What to do with 8 ships in port

[lbh11]

I noticed that there will be 7 or 8 ships in port the day we are in grand cayman. Is seven mile beach going to be so crowded that its not worth going? are there other places that might be a little further away from the crowds?

[blue_water]

Yes, this is one time I would definitely rent a car and make the 45 min drive to Rum Point and enjoy the beach there. Great beach bar there with excellent grouper sandwiches and mudslides and water toy rentals. Further than you want to drive but it is a great way to escape the crowds and it's an easy drive and much less crowded than SMB (except on Sun).

 

Another option is a daysail or other excursion where you're not just going to the beach. We took the Fat Fish Adventures jet-ski tour and it was one of the best excursions we've ever done.

[Cridersville]

Not to sound stupid but how do you find out what other ships are in port? Thank you.

[VillaHappy]

I would avoid 7 Mile Beach, if there are several ships in port. The pp mentioned Rum Beach, I would definitely go that route!!!

[blue_water]

There are various cruise ship and port schedules out the, just google them.

[lbh11]

I hadn't been back on this page in a few days. Is it difficult to rent a car and do you need to have an international drivers license to do that? I had heard about Rum Beach from someone who stayed there as a destination and not part of a cruise.

 

This is also the link that I used to find out how many ships are in port.

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

[cruisetux11]

I hadn't been back on this page in a few days. Is it difficult to rent a car and do you need to have an international drivers license to do that? I had heard about Rum Beach from someone who stayed there as a destination and not part of a cruise.

 

This is also the link that I used to find out how many ships are in port.

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

 

great links thanks ... I will be there w/ 6 other cruise ships .. might be crowded :(

[mrsfuzzmo]

Depends on what you want to do.

 

One place that is away from the crowds, near town and kind of unknown to the cruise crowd is Sunset House Resort. It's about a mile out of town (you can walk or cab), had a beautiful huge outdoor bar/restaurant deck right on the water, excellent snorkeling, a pool and absolutely beautiful views and atmosphere.

 

Their food is awesome and less expensive than in town. We went there the first time thinking we would spend a couple hours there and stayed the entire day!!

[cruisetux11]

Depends on what you want to do.

 

One place that is away from the crowds, near town and kind of unknown to the cruise crowd is Sunset House Resort. It's about a mile out of town (you can walk or cab), had a beautiful huge outdoor bar/restaurant deck right on the water, excellent snorkeling, a pool and absolutely beautiful views and atmosphere.

 

Their food is awesome and less expensive than in town. We went there the first time thinking we would spend a couple hours there and stayed the entire day!!

 

I couldn't find online how much they charge for just using their beach for a day .. do you happen to remember?

[mrsfuzzmo]

I couldn't find online how much they charge for just using their beach for a day .. do you happen to remember?

 

They don't have a beach. It's all coral/rock. They don't charge anything. You should probably purchase something from the restaurant or bar, but there is no "cover charge". The food was awesome and a great price compared to town.

 

They also have a "natural pool" that is shallow and a nice starting point for snorkeling.

[ellie1145]

We have hired a car in Grand Cayman. We got off the tender, walked out of the dock, turned left and walked up the hill. There is a car hire company there. We had a British Driving License and that was accepted with no problem.

 

We drove all round the island, stopped off wherever we wanted and found a quiet beach away from the hordes.

 

Can recommend it highly.

[mrsfuzzmo]

We have hired a car in Grand Cayman. We got off the tender, walked out of the dock, turned left and walked up the hill. There is a car hire company there. We had a British Driving License and that was accepted with no problem.

 

We drove all round the island, stopped off wherever we wanted and found a quiet beach away from the hordes.

 

Can recommend it highly.

 

There's a hill in Georgetown near the docks?

[cathep]

I think we'll have 7 ships in port. Would you avoid Eden Rock?

[drew sailbum]

There's a hill in Georgetown near the docks?

Uh. Nope.

 

And an International drivers license is not required for visitors from most countries. You rental fee includes a temporary Cayman license.

[ahecht]

I hadn't been back on this page in a few days. Is it difficult to rent a car and do you need to have an international drivers license to do that? I had heard about Rum Beach from someone who stayed there as a destination and not part of a cruise.

 

This is also the link that I used to find out how many ships are in port.

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

 

That site only shows public cruises. It won't show chartered ships (which could add significantly to the port load). I would go directly to the source: http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

 

If you're talking about March 27th, there are only 6 ships in port that day (that other site lists the HA ship three times for some reason). The port load is 15,542 people, which is not terribly higher than the 13,689 when I was last there (some days have 17,000+). Popular spots on SMB such as the Royal Palms were crowded, but you didn't have to walk too far to get away from the crowds.

[ellie1145]

There's a hill in Georgetown near the docks?

 

To be more correct it is an INCLINE.

 

Apologies to those who were shocked by the suggestion that there was a hill on grand Cayman.

 

It was really hot that day and believe me the incline felt like a hill!:D;)