Boatswain Beach Adventure Marine Park

[mizzgolitely]

hey all! has anyone done this excursion?? just looking for input if it's a good one?

 

thanks

[DARSGANG]

hey all! has anyone done this excursion?? just looking for input if it's a good one?

 

thanks

Hi;

No I haven't done this yet but we are booked for this place on March 6 , Will write about it on the boards when we get back.

[232271]

My brother went in January and I just spoke with him. He said it was really cool and he loved the turtles! He did mention they actually tell you that the turtles are being raised for consumption, just in case anybody has little one's.

 

He said the snorkeling pond was too cool, as in awesome! He thought it was totally worth the price!:)

[DARSGANG]

My brother went in January and I just spoke with him. He said it was really cool and he loved the turtles! He did mention they actually tell you that the turtles are being raised for consumption, just in case anybody has little one's.

 

He said the snorkeling pond was too cool, as in awesome! He thought it was totally worth the price!:)

Hi;

Did he say if the snorkling gear was included in the price ?

Thanks!

[232271]

Hi;

Did he say if the snorkling gear was included in the price ?

Thanks!

 

for the blue band price yes, but he was with a Carnival tour.

[232271]

just back from Boatswain and it was really neat. The place is pretty small, but kept up nicely. They do have life vest, masks and snorkels, but not fins.

The pond is not too big, so fins are really not needed.

 

We had a great time holding the turtles and could do it as often as we wished.

 

Any questions?

[maidaweb]

We just returned from NCL Jewel trip and went to Turtle Farm (Boatswain park) and loved it! A word of caution - we did not sign up for ship's tour, and it was an absolute zoo when we arrived at Grand Cayman and no taxi wanted to take us. We wasted close to an hour & finally had to hop aboard a private tour bus who just dropped us off. Getting back was not an issue as they called us a cab, but I would strongly recommend going with ship's tour unless there are few ships in port.

(I NEVER go with ships tours, but this time I regret it!

 

But once we got there, we loved it. I am a senior who was looking for easy snorkling. Winds were VERY high last Weds, and all the snorkling tours were cancelled, including everything to Stingray city. But Boatswains has a "protected" manmade lagoon, so it wasn't at all affected by the almost gale force high winds. I truly enjoyed it.

 

We did not bring fins, and they do not offer them, and although it was fine, if you have room I think it would have been better to have them (but as I said, I'm a "senior":)). Hundreds and hundreds of fish to see, zero entry, life vests & snorkles included with beach entry.

 

If you go with ship's tour they may not include the beach but you can upgrade your admission and they give you a different bracelet.

 

Food was pricey but excellent.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. Again, we were in port with 7 other ships and it was basically a zoo in town. If you are only ship in port, then story about taxis might be different, but they all wanted to pack the cabs and take you to 7 mile beach.

[2PinaColadas]

Personally, I would not go to a place that raises animals for consumption.

[rosemail]

Like, say, The United States of America? :rolleyes:

[bruce-r]

<snip>

Food was pricey but excellent.

<snip>

Which is pretty much true for almost all dining on GCM

 

Personally, I would not go to a place that raises animals for consumption.

Are you a Vegan?

It is called the Turtle Farm for a reason.

[2PinaColadas]

Vegetarian, yes. I know areas all over the U.S. raise animals for consumption, but I am not going to go on vacation to a beef farm or chicken farm either. And, being from the country, I also know that "farm" does not necessarily mean raised for consumption.

[christmas]

I don't want to get into the consumption part of the topic. I was wondering if they actually had the real beach to lay out on and swim in, not just the man made stuff and activities.

[232271]

I don't want to get into the consumption part of the topic. I was wondering if they actually had the real beach to lay out on and swim in, not just the man made stuff and activities.

 

no it is all man made.

[2PinaColadas]

I don't want to get into the consumption part of the topic. I was wondering if they actually had the real beach to lay out on and swim in, not just the man made stuff and activities.

 

Sorry Christmas. I did not mean to get off of the subject. Have a great time what ever you decide to do.

[sabandmom]

232271,

Thanks for the info. So, the Carnival excursion price includes the snorkel equipment? Just wondering since the comment on their excursion site states rental equipment is "available".

