ImpulsivePuppy Posted April 29, 2005 #1 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Hi there, I will be in GC this september on the zuiderdam and want to book a stingray city tour privately. could anyone recommend any good, reputable companies or folks with boats who provide a tour to stingray city? Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaMM Posted April 29, 2005 #2 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Hi there, I will be in GC this september on the zuiderdam and want to book a stingray city tour privately. could anyone recommend any good, reputable companies or folks with boats who provide a tour to stingray city? Thanks!!! Here is a link to another thread that I just posted about StngrayCity : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=164614 As you can read.....Personally, I would suggest Native Way Watersports. They have a website http://www.nativewaywatersports.com There are a bunch of other tour operators and you can find a bunch of them on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymom02 Posted April 30, 2005 #3 Share Posted April 30, 2005 We did the stingray city tour on April 7th, 2005 and used Captain Bryan's. We enjoyed our tour very much and had a wonderful time. They are very nice and you ride out to stingray sandbar on a catamaran:D . This was kind of relaxing just enjoying the beautiful water and they put the sail up when the wind is going in the right direction;) . There is shade and restrooms on this boat. You also do 1 snorkeling stop too. I can't remember the name of the reef tho? I would highly recommend them to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickettj1970 Posted May 2, 2005 #4 Share Posted May 2, 2005 We used Captain Marvin last week on our Celebrity cruise. It was good, but our boat had about 30 people and many kids under 5. We lost time in the water with all the 3-4 year-olds getting their gear on (what exactly is the point of a 3 year-old snorkling???). Our time at Stingray City was too short, too. In the future when I am booking excursions, I will quiz the operator about how many people are on the boat and how many kids. I will avoid operators that have too many people/kids on their boats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
42trvl Posted May 2, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 2, 2005 We used Soto's last week. The guy that got into the water with us at Stingray City was very good at getting the stingrays over to us and playing with them. But the boat itself was quite crowded and not the most comfortable. Also the reef stop they made was not all that great a location for snorkeling. It's fine enough if you've never done it before, but if you want "real" snorkeling, it's hardly that. Practically speaking, don't know what the great alternatives would be though. All the boats at Stingray City looked jammed full of people - at least our guide was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaMM Posted May 2, 2005 #6 Share Posted May 2, 2005 As I said in my previous post....I used NativeWay. There were only about 20 people on the excursion. We were not jammed next to all the other boats either! Really great in STingRay City! The guides got in the water and each of us had some time of personal attention. They picked up the StingRays and each of us had a chance to hold them in our arms. They also did what they called a "massage" - put the Stingray on your back and let it kind of flop on your back. Boy did my 12 year old DD get a kick out of this! Great photos also!! Then they brought out the food and we all had the opportunity to feed them if we wanted and also swim around with them. The reef for the snorkeling was certainly not the best that I have been to BUT I have been to some really lovely places, thanks to cruising :) My DD really enjoyed it. I don't know if this was a coincidence or the norm but there were mostly adults on the excursion . I think my DD at 12 was probably the youngest. There were a couple of teens. I had friends who went on a different NativeWay excursion and they reported more and younger children. My friends did the StingRay City and Reef trip while we did the Stingray, Reef and Rum Point. Perhaos the beach/lunch thing does not attract as many young children?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snedecor Posted May 3, 2005 #7 Share Posted May 3, 2005 We booked the combined snorkel/Stingray City tour and loved it. Here is a link to my original review.... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=165425 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carumba7 Posted May 4, 2005 #8 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Cruised the Western Caribbean on VOS 4/9-4/16. Stingray City and reef snorkel with Moby Dick Tours : http://www.mobydicktours.com/html/staff.html Mark and his crew were extremely informative and enjoyable! Although he does usually limit it to about 40 people (although the boat holds more) our trip had only 17 people. We didn't feel crowded or rushed at all and even let us snorkel a bit longer to let some of the larger boats clear out of the sandbar first. We had a MARVELOUS time and would recommend Moby Dick Tours to anyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 4, 2005 #9 Share Posted May 4, 2005 We went with Captain Bryans last week... Very professional guides, loved the catamaran, very relaxing and not