Rare Morgsmom Posted October 25, 2012 #1 Share Posted October 25, 2012 HI everyone, I was wondering ... for those of you who got off the boat in Grand Cayman and "negotiated" a trip to Stingray City or a Taxi Tour around the island (vs pre-arranging) what is the best price you have gotten? Thinking of winging it this time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimkencruzers Posted November 2, 2012 #2 Share Posted November 2, 2012 HI everyone, I was wondering ... for those of you who got off the boat in Grand Cayman and "negotiated" a trip to Stingray City or a Taxi Tour around the island (vs pre-arranging) what is the best price you have gotten? Thinking of winging it this time... I would be interested in this also.. I'm going to try and book at the dock on December 24 and I hope it will not be too bad with 3 ships in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddylover Posted November 4, 2012 #3 Share Posted November 4, 2012 We have always negotiated at the pier, but have never noticed boards pre-listing prices, so I would be interested in knowing if negotiations would work too! Anyone?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Morgsmom Posted November 11, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Bumping... So, I know I can pre-book Stingray City for about $45pp... what do people pay at the dock to "fill the boat?" Just trying to gauge what I should negotiate. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Morgsmom Posted December 27, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted December 27, 2012 trying to determine if we should book ahead or not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RACexplore Posted December 28, 2012 #6 Share Posted December 28, 2012 trying to determine if we should book ahead or not! http://www.dexters-fantaseatours.com/ We booked with that site for $40 pp, and it's a catamaran with a stingray city stop and 2 snorkel stops. He has good tripadvisor reviews. We will be there in 2 weeks, so I will let you know how it goes! I was told my another company (Captain Marvin's) that their longer tour was booked for that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew sailbum Posted December 28, 2012 #7 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Negotiation is not the norm in Cayman for anything other than buying a car or real estate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimkencruzers Posted December 28, 2012 #8 Share Posted December 28, 2012 We asked a few places on the pier and ended up with "local stingray tours" for $30 per person for stingrays and one snorkel stop. He first said $35 and we started to walk away and he gave it to us for $30. Took us in a bus to boat in a marina and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brillohead Posted January 4, 2013 #9 Share Posted January 4, 2013 http://www.dexters-fantaseatours.com/ We booked with that site for $40 pp, and it's a catamaran with a stingray city stop and 2 snorkel stops. He has good tripadvisor reviews. We will be there in 2 weeks, so I will let you know how it goes! I was told my another company (Captain Marvin's) that their longer tour was booked for that day. Can't wait to hear how your trip went... counting down the days until my own GC visit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daliflor Posted January 4, 2013 #10 Share Posted January 4, 2013 We asked a few places on the pier and ended up with "local stingray tours" for $30 per person for stingrays and one snorkel stop. He first said $35 and we started to walk away and he gave it to us for $30. Took us in a bus to boat in a marina and back. Similar experience here! Grand Cayman boasts many exciting tourist attractions (i.e. from the stark volcanic landscape of the area known as ‘Hell’, to the fantastic Turtle Farm where visitors can hold and pet the animals). Well, September 2012 was NOT our first time in Grand Cayman. Last time, we did the "Island Tour" and went to "Hell" and then back... to the Turtle Farm! Seen the pretty ginger-bread houses and tasted a large variety of Rum cakes! Now it was time for a visit to the world renowned STINGRAY CITY! You can easily book this type of excursion online or you can simply pick-up one at the Pier (paid $25.00 USD/pp for the 3 hours adventure)! Stingray City tour(s) typically begin at the Pier with a fifteen (15) minutes VAN ride to the Yacht Club where a boat awaits you for the exciting ride to the Stingray City! A quick summary of what was covered by our Stingray City excursion: 1). Reasonable cost: $25.00 USD/pp paid up-front, directly at the Pier in Grand Cayman/ George Town. 2). The Stingray City tour lasted approximately 3 hours (we spent about 45 minutes playing with the stingrays at Stingray City and then another 45 minutes snorkeling at the reef). Had a fantastic time and the weather couldn't be more beautiful! 3). Complimentary refreshments were included and were available for the entire duration of the boat ride (i.e. iced water, fruit punch, sodas). Drinks came in handy as typically it's hot-hot-hot and one has to hydrate often! 4). The atmosphere aboard the boat was informal and very much laid back. One can move around as (s)he wishes (staying inside or outside); even dancing is encouraged! 