Thanks!:)

[nanby]

I just returned from a Carnival cruise and booked the Boatswain Marine Park and we were very disappointed with the excursion and thought it was over-priced. I felt a little mislead because I thought the park included a beach which was part of the ocean but it was entirely man-made.

 

After being picked up at the port, we boarded small buses and after a 20 minute ride, arrived at the park. Our guide gave us a tour of the turtle area. They are basically cement pools with lots and lots of turtles in them. You can hold some of the small ones and get your picture taken. Since these turtles are raised for commercial purposes (i.e. sold as food) they were kept in holding tanks without any native flora/fauna etc. My children were distressed to learned that the turtles were raised to be eaten.

 

After the tour, the people that had blue wrist bands were able to look at the predator tank and snorkel in the man-made lagoon. This was the best part of the excursion. There is also a fresh water lagoon which is basically just a swimming pool. Our excursion was for 4 hours and we were done after 2 hours. We walked across the street to see the ocean, but, alas, it was not a swimming beach. Oh and by the way, the only exit was through a gift shop.

 

When we compared notes with fellow passengers at dinner, we wished we had just taken a taxi to the beach and rented snorkeling equipment there as our friends did. We never got to enjoy the beautiful water of Grand Cayman.

Live and learn. I know there are lots of positive reports on this place but I just wanted to share our opinion of the excursion.

[232271]

232271,

Thanks for the info. So, the Carnival excursion price includes the snorkel equipment? Just wondering since the comment on their excursion site states rental equipment is "available".

Thanks!:)

 

they had snorkel vest and mask to use free of charge, no fins. It was included in our tour price as long as you have the "blue" band and you are not just doing a turtle farm tour.

[232271]

I just returned from a Carnival cruise and booked the Boatswain Marine Park and we were very disappointed with the excursion and thought it was over-priced. I felt a little mislead because I thought the park included a beach which was part of the ocean but it was entirely man-made.

 

After being picked up at the port, we boarded small buses and after a 20 minute ride, arrived at the park. Our guide gave us a tour of the turtle area. They are basically cement pools with lots and lots of turtles in them. You can hold some of the small ones and get your picture taken. Since these turtles are raised for commercial purposes (i.e. sold as food) they were kept in holding tanks without any native flora/fauna etc. My children were distressed to learned that the turtles were raised to be eaten.

 

After the tour, the people that had blue wrist bands were able to look at the predator tank and snorkel in the man-made lagoon. This was the best part of the excursion. There is also a fresh water lagoon which is basically just a swimming pool. Our excursion was for 4 hours and we were done after 2 hours. We walked across the street to see the ocean, but, alas, it was not a swimming beach. Oh and by the way, the only exit was through a gift shop.

 

When we compared notes with fellow passengers at dinner, we wished we had just taken a taxi to the beach and rented snorkeling equipment there as our friends did. We never got to enjoy the beautiful water of Grand Cayman.

Live and learn. I know there are lots of positive reports on this place but I just wanted to share our opinion of the excursion.

 

 

I hate to say I have to almost agree with you, this was fun, BUT highly dissapointing to be so small. For the money I will go to Rum Point Beach next time and spend more on better food and drinks. The turtle part was cool, but still so small.

[sabandmom]

Thank you for the info! Since the Carnvial excursion is 8:30-12:30, wouldn't you have time to go to 7 mile beach for a bit (or shop in Georgetown) before you have to get in the tender line? I like the idea of this tour for that reason. (not rushed for time)

Also, how much time were you actually at Boatswain's?

[maidaweb]

Although we loved it, I don't disagree for those who prefer natural ocean snorkling. The day we were there, all the OTHER snorkle trips were cancelled due to high winds in the ocean though, so the only people who got to snorkle were people who went here! I was happy to have a protected spot. Just a backup thought in case you hit a day when all the stingray city and ocean snorkling is closed down due to bad weather. Our weather wasn't bad enough to skip the island, but the high nearly gale force winds prevented all the water activities from going forward.

 

Boatswains is a nice alternative for those type of days!

[solo_w_kids]

You can hold some of the small ones and get your picture taken. Since these turtles are raised for commercial purposes (i.e. sold as food) they were kept in holding tanks without any native flora/fauna etc. My children were distressed to learned that the turtles were raised to be eaten.

 

.

 

I am so glad I read this. My daughters would both be very upset about this. I cancelled it from our Disney Cruise and I'll find something else.

 

Thanks!