drew sailbum

The one rare day each year that the high does not reach 80 degrees is the day all us locals break out our sweatshirts and bundle up with a windbreaker.

High mid to upper 80s. Low upper 70s to low 80s. Withe a 20% chance of rain, mostly in passing showers. That is pretty much the weather forecast for the entire year. We tune in to the local weather for the exciting unpredictable parts such as wind direction and wave height.

I've seen plenty of rental foam floats at many places along SMB, but not noodles.

There can be real traffic backed up getting back to the ship. How bad it gets depends a bit on how many ships are in port that day. My gut says you would be cutting it too close for comfort with that schedule.

Alas, all Inclusive beach clubs really are not a thing in Cayman.

You may find much of what you are looking for at Tiki Beach or to a certain extent Royal Palms. Neither is all inclusive.

The Mastic Trail is not a typical destination for cruise ship visitors. For most cruise ship guests there really is not sufficient time for a round trip hike the length of the trail so that creates the problem of how to arrange transportation to pick you up on the other end of the trail. And I cannot emphasize enough that the southern end of the trail ends up very swampy and muddy in rainy times of the year (like now!!!). A group could split with some hiking and others going to Rum Point for a short visit before going to pick up the hikers at the other end of the trail, but overall it is complicated.

For a similar walk-in-the-woods experience nearby I would recommend the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park. It has a well maintained walking trail that covers about a mile on a circular path so you end up back at parking. There is also a beautiful floral garden. And the Botanic Park has our endangered blue iguanas! Renting a car is still the way to get there.

The routes to North Side, including the North Side/East End combined routes, go nearest the Mastic Trail. However the bus does not service the trail head on either end of the trail. It would be about a mile walk to the bus route from either end of the trail.

The Mastic Trail is a woodland trail that crosses parts of old growth forest. It harkens back to when such trails were the primary means of traveling between districts if there was a need to travel by land. In the rainy months the trail can be a bit swampy, particularly toward the southern end of the trail.

If your ship offers a dolphin swim then that is likely the only option. Contracts to provide shore excursions typically require that the vender not sell independently to the ship's customers.

That used to not be an issue in Cayman since there were two separate dolphin swim companies. You could always choose an independent booking through whichever operation was not under contract with your cruise line. However ownership of the two dolphin operations has consolidated so there is only one company, and presumably one contracted vender, now.

As others noted, ALL cruise ships currently must tender in Cayman.

The most recent proposal to construct one or more cruise ship piers in George Town include the capacity to dock Oasis class ships, the largest cruise ships at this time.

Legally only appropriately licensed taxis and tour buses are permitted to pick up or drop off directly at the tender piers.Those generally charge higher fares than the public route buses.

The public route buses are not supposed to serve the waterfront area at all. None of the routes go through the waterfront area. But perhaps you encountered a public buses that did a route diversion in violation of the rules. Net lesson is that others should expect that any bus along the waterfront is not a public bus and will charge accordingly.

The main bus depot is on Edward St next to the George Town Public Library. That is one long city block inland from the waterfront and tender pier.

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is lovely. You can take a nice nature walk on a maintained path through some old growth Cayman forest. And long the way you will likely see some of critically endangered Cayman Blue Iguanas sunning themselves. The park includes a floral garden which can be THE island highlight for gardening aficionados.

You really NEED a rental car to visit the Botanic Park which is located off Fran Sound Road in the district of North Side, more or less in the middle of the eastern side of the island. You can rent from Cayman Auto Rentals which is within walking distance from the port or make a reservation with any of the many rental agencies at the airport. Most will arrange to pick you up at the port and drop you back at the end of the day. It's a short drive from the port to the airport and just a little paperwork to get you on your way.

The National Trust for the Cayman Islands manages the Botanic Park as well as the Pedro St James historic site. I know they used to offer a single discounted ticket that would cover entrance at Pedro St James and the Botanic Park.

Or a short distance from the Botanic Park, in the community of Old Man Bay in North Side, is the Crystal Caves. The site is not owned or managed by the National Trust but offers a spectacular view of one of the largest caves that dot the North Side area. Just a tiny but further down North Side Rd is Over the Edge Restaurant which has a deck for outdoor dining. Would be a great lunch spot.

Any of these destinations count as Off the Beaten Path and will not be crowded with other cruise ship visitors. Indeed if you have a sharp eye out you will see the intersection of Frank Sound Road and Off the Beaten Path Road, a perfect roadside photo opportunity to prove you visited Cayman's lesser seen out districts.

The tour schedule sounds like a LOT of driving with relatively little time to enjoy each destination. And as I passed the Blowholes today I saw tour buses pulling up even through the wind and ocean swell directions were all wrong so those tourists really saw nothing special.

Time can be better spent by renting a car and covering some spots on your own. Though none of the stops on the tour described in the OP have an admission charge it likely would be cheaper to rent the car, go it alone, and include a couple sites that do charge admission.

For a historical tour I usually recommend visiting Pedro St James historic site. More to see of a historic nature and an absolutely fabulous view of the sea looking out over Pedro bluff.. Get a rental car and you might can combine this with a stop at the Mission House (tours by reservation ONLY, contact details at link). If you have time make your first stop at Pure Art, a local favorite of an art shop in South Sound, and see a variety of local works.

I keep hoping that tours at Mind's Eye, Cayman's only World Monument Fund listed site which is the former home of Caymanian folk artist Ms Gladwyn Bush better known as Miss Lassie, will become available for cruise ship visitors. As it stands tours are only twice a month on Saturdays and by appointment only.

Da Fish Shack on North Church St is the closest fish place to the port. Nowhere near Seven Mile Beach though.

The description almost sounds like Alfrescos Restaurant Alfrescos has outdoors seating, with tables set up on a deck. It would be quite a short walk once you got off the bus though, not a couple blocks.

