torpedo3 Posted March 31, 2005 #1 Share Posted March 31, 2005 I will be traveling to Grand Cayman this April. I have heard that snorkeling at Grand Cayman has been a disappointment since the huricane hit. Can I get some feedback on some of the excursions? (stingrays city and rays/reef combo) Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OPSoccermom Posted April 4, 2005 #2 Share Posted April 4, 2005 Just disembarked from the Mariner today. We were in Grand Cayman on Thursday. Actually, we heard that many of the reefs were "cleaned out" by the hurricane, and some of the underwater reefs and wrecks now have better visibility than ever. We went on the Rays and Reef combo offered by RCI. Was hesitant to do so, but we were traveling with family who felt more secure booking thru the ship. I have never had a worse shore excursion experience. The downtown Geargetown area was so congested due to the high number of ships in port that traffic was at a standstill, and many tours could not leave. Not only were the RCI tour delayed, but also the ones for the 2 Carnival ships in port. Ours was delayed by on hour, and since it didn't go out till noon, and the last tender to the ship was supposed to be at 3:30, they told us they were going to have to cut the trip short and just do the sting rays. We then were put on busses to meet the snorkel boat. Turns out the snorkel boat was huge , and there were like 150 to 200 people on this boat. When we finally got to Stingray City and everyone started jumping in, it looked like the final scene of Titanic without icebergs - bodies everywhere. Due to the high number of complaints about missing the "reef" portion of the trip, they told us they were going to the reef afterwards, which turned out to be located only a few hundred yards from Stingray City. Again, bodies everywhere. We are experienced snorkellers, but got out of the water because we kept getting kicked by novices who were not used to swimming with fins. Overall, a very disappointing excursion for everyone in our group. We approached RCI for partial refunds - were told that they were "surprised" by the high number of ships in port and there was nothing they could do. This is a lie as I knew months ago that there were 7 ships scheduled to be in. I recommend: 1) Check the number of ships in port in Grand Cayman when you are going to be there. http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm has daily schedules for cruise ships in port. 2) If there are more than 3 ships in, schedule your snorkel trips for early in the day to avoid delayed and possibly cancelled trips. 3) Research and use independent operators if you want to avoid crowded trips. 4) Go for it and enjoy the marine life there. It is still beautiful, and heaven knows that Grand Cayman can use the tourism $$$. The hurricane devastation we saw was incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce-r Posted April 4, 2005 #3 Share Posted April 4, 2005 I will be traveling to Grand Cayman this April. I have heard that snorkeling at Grand Cayman has been a disappointment since the huricane hit. Can I get some feedback on some of the excursions? (stingrays city and rays/reef combo)Thanks. Quality of snorkeling will depend on the site you visit and the weather conditions that day. Ivan did do some damage, more so on the south side of the island, but I have heard from dive buddies that the damage was mostly minimal and that there were plenty of fish. Stingray City hasn't been impacted by the hurricane, the stingrays are still there and waiting for you to bring them their lunch. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laceyjane Posted April 4, 2005 #4 Share Posted April 4, 2005 We booked a morning snorkel- stingray city trip through Captain Marvin on our own. We got off the tender and walked a few blocks and Captain Marvins office was right there. This was a fabulous trip!! The best excursion we ever had on our past 3 cruises. Only 12 people on our very clean comfortable boat!! The snorkling was amazing-tons of beautiful fish!!! Lots of stingrays-just great!! They dropped us off at 7 mile beach after our trip with them (no charge for taking us there)-we spent the afternoon there and then we got a cab on our own back to the tender dock. This was one of the best days we ever had!!! Yes, the island was really hit hard by the hurricane-so very sad to see this-but they are rebuilding and even the greenery is starting to come back. Book a tour on your own-you will love it!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug'sMom Posted April 4, 2005 #5 Share Posted April 4, 2005 We arrive in port at 7:00 a.m. with 4 other ships. Does anyone think that we might have a problem with tendering OR the return? Would an earlier one be better? Our ship leaves at 3:00 p.m. If it is 7:00 ship time then what time would it be in Grand Cayman? (are they an hour ahead?) Thanks! Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skybuffalo Posted April 4, 2005 #6 Share Posted April 4, 2005 I agree with laceyjane. It was the best part of the whole cruise. We also went with Capt. Marvin and had a fantastic time. There were only twelve people on our boat and we watched the large crowds on the cruise snorkel boats. I had spent the time to read all of the posts and listened to some good advise. I am glad we did. The time window should still be enough. There are full day and half day trips. Have fun. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OPSoccermom Posted April 5, 2005 #7 Share Posted April 5, 2005 Lacey and Sky - you are so right. Wish we would have followed our gut feelings and booked independently. Grand Cayman was the only island that I used the ship's shore excusions. Oh well, live and learn - gives me something to look forward to the next time.:) As long as you book an AM snorkel, you should have no problem catching atender back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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