Jet ski tour with Rum Point or Snorkeling?

[cruisewiththekids]

I'm looking at 2 different jet ski tours. Island Marketing does the stingrays, then Rum Point. Ebanks does stingrays, then snorkeling. Fat Fish is closed on Sundays, which is when we'll be in port, so I've eliminated them as an option. Which is better, Rum Point or snorkeling at Barrier Reef? They say Barrier Reef is in 6 to 10 feet of water. What is Rum Point like?

[BeccaStorm]

We LOVED the Island Marketing one, you can snorkel at stingray city and Rum point is amazing. A few people put on masks and snorkeled there too but we just enjoyed the gorgeous beach and shallow water.

[WWbytheSEA]

I have inquired about the jetski Stingray City and Rum Point tour as well. They have already emailed me back that they have availability for my date. I could not real find anything on Tripadvisor about this company but so far everything I have found on these boards has been positive.

[Gregg00ss]

I booked with them a few days ago for my cruise next weekend. We'll see how it goes.

[WWbytheSEA]

Gregg00ss, any report/pics on the jetski excursion. What kind of skis did they have? info/details appreciated on what you thought. Hope you had a great cruise..

[mrsfuzzmo]

Depends on what you want to do. The Barrier reef is right off of Rum Point, basically. If you want to hang on a beach, have a cocktail and swing in a hammock, got to Rum Point. If you want to snorkel, do the snorkel tour.

 

We enjoy snorkeling in Cayman so much so we would always choose that over sitting on a beach. There are usually other beaches at our disposal on a cruise, so when in Cayman, we snorkel!

[cruisewiththekids]

Depends on what you want to do. The Barrier reef is right off of Rum Point, basically. If you want to hang on a beach, have a cocktail and swing in a hammock, got to Rum Point. If you want to snorkel, do the snorkel tour.

 

We enjoy snorkeling in Cayman so much so we would always choose that over sitting on a beach. There are usually other beaches at our disposal on a cruise, so when in Cayman, we snorkel!

 

 

Is the area of Barrier Reef protected at all, or might the water be pretty choppy?

[mrsfuzzmo]

Is the area of Barrier Reef protected at all, or might the water be pretty choppy?

 

It could be choppy. Depends on the weather. The reef is out from Stingray sandbar and rum point, so it's out in the water a good distance. It's definitely not in a "protected" area. Some snorkel tours staop at coral gardens as well, which is decent and seems to have a little calmer waters.

[blue_water]

Too bad FFA isn't available...

We would rent a car and drive to Rum Point and jet ski to the reef as part of our day there. Just a 3 minute ride to the reef, and the Wreck Grill serves the original mudslide and an excellent grouper BLT. And a nice beach as well! That's a great day.

[Bug'sMom]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Rum Point! Just got back from spending a day there! On a past cruise we did the Stingrays, the snorkeling and then Rum Point with Nativeways which is probably one of the best excursions I've ever been on but having said that, I could have skipped the snorkeling. The three times we have snorkeled at that reef, the water has always been choppy and it is exhausting trying to see anything. I totally recommend Rum Point though!!!

 

Kathy

[blue_water]

Kathy yes I would recommend the stingray sandbar for someone who hadn't done that. Other than that, if not a diver head for Rum Point and enjoy your day there -what a great spot! But it can be crowded on Sundays (with locals)

[Gregg00ss]

Gregg00ss, any report/pics on the jetski excursion. What kind of skis did they have? info/details appreciated on what you thought. Hope you had a great cruise..

 

Just got back form our cruise. The excursion with Island Marketing was awesome!!! Started out a little rough seeing I made the mistake of not realizing our scheduled time was local time, not boat time. So we wasted some time waiting for a shuttle that was still an hour out, lol. Thankfully, the young lady who drives the shuttle stopped and let us know our mistake and that she would be back at the appropriate time.

