Best way to accomplish this ??

[greatdanek9]

Hello,

 

We are heading back to GC in Jan 08 on Liberty OTS and I am trying to get the logistics down for a snorkle/beach/food/drinks day. We are in port from 8-4 and I am hoping to start by taking a taxi from port to Cemetary Beach for snorkelling and hanging out on the beach, then having the taxi come back for us around noon and taking us to Ivory Kai to take a few starfish pics, then on to Rum Point for food/drinks/beach. How long should it take to get back to the pier from Rum Point ? We don't like to take chances when it comes to being late to the ship, so what time do we need to leave Rum Point in order to get back in time ?

Can anyone estimate the travel times and price per taxi from Cemetary beach to the Rum Point area ? Is the Rum Point beach close to a bar/restaurant that we could have lunch and then go hang out on a few hammocks with a few beers and bask in the views ? Any firsthand info would be great ! Thanks so much !

I don't think we want to rent our own vehicle, but is there bus service that would be reliable and economical that would take us to our desired locations ? I just want to control the transportation costs as much as possible while still getting us to see the stuff we want to see... Thanks in advance for anyone's opinions !!

[twinkletoes4445]

If it were me...I'd rent a car. That way you can come and go as you please (rather than having to wait for a taxi). GC is quite easy to navigate around in a vehicle (We used Andy's).

 

It's a 45 minute drive to Rum Point, so if you don't leave CB until noon, you probably won't get to RP until around 1:00-1:30. Depending on traffic, and noon is a congested time along 7MB, it could take 30 minutes or more to get through town (there is a back way around, but you still have to go a certain distance to get there). One time, we sat in traffic for 15 minutes and barely moved an inch. There wasn't anything going on, just a lot of traffic.

 

So if you get to RP around 1-1:30, you aren't going to have a lot of time to eat, depending on what time you have to be back to tender to your ship.

 

If it were me...I'd probably rent a car and pick one place or the other. Or not spend as much time at CB..and skoot over to RP earlier.

 

I also think it might get pricey having a cab take you to RP, but I have no idea what those costs might be.

 

What time is the last tender back to your ship? When we visited GC for the first time (on a ship) the last tender was at 3:45 and the ship sailed at 4:30. So your last tender will be probably around 3:15. If that's correct, then you really need to be out of RP by 2:00 or so at the very latest, and if you don't get there until 1 or after, I am not even sure you'll have time to eat.

 

The time we visited RP, we got there around 1:00 and the place was packed. We did eat there, and the food was good, but it took more than 30 minutes to do that because it was so crowded. But RP is so pretty, it's worth the drive.

 

Whatever you end up doing...have a great time! :)

[greatdanek9]

Thanks very much ! After writing the initial post, I did some more looking on this baord and found a great Rum Point post. Based on that, I will rent a car but am hoping the timing will work out as follows:

8:00 am - off ship, take shuttle from Blue Iguana to pick up car. Drive to Cemetary Beach. Snorkel until 9:30 am.

9:45 am - drive to Rum Point with a quick stop for starfish pics at Ivory Kai. Arrive around 11:00. Stay at Rum Point until 1:50 pm.

2:45 - return car to Avis and take shuttle directly to pier. Last tender at 3:30.... Will we make it ??!!

Obviously, I am most concerned with getting back to the pier on time without making it a close call. I will keep my eyes open for more info as the time comes... Thanks !!

[twinkletoes4445]

That sounds like a great plan! You should have plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

Coming back from Rum Point, you should have no traffic issues. There didn't seem to be much going on over that direction, traffic-wise, when we were there.

 

Make sure and watch closely for Frank Sound Road (the road you use to cut across to Rum Point). As you are coming down the main road, there isn't a light. There is a stop sign if you are on Frank Sound Road, but it's very easy to drive right past it...we did a couple of times...and there was even a tanker off to the side of the road that should have made it easy for us to see, but the tanker is now gone.

 

If you have time, we found this really cool gift shop. It's about a mile out of town (away from 7MB).

 

http://www.pureart.ky