Visiting Grand Cayman next week and looking for excursions

[Acess_404]

My mom and I will be taking Rhapsody of the Seas to Ochos Rios, Georgetown and Cozumel next week. This is not our first cruise, but the first time we've decided to do excursions. My mom has arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc. So mobility can be an issue for her. I'm trying to avoid any tours that have a lot of walking, uneven pavement, climbing, swimming snorkeling etc., or any other situation that may not be the best for her. She is able to walk for a few hours in like a mall situation, but if she over does, she can pay for it for the next couple of days, so I'm trying to avoid ruining her vacation and/or doing an excursion she won't be able to enjoy. So, I'm having a bit of a hard time finding things that will suit us well and be fun and I'm running into some questions.

 

First, when you do this type excursions, do you generally have time to still enjoy the port before it is time to leave? Normally we just walk around a while and are back on the ship for a late lunch, so we normally don't spend much time.

 

 

Second, I'm looking into doing one of the underwater observatory type excursions. Do you really need more than an hour to do this, I see a lot of them with different lengths and it doesn't seem like you would need long.

 

 

Also on the underwater ship things, I read that the steps leading into the boat are very steep and hard to get down and that you usually use a platform to get onto the boat which can be rocky. This doesn't sound like a good situation for my mom, is this true, or does any of the excursions offer something different?

 

 

Finally, I'm only planning to do one or two excursions, so of Ochos Rios, Georgetown and Cozumel which port would you definitely not miss doing an excursion in and which one would you not mind missing one as much? I'm finding more that interest me right now in Grand Cayman and wasn't sure which one offers the most.

 

 

 

I also have some questions about a few of the excursions (I will list the ones I am looking at, so if you have any opinions feel free to post them as well):

 

 

On Trolley Roger: I read that there is a long walk to get back to the ship, is this true? Is it a long walk and is it bad walking conditions? Also, is the tour any fun or does it feel more like you are in school?

 

Cayman Underwater observatory: If you have been to these ports, which one has the best tours underwater? I don't know if it would be worth doing more than one.

 

 

Cayman Underwater observatory and island tour: I like everything this has to offer, but I'm not sure if the turtle farm would be much fun. Is this something that is interesting or is it better to be skipped?

 

 

Land and Sea Grand Cayman: Another option with the turtle factory, asides from that sounds pretty good.

 

Stingray city and Island Tours: Do you only see stingrays in the water? I think it would be more interesting to see the reeks and shipwrecks, etc. But not really certain.

 

Cayman Pirate Encounter: I read a good review on this onel, but I'm really not sure if this is something that would interest adults or if it is only for kids. Do they do a lot of crowd interaction, ie is it bad for someone that is shy?

 

Seaworld Explorer glass bottom boat: My mom did a glass bottom boat when she was a little girl and loved it. But I think it would be more fun to do the sub type thing where you go all the way under.

 

Cayman Underwater Observatory and Reef Wreck: I'm not really sure why this is double the cost of the Cayman Underwater Observatory, it seems to be the same things.

 

 

 

So this is what I am looking at, if you have any other ideas for me to look into, that would be great. Since I'm running late on booking, I'm trying to have several in line in case some are sold out.

 

 

Sorry about all the questions.

 

 

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it, I'm kind of lost at this point.

[xcomet]

hi

we did the pirate encounter last summer. as i recall it was proably 1/4-1/2 mile on paved streets. My kids had a blast. It is interactive, they make the kids swab the deck, and the capt. does fake piracy trials at sea. they stop and everyone can jump off the two planks to swim.The majority of the crowd were families with kids and teenagers.

It was unlimited rum punch, so there were some sloppy people.

hope this helps

[arlodog]

last year in Cayman we did the rum factory tour, hell, turtle farm and went out to stingray city in the semi-sub (never got in the water). We got to see a bit of seven mile beach and had a wonderful time. There was not alot of walking and we got to see the highlights. We booked through the cruise ship (RCCL) and the price was reasonable for all we were able to see. This year we are booked through a private company and hired a driver to take us to the other side of the island (my 70 yr old mom is coming with us this year which is one of the reasons we booked privately)--if you read the boards you can find private companies that will accomodate what your mom is able to do and you will be able to go at your own pace--have fun!