beaches & tendering

[orchid4578]

We are on the solstice and I checked the port schedule... 5 ships - 13,136 people. Our ship is supposed to be anchored by 7am and depart at 4pm.

 

The beaches seem to be the best on grand cayman out of the other places we are going (roatan and cozumel - hoping to snorkel in roatan unless someone suggests otherwise). I had no intention of booking an excursion to a beach, but I understand that if you book an excursion you get off the ship faster. Can anyone give an estimate of how much time we will actually have on GC? Really not sure what to do in this situation, I don't know anything about tendering.

 

I'm guessing all the beaches will be busy, but any recommendations? Prefer quiet, but want bathroom access...don't need a restaurant if there is a store in port where we can grab some snacks and water.

 

The other people I'm traveling with may go somewhere else. Are there any resorts where you could book a hotel room for the day? Or just places with cabanas you can rent for the day?

 

Thanks for your help!

[drew sailbum]

Quiet, close to town, with restrooms is a combination you will find at Smith Cove. It is a bit more than a mile south of the tender piers. Since most of the traffic is going the other way, you may find it difficult to get a taxi to take you there. There are no restaurants near Smith Cove, so take a few snacks with you.

[twopats]

Sea Grape and Royal Palms have lounge chairs and shade unbrellas for a small charge. I believe the lounge chairs are $7 and one umbrella would be $10. We have done the ship's beach shore excursion but found it awfully crowded so we do it on our own now. The taxi fares are $2-4 pp so it all comes out to much less. Good Luck. Trish