What to do while in the Cayman Islands

[Roberta Kimball]

We are going to the Cayman Islands in March. We cruised there last year and did the seven mile beach excursion. We would like to see a different beach, but would also like to be some place that offers chairs, snorkeling equipment for rent and close to the cruise terminal. Any suggestions?

[ERIE 13]

Take the Sting Ray tour.

[Cruise-Crazy]

If you have never done it Stingray City is great.

[welshrich]

I would recommend Stingray City too, its a great tour.

[Artemis908]

Totally agree with previous posters, the Sting Ray tour is AWESOME! For one I never realized how huge they were. When people were jumping into the water before us we could hear women screaming and we were like wth? Is the water cold? Then when we jumped in we saw why, I never expected them to be so big! They are gentle though, you just gotta shuffle in the water so you don't step on them and it was one of the most memorable experiences in my entire life.

[gelo7]

Sting Ray City and 7 Mile Beach.

[Familygoboston]

We took the bike excursion ( I think there is only one) we bussed to the biking area, then used mountain bikes to got to see the turtle farm, seven mile beach and Hell, the rum cake store and even a peek at the dolphin interaction place. We got to see where real people live by riding through their neighborhood.

 

We thought it was a great way to see a bunch of the touristy places and get some exercise. It was a very easy ride and they follow with a jeep, so you can bail if it's too much. But it was fun, and on our cruise there were only 5 of us!

[JohninDC]

Snorkel and Stingray City with Moby Dick - we've done it twice and would book it again. :)

[Cruising4theFirstTime]

I second Stingray City with Moby Dick Tours! It was a fantastic experience for us!

[momof4_tn]

We were just there last week. We did the snorkel and Stingray through Moby Dick. It was great and still left time to enjoy the beach. They'll even drop you along 7 mile beach at a spot where you can rent chairs after the tour.

[Jimnbigd]

Note that Cayman uses tenders -- small boats that take you between ship and shore. It can take a while to get everyone off the ship in the morning -- often 2 hours or more. And there can be a line to return, so use the bathroom first before returning. And, if the seas are rough, Cayman might be skipped.

[orville99]

We stay onboard and enjoy the empty ship:)

[kruzerci]

We stay onboard and enjoy the empty ship:)

 

That's what we're doing in May. We've done just about all there is to

do there!

[wraithe]

My favorite thing to do when the ship stops at Grand Cayman is to remain onboard and enjoy the ship while very few other people are onboard.

[aslterp]

We did a Sting Ray City/Snorkel activity! It was AMAZING!

[gogetter]

My favorite thing to do when the ship stops at Grand Cayman is to remain onboard and enjoy the ship while very few other people are onboard.

 

 

So what is open while in port?

Casino and Fun shops i would guess no.

Are the bars and grilles and Lido deck buffet open?

[Roberta Kimball]

Thanks for your suggestions. The one problem with sting ray city is that I am scared to death of sting rays...while cruising in the bahamas, I was able to "walk" on water when one swam past me.

 

Familygoboston...how did you find the bike tour? I have not seen that offered any where...that is something we would enjoy.

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for your suggestions. The one problem with sting ray city is that I am scared to death of sting rays...while cruising in the bahamas, I was able to "walk" on water when one swam past me.

 

Familygoboston...how did you find the bike tour? I have not seen that offered any where...that is something we would enjoy.

 

I found it in the RCI excursion website, but that was a year ago...it's too bad if the stopped offering it, but there were only 5 people on our tour. If they don't have that, I would recommend going to the Cayman Turtle Farm...they raise them there to eat:eek:, but it's better than hunting them in the wild. They have a nice educational center, several pools of turtles of different ages, and you can buy a tour that includes some snorkeling time in their lagoon, or relaxing on their lagoon beach front. There were one short nature trails. There is a snack bar for lunch. ( where you can get turtle if you choose) We felt it was the best part of our bike tour, but we have a strong interest in wildlife and animals anyway. It was well run, and we thought we'd go back and do the snorkel and trails if we ever had our kids on GC.

[Familygoboston]

A few photos from the Cayman Turtle farm...

 

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

OP says they are terrified of stingrays:eek: But that excursion is the signature excursion in CI.

[Jimnbigd]

So what is open while in port?

Casino and Fun shops i would guess no.

Are the bars and grilles and Lido deck buffet open?

No casino or shops. Spa is open (beauty shop and massage) and often run specials. Buffet is open. Some bars are open. MDR is not open for lunch, at least not on cruises I've been on. Sometimes the crew does drills. It is interesting to watch them lower a lifeboat.

[pinklucky61]

We have a tour booked through rccl for 10:20am, ship arrives 10:00. Is island time same as ship time? I've read that they will wait for people, but 20 minutes does not seem possible.

 

 

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.722747,-88.069984

[Familygoboston]

We have a tour booked through rccl for 10:20am, ship arrives 10:00. Is island time same as ship time? I've read that they will wait for people, but 20 minutes does not seem possible.

 

 

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.722747,-88.069984

 

If you booked through RCL, they will make sure that all of you have time to get off before they leave for the excursion. If the ship is late they will leave later.

 

It's surprising though how quickly that you can get off the ship once they have docked in port. Sometimes Island time is different that ship time, but your tickets will be printed with ship time and your Cruise Compass will tell you whether or not to change the ships time when you get to a port.

 

Not to worry! They have the whole thing down to a science, and if you have any questions there are always Explorations staff on the pier to help.

[Irish1978]

See if you can get a excursion to Rum Point or else just take a taxi

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147365-d149242-Reviews-Rum_Point-Grand_Cayman_Cayman_Islands.html

 

You can swim with dolphins in Grand Cayman too but not sure if you can do this via the cruise ship excursions. Turtle farm is also fun

[bookbabe]

See if you can get a excursion to Rum Point or else just take a taxi

 

Do not try to take a taxi to Rum Point. It is 45 minutes and $80 from the port area, and there will be no taxis in the vicinity for the return trip unless you pre-arrange one. The only feasible ways to get to Rum Point are either with an excursion or via rental car.