mile beach, the car rental thing looks pretty economical. At $5 per person it would cost our family of 4 a total of $40 for a round trip to 7 mile beach via taxi. For just a little more, we can rent a car and go wherever we want to for the day, we won't be stuck with one choice: the beach.;) We chose Budget since they were located right at the pier and were put there expressly for cruisers. (They have 3 locations, so be sure to ask for the pier location and tell them you're looking for a "cruise deal.") We e-mailed them with a load of questions and they e-mailed back in less than 24 hours. They have been very helpful and courteous answering numerous e-mails promptly. We chose the economy car, but all of these agencies had similar prices for jeeps, vans, etc. The next choice for me if Budget didn't have what I needed was cayman auto rentals. You have to walk the 1/8th of a mile to get to the rental place, but they drop you off at the pier at the end of the rental. These two agencies were the only ones I found that actually catered to cruisers. Here are their websites: Budget is at: www.caymancars.com Cayman auto rentals is at: www.caymanautorentals.com I hope this helps, good luck!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1z Posted October 20, 2005 #13 Share Posted October 20, 2005 There are tour buses at the dock. Wait till most of the people get off the ship and some tour bus will be waiting for stragglers. Six of us had a bus for twenty to ourselves. Paid 1/2 price for the 2 1/2 hour tour. The driver gave a great naritive and showed us all there was to see by driving around the island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted October 20, 2005 #14 Share Posted October 20, 2005 Hmm, sounds like a good deal, but I hate to leave things to chance. What if the tour buses are all full when we're there? And half price seems good, but half price of what? A $60 tour knocked down to $30 per person would still be $120 for our family of 4. Paying only $40- $50 for a car that you can take anywhere you want to sounds more like what we're looking for. But thanks for the suggestion, it is a good idea. It just leaves too much up to chance for me, and I'm a planner.:) I got a little more info. on the car rentals. The "budget" car rental at the pier ended up not really being associated with "Budget" car rental. They are an associate of "Budget" though. And after a number of e-mails with them I found out that they do not really have an actual car rental agency at the pier, they only have a booth set up there. Budget allows them to use their name, hence the "Budget" name. I found this out after asking them if I could book a really good deal Budget had on their website for cruisers only. They said I could cancel my reservation and go with Budget's "cruiser" deal if I wanted to. I think I will. Here's the deal Budget offer's cruisers at www.budgetcayman.com/cruiseships : No Worries - All Inclusive Car Rental All of the following are included in the rates below: Collision Damage Waiver Insurance - no deductible Third Party Liability Waiver Insurance - no deductible Vehicle Environmental Recovery Fee Visitor's Driving Permit FUEL!:D 4 door economy with air - $60 for the day 4 door midsize with air - $70 for the day Fullsize station wagon with air - $80 for the day Premium 4 door with air - $100 for the day 4x4 Suzuki seats 4 w/air - $70 for the day 9 seater van with air - $110 for the day This includes pick up and drop off at the pier. I am e-mailing them asking a few more questions, I'll let you know what else I find out. I would really like to know if i still get charged if our ship is unable to dock in Grand Cayman and we have to skip that port. I hope this info helps.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matcris77381 Posted October 21, 2005 #15 Share Posted October 21, 2005 tony1z is right. It seems there are more vans/drivers than tourists. After the crush to get off the ship, walk across the street and you'll have many drivers to negotiate with. They will take you anywhere you want, as many places as you want, for as long as you want. You can pay by the trip, not per person (we paid $60 for 3 of us, I think it was for 4 hours.) She drove us to Hell and the other tourist spots, then we cruised around the island, stopping at a few bars (for local color...). Then back to the ship when we were ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawnesville Posted October 21, 2005 #16 Share Posted October 21, 2005 I'm renting a convertible Jeep for $79 all inclusive from aviscayman dot com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted October 22, 2005 #17 Share Posted October 22, 2005 Shawnesville, I checked out Avis and you're right, they have have some amazing deals. They're even cheaper than Budget. I had a tough time locating them, but found them mentioned on a Grand Cayman website when I was looking up info. on other things. Their website is www.aviscayman.com. They have all inclusive deals that are great!:) The all-inclusives come with 35,000 in insurance coverage with no deductibles, a driving permit, all other fees like the vehicle environmental recovery fee, and a whole tank of fuel for free without the need to fill it back up before you return. We got an economy car for just $43 all-inclusive. You just walk a couple blocks down from the pier to the "Blue Iquana" souvenir shop where they are located. They then take everyone by bus to the rental agency which is a 5 minute ride away. The Jeep Wrangler 4x4 is just $79.50 for the all-inclusive deal. They also have a PT Cruiser convertible for only $99 for the all-inclusive. The deals they have just can't be beat, believe me, I've been doing lots of research!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lili2 Posted October 31, 2005 #18 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Does anybody know if we have to rent a 4x4 to rum point or it can be just a regular car? Do they allow you to drive on the beach? Also, we have 2 young kids (5yr. and 2yr. old), is it required to have car seats in Cayman? Does the reantal car company provide car seats if we so desire for it? Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted November 4, 2005 #19 Share Posted November 4, 2005 No, you don't have to use a 4x4 to go to Rum Point Beach. It's right off of the main highway with a restaurant, bar, bathrooms, etc. It is about a 45 minute drive, though Frommer's highly recommends it. And so do a number of people here at Cruise Critic. I don't know if I would drive a car along the beach for fear of getting stuck. Rum Point has an area to park at near the "Wreck Bar" restaurant. It's right on the beach and is a good area to hang out at. I believe Grand Cayman has seat belt laws for young ones. Avis and most of the other car rental agencies have the option of adding a car seat onto the price of your rental if you want to. Just check out some of the car rental agencies that are listed and e-mail them with the seat belt questions. I'm sure they'll be happy to answer any of your questions.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.