Grand Cayman Stingray Excursions

[alwaysfrantic]

There are 2 different options on the Zuiderdam shore excursion list. One says you go to a sandbar, another has an island tour and snorkeling in 4 feet of water. Are they one in the same? Does everyone do this on their own instead of the HAL? Is the HAL trip fine?

[jhannah]

On the non-snorkeling one you just go out and get on a semi-submersible and watch a handler bring the stingrays up to the windows.

 

'Vegas Jim

 

[Joanandjoe]

If you can get a group of six or more people together, you're best off skipping the ship's tour and taking one of the private tours listed on the Ports of call boards, such as Captain Marvin or Native Way. We took Native Way and spent far less money than the ship's tour, had a much less crowded boat, and got to taste fresh conch. Great!

 

Don't forget to taste some rum cakes and conch fritters while on shore!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Grand Cayman

 

Best to book tour to Stingray City once you get on land. Don't recommend booking it on line as there is the slight possibilty that the ship might not make it there, i.e., weather.

 

If you do get there, agree rum cakes and conch fritters to eat. And if you can, take home some rum cakes.

 

 

 

[MandyGirl]

This past Thanksgiving, we booked with: http://www.cayman.org/crosby/

Any time I book shore excursions with an independent company, I always ask what their cancellation policy is should the ship not be able to send tenders to port or if it is skipped for some reason. Sometimes you just lose your deposit, sometimes they refund everything. Just depends on the company.

 

~ Mandy

 

