tankersbabe Posted May 2, 2005 #1 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hello all! Just returned from the 4/24 sailing of the Miracle. Capt Bryans was a good excursion. We had no problems tendering in, we just walked downstairs and got on the second tender there. Walked the short walk to Capt Bryans...remember you are there early due to the ship time...NOTHING is open yet. Hung around for a while with fellow CC members and Miracle folks...signed in and took off. The sailing out to the sandbar was cool....the stingrays were great...the snorkeling was ok...I think the reef has had a LOT of damage from the hurricanes...saw the eel, very neat, and lots of fish. The ride back was nice...passed a couple of packed boats...no thank you...would rather have a leisurely sail. Back to dock in plenty of time to catch lunch at Breezes, look around, and catch a tender in. Last one leaves at 315p, but from what I heard around, they were packing it up at 3pm... I would recommend them...the sailing itself and friendliness of the crew was well worth it! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 2, 2005 #2 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hey Stef.... Welcome back! Glad to hear you had a great time, we can't wait. So tell me, were you happy that you switched to the earlier tour? Or do you think you could have made the later one? Details, I need details... what time did the tour leave and what time did you get back to the port? Either way, I'm sticking with the early tour. Also, did they have a videographer on board? Thanks, Eileen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 2, 2005 Author #3 Share Posted May 2, 2005 HI Eileen... I was wondering how long it would be before you found my post...:) Ok, I am really happy we went with the earlier tour. Looks as if the later one made it back in time, but they were cutting it close. I understood that one of the folks got on the very last tender back...*scary to me* We got off the ship at about 730a ship time...630a Grand Cayman time....NOTHING was open...so if you want to linger a little while, you will have plenty of time. I'm still happy I went with the early excursion....I was much more relaxed. The sail back is nice and slow,..I would have been biting at the bit if I had been on the later one. You get off the ship, walk out of the port area, turn right, keep walking up the street until you see the very bright yellow building with the red metal roof...that is the English bakery...the food looked great, but we were stuffed from feeding our faces on the Lido deck... Turn left there and walk behind the bakery...it is a shack with a ticket area, and a bunch of benches behind it. There is no potty facility, so potty at the terminal area...those bathrooms are fairly clean...and last chance until you are out on the sailboat. Don't let the facilities at Capt Bryans scare you,..the buses were nice, they took us out to the dock, the sailboat was GREAT! Very relaxing, great crew, great weather. The videographer is from Canada, great guy, very professional. You don't have to buy that day, he will give you a card with your date and all that on it to contact him afterwards. He will show you the parts of the video with you in it on your way back. There is a cooler with ice for your drinks and a cooler of water for you to drink. Bring snacks...we got the munchies on the way back...thank goodness I thought of little packs of cookies before we left home. :) We tipped the crew about four or five dollars at the end...they did a great run., The stingrays were cool...there were a bunch of boats there already, and that made it more fun I thought. We got back to the port area at about 130p ship time, they drop you off right there...so we had time to browse and eat lunch. It's expensive to eat there...an order of Conch fritters and plate of fries and two drinks were $22 American....go figure. But we were starved and didn't want to go back to the ship yet. It was fun! Ask away, glad to help! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 3, 2005 #4 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Thanks Stef... I was waiting all night Sunday and all day Monday for your post! Took ya long enough (HAHAHA). :D Thanks for the info. DH & I (and the kids) are staying with the earlier tour. This will give us time to do the tour in the am, and then relax once the tour is over, grab a bite to eat, do a little shopping, and just have fun! Any other advise for GC or any of the other ports? I haven't checked the Carnival board yet, but please post a trip report. I love to hear everyone's opinions. Thanks! Eileen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flutterbugs Posted May 3, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Stef, Thanks for all the info...DH and I will be on the Miracle next week- We are booked w/ capt Bryan for the am. We can't wait!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjunea Posted May 3, 2005 #6 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Stef, Thanks for the review! We are going with Capt Bryan in three weeks, but doing the 3 hour tour. We've been to GC before and really don't plan to do much shopping there, other than a Hard Rock T-Shirt. And I love to snorkel and there are awesome places to snorkel in GC! June Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemarier Posted May 24, 2005 #7 Share Posted May 24, 2005 I was on Captain Bryans site - is it the 10:30 Buccaneer tour you booked? That is the one I am interested in as it is on the Catamaran and has the cash bar? If not this one - which one got you in on time? I noticed they say they will have you back to pier by 1:45 (which is 2:45) carnival time - the ship leaves Granc Cayman at 4:00 (3:00 Grand Cayman time) - Is this right> Very confusing - we are on the Miracle July 24th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 24, 2005 #8 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Nope... Stef took the 9:30 tour on the Hannibal. The 10:30 tour is said to have you back at the pier at 1:45 or 1:50 (local time) with the last tender being either 2 or 2:15 (local time). I exchanged several emails with Capt Bryan's staff and they assured me that I would be back in time if I took the 10:30 tour, however I did like Stef and booked the 9:30 tour. The main difference is the 9:30 tour only does 1 snorkel stop where as the 10:30 tour does 2. We are on the 7/3 Miracle and will let you know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemarier Posted May 24, 2005 #9 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Does the Hannibal have the cash bar (can you see where my priorities lie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 24, 2005 Author #10 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Does the Hannibal have the cash bar (can you see where my priorities lie) Nope...just the Buccaneer. Hannibal has coolers and a cooler of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 24, 2005 Author #11 Share Posted May 24, 2005 I was on Captain Bryans site - is it the 10:30 Buccaneer tour you booked? That is the one I am interested in as it is on the Catamaran and has the cash bar? If not this one - which one got you in on time? I noticed they say they will have you back to pier by 1:45 (which is 2:45) carnival time - the ship leaves Granc Cayman at 4:00 (3:00 Grand Cayman time) - Is this right> Very confusing - we are on the Miracle July 24th I took the earlier tour 930a with the Hannibal...it does not have a cash bar...I was too nervous about getting back in time. I was worn out, and another snorkel stop would have done me in if we had went with the later tour. The Bucanneer is the 1030a I believe. Your last tender leaves at 3p, ship time...not much of a window on getting back to the boat if you go with the later tour. The Buccaneer was a nice sail, and we had no problems at all, even got to eat some lunch and browse a little before heading back to the ship... Have fun! