bookbabe

In April, after the start of daylight savings, New Orleans (CDT) and Cayman (EST) should be the same time.

Does anyone know if NCL will change the time on board to match Grand Cayman (we will be on the Jewel out of New Orleans) or will we be on different time zones for the day? I am trying to book a tour for that day outside the ship.

When are you traveling? It makes a difference, because Cayman doesn't do daylight savings time.

You might get a more specific answer in the NCL forum, but anytime we've done a cruise with them they stayed on departure port time. We've never done that ship out of that port, though...

I know this beautiful island has more to do. I would love to take an island tour but DH is so concerned about touring alone.

 

I did read your post about feeling safe there.

Out of curiosity, what's his concern about touring alone?

There are lots of things to see on land, many of which have been mentioned in this and the other threads in this forum. However, to do most of them you're going to have to book one of the island tours (either through the ship or with a private vendor) or you're going to have to rent a car and drive around on your own. (Well, in theory you could taxi or bus, but that would be fairly inconvenient if you want to visit multiple places.)

It would also help if you offered more info on what does interest you, if the beach and/or stingrays don't... :D

We'll be spending Christmas Day in Grand Cayman.

 

Will anything be open? Will we be able to walk or take a cab to a beach?

 

Any tips on what to do to make it a day to remember?:confused:

Pretty much all stores will be closed for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Some restaurants may be open in the tourist areas. I'm not sure if restaurants at the beach clubs will be open or not. There will likely be taxis available near the port that could take you to the beach.

It might be a good day to book a ship excursion, as they'll have made arrangements for things like Stingray City that won't be affected by the holiday. Some attractions like the turtle farm, botanical gardens, etc. will probably be closed.

Who's in your travel group? Interests? With more details we might be able to make additional suggestions...

OP, if your son skateboards, Grand Cayman is home to (as far as they say) the largest outdoor skate park in the Western Hemisphere...

http://www.blackpearl.ky/

Bus is 2.50$. How much is a cab?

Shared ride taxis run from about $4-6 pp each way, depending on which spot you're headed to. There have been some reports of drivers leaning pretty heavily to try to get people to go to the further spots, just because they're further (although they will give lots of "recommendations" about how great those spots are).

As part of a 40-ish couple, my preference is Royal Palms.

Seven Mile Beach, one of the best beaches anywhere, is a short taxi ride from the port, and has multiple free/cheap named sections with beach clubs and/or facilities for cruise visitors. Most sections have jet ski and other watersports rentals. See the various beach threads for more info

Someone mentioned that there are stores at Rum Point. How could we bring purchases back? Do I need to invest in some sort of waterproof bag?

There is a store...singular...at Rum Point. It's a small, touristy gift shop. They have a few nice t-shirts and things, but I wouldn't really call it a serious shopping opportunity...

There's really not that much difference between the various 7MB locations when it comes down to it. It's really personal preference. Most spots are free/cheap. All have restrooms and outdoor showers, and will have lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent. Most have a watersports operator there or nearby for rentals. None are the type of huge AI beach clubs you'll find in other ports like Cozumel. The biggest differences I've noticed are distance from the port area and the restaurant menu, plus the couple of notes below.

In order of distance (closest first) from the port area:

Royal Palms - http://royalpalmscayman.com/

- has an adults-only pool and rental beach cabanas

- doesn't do cruise ship excursions, has a $2pp entry fee

Calico Jacks/Public Beach - https://www.facebook.com/CalicoJacksGrandCayman

- not really a commercial beach club like the others, it's the actual public beach area with a restaurant next door

- has a playground nearby, and has public picnic shelters (free, first come first served)

- sometimes has excursions, no entry fee

Surfside Beach - http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/restaurants_detail.asp?restaurantID=261

- newest, less well-known as far as I can tell

- nice bar area with comfy seating on the patio

- beach is a bit narrower than the previous two spots

- not sure if they do excursions or not, no entry fee that I'm aware of

- my favourite menu, but YMMV

Tiki Beach - http://www.tikibeachcayman.net/

- beach is a little narrow compared to the other spots

- most popular location for cruise excursions

- some have reported a high entry fee (incl chair & drink) but that isn't consistent

Yes, Royal Palms has an adults-only pool. Pretty much all of the beach clubs will have lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent.

In order of distance (closest first) from the port area:

Royal Palms - http://royalpalmscayman.com/

Calico Jacks/Public Beach - https://www.facebook.com/CalicoJacksGrandCayman

Surfside Beach - http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/restaurants_detail.asp?restaurantID=261

Tiki Beach - http://www.tikibeachcayman.net/

Tiki Beach's website can be found here:

http://www.tikibeachcayman.net/

There are a number of similar beach clubs along Seven Mile Beach. All are easily accessible by bus or taxi, and most are free (Royal Palms - http://royalpalmscayman.com/ - is the exception at $2pp) so as others have said, there's no need for an excursion to visit the beach in Cayman. Royal Palms and Tiki Beach are my two favourite beach clubs, but if you have kids you might prefer Public Beach (Calico Jacks) since there is a playground there.

It's a great place to mail a "wish you were here" postcard to your boss, in-laws, etc. ;) We normally take first time visitors to Cayman there, for at least a brief photo and postcard stop.

