New Cruiser needs advice

[NewCruiser2008]

I will be going on my very first cruise to the western carribean this summer with my husband, three daughters and mom. We've never been to Grand Cayman- any recommendations on an activity to do there? besides shopping. I have a similar posting for Be;ize and will also stop in Cozumel, Roatan island. thanks so much for your advice.

[twinkletoes4445]

Well, here's a list of things I'd consider. A lot will depend on how long you'll be on the island. You don’t need to worry about changing your money, they accept USD. We, for the most part, use credit cards and have had no problems with any strange fees. If you eat in a restaurant (everything is VERY causal and expensive), make sure and look at your bill. They most likely will add the tip on before you get your bill. The first time we were there, we double tipped. Also, if you’d like to know what your bill is in USD, just ask. Your waiter will do this for you. I’m sure I’ll think of a few other things to add to this list, but here’s a few that I can think of off the top of my head…

 

Grand Cayman is one of those rare safe islands, so you can feel fine about planning your own excursions and not having to use the ships excursions (if you choose to do so). :)

 

1. I think everyone should visit stingray sandbar once. It's an amazing experience. We never tire of this and do this each time we're there. We use Captain Marvin's. http://www.captainmarvins.com

 

2. There's always the island tour and Captain Marvin's also offers one of these (we did this our first time there so we could get an idea of what the island was like). You'll drive down the 7MB area...stop at the Gov's mansion (stay on bus)...stop at the old house, the one with sand as a yard (stay on the bus)...stop at Hell (you'll get off the bus and can roam around. There's rock formation that look like what Hell might look like, hence the name of the town. There's also a gift shop there). Then you'll probably stop at the new turtle farm (they have a huge gift shop and a smallish snack bar). You'll also make a stop at the Tortuga rum cake place. They have samples of rum and rum cakes, and an assortment of other souvenirs.

 

3. A day at the beach. Sea Grape and Royal Palms are places along the 7MB stretch. They offer food, restrooms, chair rentals, water toy rentals. You can grab a cab from the port, or have the driver drop you at one of these places (after your snorkel at stingray sandbar-if you do the snorkel). There are plenty of cabs at both of these places for your return trip. Sea Grape is a couple of miles past Royal Palms, so if you're pinched for time, I'd go to Royal Palms.

 

Here's Royal Palm's website (the Reef Grill).

 

http://www.reefgrill.com/

 

Here' the company who supplies the water activities at Royal Palms.

 

http://www.kirkseatours.com/diveshop.shtml

 

Here's the company who supplies the water activities at Sea Grape.

 

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

 

4. Rum Point is a wonderful beach area on Grand Cayman. It’s much more tropical than the 7MB area, but it’s also a 45-minute drive (each way) to RP. Nativeway offers a stingray snorkel and Rum Point trip. Rum Point has a restaurant, water toy rentals (Red Sail is also here), a nice sized gift shop, restrooms with a nice shower area, and lounge chairs.

 

5. Many of the hotels offer day packages. You might check with the Hyatt, the Marriott Beach Resort, Comfort Suites, or the Westin Casuarina. 7MB is public, and you can walk the length of it and stop anywhere you want. I think it’s the high tide mark that draws the line. So you could just plop your towel anywhere you want and enjoy the ocean.

 

6. You could rent a car and explore the island. Grand Cayman is one of those rare islands that you can drive anywhere on the island and be completely safe (use the same precautions you’d use at home). We always use Andy’s.

 

7. The botanical garden is lovely, but it’s over on the other side of the island (on the way to Rum Point). You’d need to have your own car, or find a tour that would take you there.

 

8. Pedro’s Castle-the blowholes-The Lighthouse Restaurant. These are all on the way to Rum Point (should you be heading that way).

 

9. The Butterfly Farm is near the port area. We’ve not done this yet, but I believe we’re going to make time the next time we’re there.

 

10. Atlantis submarine is something that’s fun. http://www.atlantisadventures.com/grandcayman.cfm

 

11. The Jolly Roger Trolley. I’m not sure how you book this, we’ve not done it, but we’ve seen the trolley on the roads in Cayman.

 

12. Jolly Roger Pirate ship tour. http://www.jollyrogercayman.com/

 

13. Pampered Ponies (we’ve not done this). http://www.ponies.ky/

 

14. Here’s a restaurant guide.

 

http://www.caymanrestaurants.com/

 

Breezes is one of our favorites. Here’s their website. http://www.breezesbythebay.com/ In the picture, it’s the building on the left side (second and third floor. They have a small balcony and it’s really fun to people watch and it’s a great view of the ocean. They also have a bar menu. You have to ask for this, but they have some different selections than on the regular menu and some are the same, they just don’t have all the sides.

 

You’ll also be close to the Hard Rock, Margaritaville, Rackham’s (a short walk), and the Paradise Grill.

 

 

Have a great time! :)

[Roatan]

Hi…

We have tried to show the real Roatan and some pictures of Honduras over the last 2.5 years showing all aspects of the island, just not the pretty stuff.

“Picture of the Year” - “Picture of the Month“ Slide Show.

Thought you might enjoy taking a peak…

http://www.roatan.ws/archives/picmonth2007/2007-11/index.html#slide

Slide show takes you directly to every picture

Happy Holidays

Bob and Lynne Millsaps