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemarier Posted May 24, 2005 #12 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Thanks for the info - I too am worried about the time - too close for comfort - anything can go wrong. I have just booked the Hannibal - we are a group of 7 - about how many people were on it with you> Kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 24, 2005 #13 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Hi Stef.... only 40 more days for me!!!:D Eileen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 25, 2005 Author #14 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Thanks for the info - I too am worried about the time - too close for comfort - anything can go wrong. I have just booked the Hannibal - we are a group of 7 - about how many people were on it with you> Kathy I think in total, we had about 25 people. Some folks were walk ins that just showed up that morning. It didn't feel crowded at all, they made sure everyone got to touch/kiss/get a picture with the stingrays. I handed off my camera to one of the guides and he snapped a picture with hubby and I and the stingray over our heads. We tipped a little extra at the end...they have a little 'bucket' strapped on the side of the boat next to the pilot, and you can feel free to tip at the end. They were really good, and I was happy to oblige. The videographer they have is a really great guy. He's from Canada and very personable. Feel free to take your own bottled water/drinks and some snacks. They had coolers to put your drinks in, and a cooler of water with cups for you to use. There is a bathroom on board, but I just dashed into the one at the terminal and used the facilities there before heading over to Captain Bryans. Have your final payment ready in cash, and don't forget to print out the email confirmation slip and take it with you. They will ask for it. They brought us right back to the 'terminal' for the ship, we walked across the street, ate lunch (nothing cheap in Grand Cayman, so I warn you ahead of time), browsed a little, and headed back to the ship. It was a great day I wanna go back on vacation! Wahhh! :() Have fun! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 25, 2005 Author #15 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Hi Stef.... only 40 more days for me!!!:D Eileen You are going to have a great time! Let me know how it goes, or feel free to ask any questions between now and then! Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemarier Posted May 26, 2005 #16 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hate to keep pestering you on this but I just got my confirmation - actually two of them that look slightly different but have the same info. Anyway I booked the 9:30 excursion but my confirmation says 9:00 is that what you had? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tankersbabe Posted May 26, 2005 Author #17 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hate to keep pestering you on this but I just got my confirmation - actually two of them that look slightly different but have the same info. Anyway I booked the 9:30 excursion but my confirmation says 9:00 is that what you had?:confused: They may have upped the departure time...be there when they say be there...preferably about ten minutes earlier. I was there at 830a. They leave when they say they are leaving...whether you are there or not. Email them back and double check...they are really good about responding. Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 26, 2005 #18 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hate to keep pestering you on this but I just got my confirmation - actually two of them that look slightly different but have the same info. Anyway I booked the 9:30 excursion but my confirmation says 9:00 is that what you had?:confused: I just checked my reservation.... it says 9:00 reservation with 8:45 meeting time. Either way, I plan to be there by 8:30. We can always window shop while we are waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheMan Posted May 26, 2005 #19 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hey guys, just wanted to chime in. We did Capt Bryan's last week (19th) and loved it. We took the 10:30 tour, but the email says to be there 30 min early to check in. I think we got there right at 10:00, but we waited till 10:30 anyway for stragglers. They took us to the dock in a school bus and when we arrived told us we could either do the Buc or the Hannibal, with the only difference being the cash bar. I guess that day they had a lot of bookings for the 10:30 tour so that is all they did. The capt and guide on the Buc were great. Their names were Javid and Dolan - maybe mispelled. If you want to check out some pictures I have some at: pattersons.smugmug.com/gallery/553016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salboz Posted May 26, 2005 #20 Share Posted May 26, 2005 can't find website for him. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheMan Posted May 26, 2005 #21 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Buccaneer Hannibal I booked my excursion (on the Buc) through this site. Never could find a website made by Capt Bryan's. Filled out the reservation form, they sent an email back and I then had to put a 20% deposit down. Rest of it is due in cash at the time of the excursion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheMan Posted May 26, 2005 #22 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Well right after I post I find a link for Capt Bryan. Go figure. Captain Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted May 26, 2005 #23 Share Posted May 26, 2005 DanTheMan - Great pictures! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelskath Posted May 27, 2005 #24 Share Posted May 27, 2005 Finally, someone who has done the 10:30 excursion. Did you have any problem getting back to port in time to tender back to the ship. I'm on the 10:30 tour and I need reassurance. Thanks, Kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheMan Posted May 27, 2005 #25 Share Posted May 27, 2005 Well, our ship's last tender was 3:15. We got back a little later than we planned but still had time to poke into a few shops and get some things. I THINK it was between 2 and 2:30. Again, we left a little late from behind the bakery and I think they were taking their time because our ship was the first one leaving Grand Cayman - so 3:15 was the first, last tender of the 4 ships in port. I am sure they will make it back to the pier in time as long as they know the time of your last tender. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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