Please recommend excursion for 4yo

[photomuggle]

Hi! Going on our first cruise in a week. Will be visiting Georgetown, Cayman Islands. Is the Stingray City a suitable place to take a 4yo?

 

If not, anything else involving sea animals that would be suitable for a little kid?

 

Thanks!

[sunrise&set]

We're cruising the following week and also have a 4 year old with us. From the research I've done, people of all ages can enjoy Stingray City. It's really about whether or not you think your child would. DH doesn't think our son would like it very much. But that's because the only time he went was when the waters were a bit rough and none of us enjoyed it!! I've been when the water was very calm and loved it.

 

I am considering doing a tour with the ship to Turtle Farm and a beach.

[us_matrix]

Which tour will do all 3 together and how much? Turtle beach, sandbar and beach.

 

 

 

We're cruising the following week and also have a 4 year old with us. From the research I've done, people of all ages can enjoy Stingray City. It's really about whether or not you think your child would. DH doesn't think our son would like it very much. But that's because the only time he went was when the waters were a bit rough and none of us enjoyed it!! I've been when the water was very calm and loved it.

 

I am considering doing a tour with the ship to Turtle Farm and a beach.

[sunrise&set]

Which tour will do all 3 together and how much? Turtle beach, sandbar and beach.

 

I'm still looking into it, but I know Native Way does a StingRay and Island Tour, cost is $60/person. Here is the description from their website:

 

"Our modern, air-conditioned buses, and friendly local guides, will take you to the world-famous Turtle Farm, Tortuga Rum Factory, 7-Mile Beach, and the Governor’s House. And you’ll go to Hell … and back … but only after cooling off in the crystal-clear, calm waters at Stingray Sandbar. You can swim under, over, and among the rays. And Native Way instructors will show you how to pet, hand-feed and snorkel alongside these friendly creatures."

 

I'm cruising with RCL and they have tons of excursions which include the Stingrays but I'm looking for one that doesn't include that.

[photomuggle]

sunrise&set, thank you very much for the quick reply and encouragement! I hope the weather cooperates and it's warm/sunny enough to enjoy the water.

 

Have a great cruise with your family!

[halifaxtraveller]

We just got back from the stingray sandbar last week and had a great time. We brought our 2 kids with us, age 3 and age 17 months. Both kids had a great time. We booked with Rowan Watersports, they only charge $30 per adult if you book online before you go, and kids under age 4 are free. You don't have to give payment, just book and tell them what date you would like. It was a nice boat- 2 levels, and there was only 13 of us on the boat. Polo was our guide, and took very good care of us. He will take some photos of you as well, and there is no pressure to buy. his website is rowanwatersports.com in case you want to contact him.

oh, and the stingrays were incredible, and the snorkelling at coral gardens was amazing, definitely one of the hightlights of our cruise

[photomuggle]

halifaxtraveller, thanks for sharing your experience! Did your 3yo get to snorkel? Did the tour provider have the right kind of equipment for the kiddo?

 

Also, if you don't mind, what else did you do at Cayman Islands besides the visit to the stingray city and coral garden?

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience. We'll be looking forward to experiencing Stingray City!

[sunrise&set]

We just got back from the stingray sandbar last week and had a great time. We brought our 2 kids with us, age 3 and age 17 months. Both kids had a great time. We booked with Rowan Watersports, they only charge $30 per adult if you book online before you go, and kids under age 4 are free. You don't have to give payment, just book and tell them what date you would like. It was a nice boat- 2 levels, and there was only 13 of us on the boat. Polo was our guide, and took very good care of us. He will take some photos of you as well, and there is no pressure to buy. his website is rowanwatersports.com in case you want to contact him.

oh, and the stingrays were incredible, and the snorkelling at coral gardens was amazing, definitely one of the hightlights of our cruise

 

This is very encouraging! DH is dead set against doing the Stingray tour because he thinks DS will freak out. I'd love to hear more about how your kids liked it. And did they have snorkel gear for your 3 year old? Matthew loves to wear a kids set around the pool but it's a cheap one and really doesn't work.

[ladeeesquire]

we did this last year with our 2.5 yr old. She absolutely loved it!!! she was not remotely afraid of the rays, petted them, kissed them, etc. the water was about to my waist so we just held her. we went with capt marvins and were satisfied with the experience.

