Native Way just cancelled on me

[Loving My Life]

I booked NW a month ago for the stingray and island tour for June. I sent my cc and it was all booked. This morning I got an email from Sharon (?) saying that they cancelled the tour. No reason, no apology, no offer for another tour. Nothing. Now I'm not too thrilled that they have my cc info.

 

I have to find something to do in GC. We don't like just sitting at the beach. We like to tour and sight see and learn about the culture. Any ideas?

[Jungle Jane]

I booked NW a month ago for the stingray and island tour for June. I sent my cc and it was all booked. This morning I got an email from Sharon (?) saying that they cancelled the tour. No reason, no apology, no offer for another tour. Nothing. Now I'm not too thrilled that they have my cc info.

 

I have to find something to do in GC. We don't like just sitting at the beach. We like to tour and sight see and learn about the culture. Any ideas?

 

If I were you I'd email back and ask Sharon if she has anything else to offer you. They have multiple boats and guides and maybe your exact tour/time wasn't possible for some reason but I'll bet she could figure something else out for you.

 

As for them having your CC info, I wouldn't worry about it, Sharon and Eldon are honest people and not out to screw you over.

 

GC is such a low/no crime area...if it were me I would not book anything now, when you get there there will be tons of guides on the pier holding signs for tours. I'd just show up on the pier and pick one then.

 

Enjoy GC!!!!!!!

[Charming01]

I booked NW a month ago for the stingray and island tour for June. I sent my cc and it was all booked. This morning I got an email from Sharon (?) saying that they cancelled the tour. No reason, no apology, no offer for another tour. Nothing. Now I'm not too thrilled that they have my cc info.

 

I have to find something to do in GC. We don't like just sitting at the beach. We like to tour and sight see and learn about the culture. Any ideas?

 

This doesn't surprise me, as it happened to us but they didn't e-mail us to say it was cancelled and it was a big mess.:mad: Anyway, like the other poster said, I would wait and get off the ship and pick something else. There are a ton of people wanting to take you somewhere when you get off the ship. Have a great trip!:)

[CharmedOne]

I feel for you - having been on the receiving end of cancellations like this before (not from NW)!

 

However, because of my past experience, I ALWAYS have a backup plan. If I have booked a tour somewhere, I will have the name/number of an alternate or I will plan to do as another poster said and just "wing it". (This having an alternate name works well with hotels - in case we are not happy with our hotel we have already researched another choice instead of trying to do the research while vacationing!)

 

I know - some people (like me) are over-planners and control freaks. I just hate the thought of being "stranded" in a foreign country (okay, the Carib is not exactly foreign...but you know what I mean).

 

I wish you luck!:o

[rcprncss]

 

GC is such a low/no crime area...if it were me I would not book anything now, when you get there there will be tons of guides on the pier holding signs for tours. I'd just show up on the pier and pick one then.

 

Enjoy GC!!!!!!!

 

Jungle Jane, question. Is there really lots of guides waiting at the pier? i don't remember, probably because I wasn't looking. :) Have you done this? My friends and I are just mainly looking to go to Rum Point. We have our tour scheduled with NativeWays but really don't want to do the snorkeling or Rays. We don't want to rent a car either. Just wondering if you remember seeing signs to go to Rum Point. :)

[cruisediva07]

LOL Louisa.... Sorry, I didn't see your post before I entered mine!

 

 

 

If ..if it were me I would not book anything now, when you get there there will be tons of guides on the pier holding signs for tours. I'd just show up on the pier and pick one then.

 

 

I'm wondering if anyone on this board took a tour from the pier in GC that worked out well. If so, I'd love to hear about where it went and if you would do it that way again. Do you think it would be possible to get a tour from the pier that would include Rum Point?

 

My husband and friends of ours are booked with Native Way in a few weeks..... but we've been debating it because we've done stingrays before and aren't crazy about doing them again. But we really want to go to Rum Point, and don't want to rent a car, and the R R & R tour includes it. I'm sure we'll enjoy the catamaran ride but wonder if there's another way to go without stingrays. All of the land tours with RP through agencies are either booked or mucho mucho bucks. Do you think we would have any luck on the pier??

 

Thanks in advance for your help.:o

[bookbabe]

All of the land tours with RP through agencies are either booked or mucho mucho bucks. Do you think we would have any luck on the pier??

