What are the best Grand Cayman excursions?

[Cruiser3737]

Our family will be traveling with Royal Caribbean at the end of March. What is the best excursion to take to swim with the sting rays? Any other favorite excursions?

[QBall37]

I LOVE Stingray City! We've gone with Kelly Watersports http://www.kellyswatersports.com.ky/ several times and loved them. However, my most recent trip was 6 years ago, so no promises

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

You didn't speicfy the demographics of your party, however, I highly recommend Fat Fish Adventures jet ski tour to Sting Ray City.

 

We were four middle aged adults. We did skip the snorkling for a bar run instead, but without a doubt the highlight of our two cruises. DW loved it so much she wants to do it again on our upcoming cruise.:D

 

They were top rated on Trip Advisor.

[JulieRose]

We liked Captain Marvin's very much. Nice clean bus and boat. Takes you not only to stingray city but 2 other snorkeling spots as well. Friendly staff and a great tour. You can google him.

[ahecht]

Our family will be traveling with Royal Caribbean at the end of March. What is the best excursion to take to swim with the sting rays? Any other favorite excursions?

 

I enjoyed the Nativeway "Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens, and Starfish Snorkel" tour a lot. There were just six people on the boat, and we got lots of up-close and personal time with the stingrays as well as amazing snorkeling at Coral Gardens. Click on the Independence of the Seas picture in my signature for pictures and a review.

[DrD]

You didn't speicfy the demographics of your party, however, I highly recommend Fat Fish Adventures jet ski tour to Sting Ray City.

 

We were four middle aged adults. We did skip the snorkling for a bar run instead, but without a doubt the highlight of our two cruises. DW loved it so much she wants to do it again on our upcoming cruise.:D

 

They were top rated on Trip Advisor.

 

I'm very glad to hear that as I'm doing that exact excursion 4 weeks from yesterday.

[cruisincha]

My vote is Captain Marvin's. We've used them three times, and have had a wonderful crew and experience each time. Whatever you do, don't book through the ship - way too many people on those boats.

 

Have a blast, whatever you do. Love Cayman.....

[PSCruiser]

Another vote for Nativeways - have done them 5 times in the past!

I really like the Rays, Reef, Rumpoint tour. After the Stingray City and snorkel stop, you are boated over to Rumpoint, a very nice beach area, for a few hours of chill time. While on the boat, lunch is ordered and cell phoned over, and ready for you on arrival.

[Ellusionz]

Stingray city is a must at grand cayman. Many was to get there: jetskis, catamarans, sailboats, speedboats, regular other types of boats... Another thing you could do if you're interested in it is horseback riding (on the beach AND in the water!).

[jamclarkbar]

I read a review here and booked. I am so happy I did...it was wonderful and very economical. We got a bus ride to the boat which was fun. The driver was informative and witty. We then boarded the ship and were Capt Mark and his two mates took us out to an area we could snorkle. I didn't totally get the hang of it but its not because they didn't try. With their assistance I was able to finally do it. My daughter took right off and had a fabulous snorkling experience. Then onto the stingrays. What a wonderful experience. All three got in the water with us and introduced us to these creatures. They had a fondness of each and everyone. It was wonderful. I held one, got a good luck kiss and fed one. It was amazing. My aunt doesn't like water so she chose to stay on the boat but they made a point of bringing one close for her to see. This was a chance of a lifetime and all six of us felt very fortunate that we had chose Moby Dick to share it with.

[BeccaStorm]

The absoulute best is Cayman Stingray City Outrage tour. Its a private boat and you can do stingray city, Starfish beach and tubing as well. AMAZING tour if you want something special.

 

For a great catamaran tour, we also have been on the Buccaneer Stingray City Catamaran which is excellent as well and a little more economical if you are a smaller group

[Dinotoll]

For those who did the stingray and all the other things, I would recommended to do a helicopter flight over Grand Cayman , so you get an exciting view and unforgetable pictures .

The helipad is now in walking distance from the cruise pier in direction to 7 mile beach.

For those who are interested I want to share a small video:

 

 

 

http://www.caymanislandshelicopters.com/

 

:D

[Colorado Kat]

Here's another vote for NativeWays Rays, Reef & Rum Point.

[ibcnusoon]

We loved our jetski tour to Stingray City and a snorkel stop. My kids said it was the best part of the entire cruise! I booked it through Island Marketing, if interested book soon because there are just so many jetskis and they fill up quickly.

[milhouse0506]

+ 1 for native way! They were awesome wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

[Sienna Cruise]

This is my first cruise and I am afraid to book an excursion that isn't through Carnival for fear of getting "ripped off" or not getting back to the ship on time, etc.. I am cruising with two friends on the Carnival Magic on April 21, but would be doing my excursion alone. I am thinking about the Coral Garden & Stingray Sandbar Excursion through Carnival. Any thoughts?

