Rum Point Concerns

[luckynumber6]

We are thinking of booking the tour through Nativeway (Rays, Reef, and Rum Point)

 

I have read tons of recommendations online here, but I am concerned about one thing.

 

I usually cross reference stops with information from CC and then I also look at Tripadvisor. Though there are many positive comments about Rum Point - it seems that there are some negative comments about Rum Point on Tripadvisor. I did seem to notice that most of the dates for these seemed to have the people visiting Rum Point in the summer months. They complained of it being crowded and restrooms dirty, etc....

 

Has anyone been there(Rum Point) in the summer months? What are your thoughts? If it is not the best during the summer months then we will do a cheaper snorkling trip that doesn't include Rum Point and hit somewhere on 7 mile Beach....

 

We will be there towards the end of June. There will be 13 of us including 6 children - if that is important....

 

Any information would be appreciated as the Nativeway Tour that includes Rum Point is more expensive.

 

Thanks!

[bookbabe]

Rum Point can be busy...just like any tourist destination anywhere. I've been there when we were the only people there, and I've been there when you couldn't find an empty table or chair to save your life. A lot depends on time/day of week and the number of cruise ships in port. From what I understand, though, the advantage you have with the Nativeway tour is that they reserve tables for you since your food is ordered in advance and waiting for you when you get there.

 

And, as with any destination that has hordes of sometimes-inconsiderate people descending on it, there may be times that Rum Point is less then pristine. You'll likely find the same problem on your ship on occasion, with the tables in the buffet and the washrooms in the public areas. Staff can only clean up so fast, and if you hit a bad time when they haven't been in to check for an hour or two, sure, you could find a mess. I've never seen Rum Point that way, but I have seen other destinations and/or cruise ships in that state...it happens everywhere. I think it's a fact of life with public places...some people are inconsiderate and make a mess that others have to deal with.

 

To reassure you, though, I took a look at the reviews in Trip Advisor. I get the impression that many of the people who "weren't impressed" wouldn't have been impressed no matter what. Some of their complaints (IMO) were completely unreasonable, such as the annoyance with the "no outside food" rules and "icky" people lying in the hammocks. Some of the complaints were also outside of the control of the owners...like too many screaming kids, too many boats at the dock making the water murky, windy conditions making swimming impossible, etc.

 

Overall, if you look through all the reviews both here and at Trip Advisor, I think you'll find many more positive than negative. Then again, I'm a little biased...we liked Cayman and Rum Point so much when we visited, that we bought property in the area so we could keep going back again and again... :D

[luckynumber6]

Thank you so much you have made me feel better....

[Norske]

We rented a car and went direct to Rum Point. It was empty for about 2 hours untill the tours started coming in. Then we drove a few minutes further to find a empty beach with starfish! The drive both ways was great!

[NoVa Mimi]

lucky, we've been to Rum Point in July and it was wonderful!:) We loved it! It was very nice and very quiet for quite some time, then a tour arrived. The tour group was very large and a bit loud, but they were on a tour and having fun. They were there for a very short time and when they left it was very calm and relaxing again, all one could hear was the blender at the bar :) Have a great time!

 

Norske, we are thinking about renting a car to drive to Rum Point next summer. Was it difficult? Who did you use for your rental? Any info you can share would be appreciated.

[avacruiser]

This might help you;

 

This North Sound beach has shade, hammocks, a restaurant, and snorkel gear rentals. Because it's protected by a barrier reef, snorkeling is safe and the sand is soft. The bottom remains shallow for a long way from shore, but the bottom is littered with small coral heads, so kids shouldn't wrestle in the water here. Take the ferry from the Hyatt or drive; it's especially popular on Sunday. Start from here for a fast trip to Stingray City Sandbar.

 

Fodors

http://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/cayman-islands/review-427293.html

[NoVa Mimi]

I thought that the ferry from the Hyatt was not running any longer...have they resumed ferry service to Rum Point?

[drew sailbum]

I thought that the ferry from the Hyatt was not running any longer...have they resumed ferry service to Rum Point?

 

NO!

 

Things have a way of living forever on the internet! Old information.

[drew sailbum]

Has anyone been there(Rum Point) in the summer months? What are your thoughts? If it is not the best during the summer months then we will do a cheaper snorkling trip that doesn't include Rum Point and hit somewhere on 7 mile Beach....