 

I doubt you'll find anything cheaper by waiting. Rum Point is at the far side of the island from the pier. Just taking a taxi there costs about $75 US each way, since it's a 45 minute ride. I'd guess the tour cost would have to be similarly high. If you find anything, it's likely to include the Botanical Gardens or maybe Pedro St. James, since those attractions are both on the way to Rum Point by land.

[Jungle Jane]

Jungle Jane, question. Is there really lots of guides waiting at the pier? i don't remember, probably because I wasn't looking. :) Have you done this? My friends and I are just mainly looking to go to Rum Point. We have our tour scheduled with NativeWays but really don't want to do the snorkeling or Rays. We don't want to rent a car either. Just wondering if you remember seeing signs to go to Rum Point. :)

 

 

WHAT?!?!? No snorkeling??? No 'rays??? I'm sorry, the ONLY way I'll allow this is if you say you've been there/done that. Otherwise, I will MAKE you do that! In fact I'll COME WITH YOU to chaperone and make sure you go do it! LOL!

 

Kidding of course...would LOVE to go do both of those things again and again and again.

 

Have you been to Rum Point before? Just curious...

 

I don't remember seeing a tour just to Rum Point, but I wasn't looking for one either. I did see TONS of signs while I was looking for NW's sign-Eldon is like SEVEN FEET TALL so I wasn't looking high enough! LOL!

 

I could be totally wrong, but I don't think there would be any "tour company" that would take you just to RP, they can't charge a hefty price for just a boat ride to RP. With the full tour you pay for the wow factor of the rays and snorkeling, know what I mean?

 

Hmmmm...I'd start a new thread and ask if anyone has done this... I'm curious!

[Jungle Jane]

I doubt you'll find anything cheaper by waiting. Rum Point is at the far side of the island from the pier. Just taking a taxi there costs about $75 US each way, since it's a 45 minute ride. I'd guess the tour cost would have to be similarly high. If you find anything, it's likely to include the Botanical Gardens or maybe Pedro St. James, since those attractions are both on the way to Rum Point by land.

 

 

Bookbabe is right...$75 for a taxi ride vs $60 for RRR or similar tour that includes more tourist-y stuff. I'd take the cheaper/latter!

 

But I do understand for those who've already been and know what they want to do and what they want to skip.

 

Wonder if renting a car and going yourself might be cheaper? ANother thing you could post on a separate thread to get a better response.

 

Enjoy GC!!!!!!!!!!

[twinkletoes4445]

We always book with Captain Marvin's and have never had any problems.

 

http://www.captainmarvins.com

[caymanjohn]

June is low season. My guess is you will find people queuing up at the dock looking for customers.

 

It's interesting that Native Ways cancelled on you so far ahead.

[rcprncss]

WHAT?!?!? No snorkeling??? No 'rays??? I'm sorry, the ONLY way I'll allow this is if you say you've been there/done that. Otherwise, I will MAKE you do that! In fact I'll COME WITH YOU to chaperone and make sure you go do it! LOL!

 

Kidding of course...would LOVE to go do both of those things again and again and again.

 

Have you been to Rum Point before? Just curious...

 

I don't remember seeing a tour just to Rum Point, but I wasn't looking for one either. I did see TONS of signs while I was looking for NW's sign-Eldon is like SEVEN FEET TALL so I wasn't looking high enough! LOL!

 

I could be totally wrong, but I don't think there would be any "tour company" that would take you just to RP, they can't charge a hefty price for just a boat ride to RP. With the full tour you pay for the wow factor of the rays and snorkeling, know what I mean?

 

Hmmmm...I'd start a new thread and ask if anyone has done this... I'm curious!

 

I have done the Rays (LOVED IT) and the snorkeling. We have not been to Rum Point. There probably isn't a tour that just goes to Rum Point but it was worth a shot. I know the taxis there are going to be hefty price. Thanks for your quick reply.

[Jungle Jane]

I have done the Rays (LOVED IT) and the snorkeling. We have not been to Rum Point. There probably isn't a tour that just goes to Rum Point but it was worth a shot. I know the taxis there are going to be hefty price. Thanks for your quick reply.

 

Ok, then you have my permission to skip the other stuff since you've already done it go to just Rum Point as long as you've done the other stuff...

 

My thought on Rum Point is this, and I'm sure others will have a different opinion, I'd love to hear them as well.

