Cayman Island Excursions

[doribird]

One of the excursions my child would like to see is the Turtle Farm in the cayman Islands. If anyone has done this excursion is booking thru Carnival the way to go or is it better to go on your own? Just curious..thanks for any help.

[DGP1111]

One of the excursions my child would like to see is the Turtle Farm in the cayman Islands. If anyone has done this excursion is booking thru Carnival the way to go or is it better to go on your own? Just curious..thanks for any help.

 

It's an enjoyable, and educational, excursion that can be booked either way. The ship-sponsored one may be a wee bit more in price, but when you get to the transportation vehicle, you'll probably get a quicker start than those booking at the port, and waiting for their vehicle to fill before departing.

 

Also, be prepared to become the supportive parent when/if your child is bothered by the inevitable question that's asked each and every tour: "What happens to the cute turtles when they get bigger?" :eek:

 

.

[fragilek]

Hi, we went here a good few years ago (so may have changed since then- can anyone give an up to date opinion/ comparison of pre 2004 and now)- We had expected to enjoy learning about the turtles, but instead, I found the place awful- the tanks were like turtle soup. The turtles had no room to move let alone swim. In the end, my 2 girls were quite distressed and we left rather quickly. The only thing they did enjoy was buying a certificate to free a baby turtle next year- my youngest even wanted to spend the rest of her money to free some more. It may have changed since then -pre Ivan - we know Cayman quite well and there are much better things, in my view to do than go there.

 

a link to what it looked like http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=tLHdr4ecPsLRQM&tbnid=tmLkX4CPZi61nM:&ved=0CAMQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcruises.about.com%2Fod%2Fcaribbeancruises%2Fig%2FGrand-Cayman-Island%2Fgrandcayman008-jpg.htm&ei=SLG-UbK7COay0QXfhYDwCg&bvm=bv.47883778,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNFAcWBElpK-ZsaAw1Q8dwUTUTrVSQ&ust=1371538077951976

[jgr8fulbear]

we did a tour through "nativeway" a couple years ago that was a little bit of everything. It was nice because we really got to see the island and didnt spend a ton of time at each place when a ton of time was not needed. Very small group, just DH, myself, and a family of 5. We went to stingray island (my fav) and, even if your children are squemish, its such an experience, the captian of the boat was so great and even stopped along the way to show us turtles (we didnt have the eyes to see em) and dove for star fish. We went to Hell, the rum factory, and the turtle farm. Its small,(the turtle farm) we spent maybe an hour there and that was more than enough for us, there isnt a ton to see, and as others have said the pens are small and filled with turtles swimming all over each other. Would I take the tour again, no, but Im very glad I took it the first time we went, now I can say Iv done those things and move on to others!;)

[nchikk]

We did the Turtle Farm and Hell tour with Captain Marvin's. You can look them up online and even book ahead of time. Or you can turn left on the main road once you clear the tender drop off area, and they're just a block or so down the road. I don't remember the cost, but it was cheaper than booking the ship-sponsored excursion.

[cruizinisthebest]

This was back in 2007 but we did the tour. Just took a taxi after we left the beach and saw the turtles. It would be nice for kids if they wanna see some old, big turtles but as an adult I didn't like it much. I wouldn't book it through the ship. Cheaper going on your own. Hit the beach if you can too. I thought Grand Cayman had one of the most gorgeous beaches I've ever seen. The day we were there ours was the only ship in port. The beach wasn't crowded and we met an American who owned the tiki bar there. Enjoy your cruise!

[doribird]

Thanks everyone!!! appreciate the advice. From what I am gathering is everything walkable from the port? Turtle farm, Hell etc? I just want to see and do as much as I can..

[chief joe]

Thanks everyone!!! appreciate the advice. From what I am gathering is everything walkable from the port? Turtle farm, Hell etc? I just want to see and do as much as I can..

 

No not walkable from where you get off tenders. Will need taxi or excursion. Kids will enjoy turtle farm and water park.

[fragilek]

Thanks everyone!!! appreciate the advice. From what I am gathering is everything walkable from the port? Turtle farm, Hell etc? I just want to see and do as much as I can..

 

No way :eek:- They are not walkable from the port. You could just about walk to 7 mile beach but I wouldn't recommend it. The turtle farm is a good few hrs walk (about 20- 25 mins in a taxi - depending on traffic ) Hell is a fair distance further on from that and definitely not within walking distance.

 

I think others meant that trips are available near by (I don't know that info as my family live there so I have never used a tour in the Cayman). The places I would recommend are trip to are sting ray city (as long as your kids would not be scared), rum point where 2 man kayaks are available and Kybo sp? if you want away from the crowds and hell just to say you've been. You would either need a taxi or a tour to see these places.

[nchikk]

No no no no no...you CANNOT walk from town to Hell or the Turtle Farm. But you CAN walk to the tour operator.

[Lovefuninthesun]

One of the excursions my child would like to see is the Turtle Farm in the cayman Islands. If anyone has done this excursion is booking thru Carnival the way to go or is it better to go on your own? Just curious..thanks for any help.

 

Have done the Turtle Farm twice through Carnival -- first time included Hell and Stingray City, second time just the Turtel Farm.

 

We were pleased both times -- we are returning in November, and will probably do it again! It's probably a little cheaper on your own, but I like going through Carnival, especally with unexpected tender delays -- I know we won't get left behind.

[Gemynii]

One of the excursions my child would like to see is the Turtle Farm in the cayman Islands. If anyone has done this excursion is booking thru Carnival the way to go or is it better to go on your own? Just curious..thanks for any help.