NCL Sky 12/2000 - Western Caribbean

Celebrity Galaxy 12/2001 - Southern Caribbean

S/S Norway 03/2003 wedding cruise - Eastern Caribbean

~~~~~ Married on the beach in St John! ~~~~~

HAL ms Maasdam 11/23/2003 - Western Caribbean

HAL Zuiderdam 11/2004 - Eastern Caribbean

[ekerr19]

alwaysfrantic-

 

We took the HAL one on the Zuiderdam last August. Grand Cayman was packed, the shore excursion even more so. We were sperated from the HAL group and put on a bus with Celebrity and RCCI pax. We had wanted to stay with our ship friends, but told "No, get on this bus".

 

Once we arrived at the sandbar, there were about 10-12 boats backed up into a large circle, you had to exit the boat from the rear - into water much higher than 4ft - packed full with screaming people. Some on our boat would not move off the back stairs of the boat, so people could not get in or out of the water easily.

 

I did not care for it - way too crowded and unorganized. I heard from others that if you book this through the independent companies, the trip is much better, also cheaper.

 

Hope this helps. If we did this again, we would not be going in summer when it is so crowded and would definitely look to an independent tour company.

 

Noordam 1984

Veendam 1999

Amsterdam 2000

Noordam 2001

Statendam 2001

Noordam 2002

Zuiderdam 2003

Maasdam 2004.

Noordam 2004

[torpeedo]

Agree with you ekerr19. Had the exact same experience last Jan. We booked through the cruise line. The water was VERY deep and pretty rough that day and I am not a really great swimmer. Lots of people and confusion. The tour as advertised, consisted of Sting Ray City and then off to the coral reef for snorkeling. Interesting thing was we did the sting ray city and then everyone got back on board and were going to the coral reef. Expecting a bit of a ride to the reef but found it was about 3 minutes away from what they called Sting Ray City! We could have paddled there ourselves!

There is some type of excursion that takes you to very shallow water where you can see the stingrays up close without drowning in the experience. We thought we had that but evidently not!

 

Carnival Legend 12/05/04

Caribbean Princess 09/17/05

Veendam 11/26/05

[Tatka]

Do you remember if you saw (or felt? Yuck!!!) any jelly fish there?

 

(This is critical for me!)

 

------------------------------

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL

<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona

<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow

<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum

 

GO BRUINS!!!!

[ekerr19]

Tatka-

 

No jelly fish. It is my understanding they are mostly in the Pacific Ocean (and we did see tons of them on our Mexican Riviera cruise) but I've never seen one in the Caribbean.

 

torpeedo-

 

The water was really rough the day we went too. We didn't go to the reef, I wish we would have, I think we may have liked it better. The people in the water were screaming and thrashing around - once people found out they could potentially step on the Stingrays (and they have stingers on their backs) it became a madhouse.

 

Noordam 1984

Veendam 1999

Amsterdam 2000

Noordam 2001

Statendam 2001

Noordam 2002

Zuiderdam 2003

Maasdam 2004.

Noordam 2004

[Joanandjoe]

Our experience on Native Way was totally different and better than as described in some of the negative postings. There were six of us from Cruise Critic boards and another eight or so staying on Grand Cayman. The boat was smaller than the boats on the ship's excursions, and was able to get into water about three feet deep. The rays were easy to see and not at all frightening. The boat crew even picked up rays and posed them as if we were wearing hats.

 

Coral Gardens was great: like an beautiful aquarium, but much nicer. I don't snorkle very well; but I could see a lot through my face mask.

 

On the way to and from downtown George Town, the owner of Native Way (our driver) stopped to point out animals and plants. All in all, thoroughly enjoyable, and only about $20 per person (plus generous tips for good service).

[alwaysfrantic]

Would we have any trouble getting on a Nativeway or Capt. Marvin tour if we didn't book in advance and waited until there?

[jstducky]

alwaysfrantic:

 

its always a good idea to book independent tour operators ahead of time. i had wondered the same thing for my upcoming western caribbean cruise on the zuiderdam. i heard from some people that they booked up to 1 year in advance. i decided to go with nativeway, and i am not mistaken they only do 2 tours a day. one in the morning and one in the late morning. the cost is $30 per person. and on the return trip they will either drop you off at the dock to catch the tender or drop you off at seven mile beach where you can taxi back for about $3 a person.

 

sharon the owner of nativeway informed me when i booked that if the ship did not stop at grand cayman due to weather, our reservations would be cancelled without penalty. in fact they don't take any form of deposit ahead of time, just your name. you pay when you meet them on the island.

 

i think it would be best for you to find out how many ships will be at grand cayman the day you are going. you can visit the grand cayman port authority website to get this information. they day that i am going to be there, there will be 4 ships. therefore, i figured if i wanted to get on one of nativeway's two trips i better reserve early.

 

hope this helps!

 

jstducky!

-----------------

...til 9/04 - Jewel of the Seas - Canada / New England

 

====================================

...til 7/04 - Zuiderdam - Western Caribbean

 

=====================================

7/03 - Zaandam - Alaska

4/03 - Norweigan Star - Hawaii

7/96 - Noordam - Alaska

7/96 - Golden Princess - Alaska

8/94 - Jubilee - Mexican Riviera

 

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<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

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[iluvcruzin]

Just a FYI - there are jellyfish ekerr19 in the Atlantic, the Gulf and the Carribean. I've seen them in all of these places.. HOWEVER.. The only place in the carribean I saw them was Cozumel the day after they had hard rain.

 

I wouldn't worry about them though as they are very small and don't zap you silly like some of the larger types.

 

Maureen

 

MS Maasdam 10/30/2004

Princess Sun 2/27/2005

Mariner of the Seas 10/16/2005

 

[Southbound]

JST DUCKY

 

We'll be visiting Grand Cayman for the first time on the 12/22/04 14-day holiday sailing of the Rotterdam. Would like to contact Native Way for info & reserv. Can you pass along their website? Many thanx.

[jstducky]

southbound:

 

you can find nativeway here: Native Way

 

on their website, there is a quick and easy link to email them for reservations or more information.

 

Sharon, the lady the owns Nativeway with her husband, will respond to your email within a few days.

 

Enjoy!

 

jstducky!

-----------------

...til 9/04 - Jewel of the Seas - Canada / New England

 

====================================

...til 7/04 - Zuiderdam - Western Caribbean

 

=====================================

7/03 - Zaandam - Alaska

4/03 - Norweigan Star - Hawaii

7/96 - Noordam - Alaska

7/96 - Golden Princess - Alaska

8/94 - Jubilee - Mexican Riviera

 

<center>

<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