 

Short 10 min ride or so to the Holiday Inn which is where you launch from. I know they say you have full access to the "resort" before/after your excursion, but it's really not a resort. Had a nice pool, place to eat, bar, etc.. Plenty of beach area to lay out, but no real swimming area as it's very rocky around there.

 

We lucked out as it was my GF and I and another couple we were cruising with, no one else on the excursion. They provided us with life vests and a quick run down on the operation of the wave runners. They were Sea-Doo's, looked very well maintained and had absolutely no problem with them. Top speed on mine was 51 mph, buddy said he got 54 out of his.

 

Start with a beautiful 10-15 min ride out into the ocean to Stingray Sandbar. Basically a big open area of crystal clear water which is about waist deep. Guide said it was high tide and can be knee high at low tide. We seemed to have really lucked out as there were only 3 other boats there, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. He said sometimes the place is packed boat to boat and you actually have to wait for one to leave to get in. We spent a good 30 minutes or so playing the stingrays. They were very docile and come right up to you. Guide showed us how to hold them and get a kiss. He also brought food for them and allowed us to feed them if we wanted a little closer interaction with them. As we were leaving I was screwing around the wave runner and tipped it over. I got a good laugh out of it, my GF on the back not so much, hahaha.

 

We opted to go Rum Point vs snorkeling. Rum Point was beautiful and had some good drinks. They have a beach area where you can lay out or swim if you want. We opted to head back a little early to give ourselves some time to shop before getting back on the ship. Our guide took us to a little spot on the way back littered with star fish. Then another jaunt back across the ocean to the resort.

 

Had a really good time and would not hesitate to do it again. I'm still transferring video and pictures and will post some up when done. I had a helmet mounted go-pro running the entire time so got great video of us on the wave runners and amazing video with sting rays. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

[cruisewiththekids]

Am I correct that Island Marketing uses Action Watersports? I see you can book directly with Action Watersports.

 

We will be in port on a Sunday with only one ship, but I've read Rum Point can be really crowded with locals on Sundays.

[minn55441]

Just got back form our cruise. The excursion with Island Marketing was awesome!!! Started out a little rough seeing I made the mistake of not realizing our scheduled time was local time, not boat time. So we wasted some time waiting for a shuttle that was still an hour out, lol. Thankfully, the young lady who drives the shuttle stopped and let us know our mistake and that she would be back at the appropriate time.

 

Short 10 min ride or so to the Holiday Inn which is where you launch from. I know they say you have full access to the "resort" before/after your excursion, but it's really not a resort. Had a nice pool, place to eat, bar, etc.. Plenty of beach area to lay out, but no real swimming area as it's very rocky around there.

 

We lucked out as it was my GF and I and another couple we were cruising with, no one else on the excursion. They provided us with life vests and a quick run down on the operation of the wave runners. They were Sea-Doo's, looked very well maintained and had absolutely no problem with them. Top speed on mine was 51 mph, buddy said he got 54 out of his.

 

Start with a beautiful 10-15 min ride out into the ocean to Stingray Sandbar. Basically a big open area of crystal clear water which is about waist deep. Guide said it was high tide and can be knee high at low tide. We seemed to have really lucked out as there were only 3 other boats there, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. He said sometimes the place is packed boat to boat and you actually have to wait for one to leave to get in. We spent a good 30 minutes or so playing the stingrays. They were very docile and come right up to you. Guide showed us how to hold them and get a kiss. He also brought food for them and allowed us to feed them if we wanted a little closer interaction with them. As we were leaving I was screwing around the wave runner and tipped it over. I got a good laugh out of it, my GF on the back not so much, hahaha.

 

We opted to go Rum Point vs snorkeling. Rum Point was beautiful and had some good drinks. They have a beach area where you can lay out or swim if you want. We opted to head back a little early to give ourselves some time to shop before getting back on the ship. Our guide took us to a little spot on the way back littered with star fish. Then another jaunt back across the ocean to the resort.