 

as far as equipment for our dd, I'm not sure what they had. I actually have a wetsuit (shorts/short sleeves) that she wears, a toddler life jacket that goes between her legs (very comfortable for her and guaranteed to stay in place) and a snorkling raft. I know it sounds like a lot but we've used it quite a bit and she is and feels very safe. There's no way she could use a snorkle and/or mask at her age but she enjoyed looking at the fish through the raft.

 

susan

[photomuggle]

ladeeesquire, thank you for sharing your experience. We are more confident that stingray city is the right destination.

 

Regarding snorkeling for the young one, the response was that they do stock lifejackets and snorkeling equipment suitable for all ages. (However, we plan to take his lifejacket that he's already used to). If the young one doesn't take to the snorkeling mask, then the young one can float in the water and still have a view of the fishes and coral.

 

After reading a lot of reviews here and on tripadvisor, we'll be reserving with Rowan Watersports--they were the most prompt with replies, and were reasonable with a custom itinerary: pickup at dock, turtle farm, stingray city and the coral garden, drop off at dock. $55pp. Price goes down to $55 if a group of 15. 3.5 hours total duration. Their normal price is $40 for the stingray city and coral garden tour, and $20 for island tour for stops at the turtle farm and three other places. We are not that interested in the rum store or the governor's house. We like the fact that it's likely to be a small group. If you are sailing on the Voyager of the Seas next week, and are interested in visiting the stingray city, check out rowanwatersports.com. If you join this itinerary, for a total group of 15, everybody's price goes down to $50. :-)

[us_matrix]

I just booked with capt marvin for 4 of us (3 and 6 yrs old) after reading all of your experince with kids to Stingray sandbar. My kids don't swim so my wife. But we just hold the kids when we are in Stingray sandbar since water just about waist deep and for snorkeling, my wife and I will take turn to watch the kids at the boat while other for snorkeling.

 

BTW, regarding photograph. I do not think it is a good idea to bring your own camera. Do you know capt marvin will take picture for us? If they do, Do we need to pay for the picture or they just simply post it on the web for us to download?

[photomuggle]

Whether in Cozumel or GC, it seems that photograph prices are outrageous. We'll be bringing a waterproof point-n-shoot. If anything, it will work as a bargaining chip when negotiating with the tour operators. :-)

[sunrise&set]

we did this last year with our 2.5 yr old. She absolutely loved it!!! she was not remotely afraid of the rays, petted them, kissed them, etc. the water was about to my waist so we just held her. we went with capt marvins and were satisfied with the experience.

 

as far as equipment for our dd, I'm not sure what they had. I actually have a wetsuit (shorts/short sleeves) that she wears, a toddler life jacket that goes between her legs (very comfortable for her and guaranteed to stay in place) and a snorkling raft. I know it sounds like a lot but we've used it quite a bit and she is and feels very safe. There's no way she could use a snorkle and/or mask at her age but she enjoyed looking at the fish through the raft.

 

susan

 

I checked out the snorkel rafts and showed DH and this changed his mind - so thank you!!!!! I bought the raft and booked with Nativeway because several people from our Roll Call booked with them and we've gone with them before. The raft was pricey but he'll use it a ton on this trip and we also live near the ocean and have a pool. DS already has his own life jacket which we'll bring. I'm sure he'll still want to try the snorkel and mask.

[halifaxtraveller]

My 3 year old was actually a little bit too scared to try the snorkelling. So he stayed on the boat, and Polo ( our guide) sat with him the whole time. They did have a snorkle and mask that fit him, but then he was too scared to go in. We did bring my daugter in the water with us, she is 17 months old. We brought her little floation boat, and we just held onto that and did our snorkelling. Polo was taking lots of pictures with his camera for us, but we also brought our own waterproof camera as well. His pictures were really good, and much better quality than ours, so we did end up getting a disk from him. But if you have an underwater camera, definitely bring it for the snorkelling for sure! I also saw 3 or 4 stingrays at the snorkelling spot, plus lots and lots of really cool looking fish!

here is the company that we used in case you are interested

rowanwatersports

Polo is very quick to email or call you back if you have any questions at all

[halifaxtraveller]

photomuggle

 

we only did the stingray sandbar tour and snorkelling, as we did not have a lot of time on the island. we were there from 8-3, but our tour started at 930 am , and by the time our tour with rowanwatersports was over, it was 1pm. (the last tender boat back was at 2pm) There were a few couples who opted to get out at the beach, and spend some time there. There is no extra cost to get dropped off there, however you will need to take a taxi back to your ship, and the cost is $5

[photomuggle]

halifaxtraveler, thanks again for the detailed account. Very helpful, especially concerning how tight the times actually are.

