5 ships in port!

[FloridaLaura]

I just checked out the port schedules for each of the ports of call. Grand Cayman is going to have 5 ships in the day we are there with almost 14,000 passengers.

 

Any idea which beach would be the best option. Rum Point maybe, since it is on the opposite side of the island?

 

We did the stingray sailing tour last year, it was so crowded with other boats out on the sandbar and that was with only 3 ships in town! i dont think I want to do that again.

Looking for something else to do in Grand Cayman. I would love to hear ideas!

 

BTW there will be two couples in our mid 40's

 

thanks! :D

[CINDYSUE]

I LOVED RUM POINT! I know, I know, everyone says 7 mile, but Rum Point is peaceful, shaded and hardly no one there. The day we were there, the only other people were kids from the high school science class. Neat talking to them. There is a little restaurant, more like a stand, that sells food, lots of chairs, and no crowds!

[LBumb]

i like to be where the crowds are.

[FloridaLaura]

Cindy, how did you get to Rum Point? Did you rent a car, or take a taxi? It sounds wonderful

[werepullen5]

How do you find out how many ships are in port?

[drew sailbum]

How do you find out how many ships are in port?

 

For the Cayman Islands you can check the schedule here:

http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

[Haoie]

Yikes! That's going to be some pretty long tender lines.

[FloridaLaura]

How do you find out how many ships are in port?

 

 

also for other ports of call...i just googled the ports name and the words "ship schedule", and the websites are shown, hope that helps.

[CINDYSUE]

We had a private guide that took us all over the island. Unfortunately, Javia moved back to Montego Bay and is no long on Grand Cayman. Many people rent a car and drive it. A taxi is too much money. This time I am going on tour with Native Way that goes to Stingray City and then to Run Point for lunch, and I can't wait.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

We have 5 other ships in Grand Cayman with us in December. Uggh!

 

I'm thinking about changing my cruise. Over 16K people in GC at the same time.:confused:

 

Gonna try calling Carnival now to see what my options are.

As a New Yorker, the last thing I wanna see on my vacation are lots of other people.

Arrghh.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

:confused:Well, I called Carnival. I've got an early saver rate, but for $50/pp I can change my reservations. I took a look. We have the first two weeks of December available to go. It's gotta be the Caribbean.

We systematically checked the itinerary of every Carnivsl ship sailing 6-9 days. Although our cruise ship will meet 5 others in Grand Cayman, the other two ports are ours alone.

 

So now, can anyone tell us how bad it will be tendering at GC. From the port schedule, it appears that they have this situation frequently. Is there a trick? I mean, is it gonna take hours to get off and on the ship?

 

Arrghh.:rolleyes:

[drew sailbum]

Each ship has its own set of tenders - either using the ship's own lifeboats as tenders or hiring the local tender operator. Your line for reboarding the tender depends upon time of day and how many tenders your ship has contracted.

 

In George Town Harbour there are three different docks for the tenders to use to pick up and discharge passengers. This spreads the load out.

 

5 or 6 ships makes for a busy day, but certainly not pushing capacity.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

Once we dock in GC(with 16K other cruisers)will I be ill advised to try to wing it on my own.

I mean, if I want to just head over to a beach for the day will it be impossible to find a taxi?

Can someone recommend a beach that would not be too crowded on a day such as this? Preferably one with plenty of lounges, good food and good drink.

 

My cruise is Dec 3. Carnival doesn't even have their excursions available for booking right now. I want to book this ASAP so we have our choice, instead of settling for what we can find at port.

 

Any suggestions are appreciated.

I looked at doing the Jet Ski/Stingray adventure but waiting for the DW to evaluate and give me her opinion.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

Wow! I was kinda panicky over this. I hate crowds. I want the most out of my experience and I don't want to hear that they are booked up. Don't we all.

 

6 ships. 16000 passengers and crew. OMG!

 

Well, my cruise is Dec 3. I picked my excursion. Called and made my reservation today. No prob.

 

Here is what the tour operator told me:

Tendering for 5 or 6 ships is not a problem. They do it all the time.

She added that being that our ship was arriving later, it is likely the others would have already arrived and tendered. Whew.

 

I feel so much better now.:D

[FloridaLaura]

Wow! I was kinda panicky over this. I hate crowds. I want the most out of my experience and I don't want to hear that they are booked up. Don't we all.

 

6 ships. 16000 passengers and crew. OMG!

 

Well, my cruise is Dec 3. I picked my excursion. Called and made my reservation today. No prob.

 

Here is what the tour operator told me:

Tendering for 5 or 6 ships is not a problem. They do it all the time.

She added that being that our ship was arriving later, it is likely the others would have already arrived and tendered. Whew.

 

I feel so much better now.:D

 

 

I am glad you feel better! It will be fine, just find yourself a little bit of sand on a beach and relax and enjoy!

[zumbafan]

Thanks for the info Drew--looks like there will be 2 Carnival ships in port the day we arrive--should be quite managable

[capncarp]

5 cruise ships at once? Sounds like our experience--Only 1 could dock and 5 others, ours included, tendered theirs ashore to the same beach. The scene was rather reminiscent of Omaha Beach on D-Day!:eek: Good luck!

[rhcpchika1]

There will be 5 in port on our cruise too..... April 3, 2012 is the day we are in GC. YIKES! I think we are going to rent a vehicle and spend the day geocaching the island. :)

[sealpup]

thanks for the link, I will be there on 10/24/11 and we are the only one in port that day. YAH