Stingray City and 7 Mile Beach question

[chewbacca]

If our ship pulls in at 7:30 (leaves @ 4:30 pm) and we book the stingray city excursion through Carnival (according to the website it lasts 2 1/2 hours) would we still have time to go to 7 mile beach and rent jet skis?

 

What would be the best way to go about this? Could we hail a cab from Stingray to 7 mile or do we have to back to the ship?

 

TIA!

[twinkletoes4445]

We always use Captain Marvin's and have always had a wonderful time. You could do their morning excursion, and then have them drop you somewhere along 7MB. Red Sail offers jet ski rentals, so you could have them drop you where they have one of their locations and then just grab a cab back to the port area. We stay at condos that are next to the Marriott Beach Resort and we've rented jet skis there.

 

http://www.redsailcayman.com/gc_index.html

 

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

 

I'd be careful with the ship excursions. There are these huge double-decker boats (that say "Kirk" on the side), and you really don't want to be on one of those. I don't know if all the ship excursions use this company, but if you book on your own, you'll be on a boat that has 20 or so people. Stingray Sandbar is an awesome place, but I'd not want to be there with 100 other people that are trying to get on and off the same boat as I am.

 

Grand Cayman is one of those rare islands where you can get out and do your own thing and feel perfectly safe doing so.

 

One thing you'll need to figure out is ship time vs. island time. Grand Cayman does not observe Daylight Savings. So it will depend on where you are sailing from and what time of year you're sailing.

 

Our first time there we were on the Triumph and we were on GC New Year's Day. I believe we were in port from 7 until 4:30. We were off the tender by 8:00 or so, and the last tender back to the ship was at 3:45.

[twinkletoes4445]

 

What would be the best way to go about this? Could we hail a cab from Stingray to 7 mile or do we have to back to the ship?

 

TIA!

 

Whoops, I meant to mention this in my post, but I forgot.

 

Stingray Sandbar is in the North Sound (if you look at a map, this part of the island looks like a hammer, and the sandbar would be near the back or claw part of the hammer). To get there, you will be transported from the port area to a dock. Captain Marvin's dock is right behind their house (I think it's Marvin's house). Anyway, there aren't any cabs in this area...so you'd have to use their transportation to get back to 7MB or the port area.

 

The reason I suggested using CM's (or any of the other companies mentioned) is that you could pre-arrange this. Email them and tell them what you want to do. Ruth or Joan, at CM's, will be able to tell you what excursion will work best for the time you have on the island.

 

At this time, you could also tell them you want to be dropped off along 7MB somewhere. To get to their dock, you turn next to the Courtyard Marriott, which is down near the Ritz and Sea Grape. So they'll be driving down most of 7MB and I know they'd drop you wherever you want.

 

They'll take your credit card number, but they won't bill your card until the day you arrive in their office (it's a short 3-4 minute walk). If for some reason your ship isn't able to stop (choppy water happens a lot), then you don't have to worry about a thing. No ship...no charges.

 

If you book through the ship, I don't know how you'd arrange this. It's possible that if you do book through the ship you might be able to get the driver to drop you off along 7MB after the snorkel, but I don't know that for a fact. You could grab a cab once you're back in the port area and have the driver take you back to the beach area, but you'll be surprised how fast your day on the island will go, and doing that will cut in to your beach time.

[Irishlinny]

We decided to book through Moby Dick Tours and it's a Stingray City tour and snorkeling. If you are going after we turn the clocks back on 11/4, Cayman will be at the same time as we are (Eastern). The trip leaves around 9:30 and is approx 3 hours. They offer to either bring you back to port or drop you at 7 Mile beach. Supposedly many taxis and shuttles that leave often and will cost you around $4 for the 10 minute ride back to port. We are going on Carnival Legend on 11/4...I hope to post a review when we return. Oh, and the cost is $35/person...

Have fun!!!