...

Any information would be appreciated as the Nativeway Tour that includes Rum Point is more expensive.

 

Thanks!

 

Confirm with Nativeway, but I believe their trip that stops at Rum Point includes your lunch in the price. That may account for much of the price difference.

[MamaParrotHead]

Rum Point is the #1 most gorgeous place I've ever been, and I can't imagine not having experienced it. I'd rather use a porta-potty and share a chair with 4 other people than not go. We were there in May and it was great. I'd suggest checking to see how many other ships are in port to judge your chances of it being crowded.

[luckynumber6]

Thank you for all the information. I will check the number of ships...It does sound like a place I want to go. We usually make the best of anything. It is just that we are traveling with our 5 kids and niece (all under 11yrs. old) - (Yes - we are nuts!!!) and feel much more compelled to know all I may encounter than if my husband and I are cruising by ourselves....if you know what I mean...

[Caribbean Sunsets]

When I was at Rum Point Beach last month, it was somewhat crowded when we first arrived (stop on our stingray tour) but within about a half hour I would say about half the people left. We had a choice of loungers in the shade or the sun.

 

I thought it might be that those people were on earlier tours. There were 5-6 ships in port the day we were there. Oh, and there was 1 or 2 hammocks in the shade but I wasn't lucky enough to get one of those.

[lovesublime]

We were there a couple of weeks a go. It was crowded on and off. When the tours dropped people off it would be crowded for a bit, but then it seemed to disperse pretty quick. Rum Point is very pretty, but, to me, it's a kind of small area. Also, this is just my opinion-I thought the prices on food and drinks were sorta high. $10.50 for a hamburger? Of course if you're getting a meal with a tour, it's not a problem. The kids will love it-you can literally walk out nearly a mile and the water is still only waist deep.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

Also, this is just my opinion-I thought the prices on food and drinks were sorta high. $10.50 for a hamburger? Of course if you're getting a meal with a tour, it's not a problem. The kids will love it-you can literally walk out nearly a mile and the water is still only waist deep.

 

I agree on the prices. Even though our lunch was included in our tour, we did purchase a rum drink that was over $10 each.

[avacruiser]

I agree on the prices. Even though our lunch was included in our tour, we did purchase a rum drink that was over $10 each.

 

I am agree too :mad:

[cruizinronnie]

NATIVEWAYS!!NATIVEWAYS!!NATIVEWAYS!!NATIVEWAYS!!

 

Need I say more? Ok I will!! We booked them for the Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion last year and to date it was the best excursion ever!! Chris was our guide and it is an understatement to say he was simply awesome!! We were on a 30 foot dive boat with no more than 10 adults and a few kids.

 

He stopped in mid trip without saying a word and dove off the back of the boat. Dove to the bottem and brought 2 huge live starfish up for photos and for the kids to hold them.

 

We got to the Rays spot and he anchored got us all in the water and then the cruise ship excursions started arriving with their loaded boats, same size boats packed to the gills with at least 30-40 people each. Chris and his assistant made sure we had all the photo opps we wanted, let us hold the rays, kiss the rays, get ray back massages and he held them up countless times to make them spit water until all of us amateur photographers actually caught the shot. They had a photo crew on the boat but there was absolutely no attitude when we passed on buying their photos. Just a polite offer for us to use their website when we got home if we changed out minds.

 

We went to a nice reef where noone else was anchored to snorkel and it was very shallow reef, you didn't need to dive at all to get amazing views and photos. I have a dive case for my digital camera and got about 200 amazing close ups. We left when everyone was ready, they never rushed us throughout the day.

 

On the way to Rum Point he passed out menus with amazing choices and took our orders and he called in our orders. When we arrived we had reserved seating and our meals were out to us by the time we hit the restroom and got a drink. I had a blackened Mahi sandwich that was the best I had ever tasted and I am a Mahi expert!!

 

The drinks were a bit pricey but but all in all I would pay $20 a drink to be on that beach with that crew today!!

 

NATIVEWAYS!! Total class act!! Don't miss it!! He got us back in plenty of time on our nice little air conditioned bus to do some shopping and have no stress about making back on the ship with plenty of time to spare!!