New Year's Day

[beachseeker]

We are going to be in Grand Cayman on New Year's Day. Wondering if restaurants/stores will be open and will taxis be running as usual. Has anyone else been there on New Year's Day?

[twinkletoes4445]

We are going to be in Grand Cayman on New Year's Day. Wondering if restaurants/stores will be open and will taxis be running as usual. Has anyone else been there on New Year's Day?

 

We were there on New Year's Day several years ago (on a cruise). There were only 2 ships in port that day, so we pretty much had the island to ourselves. The restaurants and shops were open, but when I asked about this, one gal told me that as soon as the ships started loading up to leave, they were closing.

 

We booked an island tour through the ship and we booked our snorkel trip ouselves (with Captain Marvin's). After the snorkel trip, Captain Marvin's dropped us at Rackhams where we had lunch and then walked back to the ship.

 

I checked the Cayman Port Authority and if you're going to be there this New Year's, it looks like there will be 6 ships in port, so I'd say there will be plenty of shops open and plenty of cabs for the cruise ship passengers.

 

What will be nice for you guys...is that a lot of the local businesses will be closed...banks, offices, etc., so you won't have to deal with all those people coming and going from their jobs.

 

We had such a good time that day that we now only do land vacation in Cayman. We absolutely love Grand Cayman. :)

 

Here's a website that lists some of the restaurants. Plug in the area you're looking for (GT or 7MB) and once you get to the restaurant, most list a sample menu. The prices are listed in CD, but it will give you an idea of the prices. Also, they almost always add on a 15% tip to your bill, so take a quick look at it before you pay. The first time we were there we double-tipped. Also, if you want to know what the bill is in USD, just ask them. Most of the cash registers will print both...CD and USD for you...and if not, they'll just write it in for you. We also use our AMEX or Visa as much as we could there...and we've never had any odd charges. If you use cash, you might get CD as change.

 

http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/restaurants_results_list.asp?restaurantID=0&locationID=0&cuisineID=0

 

Have a great time! :)

[beachseeker]

Thanks for the quick reply. Hadn't thought about the banks, offices, etc being closed. That should help with traffic. We wanted to do the waverunner shore excursion to Stingray City, but heard the gov't has banned waverunners in the park starting January 1st. Still trying to find out if that is correct information.

[twinkletoes4445]

Thanks for the quick reply. Hadn't thought about the banks, offices, etc being closed. That should help with traffic. We wanted to do the waverunner shore excursion to Stingray City, but heard the gov't has banned waverunners in the park starting January 1st. Still trying to find out if that is correct information.

 

I've searched around, but I can't find any information about the ban. January 1st isn't that far off, so you'd think if this is going to happen, they'd be making an official announcement pretty quickly.