5). The Boat Captain was knowledgeable, funny and friendly. He lead pretty much by example and took care of everything and everyone, making this experience a memorable one! *** Stingray City is a protected marine environment, and everyone should be dedicated to preserving its natural beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RACexplore Posted January 14, 2013 #11 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Can't wait to hear how your trip went... counting down the days until my own GC visit! We had an awesome time with Dexter and his mate, Simon. Dexter and his sign were easy to find at the docks and we were on our way very quickly. Dexter's catamaran is fairly small, but we only had 16 people in our group so everyone had space to spread out and lay out in the sun. We saw some other boats where it didn't even look like everyone had a seat. We motored out against the wind and sailed back. The water was pretty choppy on the day we went. I was a little intimidated, even though I have snorkeled a lot and am pretty fearless when it comes to water. We only made one snorkel stop and the stingray city stop, but the snorkeling was beautiful and the stingrays were friendly, although I don't think there are as many out there as there were 10 years ago. Dexter and Simon made sure everyone had the chance to feed, pet, and even hold a stingray (if you wanted to). Dexter provided squid for the stingrays and (non-alcoholic) drinks for the humans at no extra charge. We were out on the water 3-3.5 hours. At $40 pp, it was one of the best values of our cruise. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brillohead Posted January 14, 2013 #12 Share Posted January 14, 2013 We had an awesome time with Dexter and his mate, Simon. Dexter and his sign were easy to find at the docks and we were on our way very quickly. Dexter's catamaran is fairly small, but we only had 16 people in our group so everyone had space to spread out and lay out in the sun. We saw some other boats where it didn't even look like everyone had a seat. We motored out against the wind and sailed back. The water was pretty choppy on the day we went. I was a little intimidated, even though I have snorkeled a lot and am pretty fearless when it comes to water. We only made one snorkel stop and the stingray city stop, but the snorkeling was beautiful and the stingrays were friendly, although I don't think there are as many out there as there were 10 years ago. Dexter and Simon made sure everyone had the chance to feed, pet, and even hold a stingray (if you wanted to). Dexter provided squid for the stingrays and (non-alcoholic) drinks for the humans at no extra charge. We were out on the water 3-3.5 hours. At $40 pp, it was one of the best values of our cruise. :) We just had a winter cold front blow in yesterday, and I'm jonesing for the Caribbean in the worst way right now!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GabbyCooks Posted January 15, 2013 #13 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We were in Grand Cayman on Jan 3rd with 5 ships in port. We booked Stingray City and 1 snorkel stop at the dock for $25 pp thru "local stingray tours". The sign they were holding actually said $45, but they were offering $25. I would assume the price goes up and down depending on how many ships are in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare brillohead Posted January 15, 2013 #14 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We were in Grand Cayman on Jan 3rd with 5 ships in port. We booked Stingray City and 1 snorkel stop at the dock for $25 pp thru "local stingray tours". The sign they were holding actually said $45, but they were offering $25. I would assume the price goes up and down depending on how many ships are in port. Also good news for me -- our ship will be the only one in port that day, so there will be much less demand while I'm there! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canmom1966 Posted January 16, 2013 #15 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We were in Grand Cayman on Jan 3rd with 5 ships in port. We booked Stingray City and 1 snorkel stop at the dock for $25 pp thru "local stingray tours". The sign they were holding actually said $45, but they were offering $25. I would assume the price goes up and down depending on how many ships are in port. Hi GabbyCooks, thanks for the tips..at what time did this sting ray tour leave and return to the port ? also since you have just returned and also did the port of call in jamaica..did they have any similar tours available at the port when you arrived ?? rather than booking ahead..any tips for jamaica ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GabbyCooks Posted January 17, 2013 #16 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Hi GabbyCooks, thanks for the tips..at what time did this sting ray tour leave and return to the port ? also since you have just returned and also did the port of call in jamaica..did they have any similar tours available at the port when you arrived ?? rather than booking ahead..any tips for jamaica ? I don't remember exact times (island times, lol!) but we got off the ship right around 8:30. I want to say they told us to meet back at 9:30 am for the tour. We returned between 1:00-2:00 PM. Sorry I don't have more info, I just seriously never looked at a watch. I know it took longer than we had expected, but we didn't mind at all. It was an amazing day! We were going to have them drop of us at 7 mile beach afterwards, but decided to just go back to the ship. Oh waittt.... I just looked at the time on my camera. I took a picture of us waiting for the bus at 9:20 am and a picture on the tender back to the ship at 1:30 pm, so hopefully that gives you an idea. I did not personally see anything like this in Jamaica, but we had arranged our tour in advance, so I wasn't looking. We did