What did you do in Grand Cayman Islands??

[momtoleasawav]

was so looking forward to going to the Grand Cayman Islands and my first cruise it was too rough to disembark. My second time we toured the island and had lunch at a subpar restaurant. It was a big letdown. This time I want to get it right. What have you done or suggest I do to enjoy the island?

 

[Ben E N]

Stingray Sailing with Captain Chip. The best excursion I have done on any cruise. They take a small group out to the stingrays, give you food to feed them, and once you are done there they also take you to a reef for snorkeling.
I am sure there are other good stingray experiences, but avoid the big groups you book with the cruise line, there are just too many people to get the attention you would want.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We did the Atlantis Submarine Expedition and enjoyed it. The beaches are spectacular is you prefer to stay above the waterline.

 

[JGamy]

Our last cruise, we did 7 mile beach on our own.Taxi ride, public beach at Calico Jack's and rented lounge chairs and umbrella. Cost was about $40 for the day for two adults. Very relaxing and enjoyable. There was food and drinks for sale at Calico Jack's. Would do again.

 

[kendall]

Stingray City. We too did an excursion with Captain Chip of Stingray Sailing (www.stingraysailing.com). We had a small group, seas were a bit rough but we were still able to go - he took great care of us and it was a terrific day! We saw some other commercial tours and quite frankly I would never want to be on one of those boats - way overcrowded and it did not look like a positive experience. I would book with him again without hesitation.

This quote is on his website, and I found it accurate:
"We have built our reputation around the idea of staying in balance with nature. Many of the bigger operators depend on catching stingrays to show one to their guests. We find that if you treat them nicely and just sit back, they will come to you."

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

We did Snuba. Favorite excursion ever!

 

[Marc D]

We did a catamaran snorkeling tour. If you like snorkeling in the open sea, it was the best we ever did. They bring you to different spots for 30 min each, then they raise the main sail and bring you back to the beach where catch the bus back to the ship. It was a wonderful day, swimming then relaxing in the forward nets of the boat without the noise from motors.

 

[AgentMama]

There is so much to do there, depending on your interests. Beach, snorkeling trip, turtle farm, snuba/scuba/sub. It's one of our favorite cruise stops.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

We did the Rum Point excursion last month ($74 pp I think). We really enjoyed the catamaran ride and the lunch they served was good. We were just looking to relax though, so didn’t go in the water. Water looked pretty murky and had lots of seaweed in the sand so I’m guessing the beach itself wasn’t as nice as 7 mile beach. But there were plenty of lounge chairs and shade so we were happy.

 

[bigeyedfish]

We swam with the stingrays and went to Hell. Stingrays worth it and Hell was not.

 

[uandmfan]

We did a private tour with island splash water sports. You can pick what you want to do. It was great. We went to stingray city ahead of the crowds and we were thankful when everyone else arrived

We had a weird time in port so private was the only way to go. It was a trip highlight.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

We were on the Fantasy earlier this month and Grand Cayman was our favorite port! We did the John Almond Private Charter: https://www.discountexcursions.com/tour/john-almond-private-charter/

We went to Stingray City, but we enjoyed Starfish Point even more! I'll try to post some photos of Starfish Point. It was beautiful.

 

[mevelandry]

was so looking forward to going to the Grand Cayman Islands and my first cruise it was too rough to disembark. My second time we toured the island and had lunch at a subpar restaurant. It was a big letdown. This time I want to get it right. What have you done or suggest I do to enjoy the island?

Rented a cabana at Royal Palms. It was awesome.

 

[Pkltm]

We are heading there for the first time and I was also looking for suggestions. Is it hard ti get to the Turtle Farm? Is it far from the 7 mile beach?

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We chartered with Sail With Friends and it was amazing. They took us to Stingray City, Starfish Point, and snorkling. At each stop, they got in the water with us and helped us interact with the wildlife. They stayed ahead of the bad weather and the crowds the whole day. Beautiful catamaran, wonderful people, great experience. My kids (10 and 13) put that day at the top of their lists for best day ever, and the adults enjoyed it too.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

We are heading there for the first time and I was also looking for suggestions. Is it hard ti get to the Turtle Farm? Is it far from the 7 mile beach?

Not at all. You can easily get a taxi to get to the Turtle Farm and then to 7-mile beach. You can also jump on a “bus” they’re really just vans for like $2pp and they pretty much will pick you up and drop you off wherever. There aren’t really “routes” or anything. They’ll flag one down for you at the turtle farm and they’re right off the arrival port.

My favorite thing was getting a day pass to the Westin on 7-mile beach. It included the use of a room so we could change and shower before heading back. The resorts change depending on availability but it’s great. There’s also a few places that rent cabanas on the beach as well.

 

[BMDisney]

Catamaran snorkeling. It was really cool. I don't remember the name, but it was the one that takes you to the ship wreck, and to another place... that I also can't remember at this time.

 

[cadien]

We had a 6-year old with us. We did the amphibus tour and wraps up with about an hour at Royal Palms. We let the driver know we would be staying and had a cabana rented for the rest of the day. It was great.

 

[go oilers go]

We’ve done the turtle farm twice and loved it both times! I believe we took a taxi and went on our own

 

[71 Truck]

First question. Are you with or without children? Second, if you are without children do you like beer?
If you like beer there is a brewery on the island. My wife and I have gone on our last two cruises.
The brewery is called CayBrew. They have some great beers at their tap room. They also do brewery tours.
There is public transportation to get to the brewery however a cab was easier for my wife and I.
I don't remember the exact cost for the cab ride to and from the brewery however I think with the tip we paid less than 50 dollars.
Check their website and face book page for their days and hours of operation.