Less crowded with stingrays/holiday sail(1/3/12)

[lemstar]

We want to go hang with the rays, but don't want to stand in a crowd to do it. We had considered doing the jetski thing, but one poster said the ride was quite rough when they went, and I am 56 and not so up to rough. Maybe a catamaran or small sailboat? How long does it take to get to the rays? Is there maybe a better time of day to go?

Any suggestions?

[Bonnie J.]

When you swim with the Rays there is no way to do so without a lot of other people. There are moorings in the water that your boat will tie up to and there are many moorings so many boats. But you are not packed in a small area. This is an area in the water, nothing is fenced. It is well worth going here. Often you will also stop at 1 or 2 other places for snorkeling. Check out Capt. Marvin to do this tour!

Edited November 13, 2012 by Bonnie J.

[clhlady]

As a very experienced 'cruiser', I've grown tired of the same old 'herding of cattle' type shore excursions offered by the ships. At the same time, I am very cautious of booking with an independent tour operator as I travel on my own. After much research I chose Cayman Eco Adventures & I was very pleased with my entire experience. From the very first initial email contact Kat answered my questions, provided detailed & accurate information & made me feel at ease.

The tour itself was led by Capt. Kevin who was very knowledgeable, personable & kept things organized & on-time. They limit their boat to a max of 25 passengers & the tour I went on had 23 & was comfortable at that number & would be the same with a full 25. After observing some of the boats around us at Stingray City that were stuffed to the point that I couldn't believe the boat was still floating, I was happy that Cayman Eco puts the concerns of its passengers safety & comfort above the almighty money grab mentality of other tour companies.

We had enough time to enjoy each of the stops (snorkeling & Stingray) and both were great & memorable experiences.

I highly recommend if you're looking for a fun & enjoyable experience that you book with Capt. Kevin & Cayman Eco Adventures.

[channel master]

We also did this tour with Cayman eco adventures. Their max is 25, some of the boats booked through the cruise ships carry up to 100. It seams that the stingrays like to avoid the large crowds, and our group of 18 had far more stingrays around than the boats with larger groups. Staff was friendly and professional. Highly recommended.