Cayman's stingray city vs Barbados swim with turtles

[mjmiller]

We did stingray city a few years ago - LOVED feeding the rays, and held one - awesome! Now we're heading to Barbados, and it seems like swimming with the turtles seems to be a big thing. However, since we already did the stingrays, I'm wondering if the turtles will kind of be "been there, done that."

 

Has anyone done both? What do the experts here think?

 

tia,

[Sunniebgi]

While I have never done Sting Ray city (been there, but didn't get to do that), I would say that Swimming with the Turtles in Barbados is a much different experience.

 

There are not many turtles (many more people looking than turtles to see).. you don't get to hold them or feed them (shouldn't anyway). But the Catamaran Cruise up the Coast of Barbados, and the snorkeling and other sites to see make the day a very nice day in Barbados.

[cruizinwoman's man]

DW and I have done both and we felt that the swimming with the turtles was a bit overdone. It is not comparable to the stingrays for the reasons the previous poster mentioned. Far more people then turtles. We booked with a local company that had this as one of the stops. We enjoyed the tour and it was interesting to see the two turtles, but I would not suggest booking strictly for them.

[Ripley]

We swam with the stingrays two years ago and are just back from snorkeling with the turtles in Barbados, and we loved BOTH! True, the turtle experience is not as interactive as the stingrays so maybe not quite the thrill, but these creatures are so impressive and it was wonderful to get a close look at them. They often come close enough to touch. There are some very large fish swimming in that same area, probably competing for the food tossed to the turtles, and they were fun to see, too. If you liked Stingray City, I wouldn't miss the turtle snorkel. Go with one of the smaller companies (we used Shasa ), as they are more flexible and can get you there when it is less crowded.

[sadie8]

Both snorkeling with the rays in the caymans and snorkeling with the turtles in Barbados were fantastic experiences. We were on Shasa and Jason took us to a less congested area, there were definitely more turtles than people. It was so very cool seeing the turtles and a few times I was able to touch their shells as they swam by. They are two different experiences and I would recommend BOTH!! Take your underwater camera, I got some great pictures.

[CruiseQueen13]

I liked swimming with the turtles much more! It was fantastic!

[lovetocruise99]

Definitely do the Swimming with Turtles in Barbados. Totally different experience than swimming with stingrays, which is terrific also. We booked the private Thriller Snorkel Tour with Stephen Tryhand in June and this was our favorite excursion of the cruise.

 

Here are pictures of the turtles: They're big as you can see!

http://www.familytravelfun.com/swimwithturtlesbarbados.html

 

And a full review of the excursion with Thriller Tour

http://www.familytravelfun.com/thrillertourbarbados.html

[2112]

I've doen both and I think they are both worthwhile experiences, and quite different from each other. Others above me have already compared the two. But to me, this question is like asking "I went to Venice a few years ago and loved it, so I'm thinking of going to Rome but want to know if it's worth while since I've already been to Italy." I would say, if you liked the stingrays you would likely enjoy the turtles - but don't expect the same experience.