Just back from Cayman Outrage Eco-Tour

[CVW]

This tour is also called Scotch Bonnet Charters. It's a small (plenty of room for the six of us, plus a bathroom) powerful boat captained by John Michael.

 

I can very strongly recommend this tour. John Michael is a very knowledgeable and friendly guy who dealt well with all of us--adults, tweens, and little tykes. We went to the stingrays first, where he brought over our own private stingray. My wife and I each took turns holding it and taking pictures, while the kids took turns hiding behind us.

 

We then went snorkeling over a huge reef that we had all to ourselves. He got my wife, my 9 year-old, and I started; then volunteered to stay on the boat and babysit, since the other kids were too skittish to join in. After we had had enough, my 12 year-old finally mustered the courage to try snorkeling. The rest of us stayed on the boat to drink Coke and Dr. Pepper (which he had picked up for us ahead of time by request...no extra charge) and John Michael gave private lessons to my son--precisely what my son needed--for about half an hour.

 

This left us a little rushed in getting lunch at Rum Point, and we didn't have time to see the starfish beach. We did, however, have time to let all four kids take turns tubing behind the boat. This included our 4 and 6 year-old girls. John Michael made a special loop for perfect pictures of each kid on the tube in turquoise water with the island in the background.

 

We hustled back to the cruise ship, but arrived with plenty of time to spare. John Michael gave us the leftover Dr. Pepper (which my wife preferred over a hot stone massage...they never serve it on cruise ships.)

 

A few thoughts:

 

1. Don't hesitate to book with John Michael. He doesn't have other employees or subs. Next time, I'm just going to e-mail him directly at jmvbs@candw.ky. Probably wouldn't be any cheaper, but the communication is better (I was able to arrange the Dr. Pepper surprise, as well as a tube that would hold a four year-old). I'd rather John Michael keep the extra cash than give it to a booking agent. If it makes you more comfortable, though, you can book like I did through the website.

 

2. Get the full-day tour. It's only an extra hundred bucks, and it gives you a lot more flexibility. As others have said, he'll let you define what a full day is. He would have entertained us longer if we didn't need to get back.

 

3. Skip Rum Point. Yeah, it's nice, but you'll be seeing beaches your whole trip. It's too crowded and the lunch service is too slow. We felt like we wasted an hour that we could have spent on the boat. John Michael had told me ahead of time that we could stop at the Subway or the deli to pick up lunch beforehand. I wish we had done that. It would have been fun to have a sack lunch out on the boat, and we could have kept playing. Maybe even have time for a little fishing.

 

Very, very strongly recommend him. I won't even look into other excursions next time I'm in Grand Cayman. I'll go straight to John Michael, because he'll create any excursion I want.

[nybumpkin]

We had a great time with John Michael as well in February - we would have booked the full day if we knew how much fun we would have!

[familycruising4us]

Thank you for your review and tips. I wanted this tour so badly for our crusie coming in January, that I reserved it last September! ;)

It sounds so wonderful, especially bcuz its personal and away from the crowds.

I think I'll take you up on your lunch tip too. We hope to do some fishing, so that'll allow us some extra time.

How soon did you start contacting him?

Our cruise is January 18th, in Cayman the 20th. I emailed the booking site to ask about customizing, and they said we'd customize when we got there, they didn't offer his email at all. :rolleyes:

Thanks again.

[BonnieVA]

How much does this tour cost? Is there a website that John Michael has where I can find out more?

[CVW]

Thank you for your review and tips. I wanted this tour so badly for our crusie coming in January, that I reserved it last September! ;)

It sounds so wonderful, especially bcuz its personal and away from the crowds.

I think I'll take you up on your lunch tip too. We hope to do some fishing, so that'll allow us some extra time.

How soon did you start contacting him?

Our cruise is January 18th, in Cayman the 20th. I emailed the booking site to ask about customizing, and they said we'd customize when we got there, they didn't offer his email at all. :rolleyes:

Thanks again.

 

 

I would go ahead and e-mail him now. The agent site told me, for instance, that he didn't have a tube with a bottom in it for our four year-old to ride. When I e-mailed John Michael, he said that he did. (It was in great shape. For all I know, he had just bought it.) And I can't stress enough how much I impressed my family with the Dr. Pepper. Tell him hello from the Wolf family.

[CVW]

How much does this tour cost? Is there a website that John Michael has where I can find out more?

 

I booked it from this site:

 

http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/CaymanOutrageEcoTour.htm

 

No, he does not have his own website. He keeps busy enough giving these tours, and doesn't want the hassle of running a website.

 

The cost was $400 for a half day and $500 for a full day. I'd strongly recommend the full day. It was probably 30 or 40 minutes to drive to his boat and get to the stingrays (our first stop).

[CVW]

I'm not sure why there's an ellipsis in the middle of that hyperlink. It still seems to work for me. If not, the website I used is grandcaymanexcursions DOT COM

 

You want the Cayman Outrage EcoTour.