Can't Decide which Stingray Tour!

[dmc511]

We used Moby Dicks and got about an hour of snorkeling at the reef, and about an hour or so of stingray interaction. Took our own pictures and Mark and his staff will even take photos of you using your own camera. There were only 15 or so on the entire boat and it was a wonderful experience. About $45 per person if I remember correctly.

 

Here's a video of our experience with the rays:

 

Thanks for the video, it really helped me to understand whether I wanted to take this tour and now the answer is a resounding YES!

[unionville3]

We had an amazing trip with Stingray Sailing last week. Only Chip (dad was not with him), but it was one of the best excursions. We have also used Captain Marvins in the past, but we really preferred the catamaran. Chip was very informative and took the time to make sure we all had a great trip. We snorkeled first to avoid the mobs at the stingrays. While other ships would blow a horn for the passengers to come in from snorkeling, he encouraged us to take all the time we needed that he wasn't in any hurry! Once at the stingrays, their experience showed. We had more stingrays gathered around us than the other boats. Once again, we were encouraged to take all the time we needed and he even went back to fill up the bait bucket! For those interested, Chip dropped a couple of families off at Royal Palms on the return trip if that is something you would be interested in. We will definitely use Chip on our return trips to the Caymans!

[Hawaiianwhaines]

We took Nativeways last month and I can not tell you how glad we were! 3 teens and myself at $60 each. We were picked up and taken to the pier by Sharon (owners wife from U.S.) She drove through the city and let us sight see. We were the only 4 on the boat and had "individual" attention with the stingrays. Solomon and Andrew were the crew members. They fed and caught the rays so we could stroke, carry, and feed them. We even gave them the good luck kiss! They let us take as much time as wanted. We chose not to do the Rum Point which is another snorkel adventure tacked with lunch. We went to turtle farm, Hell and Rum factory instead. We were back in port with lots of time to shop.

[kteach72julie]

I researched for months, and finally decided on Cayman Eco Adventures! They were WONDERFUL!!! Captain Kevin is awesome, the boat is nice and smooth, and you get 3 stops - Stingray City, Snorkeling, and to Starfish island. They include fresh fruit and bottled water/sodas. They provide food to feed the stingrays. Let me tell you .... this is the LEAST crowded trip you will take to Stingray city! My friend and I booked a tour, and they took just the 2 of us! They did not cancel, but continued with the tour, so have no fear. We got one-on-one individualized service!!

Cayman Eco Adventures awesome!!!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147366-d3312602-Reviews-Cayman_Eco_Adventures-George_Town_Grand_Cayman_Cayman_Islands.html

You will book with Kat, and the process is very smooth!

Very happy cruisers!!!

Jules & Robbie

[kteach72julie]

I researched for months, and finally decided on Cayman Eco Adventures!

They will pick you up right at the port, and guarantee to get you back before your ship departs!!

They were WONDERFUL!!! Captain Kevin is awesome, the boat is nice and smooth, and you get 3 stops - Stingray City, Snorkeling, and to Starfish island. They include fresh fruit and bottled water/sodas. They provide food to feed the stingrays. Let me tell you .... this is the LEAST crowded trip you will take to Stingray city! My friend and I booked a tour, and they took just the 2 of us! They did not cancel, but continued with the tour, so have no fear. We got one-on-one individualized service!!

Cayman Eco Adventures awesome!!!

http://www.caymanecoadventures.com

 

You will book with Kat, and the process is very smooth!

Very happy cruisers!!!

Jules & Robbie

[dz63]

I've begun to research stingray tours (not through the cruise line) and there's just so many it's really hard to decide!!! We have two new cruisers in our group of four and I'm the only one that has done a stingray excursion but through the cruise line.

 

Here's the needs: Must have a stingray stop and at least one snorkel stop. Must be able to drop us off before the last tender (obviously).

 

Here's the wants: Two snorkel stops, each stop for at least 30 minutes, lunch would be nice, small tour group, and a lower the price is better of course.

 

So far, the companies I've found are:

- Capt Marvin

- Nativeways

- Eco Adventures

- Moby Dick Tours

- Sun rays Tours

- Acquarius Sea Tour

- Buccaneer Tour

- Stingray Sailing

- Capt Bryan's

 

Are there any that I should remove from my list and why? Are there any I should add to my list and why? Any and all info would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!! :D

 

We toured with Nativeways last August on their Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion. We had a wonderful time! From all the tour operators we encountered on this cruise, Nativeways offered us the best tour guide experience. Not only did they deliver everything we expected to do on this excursion, but they were also jokey, funny, friendly, professional, helpful, and outgoing while providing us with a top-notch service.