 

Had a really good time and would not hesitate to do it again. I'm still transferring video and pictures and will post some up when done. I had a helmet mounted go-pro running the entire time so got great video of us on the wave runners and amazing video with sting rays. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

 

Was the length of the excursion only 2 hours as listed? Seems kind of short. We have been out to stingray city on a boat, but thought this might be something a little different. I can't see were you would spend much time with the stingrays and at rum point if your total time from start to finish is only 2 hours.

[Gregg00ss]

Yes, total time is 2 hours. Like I said, we opted to cut ours a little short to give ourselves a little extra breathing room to make the ship.

 

If I had to guess, you're riding the wave runners for maybe 45 min max, rest is split between sting rays and rum point. We lucked out with pretty much no one at the sting rays so once the food came out we had a bunch of them all to ourselves for the entire time, so I felt the time there was adequate. Had it been packed and we were vying for their attention with hundreds of others, probably not. If you're looking to lay out and really enjoy rum point, wave runners probably aren't the way to go. We got a few drinks, did some shopping, and then took off. Could have stayed a bit longer if we wanted but still wouldn't have been a long layover there

[blue_water]

Was the length of the excursion only 2 hours as listed? Seems kind of short. We have been out to stingray city on a boat, but thought this might be something a little different. I can't see were you would spend much time with the stingrays and at rum point if your total time from start to finish is only 2 hours.

 

Far Fish Adventures has a nice tour and their last tour of the day at 1PM is longer for the same price. Includes the mangroves, sandbar, Rum Point and starfish beach if time allows, and the reef which is right off RP. Check with them to see if that works with your time in port as they work with cruisers.

Excellent outfit and recommended by locals, that was one of our 2 favorite experiences while on GCM for 2 weeks.

[minn55441]

Far Fish Adventures has a nice tour and their last tour of the day at 1PM is longer for the same price. Includes the mangroves, sandbar, Rum Point and starfish beach if time allows, and the reef which is right off RP. Check with them to see if that works with your time in port as they work with cruisers.

Excellent outfit and recommended by locals, that was one of our 2 favorite experiences while on GCM for 2 weeks.

 

thanks for the info. Any chance you were thinking of Fat Fish Adventures?

 

For the 2 hour and 2 and a half hour tours, I have seen a low of $90 per single rider to a high price of $133 per single rider. Fat Fish looks like it is a little on the high side at $125.

[blue_water]

Yes, spellcheck or typo.

Contact them. We paid less and spent 4 hrs on the excursion but their last tour of the day includes more for the same price.

Can't comment on the other options but can't recommend FFA enough.

[KKMurphy2]

I was wondering a bit more about this shuttle. Where do you catch it? And cost? Does it return you to the ship?

 

 

Just got back form our cruise. The excursion with Island Marketing was awesome!!! Started out a little rough seeing I made the mistake of not realizing our scheduled time was local time, not boat time. So we wasted some time waiting for a shuttle that was still an hour out, lol. Thankfully, the young lady who drives the shuttle stopped and let us know our mistake and that she would be back at the appropriate time.

 

Short 10 min ride or so to the Holiday Inn which is where you launch from. I know they say you have full access to the "resort" before/after your excursion, but it's really not a resort. Had a nice pool, place to eat, bar, etc.. Plenty of beach area to lay out, but no real swimming area as it's very rocky around there.

 

We lucked out as it was my GF and I and another couple we were cruising with, no one else on the excursion. They provided us with life vests and a quick run down on the operation of the wave runners. They were Sea-Doo's, looked very well maintained and had absolutely no problem with them. Top speed on mine was 51 mph, buddy said he got 54 out of his.

