Nativeway Rays, Reef and Rum Point questions

[aprildawnmwc]

We're thinking about doing this tour. Its a 9-2 tour.

 

We'll be in Grand Caymen from 7-4 ship time, which will be 6-3. Is that enough time to make it back to the ship? Is the 2:00 time when they drop you off at the cruise ship dock?

 

I dont like booking off of the ship's excursion cause I worry we wont make it back on time. But it is $40 cheaper pp to do it on our own.

How reliable/on time are they?

 

Also, looking back at some old posts somebody mentioned that nativeway is contracted with Princess and that they'd have to book through the ship from now on. Is that true? We are going with Princess. But like I said its $40 more pp.

[rogerashley]

I sent an e-mail to reserve this tour package couple of days ago but they are not responding. I sail in 2 days and I don't think I will hear from them so when I tender into the port, I will look them up or other operator with same or similar package.

 

Good luck.

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Actually, when you tender, there is always people with signs. I think the Native way guy is near the gazebo. Ask them if there is room in th boat. If not there are plenty of people with signs advertising their excursion.

[readyalready]

Why don't you call them?

[Cruiser Joe]

I booked with them a couple of years ago, and had a GREAT experience. I have booked this very tour in 2.5 weeks with Native Way - looking forward to it.

 

They will drop you off at the cruise ship or at 7-mile beach if you want.

[sebie]

I emailed them earlier this week and followed up with yet another email, still no word. I am toooo cheap to call them.

 

I asked the same questions as you did Aprildawnmwc. If I hear back, I will let you know. I am will be there on Constellation 4/4/07.

 

I have asked them if their tour isn't available to recommend a different vendor if possible? (one can only ask right?) as the Constellations R&R&R tour has sold out.

[cruzobsessed]

if i'm going to be there during christmas week...when would you suggest i make contact? this tour looks so good i don't want to miss out.

[sighofrelief]

I called Nativeway directly to book--was on phone for 3 minutes tops.

 

Terrific experience--only 15 of us on the tour. Nicest guys ever who seemed to love their job and love working with tourists. Everyone on tour said it was the best tour they'd ever done.

[memphismimi]

Nativeway is very reliable - have used them twice now- please note however that with the onset of Daylight savings time there is a difference between Island time and Ship Time...Nativeway has always responed to my e-mails within a day or so...

[TennisLover]

We used them last month and they were excellent. I'm surprised you haven't heard back as Sharon was always responsive when I emailed her.

 

We had no problems with the timing. We were on the first tender off the ship (even though we booked privately -- there were no tender tickets to deal with), we found NativeWay easily, and they got us back on time (with a little time left to shop).

 

I booked early for Presidents Week, and then just reconfirmed the week before I left.

 

There are a few photos in my Navigator album.

 

Last time I was in Grand Cayman (2005), we just went with a tour that we found when we got off the ship. Our first time in GC (2004), we booked through Carnival but the excursion was cancelled because the water was rough. I believe anyone who booked privately still went to the Stingray Sandbar but the cruiseline took extra precautions. (we got our money back).

 

Be glad to answer other questions re: NativeWay. I highly recommend them. (The lunch at Rum Point wax excellent too!)

[sebie]

Thanks Tennislover for your good word.... if it wasn't for folks like you, I would have given up on them. So, I continue to check my bulk folder as well - looking for anything with native way their name? Aprildawnmwc... any luck on your end?

 

Wish me well as we sail 4/2 and arrive in GC on 4/4. Thanks again CC members!!

[sebie]

Does anyone have a different email address for native ways other than nativway@candw.ky? I took it directly from their website and have not had anything bounce back.

 

Thanks again!

[TennisLover]

Does anyone have a different email address for native ways other than nativway@candw.ky? I took it directly from their website and have not had anything bounce back.

 

Thanks again!

 

Yes - that's the email address. I just looked and I first contacted them on 1/6/07; we were in GC on 2/21/07. I booked the tour on 1/11/07 and reconfirmed with them on 2/11/07.

 

Email 1 from Sharon:

 

It departs the cruise ship pier at 9 AM Eastern Time and completes at 2:15 PM Eastern Time.

I am confident that you will be able to come ashore by 9 AM. This is based on the fact that in the past, we have hosted many people from Navigator on the tour, and none of the have missed the tour because they could not come ashore on time. Further, we show your ship arriving at 7 AM Eastern Time. There are two other small families from Navigator already booked on the tour.

We do not have any age limits, so your young children can snorkel. However, please be advised that the water at Stingray Sandbar is 3-4 feet (this should not be a problem for your children). The water at the Barrier Reef is 8-10 feet deep. If your children are not strong swimmers, we recommend that they stay on the boat with one of your adults. Or, they can swim very close to the boat (with one of your adults), with vests on.