[ahecht]

Sienna Cruise, I would say that paying $66 for the Carnival excursion is getting ripped off. The Nativeway "Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Snorkel" is only $40. More importantly, with Nativeway you will be on a much smaller boat and therefore get a lot more time to interact with the stingrays one-on-one since the guides usually catch one stingray for everyone on the boat to hold/feed/kiss/etc. The "Emerald Eyes" boat that Carnival uses for that excursion holds up to 150 people, while Nativeway's boat holds 25 (and when I used them if February there were only 6 people on our boat). That tour is a three hour tour so you can be back in the port hours before you need to be back on the ship, or they can drop you at Seven Mile Beach where you can relax for a couple of hours before taking a 5 minute cab ride back to the port.

 

Lots and lots of cruisecritic members have taken independent excursions on Grand Cayman, and I don't remember reading ANY reports of someone missing their ship where it was the fault of the tour operator (most people that miss the boat are sitting in a nearby bar as the last tender is departing).

[NCteacherlovescruising]

You didn't speicfy the demographics of your party, however, I highly recommend Fat Fish Adventures jet ski tour to Sting Ray City.

 

We were four middle aged adults. We did skip the snorkling for a bar run instead, but without a doubt the highlight of our two cruises. DW loved it so much she wants to do it again on our upcoming cruise.:D

 

They were top rated on Trip Advisor.

 

We have this booked for our upcoming cruise.

 

I'm very glad to hear that as I'm doing that exact excursion 4 weeks from yesterday.

 

How was it? We are really looking forward to this!

[Sienna Cruise]

Thanks ahecht! Do you book ahead online or are they just at the pier or what? I had also seen great stuff written about a tour through Stingray Sailing that goes to Stingray sandbar and then snorkling. I think theirs was $55 but was also a smaller group. Don't know which to pick or how to book them. Can you offer more help? Thanks so much :-)

[erby2283]

We used Nativeway back in Nov 2012 and booked the Stingray & Island Tour. We only had 6 in our boat! I was shocked when we got to Stingray City and saw other boats piled with people in them. Our tour guides were very nice and knowledgeable and I felt safe at all times (and this is coming from someone who HATES even touching a fish!).

 

We also toured the turtle farm (admission included in the price of the tour), stopped at Hell, and the Rum Factory. My only complaint was that we had to switch between vans a few times b/c they had to shuttle picking some people up from other excursions but we never waited more than 5 minutes and for $60, it was worth it. We tipped the Stingray guys $20 and bought their pictures (glad I did b/c theirs were way better than mine) and at the end of the cruise, we tried to tip another $20 and she told me it was too much and would only accept $10! How many companies turn down a tip?

 

I am heading back this Nov and am kind of wondering what to do now that I have seen all the tourist spots. I am visiting 2 islands I have never been to and on a budget this time so I might just head to a beach so I can plan a tour in Belize and Roatan!

[drog]

The best excursion we ever did anywhere is Fat Fish Adventures Jet Ski to Stingray City. It is awesome, very small groups ours was just 9 of us, great people. If you have never done Stingray City it in itself is must do but combine with a 10 mile Jet Ski ride across crystal clear ocean waters and you can beat it. They let you enjoy the ride too none of this single file stuff. They park a little away from the crowds at Stingray City so you have your own space and hit a snorkeling spot on the way back. We even had an encounter with a dolphin! It was amazing I cannot recommend it enough

[BabySis]

Thanks ahecht! Do you book ahead online or are they just at the pier or what? I had also seen great stuff written about a tour through Stingray Sailing that goes to Stingray sandbar and then snorkling. I think theirs was $55 but was also a smaller group. Don't know which to pick or how to book them. Can you offer more help? Thanks so much :-)

Sienna, we've cruised lots and never EVER book with the ship tours. The private tour companies depend on ship passengers for the livelihood and we've never ever been late to the ship. You can book with any local companies online and we usually do it well ahead, since the good ones fill up quickly. In Caymen we've done Capt Marvin, Nativeway and Royal Palms. Just keep reading CC and you will not be disappointed!!

 

Happy sailing!

[jkskrap]

We used Native Way and it was great. Here are our comments from our Freedom OTS cruise in August. I tried to post it as a review but it was deleted. But since you asked . . . fair game, I think!?

 

Grand Cayman

 

We had a great time in Grand Cayman. Haiti and Jamaica look beautiful from the ship as you are pulling in. Grand Cayman is flat without the “curb appeal” but nonetheless beautiful.

 

We booked the 4 hour “Stingray and Island” excursion with Native Way Watersports for $60 each. I had great email communication with Sharon when we booked and when I followed up right before the cruise. This was my daughters’ favorite day of the cruise. Wear your bathing suits because you are going to get wet!

