Traffic question

[natish3000]

I keep reading that traffic can get heavy around Georgetown then , of course, you must tender back to the ship.

1.) How rough is the traffic on a typical Tuesday?

2.) How much time would you recommend to return rental car and get back to the ship? (Enchantment.......renting from Avis which shuttles you to Blue Iguana Gift shop for drop off)

 

Thanks for any information

[drew sailbum]

Returning to the ship from where? Makes a HUGE difference.

[natish3000]

Rum Point area. Sorry.

[tyson]

We are doing the same thing in June on a Thursday. My understanding is you return the Avis rental car to the airport and don't have to go through Georgetown. Of course, the shuttle has to bring you back to the pier (or the Blue Iguana specifically), so I guess traffic is an issue whether you're the one driving or not! Our ship leaves at 4:00, so I was thinking we'd need to have the car returned by 2:00 to be safe.

[twinkletoes4445]

Rum Point area. Sorry.

 

Rum Point shouldn't be a problem. When we were driving that direction, there was never much traffic (any time of the day or night). It's the 7MB area that gets very slow...or stops. It's a short drive from the airport to the Blue Iguana. And don't worry about the traffic from the airport to the port area. There are several roads, and we used them all, that will get you back to the port. I'd say if your ship leaves at 4:00, dropping the car off at 2:00 would give you plenty of time to get back to the tender lines.

 

If anyone is going toward 7MB or the turtle farm or Hell, that's another story. But there is a back way to get back to the port area. I'd allow myself at least an hour to get back from Sea Grape, just in case traffic is slow. You can always keep an eye on your tender line, and do some shopping right in the port area.

 

We personally loved the area that leads to Rum Point. You won't see a lot of tourists, but the area is just so pretty. There are a ton of places you can stop and look for seashells!

[drew sailbum]

Rum Point shouldn't be a problem. When we were driving that direction, there was never much traffic (any time of the day or night).

LoL... only rush hour in the morning heading into G'Town. It is ver real and sucks very much! It's not really an issue for cruise ship folks.

 

From Rum POint back to the airport is about 40 minutes. Not sure how fast Avis will get you back to the docks... but figure on another 20 minutes before you're standing in line for the tender.

[twinkletoes4445]

LoL... only rush hour in the morning heading into G'Town. It is ver real and sucks very much! It's not really an issue for cruise ship folks.

 

I'll bet it does! You know, we weren't that way real early in the morning (we were eating our breakfast at Coconut Joe's), but I do imagine that everyone heading into town would tie things up a bit. :)

 

That side of the island was by far my favorite. I remember somewhere seeing these brightly colored two-story houses/condos and thinking, boy, I could live there (they were right on the water). I just wised we would have pulled off along side the road and explored more often. Where did our week go???

[natish3000]

As always this is the most informative and friendly bunch of cruisers on the net!!

I was also wondering about how long it takes to get to rum Point and you answered that also.

We are not into hell,Turtle farm,RumCake factory or Stingray City.

Does anyone have any other suggestions besides (or in addition to) Rum Point that are worth seeing?We have a rental car for the day and absolutely no agenda.

Thanks again

[drew sailbum]

The Olbrich Botanical Gardens are right on the way to/from Rum Point. I could spend quite a bit of time right there.

[BobBeaSea]

The Olbrich Botanical Gardens are right on the way to/from Rum Point. I could spend quite a bit of time right there.

 

Thanks for the tip. My girlfriend loves botanical gardens-this might be her "day" :)

[twinkletoes4445]

You could also stop at the Lighthouse restaurant for lunch (although the food at Rum Point was quite good).

 

There's this old fort somewhere in the Bodden Town/Savannah area. We didn't find it, but it looks like it would be a fun place to explore. I watched a special on Cayman weddings, and one of the receptions was there. It looked really neat! Maybe Drew knows the name of the place and its location.

 

There's also this really fun gift shop that is about a mile out of town (as you are leaving for Rum Point. I believe it's called Pure Art. They had a lot of local crafts, from tea towels, to paintings. It is located in an old house. The front entrance faces the side street. If this is something that interests you, I can get the exact location.

 

I'd also check out the blow holes since they are over on that side of the island.

 

One thing about GC, is you can drive anywhere you want, and feel quite safe. Of course, things can happen anywhere, but I'd just toodle around that part of the island. There's not that many roads, so it's easy to navigate.

 

Also, before you leave the Rum Point area, continue on the road for just a hundred feet or so, and you will come to this really neat housing area.

 

This place is awesome! I do not know what we would have done had we not found it (prior to our cruise).

 

Have a great time! :)

[chopped]

This is the exact topic i was looking for. We'll be renting a jeep for the day, so we can do our own excursions. We'd like to see Rum Beach and Hell, other than that we're open. any suggestions, times or trip routes?

 

Thanks!

[natish3000]

This is getting off subject but answering alot of questions. I'm going to post "Ten hours No stingrays or turtles?" asking more specifically if anyone knows more about the off the beaten track attractions. Look for it for more answers.

[twinkletoes4445]

This is getting off subject but answering alot of questions. I'm going to post "Ten hours No stingrays or turtles?" asking more specifically if anyone knows more about the off the beaten track attractions. Look for it for more answers.

 

There's a lot to do off the beaten path...but you'll probably need a vehicle. The great thing is the island is safe and there's lots to do. I'll be looking for your post. :)

[antcyd]

Where are the car rental places in relation to the tender pier??? And what car rental agency's are there??? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Kenhel]

The shuttle from Avis out at the airport is short (they take the back roads into downtown) 5-10 mins.. We spent time in West Bay (Norhtern end of the island) 20 mins to drive out there. But almost did not make it back to the ship due to the traffic. Left from the Northern end of 7MB at 3:00 pm and did not make it back until 4:20 pm. It took 40 mins to go 100 yards on West Bay Road, if the cut off for the airport was not near by we would not have made it back to the ship. The road along 7MB is extermely slow when everyone is heading back to the cruise ships.

[natish3000]

Well, the other post is getting nowhere so I'll continue here.

Is 7 Mile beach area the worst traffic?

We will be coming back from Rum Point area NOT 7 Mile beach

[drew sailbum]

Well, the other post is getting nowhere so I'll continue here.

Is 7 Mile beach area the worst traffic?

We will be coming back from Rum Point area NOT 7 Mile beach

 

The worst traffic overall is along Seven Mile Beach. It can back up if somebody sneezes wrong!

 

Coming back into Georgwtown from Rum Point you are extremely unlikely to hit traffic. That route does get very congested at morning rush hour times, but is smooth sailing in the afternoons.

[allison61]

I just stumbled onto this post. The info on the traffic from rum point is very helpful as I also heard about the terrible traffic. I won't even be near 7m beach so I am very relieved. We also might do the botanical gardens and am considering hiking the mastic trail which is very near the gardens. Depends if i can tolerate the humidity there. :)

 

Thanks for all the info