the all-inclusive resort Sunset Jamaica Grande and I can definitely recommend that. It was amazing! We booked thru jamaica for a day . com and it was $60 per adult, $40 per child. Included pools, beaches, drinks (alcholic or non), lunch buffet, and grill food. It was wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canmom1966 Posted January 18, 2013 #17 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I don't remember exact times (island times, lol!) but we got off the ship right around 8:30. I want to say they told us to meet back at 9:30 am for the tour. We returned between 1:00-2:00 PM. Sorry I don't have more info, I just seriously never looked at a watch. I know it took longer than we had expected, but we didn't mind at all. It was an amazing day! We were going to have them drop of us at 7 mile beach afterwards, but decided to just go back to the ship. Oh waittt.... I just looked at the time on my camera. I took a picture of us waiting for the bus at 9:20 am and a picture on the tender back to the ship at 1:30 pm, so hopefully that gives you an idea. I did not personally see anything like this in Jamaica, but we had arranged our tour in advance, so I wasn't looking. We did the all-inclusive resort Sunset Jamaica Grande and I can definitely recommend that. It was amazing! We booked thru jamaica for a day . com and it was $60 per adult, $40 per child. Included pools, beaches, drinks (alcholic or non), lunch buffet, and grill food. It was wonderful! thanks for the info..was the sting ray boat packed with lots of people or just an average amount ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GabbyCooks Posted January 18, 2013 #18 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I'd guess probably around 30 people. We had 9 in our group alone, then there was another group of like 10 people and some couples. It was not crowded at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tylerdad Posted January 20, 2013 #19 Share Posted January 20, 2013 http://www.dexters-fantaseatours.com/ We booked with that site for $40 pp, and it's a catamaran with a stingray city stop and 2 snorkel stops. He has good tripadvisor reviews. We will be there in 2 weeks, so I will let you know how it goes! I was told my another company (Captain Marvin's) that their longer tour was booked for that day. We went with Dexter Oct 2012 and would book again with him in an heartbeat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaHappy Posted January 20, 2013 #20 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I am sad. This is always something I wanted to do. The first time, the Freedom didn't get to Grand Caymen because of rough seas. The second attempt was on the Disney Magic. We did get to GC but therere were no trips to Stingray City because of rough seas (again!). I hope you are more successful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjhollan Posted January 21, 2013 #21 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I am sad. This is always something I wanted to do. The first time, the Freedom didn't get to Grand Caymen because of rough seas. The second attempt was on the Disney Magic. We did get to GC but therere were no trips to Stingray City because of rough seas (again!) That's what we were worried about last week... it was our 2nd attempt to get there. We pre-booked with Nativway for $60/person for Stingray City and a land tour (Turtle farm, Rum Cake factory, Hell, etc). There were 5 of us in the group and we had the boat and tour guides to ourselves the entire day. It was awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zounds Posted January 21, 2013 #22 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for all the updates folks! We just booked today to return to G.Caman in Dec. We went to stingray city last time w/ Moby Dick and had a great time, but you all have given us many operators to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
American Bear Posted March 14, 2014 #23 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Did anyone take 'just' a sting ray tour, we're not interested in stopping at snorkel sites as my wife isn't a good swimmer! (not interested in sitting in the boat while other snorkel either:)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothfary7 Posted March 19, 2014 #24 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Did anyone take 'just' a sting ray tour, we're not interested in stopping at snorkel sites as my wife isn't a good swimmer! (not interested in sitting in the boat while other snorkel either:)) That's what I'm looking for also so we spend a little time at the beach. Anyone out there know of a stingray ONLY tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Paul Romera Posted December 21, 2014 #25 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Did anyone take 'just' a sting ray tour, we're not interested in stopping at snorkel sites as my wife isn't a good swimmer! (not interested in sitting in the boat while other snorkel either:)) I am not a good swimmer myself so the snorkel + Stingray City tour was not for me at all but luckily I found a tour that does not have snorkeling, instead it has a tour of the Nation Geographic Under-water Photo Exhibit by Brian Skerry (Nat Geo Photographer) and then it was off to the Stingray City Excursion which was so great as the Stingrays are very friendly. I booked the tour from Stingray City United. I hope that this helps you guys who are not big swimmers like myself :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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