Nativeway Rays, Reef and Rum Point?

[39august]

There are many conflicting reports on the Grand Cayman board of folks who insist there is NO problem getting to the last tender from this excursion and others who insist that they barely got to the last tender. Has anyone done this tour from Freedom or any RCI ship that arrived at 8AM ship time and left at 4PM ship time? If so, what is your input on the timing of this tour, please? We did the stingrays with Nativeway several years ago and thought they were a first class operation.

[jeeppartsman]

I used them in 2005 and had plenty of time. I even had time to shop when we got back. So, unless things have changed you should be fine. No company wants to be responsible for making you late. It would cost them business.

[J and G]

We did this tour last October from Rhapsody (8 am - 4 PM) and found that we were not at all pressed for time. It was a great tour and we would do it again in a heartbeat!

[39august]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm going to book it for our Oct. Freedom tour. We've done the rays before, but I so want to see Rum Point. My husband refuses to rent a car and drive since they drive on the "wrong" side of the road!

[J and G]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm going to book it for our Oct. Freedom tour. We've done the rays before, but I so want to see Rum Point. My husband refuses to rent a car and drive since they drive on the "wrong" side of the road!

 

Just a note that Rum Point (or at least the part we saw) is a Hyatt resort that includes a palapa bar, a t-shirt shop (great t-shirts...we spent $$$$ there), a dive shop, and picnic tables in a beautiful beach setting. The water was cloudy and not inviting for swimming or snorkeling the day we were there. The resort is nice and the food and drinks are good (drinks are also $$$) but it was a wonderful respite after a day of snorkeling and boating.

 

The rays far surpassed Rum Point, in our estimation. JOHO......

[ruskatab]

I took the exursion in Oct from the Mariner and in April on the Conquest and we got back in plenty of time to stand in the long tender lines to get back on the boat. We loved rum point and when we were there both times the water was clear and we saw sting rays and lots of fish swimming from the dock.

[teajak]

The last tender was at 3:30, they got us back to the parking area at 3:25, only after much complaining by me. This was our experience.

[TamaLee]

We have done both the tour and the drive. As other posters have said, this is their business and it would not be good if they didn't have you back to the ship on time. On our trip we were back on the ship with plenty of time to spare.

 

I would also reconsider driving. It was very easy and really not at all as hard as it seems to be driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I just kept saying to my husband, "left! left!". :) It was nice to be able to see things in G.C. that we didn't get a chance to see on previous visits.

[ken_nyc]

We just got back from our Mariner cruise and we did the Nativeway Rays, Reef and Rum Point and we got back to the dock area about an hour before the last tender. We had some time to shop a bit. The excursion was great!

[cappy09]

We just got back from our Mariner cruise and we did the Nativeway Rays, Reef and Rum Point and we got back to the dock area about an hour before the last tender. We had some time to shop a bit. The excursion was great!

 

Hi ken, This excursion is one of the best in Grand Cayman IMHO. We got a lot of individual attention because there was not a lot of peole on the ship. As to time we arrived just as Ken said allowing plenty of time to shop and reboard the Mariner...

[wolfcathorse]

I've booked this tour for our 10-14 Freedom cruise and I'm worrying. Their website says they're on Central Time until 11-4 which means when I'm there, they'll be 1 hour behind ship time. For those of you who did this tour in October, did your ship change time to match Grand Cayman? For those of you back "in plenty of time" was that plenty of time ship time or Grand Cayman time!

[cappy09]

I've booked this tour for our 10-14 Freedom cruise and I'm worrying. Their website says they're on Central Time until 11-4 which means when I'm there, they'll be 1 hour behind ship time. For those of you who did this tour in October, did your ship change time to match Grand Cayman? For those of you back "in plenty of time" was that plenty of time ship time or Grand Cayman time!

 

The time in Cayman is 1 hour behind. The ship stays on ship time. We got back with one hour to spare ship time to do some shopping or reboard the Mariner.. The last tender is at 3:30 but if your on line for the tender at 3:30 you will not be left behind so relax and enjoy your time in Grand Cayman

[signman]

On each of my 3 visits to GC I have gone to Rum Point.

 

Visit no. 1 about 8-10 of us hired a private van to take us there, wait, and take us back to the ship. Due to high winds that day, our ship tendered at Spotts Bay, which actually made it a shorter trip to Rum Point. We paid $360 for the van, so about $40 pp. Loved relaxing in the hammocks.

 

Visit no. 2 in November, a group from Cruise Critic pivately contracted with Nativeways for the Rays, Reef and Rum Point tour. Cost was $60pp and there were about 25 of us. Stingray City was packed, water was a bit rough, but we did what you do there. I wear glasses, so snorkeling at the Reef is a big blur. This time our stop at Rum Point included lunch. We had to wait a few minutes past when the captain wanted to leave the dock for a few stragglers, and we took our time exploring the coves near the dock upon returning, but the shuttle van was there and got us to the tender pier with about 5 minutes showing on clock before last tender. We were certainly among the last to show up, but it took some time for the tender to show up and depart. Oh how I love those hammocks.

 

Visit no. 3 in January. Now I was confident enough to rent a car and drive. I think there were 9 of us in a van which cost about $100, so I think it ended up being about $15 pp when gas was factored it. I just concentrated while driving around the airport and Georgetown areas, but once on the highway, you really have nothing to worry about. It takes a full 45 minutes for the drive. My group was still anxious about getting back to the ship, so we left Rum Point way too early for my liking. You should have no problem leaving 90 minutes before last tender. I'm dreaming of those hammocks now.