clsee1515 Posted July 16, 2005 #1 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Just wanted to give kudos to Captain Marvins tour group!:D We did the Stingray, Snorkle and Island tour on 7/5. Very well done from day one. They kept us informed and up to date, even through the last minute itinerary change made by Carnival. The stingray/snorkle tour was great, our guides were very attentive and I could have stayed all day! There were approx. 20 of us and my DH and I were the only ones signed up for the island tour (Hell & Turtle Farm). We were escorted by Matalie in her own a/c vehicle. She had lots of information, easy to understand, and seemed to know everybody! She even helped at the Turtle Farm, handing out rum cake samples! What a sweetie! We definately got more than our monies worth! Thanks for some wonderful memories!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 16, 2005 #2 Share Posted July 16, 2005 We used Captain Marvin's when we were in Grand Cayman, and had a wonderful time! Ruth was so incredibly helpful, and the guys who took us on our tour were so nice! I hadn't planned on getting in the water, but one of the young men said I really should give it a try...and I did, and I LOVED it. When we were done, we asked the driver where a good place to eat would be. After dropping the rest of our group off, he took us back to Rackum's. It was neat eating lunch near the water...we could see our ship. Also, our tour group was small...15-20 people at the most on our trip. We saw double-decker boats with 100's of people on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucwebb Posted July 16, 2005 #3 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Twinkletoes4445 - tell me about Rackum's. What type of food, price range? How was the food and would you recommend them? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 16, 2005 #4 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Twinkletoes4445 - tell me about Rackum's. What type of food, price range? How was the food and would you recommend them? Thanks. The restaurant is very casual (we had swimming suits w/covers on), and was American/Caribbean food. As for price, they weren't cheap, but they weren't real expensive. I would imagine price wise, they would be along the same line as the Hard Rock Cafe. I think the five of us ate there for $100 or a little more, but we had lots of food and drinks. I had a hamburger, and it was HUGE. We did leave a lot of food behind, so you might consider sharing an order. Things I remember them having (or we had)... coconut shrimp, grilled mahi mahi sandwich, conch chowder, cheeseburgers, Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich, grouper fish-and-chips &chiles rellenos. Rackum's also has a nice size gift shop, which we purchased many souviners from (since we were pinched for time). It was the view of the port, and the coconut drink that did it for me! I loved it there...the scenery was amazing...and the food was good. We can't wait to return in January. :) If you eat there...make sure and check your bill. I can't remember if they added the tip into the bill prior to us getting it, but I understand many places do that in GC. So take a look, and don't double tip. Actually, we ate at a place in Bayside Marketplace in Miami(Italian-cant' remember the name), and they automatically added the tip on the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucwebb Posted July 16, 2005 #5 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Thanks, Twinkletoes4445 for the info. I think I'm going to add that to my list of things to do, places to see . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahsark99 Posted July 16, 2005 #6 Share Posted July 16, 2005 Can you tell me what time your tour began and ended? I am planning on doing both tours also but I'm a little concerned about getting back to the ship in time. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 17, 2005 #7 Share Posted July 17, 2005 We did the 11:15-1:15 tour. I think we were dropped at Rackum's around 1:45. We ate our lunch, shopped in their store, and walked to the tender line by 3:30. It was about a 8-10 minute walk. Looking back, we should have taken a cab. They were going up and down the road, and it would have been easy to snag one. We did an early island tour prior to our Captain Marvin's tour. We booked the tour on the ship so we would be one of the first ones off the ship. We were there in January, so ship time and island time were the same (at least our ship was). Ruth at Captain Marvin's will be able to help you with your concerns. I wanted to do the earlier snorkel trip, but she said we wouldn't be able to get off the ship in time...and she was right. If she has any concerns, she won't book you on a tour that would jeopardize you getting back to the ship prior to it leaving the port. Just make sure and tell her the ship you are on. I know your post was intended for the original poster, but I thought I'd tell you what we did. :) Have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clsee1515 Posted July 17, 2005 Author #8 Share Posted July 17, 2005 The Miracle arrived at 7:00am. We did the 8:30 Stingray tour and then the 10:30 Island tour. Matalie picked us up right at the Captain Marvin boat dock when we got back. She dropped us off at the ship dock around 12:30. We had lots of time to wander the shops afterward. The last tender out was at 2:30. We never felt rushed and did feel like we got a good sense of the island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahsark99 Posted July 17, 2005 #9 Share Posted July 17, 2005 A BIG thanks to twinkletoes4445 and clsee1515 for your help. April can't get here soon enough for me!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 17, 2005 #10 Share Posted July 17, 2005 A BIG thanks to twinkletoes4445 and clsee1515 for your help. April can't get here soon enough for me!! :) Why, thanks! :) We had so much fun while we were there. I agree...January can't get soon enough for me! It's going to be fun being there for an entire week. I'm going to keep track of things we did, places we ate, and how look it took to get from one point to the other, and then once we're back, I'll post a trip report. Have a great trip in April! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
