Snorkel and beach - without Stingray City

[hominamad]

Hey everyone - getting ready for our first cruise in a couple of weeks. Had a question about excursions in Cayman.

 

We've been to Cayman before as a vacation - not on a cruise and loved it. So it's hard to figure out what to do with just one day there.

 

Here's our dilemma. My son (11) and I love snorkeling. My wife doesn't really care about it though, and especially doesn't care about seeing Stingray city. She would like to do an island land tour and spend the rest of the day lying at a beach. I would also like to be at a beach after snorkeling for a bit - and could take or leave the Stingray stop.

 

What type of excursion would satisfy all of us? Ideally, there would be some sort of half-day snorkel trip, that then lets you off at a beach for the rest of the day. Every single snorkel tour I saw also stops at Stingray city. Is there a tour that doesn't stop there, or is a private charter the only option?

 

What beach would be best for a family of 4 with 11 and 7 year old?

 

I suppose we could split up and do two separate activities in the morning, but that makes me anxious for some reason. Don't want to risk missing the boat on our first cruise!

 

Lastly, if I did convince my wife to do some kind of tour that has a stop at Stingray City, what could she do there if she doesn't want to swim with them? Is there an area where she could swim away from all the activity?

 

If anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

h