 

 

Climbing onboard the "My Way" from Native Ways Watersports, we were off to Stingray City. For 30 minutes we were able to experience these large pre-historic looking creatures float gracefully all around us. We also got to hold a stingray, feed a stingray, get a stingray massage and yes . . . even kiss a stingray!

 

 

 

After surviving this adventure, we were off to the Reef for 20 minutes of snorkeling. We saw many colorful tropical fish swimming around in their underwater paradise.

 

 

Our final stop was Rum Point, where we enjoyed the tropical beauty of the surroundings, had lunch (which was included in the price of this tour) and went for a swim before returning to the Carnival Legend. We spent 1 1/2 hours here.

 

 

We were able to take all the photos we wanted. Nativeways also took photos which they downloaded onto a disc for purchase. There was no pressure to purchase this. The cost was $20/photo or you could purchase them all for $50. They took approx. 20 photos of our family, and since they were all good, we ended up purchasing the disc.

 

The cost of our excursion was $62.50/adult and this price included lunch at Rum Point Beach. If you would rather spend more time at the Reef snorkeling, Nativeways offers another excursion called: Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Snorkel, but this excursion does not include lunch.

 

Want to know more about our Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion with Nativeways? Then you may be interested to read my detailed review with even more photos. It begins at post #137 and ends at post #145 at this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1704270&page=7

 

 

I have also put together a video of our Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion with Nativeways. You can view that here:

 

Any other questions? Just ask!

[shoppingfever]

We toured with Nativeways last August on their Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion. We had a wonderful time! From all the tour operators we encountered on this cruise, Nativeways offered us the best tour guide experience. Not only did they deliver everything we expected to do on this excursion, but they were also jokey, funny, friendly, professional, helpful, and outgoing while providing us with a top-notch service.

 

 

Climbing onboard the "My Way" from Native Ways Watersports, we were off to Stingray City. For 30 minutes we were able to experience these large pre-historic looking creatures float gracefully all around us. We also got to hold a stingray, feed a stingray, get a stingray massage and yes . . . even kiss a stingray!

 

 

 

After surviving this adventure, we were off to the Reef for 20 minutes of snorkeling. We saw many colorful tropical fish swimming around in their underwater paradise.

 

 

Our final stop was Rum Point, where we enjoyed the tropical beauty of the surroundings, had lunch (which was included in the price of this tour) and went for a swim before returning to the Carnival Legend. We spent 1 1/2 hours here.

 

 

We were able to take all the photos we wanted. Nativeways also took photos which they downloaded onto a disc for purchase. There was no pressure to purchase this. The cost was $20/photo or you could purchase them all for $50. They took approx. 20 photos of our family, and since they were all good, we ended up purchasing the disc.

 

The cost of our excursion was $62.50/adult and this price included lunch at Rum Point Beach. If you would rather spend more time at the Reef snorkeling, Nativeways offers another excursion called: Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Snorkel, but this excursion does not include lunch.

 

Want to know more about our Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion with Nativeways? Then you may be interested to read my detailed review with even more photos. It begins at post #137 and ends at post #145 at this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1704270&page=7

 

 

I have also put together a video of our Rays, Reef and Rum Point excursion with Nativeways. You can view that here:

 

Any other questions? Just ask!

 

 

Is that the boat in the back in one of the pictures? If so, it looks like the ladder goes directly down to the sand and has railings. I was also looking for something that has an easier access in and out of the water.

 

Thank you for posting pics!

[dz63]

Is that the boat in the back in one of the pictures? If so, it looks like the ladder goes directly down to the sand and has railings. I was also looking for something that has an easier access in and out of the water.

 

Thank you for posting pics!

 

No, the boat in the second picture was not the Nativeways boat.

 

Here is a picture of the boat we were on. It also has a ladder from the back of the boat to access the water.

 

[CDNJehn]

After all these recommendations I have no idea which to choose for our december trip. Everyone seems to have had very good experiences, but all recommend different companies. :D

 

Grand Cayman should be proud to have so many reputable companies!

 

Just to make it MORE complicated, we used Tours Cayman. Shane was quick to respond to our emails, their website had all the info I needed and they were very competitively priced. They were prompt to start the tour and did a three stop snorkel tour including Stingray City, Coral Reef and "Starfish Point". http://www.tourscayman.net/home.html

 

I will say that we were staying on Grand Cayman so we weren't under the same time constraints as a cruise (we HAVE cruised to GC twice). I can say that they were bringing a cruise tour back when we were waiting to board and everyone seemed pleased, nobody b!tching or complaining to each other or freaking out about time. The guides were SUPER nice and I would highly recommend them.