 

After all the physical stuff we did with the Rays and and the snorkeling, Rum Point was a fabulous way to finish off the day. Eat some good grub, splash around in the water a bit, explore the grounds. BUT...would I want to spend an entire day there? I don't think so. DON'T GET ME WRONG, the place is FABULOUS. But the beach area itself is pretty small. The water is lovely, calm and bay-like, good for floating but I couldn't do that all day. If I were to do it again and didn't want to do the Rays and snorkeling I'd maybe try to pair Rum Point with some other things to see. Not sure what b'c Rum Point is pretty far. That's why I suggested renting a car, get yourself a map and make your own tour. You're gonna pay either way so you might as well have it your way, right? Now I sound like an old BK commercial!

 

Have a blast whatever you decide to do. I WANNA COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rcprncss]

Hey Jungle Jane, did you have "rum punch" on the NativeWays tour or is it just fruit punch? I know the email states punch and bottled water. Thanks! :)

[Jungle Jane]

Hey Jungle Jane, did you have "rum punch" on the NativeWays tour or is it just fruit punch? I know the email states punch and bottled water. Thanks! :)

 

 

On the boat itself they had gallon bottles of water and punch, no rum :( It was some kind of store bought something, didn't see the name or anything. It was sealed, they broke the seal and opened it right in front of us so I'm sure it was fine, others had some. We had brought our own water bottles so we stuck with that. Later when we got to Rum Point they had trays of lemonade, water and iced tea for us, so we had a bit of that with our lunch, but then I headed over to the bar for the REAL rum punch...things get hazy after that...LOL

[rcprncss]

Thanks! :( i didn't think it included Rum Punch. Since we have definitely decided to keep this tour and I have gone to you for so much advice already :) , what can you recommend for lunch at Rum Point? I heard the food was pretty good. Thanks again! :)

[Jungle Jane]

Thanks! :( i didn't think it included Rum Punch. Since we have definitely decided to keep this tour and I have gone to you for so much advice already :) , what can you recommend for lunch at Rum Point? I heard the food was pretty good. Thanks again! :)

 

 

If you like seafood I'd go with an order of conch fritters-just to say you tried 'em, and either catch of the day depending on what it is and how picky your are about your fish-you can ask what the cotd is when you are ordering and your guide will either know or he can find out. If cotd is not to your liking then go with the fish and chips. The batter is light and it comes with tons of fries and I think cole slaw...no one in our group could finish, there was so much food.

 

I usually say leave the towel on the ship b'c you dry off so quickly in the sun on the boat, BUT for this, I'd say bring a towel b'c if you are lucky enought the guys might dive down and get some of those huge conch shells, they clean out the guts and save them to cook later-no lie! and they bleach it and clean it off right there and who ever wants one can have it. They had about 6 when we went and we took one. Wrapped it in a towel, snuck it back on the ship no problem. Bagged it, hid it in the middle of all of our dirty laundry, it made it home no problem and now we have THEE coolest souvenir from our whole trip right on our coffee table. Of course, this is a big no-no, but...;)

[rcprncss]

I would LOVE to take one of those home! I saw your picture that you posted! Thanks for the advice. I have tried Conch Fritters but here in California at a Caribbean restaurant. I am sure they will taste better because they are fresher there! Hmmmm...... can't wait! I have cruise fever right now and I am just counting down the days! :)

[Jungle Jane]

I would LOVE to take one of those home! I saw your picture that you posted! Thanks for the advice. I have tried Conch Fritters but here in California at a Caribbean restaurant. I am sure they will taste better because they are fresher there! Hmmmm...... can't wait! I have cruise fever right now and I am just counting down the days! :)

 

 

Have a BLAST! I'll be waiting to hear your review when you get back! I'm trying to talk hub into either another cruise or a land based vaca to GC for my 40th...so far he's not biting :mad:

[sstamm]

Hi!

We were in Grand Cayman last week, and had booked the RRR with Nativeway. The winds were up and the seas were rough and all the ship's water excursions were cancelled. We met Sharon on the pier to check if we were cancelled as well. (we were) She offered us an island tour and trip to Rum point with a shopping stop at rum cake factory for $35 per person. We ended up agreeing, but said we'd like to skip the rum cake factory. Sharon said if the whole group agreed, then we could. The whole thing was to be about 4.5 hours, with about 1 hr or a little more spent driving.