</center>

 

[Tatka]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by iluvcruzin:

Just a FYI - there are jellyfish ekerr19 in the Atlantic, the Gulf and the Carribean. I've seen them in all of these places.. HOWEVER.. The only place in the carribean I saw them was Cozumel the day after they had hard rain.

 

I wouldn't worry about them though as they are very small and don't zap you silly like some of the larger types.

 

Maureen

 

MS Maasdam 10/30/2004

Princess Sun 2/27/2005

Mariner of the Seas 10/16/2005

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Thank you for info!

 

I am not afraid of jelly fish...just can't stand them. Stopped swimming in the sea at the age of 10! My parents used to go crazy because of this.

 

Thanks God we didn't encounter JF in Dominican Republic and I could swim for the first time in 20 years!

 

------------------------------

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL

<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona

<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow

<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum

 

GO BRUINS!!!!

[alwaysfrantic]

Takta: I believe there is now a product that keep jelly fish away from you. It is called Sea Safe, and is a lotion you apply like sunscreen. I have not used it, so I can't vouch for its' effectiveness, but you could research it if you would like to snorkel or swim in the ocean.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi, I just wanted to let those know that I contacted Native Way and made reservations for our March 2005 Westerdam cruise. Sharon was more than happy to reserve the second sial with them. We go out a noon. The cost is only $25.00 and this is US dollars not Cayman dollars. We did not have to pay a deposit and they will just cancel our reservation if the ship cannot tender. In what I have read it sound like this will be a lot better than using the ships Swim with the Sting Rays with getting in shallower water and less people on the boat. Plus the bonus of being a lot cheaper.

Who else out there has gone out with Native Way Watersports? I would love to hear from you. :)

[Mary Ann 2]

We went on the ship's excursion to swim with the stingrays last week and loved it! We stayed longer than any other ship there including the small private ones you have mentioned, and although there may have been more people on our ship, they made sure that everyone had an opportunity to hold one if they wanted and feed them. The water was not deep and the ship had 3 nice ladders to get on and off with and restrooms.

 

A word for those going. On our ship, they took pictures and sold them as well as neat t-shirts, drinks, and snacks. But they only took cash and we hadn't taken enough, so be forwarned to bring money for these extras.

[Joanandjoe]

We loved Native Way, but there wa s one negative: they didn't have a photographer. (One could have been arranged at extra cost.) Since we took lots of pictures with a disposable underwater camera, and we think that a video would be watched once (maybe) and never again, this was not a big deal to us. If it is important to you, check to make sure that your stingray city boat will take the pictures that you want.;)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I agree with the video thing. Many years ago I did the Swim with the Dolphins on the Big Island of Hawaii. The experience was absolutely wonderful far better than the one I did in Cozumel but that is another story. I purchased the video. Of course you are all hyped up about the experience. Came home and watched it, I think I might have pulled it out one more time when some firends came over and asked about our trip. That was the last time it was seen. I think for me a purchase of an underwater disposable camera will be sufficient. We will probably keep the good camera on the ship.

[mrswynn]

That's what we found on our "swimming with the stingrays" and coral reef experience two years ago. The water was rough and deep. We were told we could swim to the sandbar and "pet" the stingrays. NOT TRUE! The water was about 8 feet deep and the waves pushed you all over. The stingrays were 'friendly' but I didn't enjoy having them swimming around my legs. Took in far too much saltwater. Got sick. Didn't get off the small boat at the coral reef. Got back on the ship and spent the next 20 hours sick in my cabin. Missed the crab leg dinner. Missed the best show that night (Norm Crosby). Would NEVER try this again. I'm a good swimmer, but there must have been 200 people brought to a small area for this and all of us were bouncing around. This particular excusion cust us $58 each. What a horrible time. Did, however, have a fantastic San San Yacht Cruise in Ocho Rios the same trip and it was one of the best experiences we ever had. In Aruba we took a private tour of the island for $50 (two of us) and had a great afternoon at the beach. So, overall we had 10 days of heaven - but I would NEVER recommend the Snorkeling & Stingray combo. Good luck all!

[the2ofus]

Took the ship Stingray City excursion several years ago in November, and enjoyed it very much. I think people experience different things as much because of sea conditions as anything else. The number of ships in port is also a factor.

 

On our trip, the boat that took us out to the Stingray area carried pax from a couple of cruise ships. However it was not crowded. Only one smaller catamaran was there when we were.

 

There had been stormy weather a few days previous to our day in Grand Cayman and the waves were still pretty big, so although the sandbar was only 3-4 feet under water, the waves added another 1-2 feet. Since my Hubby is not a swimmer, he opted not to enter the water, but still enjoyed the trip.

 

On our boat, the operators gave a full explanation as to the expected behavior of the sting rays and reminded us that if we shuffled across the sandbar, being careful not to lift our feet, we would not be stung by the tail barb. We were also told that the rays would brush up against our legs. They also demonstrated how to feed the rays.

 

Once down the ladder into the water, there were a few yips and shrieks the first time the rays brushed past some folks. They feel almost like velvet as they brush by, and their movements are so languid and beautiful. Mostly there were a lot of oohs and aahs. The crew held up stingrays to be petted and photographed. We could feed them if we wished. The worst part of the whole thing was reaching into the bucket of murky water to get a piece of raw fish to feed them.

 

Choose whichever tour suits you best, but if you like "getting up close and personal" with sea creatures, this trip is a 'must do'.

[montgomeryfamily]

Capt. Marvin's also doesn't charge if the ship misses the port or if the ship is delayed at getting in so that you miss the tour time. In addition, Capt Marvin's often has a videographer. You have to tell them that you want a videographer and they try to arrange it. It is with a third party company that apparently always accompanies the longer snorkel tour (three stops including Stingray City) but not usually the shorter two stops including Stingray City tour. However, we asked for them to come on our shorter snorkeling tour and they did. You can purchase a videotape or a DVD and they take credit cards so you don't have to bring extra cash. The DVD we purchased was really awesome!!