JackieH Posted January 15, 2006 #1 Share Posted January 15, 2006 I see there are several tours with the Stingrays. Are toddlers allowed to go on them? How do the very young act on these? We will be on the Carnvial Valor Aug 2006, at the time the kids will be 12, 7 and 2. I would love to do the Stingray excursion as I think the older kids would love it. Do they allow Toddlers on these excursions? Any help would be great. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted January 15, 2006 #2 Share Posted January 15, 2006 We just returned from Grand Cayman, and we used Captain Marvin's again. The day we went, there were about 20 people on our boat, and there were two children. One girl was about 7 and the baby was maybe 2 or so. The mom stayed in the boat with the baby while we snorkeled at the reef and the other place (can't remember the name), but they took the baby in for the stingrays and he loved it! The boats are easy to get on and off, and there is a platform that runs along the back. There were some people who didn't ever get in, but sat on this platform, and the ladders while we were stopped. I would think your kids would love it! But I'd probably do the short excursion. I think it's a two-hour trip. That's the one we did first. This time we did the three-hour one. Also, we were the only boat at stingray city that day. It was amazing. The others had cancelled because the water was a bit choppy that morning. However, the water was just fine! I highly reccommend Captain Marvin's. http://www.captainmarvins.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy0804 Posted January 16, 2006 #3 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I have another stingray question! Twinketoes, on the short excursion, are you saying it would be very doable with a toddler? DD will be 19 months, and many reviews say not to miss the stingrays. It is not so much for her benefit, but rather for the benefit of DH and myself! It would be possible then to "switch off" so that we both could see the stingrays. DD is fairly well-behaved, and I don't think she would go too stir-crazy on the boat. Do you have any recollection if they provide lifejackets for little ones? Sorry, if you are unable to answer the questions, I guess I could just email them, but thanks in advance for your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
familyplanner Posted January 16, 2006 #4 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I don't think you would have a problem as long as you used captain marvins, nativeway, or soto's. There have been lots of posts from people who have taken toddlers and loved it. You could both be in the water as long as someone was holding the little one. We didn't snorkel as much as we hung out around the guides who were helping us to interact with the rays. Whatever you do, don't book with the ship. You might want to check into the island tour and sandbar native way offers. Your kids would love the turtle farm.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted January 17, 2006 #5 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I have another stingray question! Twinketoes, on the short excursion, are you saying it would be very doable with a toddler? DD will be 19 months, and many reviews say not to miss the stingrays. It is not so much for her benefit, but rather for the benefit of DH and myself! It would be possible then to "switch off" so that we both could see the stingrays. DD is fairly well-behaved, and I don't think she would go too stir-crazy on the boat. Do you have any recollection if they provide lifejackets for little ones? Sorry, if you are unable to answer the questions, I guess I could just email them, but thanks in advance for your input! I think you'd have a great time on the excursion, and I think your toddler would be fine. I wouldn't miss the stingrays...it is amazing! You could switch off...in fact, that's exactly what the couple with the little baby boy did who was on our trip. They did take him in the water for the stingrays (we were in very, shallow water). Captain Marvin's does provide life vests for adults and children. The family with the 2 small children put them on both of their kids while they were in the water. They fit over your head, and have a strap that snaps around the waist. Then there's this tube you blow on to inflate, so you can inflate them as much or as little as you like. You could also sit along the back of the boat...there's a ledge. It's only my opinion on the short excursion...but if you haven't done anything like this before, I would do the short one since you have a baby with you. I really think they will love it. I contacted VIP video prior to going to make sure they would be on our tour. The DVD is amazing!!! It was $65, $70 if they have to ship it. Captain Marvin's sells really cute stuffed stingrays (toys) in their store. Right next door is a little shop that had smaller stuffed stingray's, and really neat shell Xmas ornaments, and other souvenirs. I wouldn't miss an opportunity to do Stingray City. It is really something.... Have fun!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraD Posted January 17, 2006 #6 Share Posted January 17, 2006 why not book the stingray tour with the boat? I am going on Carnival in May and was going to book stingray tour with them, thanks for any help Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
familyplanner Posted January 17, 2006 #7 Share Posted January 17, 2006 BarbaraD the reason I say not to book with the boat is that I was told by others who took the carnival tour that they were just taken to the sandbar and dropped in the water. They said no guides got in the water with them to help interact with the rays. When they heard everything our guides did they were amazed. It depends upon your personality and how up close you want to be with the rays.