Excursions - need help - *80 year old traveling

[hartskys]

Hi. I have been reading this thread for the past couple days on and off. My husband and I are suprising his Mom with a cruise on the Freedom in May. She has never been on a cruise and has never flown on an airplane so this is a huge step for her but we really want her to be able to exprience it at least once. We have always been active when we go on the islands and this time we want to make it the best for her. She is a healthy person and can walk some but not very far. What would be the best excursion do you think would be the best for us?

 

A few things I was thinking about is:

 

Hell to send some postcards - I think she would get a kick out of it

Seven Mile Beach - do any of the public beaches have chairs available?

A little shopping - do they have straw markets here?

Anything else?

 

And how difficult is it to use the public transportation - bus vs taxi?

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - Thanks! :)

[cruisetraveler2]

Wow! Mom is a lucky lady. What a nice surprise for her. We did the Grand Cayman Island tour. It gives a nice overview of the island. Our tour included a trip to Hell, turtle farm and several other stops. I don't remember seeing a straw market but maybe someone else can help there. Shops were a lot more expensive than some of the other islands that we have been to. I hope your family has a wonderful time! :)

[bookbabe]

There are a couple of smaller craft markets near the pier, but nothing that really matches what I think you're thinking of in terms of size and variety.

 

Most of the shopping in the port area is either tourist stuff or quite high end products.

[hartskys]

Do you happen to know which would be better a taxi or bus to go to hell and then on to seven mile beach and which place would be the best value on seven mile beach that offers chairs?

[cruisetraveler2]

In my opinion a taxi would be your best bet. There is really not much to see in hell. (That sounds strange doesn't it?) I would just let the driver wait while you look around and maybe get your postcards. That way you don't have to try and find a taxi when you are ready to go to the beach.

[MamaParrotHead]

When we went on our last cruise, we had 50 people, ranging from 2-86 (my grandma). My immediately family and I cabbed it to 7 Mile Beach (which was just so-so, but has what you're looking for). Grandma read on a chair on the water's edge and watched us while we played in the ocean. A restaurant with clean facilities/changing area steps behind us.

 

There is a decent shopping area right by where you tender in, no need to go in search of that.

[hartskys]

Do you happen to remember how much the taxi cost and where on seven mile beach did you go?

[MamaParrotHead]

We went to Royal Palms and it was maybe $30 for 10 of us in a big van. Hope that helps!