Or perhaps Heritage Kitchen also in West Bay, which certainly has more of the shack look to it. They have a few picnic tables on a tin roof covered patio.

More likely this sounds like perhaps a roadside stand that set up near Public Beach. Those can be hit or miss as to whether they will be there on any particular day.

Further afield there are other fish shacks. The Grapeseed Cafe at Coe Wood Beach in Bodden Town fits the bill. Capt Herman's Fish Fry in East End or the Fish Fry behind the gas station in East End also fit the shack description but are not likely the place the OP remembers.

The public bus system works just fine for this route. The depot is next to the library on Edward Street, a short walk inland from the port. Ask the bus dispatcher for help selecting the correct bus for where you want to go.

Calico Jacks is on the beach, adjacent to Seven Mile Beach Public Beach. When going there the bus will drop you on the same side of the road as the beach. You will need to cross the road to catch the bus going back to town. You can flag down the bus just about anywhere, no need to find a marked bus stop.

Fare should be CI$2 which is US$2.50 per person, each direction. Pay when you get off the bus. US currency bills accepted. US coins maybe not. You can pay for your entire group together. Any change is likely to be in local currency.

If you would rather tour buses can take you directly from the port to the Seven Mile Beach Public Beach. Tour buses are a shared ride. Fare is likely to be about US$5-6 per person, each direction. Roughly double the public bus rate. Only tour buses and licensed taxis can pick up or drop off directly at the port, but this would save you the short walk to the public bus depot.

The bus depot is on Edward Street next to the library, a long city block inland from the port.

Bus fare varies according to distance traveled. From the depot to the Turtle Farm should be CI$2, which is US$2.50 per person, each way. US currency (bills) accepted, US coins maybe not. Change would likely be in CI$ coins.

There is a Tortuga Rum Cake bakery and shop on North West Point Road, across and a short distance down the road from the Cayman Turtle Farm within easy walking distance.

Of note, Cayman generally does not permit beach replenishment efforts. Any changes to the shoreline around the Marriott are of nature's doing. The wind and the sea giveth, and the wind and the sea taketh away.

The broad trend is that wintertime nor'westers move sand south along the Seven Mile Beach and would tend to replenish sand at the Marriott or Royal Palms, sometimes depositing a lot of sand in a short day or two. Weather throughout the rest of the year tends to slowly erode those spots and move some of that sand back north.

Development anywhere along the the actual shoreline in Cayman is hugely controversial. Not such a problem to build a beach house, but if you want to move some rock around or add some sand to the waterline then THAT will be a problem. Remember, anything below the mean high water mark is Crown property so such development would be considered to be on public land.

Liquor and beer sold for on island consumption carries a heavy import duty. The Big Daddy's as well as the Blackbeard's liquor store websites currently show a Buy One Get One Half Price on Absolut Vodka and says that is a savings of $15.25. By that you can figure that a liter of Absolut runs CI$30.50 which is US$38.18.

Cruise ship visitors just stopping for the day have the benefit of making a duty free purchase and enjoy substantially cheaper prices.

It would be a bit far of a swim to get all the way out tot he barrier reef from Rum Point. However there are lots of scattered small coral heads much closer to Rum Point so no need to swim out too far. Ask the dive shop staff for tips and they will happily point out where to go. (Hint: Mostly to the right side of the dock as you are looking out to sea.)

There are event companies who could handle some arrangements for you, but so long as you are not seeking formal recognition such as a marriage licence from the Cayman government then I don't see why it would be a problem. First come, first serve at the public beach locations.

If you want you could coordinate with a local company for catering or to provide chairs and tables or something of the sort. I'm sure any of the wedding planners would take this on but you might find a hotel could coordinate everything all in one for you.

Indeed, Cayman Auto Rentals is the place by Da Fish Shack as mentioned above. It is the only car rental place within easy walking distance of the tender piers. They do have a variety of vehicles, but best to book ahead if you want a Jeep or something specific.

There are many other chain outlets and local car rental places at the airport. Many will arrange to pick you up near the port and take you to the airport to complete the rental transaction.

Rent a car and drive yourselves out to the Botanic Park. Won't be crowded at all.

Both are long established tour operators with good reputations for running a solid tour.

Nativeway includes a lunch stop at Rum Point for at least some (perhaps all, not sure) of their stingray tours. I don't recall seeing Captain Marvin's boats pull in for a lunch stop at Rum Point.

Chair rentals are available at all major beach locations, except Rum Point where lounge chairs are free.

Seven Mile Beach Public Beach has a couple fixed wooden cabana-like shelters, though there are no sides to the cabanas for extra shade. There is playground equipment at the location which might be attractive for the kids.

One caveat about Royal Palms is that the swimming pool is restricted to adults only.

Cayman has a variety of luxury goods, high end watches and other jewelry, purses, perfumes and such for those who are so inclined. There are several such retailers downtown as well as at Camana Bay.

For more modest budgets cameras and photography equipment can be very competitive compared to even discount photography retailers in the States. I've bought lenses and camera bodies for friends who are photography hounds in the States and found them cheaper here in Cayman than in the States.

Otherwise Cayman unique items which span crafts, spices, hot pepper jelly, and unique Caymanite jewelry are items you just cannot buy anywhere else.

You can pay in US dollars. Pay as you get off the bus. One way fare from the depot near the port to Hell is US$2.50 (CI$2) per person. The driver will make change, as required, in CI$ bills. The buses do not usually deal in change.

Alas the system has been revised a bit and the link posted by Capt_BJ above is no longer current. I am not aware of an online resource with all the current routes.

Yes, the buses are clearly marked with color and number for the route. Just ask the dispatcher at the depot which bus goes to your destination.