noahsark99 Posted July 10, 2005 #1 Share Posted July 10, 2005 My 7 year old thinks he wants to do the Stingray tour. Has anyone taken their young children on this tour? Please let me know your experiences. Thanks so much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRoeT Posted July 10, 2005 #2 Share Posted July 10, 2005 When we were there in 2004, there were many kids on this excursion, some even younger than 7. Everyone had a fantastic time. You wear life jackets, so the water height is not a concern, though it is about 4 to 4.5 feet deep where you encounter the rays. Kids love it! It's a highlight - we had a fantastic time; I'm sure you will too! Try to go early in the morning. The key to enjoying it is to try to be there when it is least crowded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendallison Posted July 11, 2005 #3 Share Posted July 11, 2005 A realative went in April and took her 10 year old and 6 year old. The 6 year old wouldn't get out of the boat, and the 10 year old had to be held because the current that day was too strong and kept knocking her down. I am still planning on taking my 6 and 8 year old though. I think it depends on the sea conditions that day. I've heard many people here say their kids loved it and didn't have any problems in the water. I'm not as worried about the excursion itself as I am about the crowds and long lines for tenders back to the ship with 7 ships in port that day. Ugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrn Posted July 11, 2005 #4 Share Posted July 11, 2005 We had calm seas last month when we went. My kids who are 8 and 10 did not even need a life jacket at Stingray City. We did have them wear one at the Barrier reef though. My kids loved it. My 4 year old triplet nephews were also on the tour, and they even kissed a stingray. We used Soto's cruises, which was great with kids, and lots of personal one on one attention, and a great price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelligirl Posted July 12, 2005 #5 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I went on this tour on 6/30. We didn't need life jackets. My 18 year had no desire to get out of the boat and told me so before the trip. I said that's fine I wouldn't want you to do something that scared you. Guess who the first one out of the boat was? I think this is a fantastic excursion for children...especially ones who show interest in it. We used Nativeway Watersports and only had 22 people on our boat. Very nice and professional people. fyi...www.nativewaywatersports.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where next? Posted July 15, 2005 #6 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Make sure you bring a waterproof disposable camera. Your child will be so busy taking cool underwater pictures, they'll forget to be afraid! My kids were 7 and 11 when we did this tour, with Nativeway, and LOVED it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikkiGarcia Posted July 15, 2005 #7 Share Posted July 15, 2005 My 7 year old was very nervous once she saw how big the stingrays were. At first she did not want to get in the water. The guides told her to sit on the back platform that just skimmed the water and they would bring her a ray. It took a while of petting one and seing everyone else having a good time before she eventually got in so we could take a family picture. The Nativeway guys did a great job and tried to make it very special for her and made sure that everyone who wanted to make direct contact with the rays did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 01Sweetpea Posted July 15, 2005 #8 Share Posted July 15, 2005 We did a stingray tour on 7/5 with Captain Bryan with a 12,9,9 yos. The water was very calm at the sandbar and there were relatively no people there. When we first got into the water the 9yos clung on to us for dear life, and made a quick retreat back to the boat. It took them a while to come back in. Unfortunately by the time they were comfortable standing on the sandbar on their own, we only had about 5 minutes left of time there. However, our captain made sure that each of the kids got to touch a stingray before we left. The sting rays CAN be intimidating, they are large! We had rough seas at the barrier reef, so the kids were in and out of the water within 10 minutes, and spent the rest of the day on the boat. Although if you ask them which excursion was their favorite, they ALL pick the stingrays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwlane Posted July 15, 2005 #9 Share Posted July 15, 2005 young children on this tour? Our 4 yr. old son loved our trip on Capt. Bryan's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahsark99 Posted July 15, 2005 Author #10 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Thank you to all who responded! I am absolutly going to do this tour....now I just need to figure out which tour company to use! Thanks again for all your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarcrusin Posted July 21, 2005 #11 Share Posted July 21, 2005 We just returned from our cruise July 27, on Carnival Conquest My wife, 2 children 7 and 10 and myself all agree that Grand Cayman and the Stingray City tour was the best. We booked through Native Way and have nothing but rave reviews fot them. The tour group was small, 23, as compared to the large groups of 100 or more on the Carnival shore excursion. We spent about 1 hour at Stingray City which was truly amazing and about 1 hour snorkeling just behind Stingray City. As we got back into the boat we were handed menus and placed our lunch orders enroute to Rum Point. Our food was excellent and waiting for us when we got there about 20 minutes later. We ate and then swam at the beach for about an hour and a half. Excellent trip -- and the crew at Native Way made it wonderful for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucksta63 Posted July 21, 2005 #12 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Make sure you bring a waterproof disposable camera. Your child will be so busy taking cool underwater pictures, they'll forget to be afraid! My kids were 7 and 11 when we did this tour, with Nativeway, and LOVED it!Same here!! Nativeway was Great!! We had kids from 4-64!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PattiPB Posted July 22, 2005 #13 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Thanks for all the comments OP received! My youngest (barely 7) is hesitant about the stingray tour. He is quite adventurous normally, so I hope he gives it a try next month. My 11 and 9 yos can't wait! Patti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrfamily Posted July 22, 2005 #14 Share Posted July 22, 2005 We took our 5 year old on the tour in November and she loved it. She was a little wary of the stingrays at first, but once she got past that, she was thrilled! We went with Captain Marvin's and it worked really well. This was the second time we have gone with this tour group and both times were great. The only part I think may be too advanced for many kids is the snorkeling at the reef. However, they also do a snorkel at the "coral gardens" and if the kids have some snorkeling experience already, this area would likely be fine. http://www.captainmarvins.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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