 

We took the tour, but in retrospect, I'm not sure we would again. We had to wait while they located others that were supposed to have done the RRR. The "island tour" was really just the drive to Rum point, which was about 45-50 minutes as others have said. Sharon had told us is was a "beautiful 30-35 minutes drive." I had read here previously that it was further, and it turned out to be correct. A few glimpses of the pretty coastline, but not really scenic. The group on our van voted not to stop at the rum cake factory.

 

Once we got to Rum Point, they set us at picnic tables to order lunch, which they said would take about 10 minutes. They offered us iced tea or water. It was more like 35 minutes to get our lunch, but the lunch was very good. Conch fritters were good, I had a club sandwich, and DH had blackened mahi, I think. Kids had chicken tenders, which were very good. By the time we finished luch, we had about 1 hour on the beach. It was actually pretty crowded, and no chairs to be found. I asked a staff member if there were more, and was told to just wait for someone to leave one. We eventually found 2 chairs for our group of 9 people.

 

The beach there is small, but very pretty. We enjoyed ourselves, but felt like we spent more time riding in the van than enjoying the beach. By the time we waited for others, left late, drove further, sat waiting for lunch, it was practically time to go back. Thank heavens we had voted not to stop at the rum cake factory.

 

Like I said, it was fine, and from what it sounds like a taxi costs, not too bad of a deal. It was $175 (plus tip) for my family of 5, and I just felt like we might have done better doing something else.

 

If I were staying on the island or had a rental car, I would definitely go to Rum Point again. I'd get there early enough to get a chair, and eat on my own schedule, not nativeway's. I'd also stay longer.

 

I probably should have done better in making my own back-up plan. It wasn't a BAD day, but our day before in Cozumel was so spectacular, that it seemed lackluster. Also, we were disappointed not to be able to do the stingrays. That obviously was not their fault. Given the distance to Rum POint, maybe we should have chosen something closer.

 

Have a great time, whatever you decide!

[always planning]

O.K., this is a trend. We had booked the Rays, Reef and Rum Point tour with Nativeways for our trip last week and they cancelled. We were there on Thursday 3/27 and waited for awhile until someone from Native Ways showed up to tell us that the water was too choppy and they didn't feel that it would be wise to do the stingray portion of the trip. He offered the bus ride to the beach for $35.00, but we passed. I found this interesting as all around us there were people offering the stingray tour and it seems that all of the ship tours made it as scheduled.

 

I have not contacted Nativeways yet, but I did check to make sure that they didn't charge my credit card.

 

We ended up going to Seven Mile beach and just had a beach day. Not bad, but it was not what we had planned and this made Grand Cayman our least favorite stop for the week.

[sstamm]

Hi Alwaysplanning,

We were there on 3/26, the day before you. We already knew that the ship excursions were cancelled, but I wanted to find Sharon and make sure we did not get charged on the credit card. When we were at the pier, all the operators had cancelled the stingray excursions, not just Nativeway.

 

Does rather seem like a trend though!

Grand Cayman was not our best port either.

[Jungle Jane]

Gosh what a switch from Feb, GC was our favorite stop and the water was calm and bay-like. Mother Nature can be evil at times.

 

From what I understand, the individual tour companies don't get to decide whether it's safe for them to take tours out into the waters or not, that is someone else's call and what goes for one goes for all. I'm sure they didn't want to miss out on the $$! They have to do what they're told to ensure the saftety of all.

 

Guess you'll just have to cruise again so you can experience was a treat GC can be, especially when you have Native Way rolling out the red carpet for you.

[susanljo]

We just got back form a cruise on the Carnival Liberty. We booked with Native Way beforehand based on all the recommendations here. However, the day we arrived in GC, we found out that all snorkeling, boating, etc excursions through Carnival and all other tour operators had been canceled due to choppy seas. When we got off the boat, Native Way told us that we could not go to snorkel with stingrays. The government actually decides if the tours can go out or not (that is what they said). Sharon was on his cell phone and spoke to me and said we could either cancel or go to Rum Point Beach with lunch. So that's what we did. It was a very nice beach and we had a great time. I would use them again.

[rcprncss]

Everyone who just posted, thank you for your review and information. That is too bad for the horrible weather. :(