7 ships in port!!!

[JmzandJojo]

How bad is the tendering going to be with 7 ships in Georgetowne at the same time? Just found out my port date there was changed to the 23. Ugh that can't be good. It's our earliest departure already at 4PM.

[JLC@SD]

How bad is the tendering going to be with 7 ships in Georgetowne at the same time? Just found out my port date there was changed to the 23. Ugh that can't be good. It's our earliest departure already at 4PM.

Count on tender mayham............there are not enough places for all those tenders to land........long lines and time bobbing on the tender waiting for a space to open up........not good at all.

[twinkletoes4445]

The place will be a zoo. I think GC is making a huge mistake allowing that many ships in port on a day. When we were there for a week (this past January), there were a couple of days that there were nine ships in port. Talk about a mess.

 

I read an article where they are limiting the number of cruise ship passengers (per day on the island) to 9,500 (or something like that-it used to be 5,000 or so). I'm not sure how they do their math, but 7 ships is going to have more than 9,500 people onboard. When we were there for the week, ahead of time, I found out what ships were going to be in town, and how many passengers. Four regular ships would have more than that onboard. Maybe they're figuring their number of passengers based on more staying on the ship once they see how many ships are in port.

 

Everything is crowded. The restaurants, the beaches, stingray sandbar...everything.

 

However, I love Grand Cayman so much, that I'd fight the crowds and get off the ship. You could rent a car for the day and head off toward the East End. It's practically deserted over there...and more "islandy" than the George Town area.

[cusyl]

It's ridiculous that the ships do this to the passengers. They need to come up with more islands or give us more sea days.

 

There will be 7 ships in Grand Cayman and 8 ships in Cozumel on our voyage. Personally we are not planning to get off the ship. The islands just do not have the facilities to have an extra 12,000 + people in the shopping areas at one time, much less tendering them.:eek:

[twinkletoes4445]

It's ridiculous that the ships do this to the passengers. They need to come up with more islands or give us more sea days.

 

There will be 7 ships in Grand Cayman and 8 ships in Cozumel on our voyage. Personally we are not planning to get off the ship. The islands just do not have the facilities to have an extra 12,000 + people in the shopping areas at one time, much less tendering them.:eek:

 

I agree completely. We're cruising for the cruise. There are some ports that we may not even get off the ship. It depends on how crowded they are. I just love Grand Cayman, and I hate to see what they are doing to the place.

 

We're going there next winter, and last year when we were there, depending on how many ships were in port, we had to plan our day around that. If they aren't careful, they are going to ruin their tourism for those that want to visit and stay on the island.

 

They are doing no one a service (those visiting the island for an extended stay or cruise ship passengers) by allowing this many ships in port. And I hate to think of all the environmental issues on top of the island just being packed with people.

[232271]

The place will be a zoo. I think GC is making a huge mistake allowing that many ships in port on a day. When we were there for a week (this past January), there were a couple of days that there were nine ships in port. Talk about a mess.

 

I read an article where they are limiting the number of cruise ship passengers (per day on the island) to 9,500 (or something like that-it used to be 5,000 or so). I'm not sure how they do their math, but 7 ships is going to have more than 9,500 people onboard. When we were there for the week, ahead of time, I found out what ships were going to be in town, and how many passengers. Four regular ships would have more than that onboard. Maybe they're figuring their number of passengers based on more staying on the ship once they see how many ships are in port.

 

Everything is crowded. The restaurants, the beaches, stingray sandbar...everything.

 

However, I love Grand Cayman so much, that I'd fight the crowds and get off the ship. You could rent a car for the day and head off toward the East End. It's practically deserted over there...and more "islandy" than the George Town area.

 

so will there be enough "stingrays" to enjoy going? I hate to pay so much and feel cheated and like sardines! and how many screaming w oman will that kind of crowds produce?? :rolleyes:

[232271]

How bad is the tendering going to be with 7 ships in Georgetowne at the same time? Just found out my port date there was changed to the 23. Ugh that can't be good. It's our earliest departure already at 4PM.

 

looking at cruisecal I only see 6 boats in port...if we are talking November 23rd?