To reserve space, simply e-mail back and ask for a reservation. I will send you a confirmation notice. In the confirmation, you will be asked to fax a credit card number to guarantee your arrival. The credit card will NOT be charged for the tour, just used to insure that you will show up. You will pay on our tour boat.

Email 2 from Sharon:

The price is $60 USD per person. Children 10 years of age and younger will pay $45 USD each. Please fax your credit card number to guarantee your arrival (typed or handwritten). Our secure fax number is 1-345-946-8660. You will pay on our tour boat. We accept cash, Traveler's Checks, MasterCard, Visa and Discover only. We do NOT accept American Express credit cards. If you pay via credit card, you will be charged a 4% processing fee.

The tour departs the pier at 9 AM Eastern Time and completes at around 2:15 PM Eastern Time. We ask that you check in no later than 8:45 AM Eastern Time. When you come ashore, look for the person carrying the sign that says Native Way Watersports. You may also ask for us at the information booth at the cruise ship terminal.

We provide free use of all snorkeling gear and vests, food for the Rays, and complimentary punch and bottled water. At Rum Point, you will be given a nice grilled lunch. After the tour, you will have two options for drop off: back to the pier, or, at 7-mile beach (where you can taxi back to the pier at any time for $4 per person).

We ask that you provide at least one week advance notice to cancel. If your ship is unable to dock in Grand Cayman, we will automatically cancel your reservation, at no cost to you.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I look forward to seeing you in Grand Cayman on February 21!

[sebie]

Oh happy day!! Thank you Tennislover.... I am really looking forward to this tour and am grateful for your FANTASTIC details and response!!

 

Sharon called me back and have room to add me to the tour!! She reported that she had responded to my emails but obviously they weren't getting through. (even tho I was checking all kinds of blocked items, folders, etc.) I hope all goes well from this point on. I look forward to reporting my experience with added accolades!

 

MANY thanks everyone!

[sebie]

During the confirmation of my tour with Native Way, Sharon added the following info, I thought it might be helpful to others.

 

She mentiond that if the ship can not tendor at Georgetown but can tendor at Spotts Bay they will pick up at this new location.

 

Last week was their 1st experience with the Constellation after daylight savings time. She said the ship was on CST - same as Island time NOT EDT.

 

Happy Sails!

[aprildawnmwc]

Thanks for the responses. I emailed them, and she said that the tour is unavailable. No reason why...didn't say it was full. So I wonder if it is true that I have to book through Princess for that tour.

 

How disappointing! I really want to do the rays and rum point (really dont care about reef). Are there any other tours for this???

[rdbradleyjr]

We did the Rays, Reef, and Rum Point Excursion through a private company called Nativeway and saved alot of money. It was beautiful. Our boat only had 6 people on it so it was kinda like a family get together. The guide was great and new us all by name by the end of the excursion. We started off at the reef were we snorkled for a couple of hours or so. While there our guide did a dive and brought up a Conch. He opened the shell and we had raw conch right there on the ship. It was sweet tasting. After that we went to swim with the Rays wich were about the size of a doormat. Again it was great because like I said our boat wasn't crowded at all and we all had plenty of time to feed the rays. While there he took our order for lunch and call ahead to Rum Point. When we got there our lunch was ready to eat. We ate and plaid on the beautiful beach for a while before the boat took us back to the other side of the island. I highly recomend Nativeway as an excursion option. However, I've heard there are several good companies that offer this excursion for cheaper than what the ships offer. If you are interested you can look at the web-site. I think it's www.nativeway.com. Hope this helps!

 

You can always wait until the ship ports to book. Thier are plenty of excursion companies on the pier waiting. We booked 3 months in advance. Some of the people in our group just walked up and asked if thier was room. They even got a better deal than we did. Thier will be so many boats in port that day just don't tell them what boat you came off of.:D

[MaryL31]

Thanks so much, everyone, for your posts. I don't sail until January, but I can't seem to find an excursion to Rum Point on the Royal Caribbean excursions list.

[LongIslandCruiseGirl]

Last year in Grand Cayman my family and I paid $60/pp for the most fantastic day excursion we have ever taken through Nativeway Watersports.

 

It was the Rays, Reef and Rum Point Excursion with Chris and Charlie as our Guides. We snorkeled for about an hour and a half, moved over to StingRay City and held, fed and even KISSED the stingrays, then off to Rum Point for the most delicious lunch (included) and some relaxing in the sun. My mom, 64 years old held and kissed a stingray!! There were also many small children doing it, it is safe and fun, they are really gentle, graceful, beautiful creatures! It was well worth the $60 and we even purchased the video of our day for $60. Paid for it on the boat on the way back to the ship and they mailed it to us within 2 weeks back in New York.