 

Now that I've made the reservation with Mr. Polo, I can vouch for the fact that he replies very promptly to email queries. Further, his pricing was certainly the best, especially with the kiddo. He was also quite accommodating of a custom itinerary.

 

 

Cheers!

[breanne$5]

We will be there in just 2 weeks! 4 adults and 3.5 year old and 2 year old. We decided to book a private tour this time. We ended up going with Outrage, John Michael has great reviews, he will pick us and drop us off at the port. We can plan what we want to do for the day - stringrays, starfish island, rum island, snorkling, what ever we want. he even has a tube. This way we can make stops to let the kids run around if they want. It was $400 for 4 hours.

[photomuggle]

Grand Cayman excursion was AWESOME!

 

Word of caution: it takes a LONG TIME just to get off the ship, so plan early and get down early. Pickup the tender tickets well before the public announcement. Because we didn't prepare properly for the tender procedures, we got off the ship almost two hours after the first group.

 

Thanks to halifaxtraveller's tips, we booked with Rowan Watersports, and received topnotch service and just great accommodation. On the boat ride to Stingray City, for example, my son was invited to the upperdeck and sit next to the captain and hold the helm. Climbing the vertical ladder to the upperdeck, on a moving boat, provided great excitement to the little one.

 

Stingray City was really quite remarkable. My 4yo was a little scared and did not want to kiss the stingray. LOL.

 

The highlight of the excursion was the last stop--snorkeling at the Coral Garden. WOW. WOW. WOW. We'd done snorkeling just the day before in Cozumel at the Chankanaab National Park. However, for us newbies, the experience at Coral Garden was incomparably more vivid. The water is much shallower and therefore everything is near and clearly visible and there was just so much sea life to see. The stingrays were present here also and they would swim by you and rub you on the feet. Colorful tropical fishes would swim right up to your mask and then scurry away. Amazing time for adults.

 

My 4yo did not participate in the snorkeling because they couldn't find a mouthpiece small enough. Had I specified his size more clearly at the time of the booking, though, I'm sure they would have made accommodations.

 

Still, the staff on the boat made sure to keep on eye on the child and keep him entertained. For example, they would lure and bring the stingrays for my son so that he could look at it closely. It was remarkable how long some of the rays actually stayed with us, sometimes as long as ten minutes at a stretch.

 

Even though we had our own underwater camera, we bought the pictures taken by Mr. Polo, the boat's photographer. He took excellent pictures. $40 for a CD full of pictures, not only of ourselves with the stingrays, but of us snorkeling at Coral Garden, as well as remarkable shots of corals and fishes taken that day. In other words, pictures that we wished to take but couldn't due to the limitations of my skills as an underwater shooter as well as the point-n-shoot camera (slow autofocus, shutter release). Good deal.

 

At the end of the trip, the captain of the boat steered us to areas along the pier where there were tons of iguanas sunbathing. We saw more iguanas here than we did at Chankanaab.

 

The tour included an hour-long stop at Turtle Farm, as well as an impromptu visit to the Dolphin Discovery just across the street. The owner of Rowan Watersports was able to get us in for free to watch the dolphin tricks for a little while. Btw, the swim with dolphin experience is also cheaper here than at Chankanaab.

 

Total cost of the 4-hour excursion for two adults and a child (in what turned out to be a total group of 9), including the photo CD: $180. $20 extra gratuity. Had we gotten off the ship sooner, the tour would have lasted longer.

 

Definitely going back to Grand Cayman. Definitely going back to Rowan Watersports. Next time, we'll be sure to pack our son's own snorkeling gear, just to make sure that everything fits. We found out afterward that they had the gear on sale on the Voyager of the Seas for a decent price.