 

Start with a beautiful 10-15 min ride out into the ocean to Stingray Sandbar. Basically a big open area of crystal clear water which is about waist deep. Guide said it was high tide and can be knee high at low tide. We seemed to have really lucked out as there were only 3 other boats there, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. He said sometimes the place is packed boat to boat and you actually have to wait for one to leave to get in. We spent a good 30 minutes or so playing the stingrays. They were very docile and come right up to you. Guide showed us how to hold them and get a kiss. He also brought food for them and allowed us to feed them if we wanted a little closer interaction with them. As we were leaving I was screwing around the wave runner and tipped it over. I got a good laugh out of it, my GF on the back not so much, hahaha.

 

We opted to go Rum Point vs snorkeling. Rum Point was beautiful and had some good drinks. They have a beach area where you can lay out or swim if you want. We opted to head back a little early to give ourselves some time to shop before getting back on the ship. Our guide took us to a little spot on the way back littered with star fish. Then another jaunt back across the ocean to the resort.

 

Had a really good time and would not hesitate to do it again. I'm still transferring video and pictures and will post some up when done. I had a helmet mounted go-pro running the entire time so got great video of us on the wave runners and amazing video with sting rays. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

[Gregg00ss]

Shuttle is nothing more than a normal taxi which has an agreement with the waverunner place. The price is $5 per person each way which is 1/2 of what a normal taxi costs. They will tell you where to meet it, but it's in front of a little church just past Hard Rock Café. About a 5 minute walk from the port, and they will drop you off right at the port on your return trip. Nice thing with using the shuttle is they will be there waiting for you when you get done with your excursion. Out driver told us many taxi drivers don't like driving out to there because of all the speed bumps.

[Ubiquitous Cruiser]

We too did the Island Marketing tour ... Nothing but accolades for them too. The review above is spot on and the only thing I would add is that they are really flexible about snorkeling.

 

My DW did not care to snorkel but I did. In fact, I was the only person that wanted to snorkel in our whole group - which was 6 people. So the guide led us all to Rum Point and told the other 5 when we would return & he took me to a place to snorkel ... He was super chill too and just waited patienly while I enjoyed myself.

 

When finished we headed back to Rum Point and I had enough time to enjoy a beer and then we headed back.

[cruisewiththekids]

We too did the Island Marketing tour ... Nothing but accolades for them too. The review above is spot on and the only thing I would add is that they are really flexible about snorkeling.

 

My DW did not care to snorkel but I did. In fact, I was the only person that wanted to snorkel in our whole group - which was 6 people. So the guide led us all to Rum Point and told the other 5 when we would return & he took me to a place to snorkel ... He was super chill too and just waited patienly while I enjoyed myself.

 

When finished we headed back to Rum Point and I had enough time to enjoy a beer and then we headed back.

 

 

Does Island Marketing use Action Watersports as their vendor for this excursion?

[Ubiquitous Cruiser]

Does Island Marketing use Action Watersports as their vendor for this excursion?

 

Sorry but I don't know ...

[dna1990]

We too did the Island Marketing tour ... Nothing but accolades for them too.

 

Any thoughts on the Grand Caymanian Resort for either before/after the tour? Is a Ramada or Holiday Inn? Did you take a taxi or use their shuttle service?

Edited November 8, 2013 by dna1990

[Ubiquitous Cruiser]

Any thoughts on the Grand Caymanian Resort for either before/after the tour? Is a Ramada or Holiday Inn? Did you take a taxi or use their shuttle service?

 

Pretty sure it was a Ramada property. It was near a golf course. It's nice enough but nothing spectacular. Thre is a pool, bar and small restaurant. There are also bathrooms & an outdoor shower. You of course have access to the beach. Think they had chairs for use/rent but we did not stay. If you stay, you will have to get a separate taxi back.

 

We used the pre arranged shuttle which is really a taxi van. The driver of the taxi also worked for Island Mktg & took our jet ski payment at the beach where you get your gear to ride. There ia a hut where you can keep your bafs while you ride. You pay the driver in cash both going & coming. On the return They drop you adjacent to the cruise terminal which is closer than the pickup spot next to Blue Iguanna.