 

We are going back to GC in 3 weeks on the Carnival Legend and I have just emailed them to find out availability for the day we are there. Go to the website and email Sharon (owner). She is prompt and helpful and Chris and Charlie were an absolute blast to hang out with all day.

 

I have heard many people rave about many different Rays Tours but i wouldn't put my money with anyone else but Nativeway. They are funny, courteous and professional. Cant wait to go back and spend the day with them on April 24!! Every time I emailed Sharon, she got back to me within hours!!! If anyone hasnt heard from her, maybe they are just swamped! Keep trying, and yes, Nativeway does meet at the Gazebo by the pier, however, last year we had a full boat (25 people) so you may not want to wait and have the boats be full!! I did call myself the first time to give Sharon my crecit card information and it was a quick call. She is very sweet.

 

Hope this helps!!!

[ColoradoMom!!]

So -- LongIslandCruiseGirl and Sebie -- How was it?

 

I read these threads and relate to the tough decisions, and can't stand not to know the outcome!!:)

[sebie]

Hi Coloradomom! Your right, I promise a review and sorry it took so long. overall, I LOVED this tour with the exception of the reef! There were hardly any fish but the water was clear and a perfect temp so I just swam & drove from the boat until it was time to head to Rum Point for lunch.

 

Upon our way to the Stingrays, we were given a menu which had a nice variety of offerings and everything was waiting for us when we arrived at Rum Point. Everything was delicious and the portions were of good size. Rum Point seemed small and was busy, but everyone was relaxed and just chilling out! Water was shallow and looked just right for the little ones.

 

The crew was like being with family. We had around 18 folks on board and plenty of space... mainly a family celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary! The kids mainly hung up front at the bow of the boat, sun covered deck up top and seating down on the main floor. No problems getting in and out of the water. While talking with the other folks on board, we all had booked the tour because of Cruise Critic!

 

Our ship was the Constellation and was on Island Time, we were back around 2:30 ish. Our last tender was at 3:30 and it allowed me to check out a few shops within the gated area. RCL's tender line up was HUGE but seemed to be moving along. However, Carnival had a different tender area and the line wrapped around buidlings and into a parking lot. Insane! Bring an umbrella to gaurd against the sun. The tender water traffic was like being in rush hour.

 

Overall, no one had anything negative to say. Everything went exactly as planned! If I ever return, I am calling Native ways!

[cruzobsessed]

i just booked this excursion for my upcoming panama canal cruise in december. all the previous posts regarding this sailing sort of implied fewer people onboard and i guess that' sbound to change week by week. what was it like with 18 people?

also, how many people does it hold at maximum capacity and if they were at max would it be crowded? we sailed on the silvermoon in barbados and they only book 12 people at a time so we were really spoiled.

also.....what was the condition of the boat? i make the reservations for my family and the family we cruise with.....a lot of resposibilty and i have never yet made a misjudgment (thanks to cc):)

[TennisLover]

We were with NativeWay on the RRR excursion in February. Our group had about 18 people, and there was another family (who we met here on CC) that was 5. The boat was in great shape and was not crowded at all with 23 people on it. I don't know what the max is.

 

I was the one who booked this for my whole group and they were thrilled with it! Did my research here on CC and was given great information.

[sebie]

I have a pictures of our boat in the back ground if you want me to email it to you. I know Native ways has a few other boats as well. I think the max on this one would be around 25?

 

I sat up top (open shaded area) with 8-10 other folks. There was plenty of room to spread out. FYI: there is a steep latter to get up there, everyone just took their time.

 

There were benches down on the main part and the kids loved to crawl the sides of the boat to get to the front bow. They had a jugs of fruit juice and water and plenty of squid to go around for the stingrays. The boat was clean, seemed in good condition, life jackets within reach and I have no report on its facilities. ;)

 

Also during lunch, the crew checked to make sure what our time frames where. It took us about 45ish minutes to get to stingray city & the reef is really close by with another short ride to Rum Point. I believe it was about 50-ish minutes back to the marina and another 10 or so into town. They took back roads due to the main road traffic so we got to see a little island life as well.

 

The Stingrays were very friendly, had no problems letting you hold them. They are beautiful!! They only quirk was some of the neighbors who 1st got into the water felt the need to scream and for those ship sponsered tours.. they were packed in! Make sure to have the water camera ready!! Of all the tours I did this trip, the Stringrays and the Sloth Sactuary (Costa Rica) ROCKED!!

[ColoradoMom!!]

Sebie -- Thanks for the great review. Sounds like fun, although it's a bummer there wasn't much to see at the reef. At the end you say that next time you will call Native ways -- why -- do they offer something different you wished you had done instead?

 

Sorry --you know those of us in the planning stages are relentless:eek: