Shore excursion vs. taxi in Grand Cayman

[chaka khan]

First-time cruiser here....Trying to figure out the whole shore excursion thing. Say I want to see the Turtle Farm, Hell, and Stingray city, would it work to take a cab for a tour? Can you just hop on a boat to see Stingray City once you get there? If so, how much would I really save? Would it be worth it? Any input would be much appreciated!

[Bonnie J.]

You will save a bundle if you go with Captain Marvin to stingray city. You can walk to his pick up point from the ship. There will be a LOT less people with him than with the ship's tour! You can search him on this forum. You have to be driven to the boat, usually an open air bus.

As for the turtle farm and Hell you can take a cab. But Hell was disappointing. Its just what looks like black volcanic rocks. There is a post office - sent ourselves a post card, and a gift shop with "I've been to Hell and back!' t-shirts.

[Jimmers]

We ususally but not always do our excursions through the ship. I've alway heard good things about Capt Marvin so if you do private this would be the way to go.

 

I'm heard the Turtle farm is nice, (if you like turtles) but very pricey. Hell is as the other poster said. It's got a colorful name so people go there so they can say they went to "hell". Neat marketing idea but a big deal.

 

I'm not sure you could fit all those things in during one day at port. As I recall Stingray City took the better part of the day. If you had to choose one, definitely go with Stingray City. Then spend any remaining time walking about Georgetown. Don't expect to find any shopping deals there. It's a very rich island and there is generally NO price haggling.

 

If you think you might be taking a cab or public transportation do some research on their system beforehand. I've never used it but I've heard their are some pitfalls to watch for. You might be stuck on a bus until it fills with passengers. And each bus has a certain route so you need to make sure it's going where you want to go.

 

Enjoy,

Jimmers

[JerseyGem]

DH and I usually avoid the ship's shore excursions- except in Grand Cayman! On this stop, there are several advantages to going with the ship. First, you'll get priority tendering off the ship (this is a tender port for everyone). If your time there is limited, this can make a big difference. Also, as the previous poster said, the buses (vans, taxis, etc) always insist on filling up before they leave the dock area. This means that if 13 of you are ready and anxious to go to Seven Mile beach, but the van holds 14, you will sit on the van until the driver finds one more passenger. (Yes, this happened to us). Also, there are fewer small taxis (unless you walk well away from the dock area); most of the vehicles are vans or mini-buses.

 

We did use Nativeway one time to go to Stingray City (and a snorkeling stop). We enjoyed the excursion and would recommend them- with one warning- they did not have flotation vests to wear while snorkeling. Instead, they tied life jackets around our waists for a "flotation device" -but it's rather hard to snorkel that way! If you have your own equipment (or are a very good ocean swimmer), I definitely recommend them. They were very conscientious about getting us back to the dock in time for the last tender.

 

I suggest posting on the Grand Cayman board. To me, Stingray City is the highlight of GC, so I would recommend that you concentrate on doing that. If you find a shore excursion that includes that and more- great. But do try to at least do the stingrays. And consider splurging on the ship's shore excursion at this stop- other ports (like Cozumel) are much more tourist-friendly.

[curlyd]

DH and I usually avoid the ship's shore excursions- except in Grand Cayman! On this stop, there are several advantages to going with the ship. First, you'll get priority tendering off the ship (this is a tender port for everyone). If your time there is limited, this can make a big difference. Also, as the previous poster said, the buses (vans, taxis, etc) always insist on filling up before they leave the dock area. This means that if 13 of you are ready and anxious to go to Seven Mile beach, but the van holds 14, you will sit on the van until the driver finds one more passenger. (Yes, this happened to us). Also, there are fewer small taxis (unless you walk well away from the dock area); most of the vehicles are vans or mini-buses.

 

We did use Nativeway one time to go to Stingray City (and a snorkeling stop). We enjoyed the excursion and would recommend them- with one warning- they did not have flotation vests to wear while snorkeling. Instead, they tied life jackets around our waists for a "flotation device" -but it's rather hard to snorkel that way! If you have your own equipment (or are a very good ocean swimmer), I definitely recommend them. They were very conscientious about getting us back to the dock in time for the last tender.

 

I suggest posting on the Grand Cayman board. To me, Stingray City is the highlight of GC, so I would recommend that you concentrate on doing that. If you find a shore excursion that includes that and more- great. But do try to at least do the stingrays. And consider splurging on the ship's shore excursion at this stop- other ports (like Cozumel) are much more tourist-friendly.

 

JerseyGem,

When did you tour with Nativeway? I just booked with them for March and asked them if they had snorkeling vest because we have everything else. She replied that yes they had vests. I better get back to her and be very specific.

[JerseyGem]

It's been well over a year since we used Nativeway. At that time, they had at least two boats (I remember this because one couple on our boat was from a ship that had an earlier departure-from GC- than our's, so they transferred them to another Nativeway boat that would get them back to town in time). We were also told before hand that they had flotation devices- I thought they meant vests (like you commonly see in the Caribbean- you inflate or deflate as you wish to get the right amount of support for your abilities.) Instead, they had regular life vests that they just tied around your waist (rather than put it on over your head). This technique worked for some, but just made my waist go up and my head and feet go down- not a pretty picture! DD & DH just snorkelled without the vests (they're good swimmers); I ended up skipping the snorkeling part- just did the stingray city where you don't need the vests.

 

I suggest posting on the Cayman Islands forum too (I'll try a link-

Click here: Cayman Islands - Cruise Critic Message Boards )

ask if anyone has used them recently. Hopefully, they have regular flotation (snorkeling) vests by now. Everything else about Nativeway was fine (including the price! LOL)

[CPT Trips]

IIRC, the trip with Nativeway that JerseyGem describes was almost 3 years ago . . . tempus fugit DW :) . . . and it was just a few months after a devastating hurricane. You certainly need more up-to-date info on the specifics as I am sure they are back on their feet again.

[tip]

The jitney buses (vans that take about fifteen passengers) are inexpensive and go all over the island. They are located just a few blocks from the pier. Leave yourself plenty of time and you will be fine. We have done the turtles twice, but as others have said, "Hell" is a waste of time. It reminded me of a garbage dump/tourist trap! The Caymans are one of the safer crusie ports. We did the botanical gardens via the jitneys several years ago, but I am not sure that they have recovered from recent storm damage.

 

Most of the ship's shore excursions are way too regimented and way too expensive!!!

[newmexicoNita]

First-time cruiser here....Trying to figure out the whole shore excursion thing. Say I want to see the Turtle Farm, Hell, and Stingray city, would it work to take a cab for a tour? Can you just hop on a boat to see Stingray City once you get there? If so, how much would I really save? Would it be worth it? Any input would be much appreciated!

We did the van thing our first trip,to Hell and the Turtle Farm. if you want the Sting Ray experience I would book it in combination with snorkeling. If the weather is nice the snorkeling is fantastic.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

The jitney buses (vans that take about fifteen passengers) are inexpensive and go all over the island. They are located just a few blocks from the pier. Leave yourself plenty of time and you will be fine. We have done the turtles twice, but as others have said, "Hell" is a waste of time. It reminded me of a garbage dump/tourist trap! The Caymans are one of the safer crusie ports. We did the botanical gardens via the jitneys several years ago, but I am not sure that they have recovered from recent storm damage.

 

Most of the ship's shore excursions are way too regimented and way too expensive!!!

 

Agree about Hell, the only saving grace, it was fun to send a postcard from Hell.

[curlyd]

It's been well over a year since we used Nativeway. At that time, they had at least two boats (I remember this because one couple on our boat was from a ship that had an earlier departure-from GC- than our's, so they transferred them to another Nativeway boat that would get them back to town in time). We were also told before hand that they had flotation devices- I thought they meant vests (like you commonly see in the Caribbean- you inflate or deflate as you wish to get the right amount of support for your abilities.) Instead, they had regular life vests that they just tied around your waist (rather than put it on over your head). This technique worked for some, but just made my waist go up and my head and feet go down- not a pretty picture! DD & DH just snorkelled without the vests (they're good swimmers); I ended up skipping the snorkeling part- just did the stingray city where you don't need the vests.

 

I suggest posting on the Cayman Islands forum too (I'll try a link-

Click here: Cayman Islands - Cruise Critic Message Boards )

ask if anyone has used them recently. Hopefully, they have regular flotation (snorkeling) vests by now. Everything else about Nativeway was fine (including the price! LOL)

 

IIRC, the trip with Nativeway that JerseyGem describes was almost 3 years ago . . . tempus fugit DW :) . . . and it was just a few months after a devastating hurricane. You certainly need more up-to-date info on the specifics as I am sure they are back on their feet again.

 

Well thank you both for the info. I and DH do better if we have the vest. I would be ok without it but would worry the whole time about DH and not have any fun. I think I will e-mail Sharon so that I know what to expect.

Thanks again