IMO, you'd have a better shore snorkel at Eden Rock, which is very close to the port area and has gear rentals.

http://www.edenrockdive.com/

Sounds like he dropped you off at Tiki Beach. In case it happens to someone else, a short (or slightly longer) walk back along the beach towards the cruise ships will bring you to better (IMO) locations. Just face the water and look to the left and you see the ships anchored downtown, and start walking. Sea Grape should be the first beach club you pass, Royal Palms will be further towards the ships.

We love it at RP when there's no ships in port... :grin:

YMMV-that's the only thing I could figure out but made no sense to me in this thread. My mileage isn't going to vary. It's from the port to this spot and then back. Wasn't sure how my mileage was going to vary and couldn't figure out how that pertained to what I was asking. :confused:

I think Drew was referring more to the fact that your taxi rates and/or experience may vary (not that the distance would vary) since different taxis are licensed for different things and at different rates... :D The taxis are a "model of consistency" compared to the buses, however...

Oh, so there is really no way to tell how much it's going to cost my family to get to Smiths Cove. :(

 

BTW, what is YMMV that you put on your post?

Not really. It should probably be no more than $5 pp each way, but you might be able to negotiate a deal if it's a larger group.

YMMV - your mileage may vary

The bus actually stops about 3 or 4 miles from Rum Point, if it's still stopping by Chisholm's as its final stop.

Knowing the area REALLY well, I personally would not chance that you were going to luck out with a driver that would drive the extra distance for you and that that same driver would be able to make it back in a timely fashion to again go past his route that distance to pick you up and get you to the ship on time. Especially when the nearest taxis would take at least 30-45 minutes to get to you, and then you'd still have a 45 minute taxi ride back to the port.

You might be able to do it successfully, or you might not. Is that a chance you want to take when you have a definite time you absolutely have to be back so that you don't miss the ship?

We have had numerous taxis forget and/or show up late to take us back to the airport at the end of a vacation at Rum Point...and that's taxis, that are getting a lot more than a couple of dollars a head for the journey. It's happened enough that we usually rent a car for the last day now, just so that we don't have to worry about the taxi showing up.

I cannot in all conscience recommend to anyone visiting by cruise ship that they try to use public buses to go to Rum Point. If you are trying to cut costs and a rental car or excursion isn't in the budget, just take the bus to Seven Mile Beach...you'll still have fun but without all the worry... :D

The only feasible ways to get to Rum Point are either by rental car or through an excursion that includes a stop there.

A taxi is about $80 each way and since it's 45 minutes from George Town you would need to prearrange the return trip as there would be no taxis waiting in the area.

There is no ferry and the buses don't go that far.

I personally would not take a 4yo to snorkel at Eden Rock. DH is a diver and very strong swimmer, and snorkels there regularly. It's still a pretty good swim out to the reef, in fairly deep water, and the current can be strong so people tire a lot faster than they normally would. DH even got to tow an adult cruise visitor into shore once, when he got too tired to make it back under his own power.

What about something different like the Turtle Farm? They have a stocked snorkel lagoon there as well as an aviary and turtle touch tanks, and a huge pool with a brand new water slide.

http://www.turtle.ky/exhibits-animal-attractions

The lounge chairs aren't that bad, IMO, although we usually don't bother renting them since we're only there for lunch and a quick swim. And, FWIW, the lounge chairs pretty much everywhere are the same type, the solid white plastic ones, usually arranged in rows and chained together or staked down so that people can't wander off with them. :D

The other two usual spots for day visitors are Tiki Beach and Sea Grape. Both have similar facilities to Royal Palms, except for the pool. Sea Grape also has a playground nearby, I think.

The main reason I like Royal Palms better than those two is that RP doesn't have any excursions from the cruise ships, whereas the other two do, and are sometimes more crowded for that reason.

Just an FYI - These prices are in cayman $$ :eek:

Most prices in the Cayman Islands are in Cayman dollars, except for a few stores in the tourist areas which will have signs posted that prices are in US. A good rule of thumb is that if it doesn't say otherwise, prices will be in the currency of the country you are actually in at that moment in time. ;)

The prices for everything are on the website - http://www.reefgrill.com/first.html - and they state that there is no charge for the cabanas other than a minimum expenditure (ie. buy lunch).

There are a good number of reviews over on Trip Advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147367-d149186-Reviews-Royal_Palms_Beach_Club-Seven_Mile_Beach_Grand_Cayman_Cayman_Islands.html

LOL! Those reviews are why I tend to value info found here more than on sites like that.

Barefoot Man plays on the absolute other end of the island, not at Royal Palms. And, if the reason you don't like the place is, as one reviewer complained, that they add in tip and exchange, you're not going to like anywhere on the island. :D Pretty much all of the tourist-popular spots in Cayman do the same. Also, they're all going to have the same rules about no outside food and drinks, since they provide those excellent free facilities in hopes of luring you into spending money there.

The cabanas at RP look nice. Any time we've been there they've been fairly empty, but we're usually there for a late lunch (and swim) so most of the cruisers have headed back to the ship already. I do remember one review here where they talked about getting one, however...the search feature might turn that review up...