 

We caught a Tender from the ship at about 9:00 am. There was a line but it moved quickly and we were ashore within 15 minutes of leaving our cabin. We were early (meeting time was 9:45 am), so we walked to a coffee shop in town and messed. We met up with the Native Way folks back at the pier and waited for another family that never showed up. It turned out to be just us and one other family – 9 total. We walked over to our little bus and were on our way! Our bus driver was Eldon, Sharon’s husband, and Sharon was narrating as he drove. Eldon is a native of the island and Sharon is a New York transplant and has lived there for 10 years. I can’t say enough about how friendly these two were. It just couldn’t have been any better.

 

We drove by a few sites for some pictures and got out by the 7 mile beach. Such beautiful water. Pictures don’t do it justice. We live right by a beautiful beach (Boca Grande, FL) but this water was gorgeous.

 

We then stopped by the Tortuga Rum Cake factory. Basically a gift shop, but you can see them bagging and boxing the Rum Cakes in the back. Prices for the cakes were no cheaper than the cruise ship, but the variety was huge. I sampled lots of rum: gold, coffee, pineapple, vanilla . . . good stuff! I purchased a couple of bottles that they sent to the ship. They were delivered Saturday afternoon to our cabin (with our onboard liquor purchases). They also have a snack bar that serves what look like hot pockets. We weren’t smart enough (like another cc member who was on the tour with us) to buy a couple to eat later, but I would do so if given the chance again! No lunch is included on the tour, and when they pulled out their hot pockets on the boat ride back I thought, “Man, what a smart idea!”

 

Next we went to Hell. It is the name of a rock formation that looks like . . . hell. I guess. Very cool. Eldon showed us around and told us stories. He also talked about some of the plant life. Then it was off to the oh-so-pleasantly-tacky gift shop. A cute old timer looked at me and said, “Welcome to Hell” with a devilish grin. Loved it. Tacky - yes. Loved it. Bought a hat from Hell.

 

Next it was a drive to the Turtle Farm. Very, very cool. Eldon gave us the tour here. It was great to have a guy who knew what he was talking about. He knew the history; he had caught and ate the turtles when he was younger. We were petting and holding turtles of all ages. It was great!

 

We then drove to board our boat for the ride to Stingray City. There were 2 crew members and our group. Sharon and Eldon were not with us, but would be there when we got back. It is a quick 10-15 minute ride to the middle of the bay to the sandbar where the rays hang out. Pretty amazing place.

 

When we first arrived, there were several large boats and probably 100 people in the water. Our guys (Thomas and JC) found us a spot on the end of the sand bar and put down the anchor (actually JC hopped in the water and placed the anchor). Within a few minutes most of the other people had packed up and left. Thomas and JC will dive down a grab a ray for you to pet, hold and kiss (yuck – but I did it after my kids forced me). There are rays swimming all around your feet. Some huge, some small. All completely wild. It was awesome! Never have we experienced something like this.

 

Some people might freak out a bit when a stingray knocks into them (my DW did), but you don’t have to jump in the water if you don’t want to. We stayed about 30 minutes or so. It was fantastic.

 

JC took pictures of us and then showed them to us on our ride back. I bought all of them on a CD for $50. Pretty ingenious way to make an extra buck! The pics are really good. We had bought a cheap disposable underwater camera for $12 at one of the gift shops (35 mm). We were surprised how good the pictures turned out when we had them developed!

 

A quick ride back to the bus on the boat (with a slight detour to show us homes in a canal and some of the iguanas sunning themselves). That’s something a big tour could never do for you.

 

We were dropped off back at the pier at about 2:30 or so. Said our goodbyes to Sharon and Eldon, and headed towards our Tender. There was no line – which I thought was amazing – and as we walked through the gate a guy started yelling at us. Turns out we were heading to the Carnival Tender! He pointed us in the right direction and that’s when we saw it . . . the line . . . the line of all lines . . . the twisting, turning, where-the-hell-is-the-end . . . line. Must have been 500 or more people in this line. We finally found the end and my daughter noticed a lemonade stand that also sold the hot pocket things. They stayed in line and I went to the lemonade line. By the time I got 2 lemonades and a couple of the sandwiches, they were almost through the gate! A quick moving line! We downed the drinks, ate the last bites as we scanned our seapass cards and were back on the ship in no time.

 

It was a wonderful day! Thank you so much Sharon and Eldon! You guys are the best!

 

Pics will follow . . .

THE TENDER

 

 

THE BUS

 

 

SHARON AND ELDON

 

 

BEAUTIFUL WATER

 

[jkskrap]

SPARKY -- ALMOST 600 POUNDS!

 

DON'T FORGET TO WASH YOUR HANDS!

 

HATCH-LINGS

 

ELDON HAD FOOD WE COULD FEED THEM!

 

[jkskrap]

ON OUR WAY TO THE STINGRAYS

 

THE CROWD WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED

 

 

THE KISS

 

Here are a couple of pics of Hell.