[twinkletoes4445]

so will there be enough "stingrays" to enjoy going? I hate to pay so much and feel cheated and like sardines! and how many screaming w oman will that kind of crowds produce?? :rolleyes:

 

The first time we were in Grand Cayman, stingray sandbar was packed, and we still had a great time. The second time we were there, we were the only boat there. It was really amazing. But there were that many stingrays that showed up. I figured that since we were the only boat, the place would be over run with them...but it wasn't.

 

The first time we were there, we were off to the edge of the sandbar, where the water was up to my neck (I'm 5'-1"). The second time, we were in water that was just above my knees. I liked that a lot better. So where you are on the sandbar depends on how many other boats arrived before you.

 

LOL...screaming women! We had one of those in our group. My daughter brought a friend (she was 16) and she howled like a banshee. She climbed on top of my head and about took me under a couple of times...finally she went back to the boat.

 

I'd prefer not to be packed in like sardines, but stingray sandbar is just amazing. I'd go no matter how many ships are in port.

[JmzandJojo]

Cruisecal does show 6 ships..... BUT.... Veendam HAL changed itinery and will ALSO be on the list. They haven't updated the site to show the change. I confirmed it with HAL. I was pretty upset as the original date had us as one of only 2 ships.

[Sarahsmom85]

I tried to book Nativeways for a Ray tour and was told they are booked.

Have to try someone else.

[HurricaneAus10]

I feel your pain. I'm going to GC in Jan and there are 7 boats there that day. Good news is the next day I'll be in Jamaica and will be the only boat!

[drew sailbum]

The number of passengers teh island infrastructure can handle is a real concern.

 

To that end, remember that tenders are now able to use the new Royal Watler terminal... so instead of only two tender terminals, there are now three. That should at least cut down on the "bobbing around waiting for a spot on the dock to open"

 

Additionally, roadwarok has expanded the capacity along the Seven Mile Beach corridor. Our cruise guests may not regularly be routed along the newly opened section of bypass highway, but the locals certainly know it is there adn use it! This cuts down on the congestion along West Bay Road tremendously.

 

Bit by bit we are getting there. The next major project seems to be a East-West Arterial Highway. That should make tours to sites in the Eastern Districts much more accessible, and continue to spread the impact of multiple ships in port.

 

And, finally, government has stated more forcefully its intent to construct a pier to dock up to 4 ships. That would dramatically cut the lines waiting for tenders.

[Barbara Hornblower]

According to Cruisecal, there will be 6 ships the day we cruise into Grand Cayman...is it a good idea to take an organized tour to the east side? I figure we will have priority tendering...at least on the way in...it'll also give us time to have a BIG breakfast and just skip lunch rather than hike back to the ship and deal with the tendering mess.

 

Please advise! :)

[cool change]

We just got back from the westerdam last week with a total of 6 ships in port. The tendering was not bad as I thought it would be, but the shopping was very crowded. We decided to at least walk around because it was one of the few islands that we had never seen before. Next time, we will try to do an excursion, but I heard those were crowded as well. Its a shame because it seems that the port has a good deal to offer but crowd makes it unpleasant.

[twinkletoes4445]

Its a shame because it seems that the port has a good deal to offer but crowd makes it unpleasant.

 

The crowds are a big problem. Two to three ships would be nice, but when you have 7-9 ships per day, on a regular basis, you've going to have issues. They can tender everyone in (eventually), but they are just overcrowding the George Town/Seven Mile beach area.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Yeah...forget about the tenders...that will be the least of your worries!

 

With that many ships in town, they will run out of sidewalks and shore excursions by the time the third ship arrives!

 

It was very crowded around the port area with 3 ships in, so try to get a shore excursion through the ship to make sure you can get there and back on time!

 

Grand Cayman ROCKS on a good day, though, so HAVE FUN!

 

:)

[TXHappyCruiser]

How can you tell how many ships will be in port on any given day? My family isn't traveling until May, but I will book things early if I know it is going to be really crowded.

 

Thanks.

 

Lori

[cusyl]

http://www.cruisecal.com

[maps]

We came back last week and I believe there were 6-8 ships that day. We did an excursion with Nativeways (RRR tour) and we never felt as though we were crowded until we came back to tender. What a NIGHTMARE.

there were wall to wall people and cars.

 

Luckily our tender line was quick (RCCL) but the line for Carnival was horrendous--I felt really bad for those people.