crowded at all. I think we might have had twenty people, maybe a few more, but we were spread out and it felt quite roomy. There were boats there that were PILED HIGH with people. It looked miserable for them. Our guides lured the stingrays up, and we had lots of picture opportunities, we all got to touch them and hold them. The snorkeling was not as good as I have had before, but that could have been because of the weather, the choppy water, etc. It was still gorgeous and well worth it. I would recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouchydog Posted May 4, 2005 #10 Share Posted May 4, 2005 I was there last week and had a great time...I think I enjoyed the stingrays more than the dolphins at Cozumel...There were 20 people in our group. Never felt crowded....We ordered a DVD that they made...They said it would take three weeks for us to get it...Everyone was friendly and helpful. We payed $25 pp, but they went up to $30. Even $30 is a bargain. After the stingrays we went snorkeling for a half hour....A fantastic day!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnglishRose05 Posted May 5, 2005 #11 Share Posted May 5, 2005 Hi, sorry I may have missed it but could someone post link for Captain Bryans. I am from the UK. Thanks:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwlane Posted May 5, 2005 #12 Share Posted May 5, 2005 http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/StingrayCityCaptBryans.htm and http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/Stingray_City_Buccaneer_Catamaran.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpulsivePuppy Posted May 9, 2005 Author #13 Share Posted May 9, 2005 thanks for the great info everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janene1 Posted May 11, 2005 #14 Share Posted May 11, 2005 We did captain bryan's last week and it was super, we did the sting ray stop plus two other snorkeling stops, beautiful! We all got to kiss/feed and hold the sting rays and get the back rub by them if we wanted. We enjoyed all the space on the cat. looking at all those people on the double deckers make you glad you were us! It was just the right amount of people and I loved sitting under the big sail on the way back with the music and refreshments. We had a great time! We also ordered the DVD, the guy who does it does a great job and is a very nice guy also. Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KamloopsCruisers Posted May 11, 2005 #15 Share Posted May 11, 2005 We did a snorkelling, stingray, rum point excursion with Nativeway in January. One of the couples posted their review - here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=134605 They also have a link to pics of our excursion. This was the best excursion we have ever done! Sharon & Eldon and their great crew were fantastic. I highly recommend them. Have a great day in Grand Cayman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pambam Posted May 12, 2005 #16 Share Posted May 12, 2005 We used Nativeway on our cruise 2 months ago. It was a blast! This was the nicest bunch of people who are very interactive with the guests. Beware...they WILL talk you into kissing a stingray! lol! Our kids had fun too as they were great with the little ones letting them take over at the helm! I can't say enough about this operation except "If you guys from Nativeway Are reading this, we can't WAIT to do it again!!" Hope you choose them as they are very efficiant, and they know what your ships schedule is before you do! They are prompt, professional and fun!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpulsivePuppy Posted May 18, 2005 Author #17 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Kamloops (deb and rob), Beautiful pictures in your album. I noticed you had the purple cabana at hmc. This is the one I have reserved. How would you rate it? Is it on a nice part of the beach (not too crowded but not too far away)? Any cabana stories to share? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaMM Posted May 21, 2005 #18 Share Posted May 21, 2005 I thought Stingray City was great also! My DD absolutely loved it! She is still talking about it and the photos we have are great! Native Way was wonderful and gets my vote. I would definetly use them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swatts1 Posted May 21, 2005 #19 Share Posted May 21, 2005 I've done trips with Carnival twice and Nativeway once. I'm going again in November and will book with Nativeway again. It was a real pleasure to be on a boat that wasn't crowded and to get to go to the coral gardens. I highly recommend them to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyt Posted May 22, 2005 #20 Share Posted May 22, 2005 We used Nativeway for our excursion (rays, reef, rum point). It was great. There were 18 people on our boat and we all had a wonderful time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisersdm Posted May 25, 2005 #21 Share Posted May 25, 2005 We were on the Star Princess in January 2005 and booked with Captain Marvin. The boat was beautiful and there were only 10 people onboard including us - 4 adults. The staff was great and he had everyone pet the stingrays. I would highly recomend Captain Marvin. There were no children on our boat, but I would ask the staff when you book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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