Stay Away from Moby Dick Stingray Tours

[vector_man1]

We recently had the misfortune of going on a Stingray Tour with Moby Dick Tours in the Grand Caymons. Basically almost everything they advertised on their web page was either lies or misleading.

When we were met on the pier by the reps. they informed us that the "driver" would drop us where ever we wanted on the way back. Then we were herded to an old school bus I'm guessing from the 1960's or later, with no air conditioning. They put 10 people in a taxi and the rest of us were squished onto the bus. When I pointed out that their web page said that the transportation would be air conditioned the rep. said "it is when the bus is moving" and started laughing, I had a few more words with him and he basically told me that was my problem and not his. The boat ride lasted about 25min. and when we got out to the sandbar it was swarming with people, I'm guessing at least 1.000. We snorkled for about 20min. hoping that the crowd would thin out, it didn't. When we got to the sandbar our guides went and wrangled two stingrays and brought them over to us to pet, my children and I wondered around trying to see if we could see anymore but the only other ones to be seen were being held by other guides. When we got back to meet the bus the taxi that carried 10 of the people over to the boat was not there and now we were squished into a bus that was already too small as it was with 40 people now had 50 in it. When we and a few of the other guests asked to stop along the way at some places we would like to visit the bus driver told us he was making one stop at some beach that none of us wanted to go to. When he stopped we learned it was a city beach and about 3 people got off and he picked up 5 more people. The bus was so old that the door no longer stayed shut and was held closed with a bungie cord and when the bus driver went around a corner the girl seated infront of us grabbed onto the pole next to the door and almost rolled out.

Basically I'm telling you if you want to see Stingrays go to Monteray Bay CA you'll see a lot more and it's cheaper. I was told by some other people on the boat that they saw a few more stingrays than we did but they were on the first boat out in the morning. I heard good things about the turtle farms and the sight seeing tours, but obviously we didn't do either but they sounded like a safer bet than the stingray tours.

I did notify Moby Dick Tours when we got home about our lousy experience, and I recieved a rather nasty letter back from the man we had a run in with (because he's the one that runs their web page) if you would like to read the letter notify me and I'll be happy to send it along.

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please let me know because i am booked with them this coming week

[twinkletoes4445]

This is a problem in Grand Cayman because they are allowing too many ships in port these days. When you routinely have six to nine ships in port, this is what's going to happen. :(

 

When we were there for a week (this past January) we saw several of those school buses. I wondered what they were being used for. The ones we saw were packed, and even had people standing up in the isles.

 

We went to see the stingrays on a day that there were no ships in port. We were the only tour boat there and it was amazing. We used Captain Marvin's both times, and we had a wonderful time with them.

 

The way things are now in GC, I don't even think I'd get off the ship if we were to visit there by a cruise. Whoever regulates the tours needs to regulate how many people can be at the stingrays at one time because it's a mess on the days a lot of ships are in port.