Turtle Farm

[cruisinfever]

We are interested in going to the Turtle Farmbut doing it on our own. How difficult is it to take the bus? Should we pre purchase tickets?

[bankerlkd]

Not difficult at all! Just walk inland about two blocks to the library and catch the bus. 3$ us pp. or if you have cayman $2 CI pp.

 

Nice drive up seven mile beach and you'll get dropped off right in front of it. Great restaurant about a block north as well. Cracked Counch. Also has bar shoreside, watched folks access diving right there.

 

We spent about 3 hours at the farmwith our 11 yr old loving it, especially picking up the turtles. The day we were there they opened a new waterslide in the pool area.

 

Sorry can't comment on pricing, we received resident rate admission as we were staying with relative who resides in gc.

[B&P!!!]

I went to the Turtle Farm with my dd7 and dh earlier this month! It was a great time.

 

I'd recommend purchasing tickets online as you get a discount for buying early plus they provided their own bus service. Check their website for times. When you get off the tender, talk to the Turtle Farm staff (you can tell from their logo shirts) and tell them you booked online. They had us (and the 12+ others who did the same thing) wait with the people from the ships Turtle, Turtles, and More excursion then us internet folks got our own bus and tour guide. Fantastic! They tell you one return time, but if you want the later time, just clear it with the desk at the Farm. Most of our group wanted to stay longer....and did. Public transport is also supposedly quite good (I didn't use it, but heard good reviews) if you want to go that route.

 

We took the early bus to the Farm and the late bus back but could have spent more time there. Great place for families. Have fun!

[sonogal]

Can you actually purchase that "tour" or the tickets at the tender pier if you don't want to do it ahead of time? We're just not sure what we want to do and were thinking that we might just decide once we get there.

[Creepella]

Does anyone know how much a cab would run if you wanted to do it on your own time, and are the impatient sort who doesn't like waiting for the bus?

[trasor]

Was going to post my own thread but maybe I can get my questions answered here. I am torn between doing the Disney excursion of Dolphin Discovery and Turtle Farm or doing it on my own. Disney would be $480 for the 4 of us (2 adults and 2 children) for the swim and turtle farm but it's only 3.5-4 hours long with about 45 min. at the turtle farm.

 

Is 45 min. enough time to see the animal exhibits at the farm?

 

Booking through Dolphin Discovery its $476 ($380 if I can figure this out while they're still offering 20% discount) with the turtle farm included. If we wanted to upgrade to all of Boatswain's it would be an additional $80 and we also have to provide our own transportation. We probably wouldn't swim at Boatswain's but we would like to see the other animal exhibits.

 

Can we see the other exhibits without upgrading?

 

Or, I could buy separate tickets to the turtle farm, have them pick me up, go to Dolphin Discovery from there for an afternoon dolphin swim and go back to Boatswains for a ride back to the bus. I've read they're across the street from each other.

 

Would that even work? Can I walk between the two?

 

 

Help, please!

[mtslone]

Is the turtle park called boatswains?

[B&P!!!]

Yes, the turtle farm is Boatswains.

Cab is about $20 if you want to go that route. I'm not sure whether or not you can buy tickets at the tender pier. Sorry!

 

I think the turtle tour with the guide was about 30minutes so, yes, you can see the turtles in 45min. Time for their tour plus your own exploration time if allowed. We mainly swam and snorkeled after the tour so not sure if it would be worth it to upgrade if you weren't going to get in any water.

hth

[Shelleywood]

I have a Turtle farm question I hope someone can help me with. We would like to go to the farm and buy our tickets on line before we go but does anyone know what their refund policy is? If the ship cancels this port will they give me my money back or am I just out of luck?

 

If they have no refund policy for cruise passengers I guess we'll just wait until we get there to buy tickets but I just wanted to take care of it beforehand and get the 20% discount.

[stepmonster]

I have a Turtle farm question I hope someone can help me with. We would like to go to the farm and buy our tickets on line before we go but does anyone know what their refund policy is? If the ship cancels this port will they give me my money back or am I just out of luck?

 

If they have no refund policy for cruise passengers I guess we'll just wait until we get there to buy tickets but I just wanted to take care of it beforehand and get the 20% discount.

 

 

Yes, you can get a refund if the ship doesn't port there for some reason. and also, if you buy your tickets on line, they will provide free transportation from the port

[Shelleywood]

Stepmonster- Thank you so much for your reply. I had emailed them but haven't heard from them yet. So, I appreciate you letting me know.

[Gemynii]

This is off of Boatswain's website:

 

I have no pre-booked tour. How do I get to and from Boatswain's Beach?

 

Taxis: Taxis are readily available from the taxi stand at the cruise ship dock, all resorts and Owen Roberts International Airport. They offer a fixed rate per vehicle or per person. The cost of a taxi from George Town to the Cayman Turtle Farm is CI$16.00/ US$20.00 for up to three people (subject to change).

 

Buses: Visitors may also opt to take the official public bus transportation system first launched in October 1998. The new bus terminal is located adjacent to the Public Library on Edward St. in downtown George Town and serves as the dispatch point for buses to all districts.

 

There are 38 mini-buses operated by 24 licensed operators, serving eight routes. Daily service starts at 6:00 am from the depot to West Bay every 15 minutes and the schedule is as follows:

 

Route Colour Code Time Fare

Route 1 (Directly to Boatswain's Beach) Yellow 6:00am - 11:00pm Sunday - Thursday CI $2.00

Route 2 Lime Green 6:00am - Midnight Friday & Saturday CI $2.00 Plus Extra CI $1.00 to Stop at the Turtle Farm

 

To maintain consistency in fares, each bus must display a fare table outlining standard government-authorized fares.

The hotline number for public comment and feedback is 945-5100.

 

Hope this helps anyone who is still looking for info on transportation. :)

[CayManTA]

Can you actually purchase that "tour" or the tickets at the tender pier if you don't want to do it ahead of time? We're just not sure what we want to do and were thinking that we might just decide once we get there.

 

I don't think you can purchase admission tickets to the Cayman Turtle Farm at the pier, but you can purchase admission tickets at the ticket counter at the farm once you get there - and you can take a bus for US$2.50 from downtown George Town to the farm; US$2.50 for the bus ride back to downtown George Town. Bring your credit card and photo ID to buy the admission tickets at the farm.

 

If you're doing the "Entire Park" admission so you can swim in the sea-water lagoon where they have about ten or twelve turtles and many different types of fish swimming around, hand-feed birds in their bird sanctuary, go in their huge fresh-water pool with waterfalls and a water slide, and watch the shark feeding, it's a better deal to purchase admission in advance though, because transport is included. Their website is www.turtle.ky for info etc. Most of the cruise lines offer an "Entire Park" package for the turtle farm with transport included but they call it by different names depending on the cruise line. You can buy that "Entire Park" admission at the farm too but then you'll have to find your own transport to get there.

 

There's a "turtles only" admission for a lower price ($18 per adult and $9 per child if you buy it at the ticket counter at Cayman Turtle Farm) where you get to see the turtles and can hold a turtle, but you don't get to do all that other stuff I mentioned in the "Entire Park" admission. They also sell "Turtles Only" admission online for a bit higher price than at their ticket counter because it includes transportation.

 

There are several tours that include the "Turtles Only" part of the Turtle Farm but if you want to be able to do the entire park, check to confirm that's what you'll be getting!

[Moose2505]

I went to the Turtle Farm with my dd7 and dh earlier this month! It was a great time.

 

I'd recommend purchasing tickets online as you get a discount for buying early plus they provided their own bus service. Check their website for times.

 

I was just wondering where the website was for the Turtle Farm?