Gr. Cayman/Capt. Marvins?

[cpristash]

IS capt. Marvin's still the best way to get to Sting Ray City? What is the price difference between him and the ship's excursion [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[wvufan]

HI,

We consider Captain Marvin to be the best available. Don't remember price specifics, but he is cheaper than the ship and not as crowded. We recommend the 3 site trip which includes Sting Ray City and two other snorkel sites. You can search under Captain Marvin on the net and learn more from his website.

Have fun,

OOOEEE [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Bob and Phyllis

[cpristash]

what is the Captain's Web site...thanks so much!

[theawesome1]

Ruth is the greatest lady at Captain Marvins. She will take excellent care of you via the Net or in person or both.

Here is her pricing package:

Short Excursion (approx. 2.5 hours):

Times: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM,

11:15 AM to 1:15 PM, or

1:45 to 3:45 PM, Monday through Friday (Check in by 8:00 AM, 10:45 AM or 1:15 PM)

· Stingray City sandbar, where you may feed and swim with the 'rays

· Snorkel at the incredible Barrier Reef or the Coral Gardens!

· Price: US$34/ages 12 and over; US$20/ages 4-11; under age 4, free!

· Price includes round-trip transportation from the Waterfront Centre, or from your condo or hotel on Seven Mile Beach, PLUS snorkel gear, life vest (optional), food for the stingrays, and icewater and fruit punch on board the boat.




Half-day Excursion: 10 AM to 1 PM, or 2 PM to 5 PM, seven days a week (Check in by 9:15 AM or by 1:15 PM)

· Stingray City sandbar, where you may feed and swim with the 'rays

· Snorkel at the beautiful Coral Gardens

· Snorkel at the incredible Barrier Reef!

· Price: US$39/ages 12 and over; US$22/ages 4-11; under age 4, free!

· Price includes round-trip transportation from the Waterfront Centre, or from your condo or hotel on Seven Mile Beach, PLUS snorkel gear, life vest (optional), food for the stingrays, and icewater and fruit punch on board the boat.




Full-day Excursion: 9 AM to 3 PM Monday through Saturday (Check in by 8:15 AM)

· a conch dive (in season only—Nov. 1st through April 30th ; from May 1st through Oct. 31st you will have an extra snorkeling stop)--your captain will prepare marinated conch as an appetizer for your--

· fresh mahi-mahi lunch on the beach at the Kaibo Yacht Club

· two snorkeling stops--the Coral Gardens and the Barrier Reef

· the famous Stingray City sandbar

· Price: US$62.50/ages 12 and over; US$31.25/ages 4-11; under age 4, free!

· Price includes round-trip transportation from the Waterfront Centre, or from your condo or hotel on Seven Mile Beach, PLUS snorkel gear, life vest (optional), food for the stingrays, seafood lunch, and icewater and fruit punch on board the boat.


NOTE: We have added a 2-hour trip on Sundays from 11:15-1:15, October 2003 through 1st May 2004


We did half day & had a great time & lunch on the ship, then a nap before evening festivities.

My logo: When we disembark, I just have to book another!

[wvufan]

Awesome, you are awesome [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] How nice of you to take the time to type all the info.

We took what is referred to as the half day trip, and highly recommend it.

If you enter Captain Marvin in your search engine it should take you to his website. It will have booking information. If I remember right, you hold your spot with a credit card, but you are not charged if for some reason the ship cannot tender at the Caymans (sometimes that happens in rough waters), so it is risk free. Top notch outfit in all respects.

OOOEEE [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Bob and Phyllis

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

We have Capt. Marvins booked for our trip in less than 2 weeks. Their price for the half day is $39. email address is: [email]info@captainmarvins.com[/email]

Celebrity Century 5/8/04 -Western Caribbean
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;5;8;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

Carnival Ecstasy 2/04 - Baja
Tahitian Princess 2/03- French Polynesia
Sea Princess 7/02 - Alaska
Carnival Ecstasy 5/02 - Baja
Royal Caribbean Monarch 10/00 - Southern Caribbean
Carnival Elation 10/99 - Mexican Riviera
Royal Caribbean Monarch 1/97 - Southern Caribbean

[cpristash]

Wow! YOu folks are incredible....one other quesstion, if you booked the first excursion w/Capt. MArvin, did you have any problems getting off the ship early?

[theawesome1]

Correct as you are wvufan! Ruth is one very good accountant & customer rep for him. He met us at his ship & for 85 he is a treat. Too bad he didn't sail but his staff is professional & get at educating us (EI[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] the dark big stingrays are FEMALE. The little babies are actually the males & they are not babies & then he shows us the family jewels which come in pairs on the males - twice the fun....