 

We did the Turtle Farm last year. I booked online directly with the Turtle Farm because you get 20% off the cost of admission that way. They also provide transportation to and from the port at no cost. We did the Turtle Adventure Tour which get you a tour of the farm, access to their lagoon where you can snorkel with fish and turtles and access to Breakers Lagoon which is a large pool with waterfall and slide.

 

I have pics and info on the Turtle Farm in the review I did starting with post #46 and instructions on how to book through their website on post #58: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1674293&page=3

 

Hope this helps. :)

[webzila]

We did the Turtle Farm a few years ago. I liked it.

The baby turtles were cute. Then it was fun to watch the big turtles swim followed by eating them (turtle burgers) :D

[jsfromsc]

We did the Carnival combo tour with the turtle farm, Hell and Stingray City on our first cruise. The only part I'd do again is Stingray City. Up to that point it was the coolest thing I'd experienced on vacation. However, on my next trip to Grand Cayman I did the Sea Trek Helmet Dive. That was amazing. It's pricey, but it's not something you'd ever be able to do on your own. You walk on the ocean floor about 15 feet under the surface and get to see the fish, etc. close up. It's better than snorkeling because your head stays dry in the helmet and you can breathe without having a snorkel in your mouth. You can even leave your glasses on. The only part that was difficult for me is that my ears are very sensitive to pressure. I had to keep sticking my hand inside the helmet to hold my nose and blow the pressure out of my ears, but it was easy to do. Not sure how old your kids are, but I would definitely choose stingrays over turtles, especially after reading others' comments here. We haven't been to the turtle farm since 1999. And if they're old enough and you can afford the Sea Trek, it's great. We did it with our sons and we all loved it so much we even paid for the ridiculously overpriced DVD for the memories.

[fragilek]

W

I have pics and info on the Turtle Farm in the review I did starting with post #46 and instructions on how to book through their website on post #58: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1674293&page=3

 

Hope this helps. :)

It looks very different to how it used to look when it was on the other side of the road and only had very small above ground round tanks. Also no lagoon area back then.

[doribird]

Misunderstood the walking part..ty for clarifying. So much great advice THANKS so much!! Personally I could live without seeing turtles but I have a 12 year old who is obsessed with turtles. (My other child is 15) So much to do...Cayman sounds like a great port!! Usually we just like to walk around with my kids preferring to stay on the ship but no way is my 12 yr old not seeing turtles!

[EnTnSA]

One of the excursions my child would like to see is the Turtle Farm in the cayman Islands. If anyone has done this excursion is booking thru Carnival the way to go or is it better to go on your own? Just curious..thanks for any help.

 

You can do it through Carnival and it will be fine, but fairly pricey. Take a look at one of the vendors in Grand Cayman, we used Capt. Marvin's, they were about a third of the cost and I felt like they were very attentive to our groups needs.

 

My son who was 3 at the time, loved it!

[fragilek]

Misunderstood the walking part..ty for clarifying. So much great advice THANKS so much!! Personally I could live without seeing turtles but I have a 12 year old who is obsessed with turtles. (My other child is 15) So much to do...Cayman sounds like a great port!! Usually we just like to walk around with my kids preferring to stay on the ship but no way is my 12 yr old not seeing turtles!

 

not sure which cruise you are doing but if you stopping in coz or maya then look into a trip to Akumal beach. Here you can snorkel with the turtles. They come right over to you so need to chase/ harass them.. Its also an amazing little beach. You can look at it on the locogringo web cam.

[doribird]

Going on Glory Feb 2. Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and of course Caymen. That beach sounds awesome...is it expensive?

[sparkysj]

I have been there 2 times (once did the farm, hell, stingrays) and 2nd same minus stingrays & we loved it. My daughter was only 2 last time we went so she doesn't remember (is 4 now) & she wants to go back so we will hopefully go back again next year when she is 5 or 6. I won't do the stingrays again-would have been great except they are in the wild and have the barbs still & I'm very short (5ft) so some times hard to keep my head above water-& I ended up getting swarmed by a whole pack of them surrounded me-I was freaking out-the tour operator literally pulled me out of the middle, too much for me lol

[fragilek]

Going on Glory Feb 2. Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and of course Caymen. That beach sounds awesome...is it expensive?

 

Hope you enjoy that cruise, we are not cruisers and decided to try our first cruise last new year- we were apprehensive about both cruising and carnival (wrt game showy stuff and enetertainment) - We undertook the same itinery as you and loved it (managed to avoid the game shows so all good :D). We now hope to do another cruise new year 2014

 

Carnival offer the trip to Akumal for $99 adult and $89 per child. It is on the mainland so I would probably not risk going with an independent operator (but I'm an over cautious person).

 

I would definitely consider this way above the turtle farm. My girls didn't do this turtle swim (just DH and I while on holiday in mex) but they have been lucky enough to swim with them while snorkeling in both barbados and several times in cayman. They both state that it was the amzring and have never forgotten each time even although the first time the youngest was just 7.

 

For just amazing snorkeling - the best we have ever done (and having family in the carib we have snorkeled many many places/times there) was on Roatan at maya kay. There is a drop off there that was just remarkable for fish and coral - however, I would say that to fully appreciate it then everyone would need to be good swimmers.

 

Avoid snorkeling in coz - the coral is mainly dead and not very many fish- but the beach was fun with all the beach toys/ kayaks/ paddle boards etc

 

Belize- was amazing- we did the river boat to the ruins and it was a fabulous day. On river boat we saw so many animals including - iguanas, crocs, monkeys, bats, dolphins and manatees. The ruins were quite compact but my dds had always wanted to see mayan ruins so the did the trick.