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I&MsMom Posted January 17, 2006 #8 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I have also read that on the ship's excursions you are on the boat with many, many other people and there is little individualized attention. We're doing this next month with our daughter who just turned 3. We booked through Native Way and are also going to Rum Point (a little beach time with kids is usually a good thing!) Because we're doing a lot of water-related activities, I'm bringing DD's life vest. I feel more secure as it has the strap between her legs and a loop on the back by her neck, which is easy to grab. It is familiar to her and comfortable, and she will wear it. IMHO I would make sure any small children have life vests on the whole time they are on the boat. You never know what might happen, and this is especially so if there is a chop. I actually worry more about them when we are in the moving boat than when the boat is stopped and we're in the water with them...HTH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted January 17, 2006 #9 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I think the ships use "Kirks" for excursions (but I could be wrong). You'll see the ship excursion boats...they're the ones with 100 or so people on them. I saw a couple that were double-decker and they were just loaded with people. If you book your own tour, ask the operator how many people will be on your excursion. Most will say 20 to 30. That's a nice number of people to have on an outing. Usually there are 2-3 crew members on each boat, and with 20 passengers, you are going to get a lot of individual attention. With Captain Marvin's (we've used them twice), they got into the water with us, and each of us were able to get our picture taken with them holding the stingray. We also were able to "kiss" the stingray if we wanted. During the other snorkle part, the crew was able to coax a nurse shark and a couple of eels out of their hiding place. It was amazing watching this. If you are on a ship sponsored trip, I can't imagine any of this will happen because there are just too many people on the tour. For safety reasons alone, I'd book my own. Our crew watched out for us, and it was easy to do since there were only 20 or so. I don't know how those others would keep track of a 100 people. As for worrying about getting back to your ship. This is what these people do for a living. They will get you back in time so you won't miss your tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted January 17, 2006 #10 Share Posted January 17, 2006 double posted...whoops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecache&squash Posted January 17, 2006 #11 Share Posted January 17, 2006 We booked the excursion through HAL and it was Kirk's Tours. There were only 20-30 people on our boat. We all fit in one van to the Sun Rayz dock and there was plenty of room to walk around on the excursion boat. I guess the capacity can vary by group. Oh, and I forgot to add, the guides did go in the water with us and there was lots of interaction. They did the photo-ops and helped us hold the stingrays. Our adventure was just like how the Captain Marvin's was described. It was a terrific time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynninsc Posted January 17, 2006 #12 Share Posted January 17, 2006 We also booked our stingray trip through the cruise ship (RCCL) and had an awesome time. There were only 22 of us on the boat, and the guides were great. We were also the first boat out to the sandbar that morning. The boat was nice and new and well equipped with drinks and snacks. We could not have had a better experience. Also, since we booked through the ship, we got the first tender off and had plenty of time after snorkeling and the stingrays to hang out at the beach. We had a wonderful time in grand cayman, and if returning would book through the ship again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted January 17, 2006 #13 Share Posted January 17, 2006 The upside to booking with the cruise ship is you are the first off the ship, and they will wait for you should something come up (or so I have heard). We booked on our own in GC because it was easy to do, and we wanted to make sure we had a spot for us. In fact, we booked the dolphin swim in Cozumel on our own, rather than run the risk of not getting a spot on the ships excursion. I'm glad you both had postivie experiences when booking through the cruiseline. There have been others who have complained and posted pictures concerning the large number of people on their tour. Those full boats looked awful! Glad you didn't have to deal with that... :) Another thing we saw while in GC last week had to do with the touring buses. There are so many ships there each day, anywhere from one on Saturday, to four-nine ships. We saw many of those nice air-conditioned tour buses, which seat 25-30 or so people, and then we saw people on school buses! Now that would be awful. I wonder if they are using the school buses for tours because there are so many people visiting via cruise ships? If I were doing a tour, I'd try and find out who uses the buses and who uses the tour buses. Whatever you decide, I hope you have a wonderful time! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs66 Posted January 18, 2006 #14 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I have also read that on the ship's excursions you are on the boat with many, many other people and there is little individualized attention. We're doing this next month with our daughter who just turned 3. We booked through Native Way and are also going to Rum Point (a little beach time with kids is usually a good thing!) Because we're doing a lot of water-related activities, I'm bringing DD's life vest. I feel more secure as it has the strap between her legs and a loop on the back by her neck, which is easy to grab. It is familiar to her and comfortable, and she will wear it. IMHO I would make sure any small children have life vests on the whole time they are on the boat. You never know what might happen, and this is especially so if there is a chop. I actually worry more about them when we are in the moving boat than when the boat is stopped and we're in the water with them...HTH! Definately bring your own life vest for small children. Here is a copy of the online chat I had with Island Marketing LTD about their Stingray adventure Good afternoon, how may I help? Barb: We are interested in the Bucanneer Catamaran Adventure in Cayman and would be bringing our 5 year old daughter, do they provide life vests? Kira: Vests are provided, but for young children I would recommend bringing your own vest, if she has one Kira: In order to provide a perfect fit Barb: Thank you very much for your help Kira: Thank you :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay and Hal Posted February 9, 2006 #15 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hey Jackie, we did the stingray/snorkeling excursion with Captain Marvins in G.C. this past December. There were maybe a dozen people total on our boat, and one family had 2 young children, the youngest was a 2 y/o. Captain Marvins required the 2 kids to wear a life vest, which they provided. The kids were safe at all times, the mom and dad took turns holding the 2 y/o in the water, she even touched the stingrays. You shouldn't have any problems. Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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