For folks that like a good story, Capt Marvin went to Grand Cayman after his service in the Army to set up a fishing company. He would be cleaning his catch for the restaurant that bought everything & throwing scraps into the water. He noticed stingrays eating away, so he got into the water which amazed him at being waist high. So it was 1957 & he'd take rich folks out to feed the stingrays. He offered them to come into the water to do it. Thus his now very popular company was born.

His tours stay away from the gungle of cruiseship excursion boats that have hundred. His carry no more than 50 in the big ship. You go to a private area of the Stingray City & all the Rays come zooming over to his crew. They hug you, they love to swim between your legs, like they hear & enjoy the laughter. Their mouths are like vacuums with food. The other 2 areas with one as I called it "The garden" with fish resembling flowers on the reef.

THEY ARE THE BEST! Ruth herself is a story, as she came to Grand Caymen like us, but didnt go back home.

My logo: When we disembark, I just have to book another!

[theawesome1]

Correct as you are wvufan! Ruth is one very good accountant & customer rep for him. He met us at his ship & for 85 he is a treat. Too bad he didn't sail but his staff is professional & get at educating us (EI[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] the dark big stingrays are FEMALE. The little babies are actually the males & they are not babies & then he shows us the family jewels which come in pairs on the males - twice the fun....

For folks that like a good story, Capt Marvin went to Grand Cayman after his service in the Army to set up a fishing company. He would be cleaning his catch for the restaurant that bought everything & throwing scraps into the water. He noticed stingrays eating away, so he got into the water which amazed him at being waist high. So it was 1957 & he'd take rich folks out to feed the stingrays. He offered them to come into the water to do it. Thus his now very popular company was born.

His tours stay away from the gungle of cruiseship excursion boats that have hundred. His carry no more than 50 in the big ship. You go to a private area of the Stingray City & all the Rays come zooming over to his crew. They hug you, they love to swim between your legs, like they hear & enjoy the laughter. Their mouths are like vacuums with food. The other 2 areas with one as I called it "The garden" with fish resembling flowers on the reef.

THEY ARE THE BEST! Ruth herself is a story, as she came to Grand Caymen like us, but didn't go back home.

My logo: When we disembark, I just have to book another!

[superjerryw]

We used Captain Marvion last year and we had a great time.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ff00&cdt=2004;3;19;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Donuts, is there anything they can't do....

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

Great story awesome1! Thanks!!! I have fed the stingrays in Bora Bora and it is an incredible experience! They are sooo velvety soft! Looking forward to meeting Captain Marvin and Ruth!!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Celebrity Century 5/8/04 -Western Caribbean
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;5;8;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

Carnival Ecstasy 2/04 - Baja
Tahitian Princess 2/03- French Polynesia
Sea Princess 7/02 - Alaska
Carnival Ecstasy 5/02 - Baja
Royal Caribbean Monarch 10/00 - Southern Caribbean
Carnival Elation 10/99 - Mexican Riviera
Royal Caribbean Monarch 1/97 - Southern Caribbean

[DawnCt]

We haven't used Captain Marvin but we chose Captain Bryan last year over Captain Marvin's because he has a catamaran. I enjoy lying on the front webbed hammock and so I prefer that type of vessel. We had an excellent experience with Captain Bryan and I would make the same choice in the future.

Dawn,Ct.

[Shaco]

Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed Captain Marvin's last year and have booked with him again for our June cruise. They took excellent care of us. Would never go with anyone else.

[wv4891]

Another strong recommendation for Captain Marvins. We did the 1/2 trip to the 2 snorkel spots, as well as Stringray City. In addition we were lucky enough to have Capatain Marvin himself piloting his boat, a very nice gentleman! We were able to book through his website and were not charged until we showed up in his office for the tour. As others have said, his groups are much smaller than the very large group that you see on the Cruiseship tours and he anchored away from those boats. And he does draw the Stringrays to his site!!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;12;27;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0700[/img]

Celebrity Mercury 12/27/2004

[geoherb]

We went on the half-day excursion with Captain Marvin in December. It was great. I looked at Soto's and some of the other private companies that offered Stingray City excursions and thought that the 10 a.m. excursion would be best for us--not having to worry about catching the earliest tender over or to worry about not getting back to the ship in time.

[cpristash]

Once again...thanks so very much! I plan on booking him this week...however my cruise is not until next spring break! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[cpristash]

Booked em'....thanks all! Hope some of you can join me next spring break!