por911 Posted July 21, 2005 #11 Share Posted July 21, 2005 The Miracle arrived at 7:00am. We did the 8:30 Stingray tour and then the 10:30 Island tour. Matalie picked us up right at the Captain Marvin boat dock when we got back. She dropped us off at the ship dock around 12:30. We had lots of time to wander the shops afterward. The last tender out was at 2:30. We never felt rushed and did feel like we got a good sense of the island. Thank You! This is exactly what I've been waiting to read on these boards! We'll be on the Conquest and we arrive at 7:00 also. I have been concerned about the 8:30 time. Thanks for posting ....one more thing to check off my worry about list.LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelin269 Posted July 25, 2005 #12 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Just wanted to give kudos to Captain Marvins tour group!:D We did the Stingray, Snorkle and Island tour on 7/5. Very well done from day one. They kept us informed and up to date, even through the last minute itinerary change made by Carnival. The stingray/snorkle tour was great, our guides were very attentive and I could have stayed all day! There were approx. 20 of us and my DH and I were the only ones signed up for the island tour (Hell & Turtle Farm). We were escorted by Matalie in her own a/c vehicle. She had lots of information, easy to understand, and seemed to know everybody! She even helped at the Turtle Farm, handing out rum cake samples! What a sweetie! We definately got more than our monies worth! Thanks for some wonderful memories!:) Hi, Please let me know where I can find info on Capt. Marvin. thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 25, 2005 #13 Share Posted July 25, 2005 Hi, Please let me know where I can find info on Capt. Marvin. thanks, Here's their website... :) http://www.captainmarvins.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelin269 Posted July 26, 2005 #14 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Thanks Twinkletoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes4445 Posted July 26, 2005 #15 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Thanks Twinkletoe Have a great time! Ruth (at CM's) will answer any and all of your questions... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachbuzzard Posted July 27, 2005 #16 Share Posted July 27, 2005 We are just back from our cruise and loved our day using Captain Marvin's. We had a group of 21 and booked early, which secured us our own charter on one of his smaller boats. It was still VERY roomy for 21 passengers and 2 crew. The day we were at Grand Cayman there were SIX ships there. Apparently 3 had been diverted from the Yucatan (Cozumel, Cancun) due to Hurricane Emily. Let me tell you, we saw boats that were PACKED to the gills with people. This one boat looked like one of those ferries in Asia that sink occasionally. It was an older looking two deck boat that had to have 200+ people on board. The people on board didnt' even have places to sit. We pulled up on our comfy boat with 21 aboard... i could sense the stares of jealousy as we got one-on-one service with the sting rays from our crew. Thank you Cap't Marvin's for a wonderful day!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arubamoose Posted July 27, 2005 #17 Share Posted July 27, 2005 We too have been very happy with Captain Marvin. First time we took a tour from the dock...an old slow boat. Second time on tips from this board we booked Captain Marvin. As we flew to Stingray City we passed the hoardes of boats and people and went to Coral Gardens instead. We got back to SRC just as the crowds were packing up. Great timing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVL105 Posted July 29, 2005 #18 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I just booked my trip with Captain Marvin's! We're going to do the half day trip to Sting Ray City, and two other snorkeling sites! Very excited, and am happy i found this site because otherwise I was going to book through the cruise ship, which from what I've read, I would be very unhappy. Has anyone does this tour? How are the two other snorkeling sites, the Coral Gardens and the great barrier reef? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfaddensfarm Posted July 29, 2005 #19 Share Posted July 29, 2005 clsee1515, did you say that you did BOTH the Stingray Snorkel AND the Turtle Farm/Hell tour? What time did each start/end? I am thinking of doing this combination but want to make sure I time it correctly so I am not late getting back to the ship. Thanks everyone for all of the great info! I'm going to look into this for our Freedom cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachbuzzard Posted July 30, 2005 #20 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Has anyone does this tour? How are the two other snorkeling sites, the Coral Gardens and the great barrier reef? Both sites are within sight of Sting Ray City, so there isn't much extra travel invloved. Last week when we were at the Coral Gardens there were NO other boats there. It's a beautiful spot... you can just float over the coral and there are all sorts of fish swimming around. The barrier reef they can't park the boat right up against, so you have to swim a little ways up to it. At the barrier reef it's usually a bit choppier. Here there is an eel that the crew guy feeds... it's big and a bit scary. But I don't think it bites, but it sure does have a big mouth! There are also some small sand sharks that they feed. Up by the reef there are many different fish. Very colorful. For the adventuresome, the crew is fine with jumping in the water off the boat. Our kids did that for a little while once done snorkeling. They even did it off the top canopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOGINFORME Posted July 30, 2005 #21 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Can anyone give me his prices?? Does he also take fishing trips?? Thanks,Ken Empress of seas 8/20/2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clsee1515 Posted August 4, 2005 Author #22 Share Posted August 4, 2005 McFadden - Yes, we did both tours. The Stingray City/Snorkle tour was at 8:30 the Turtle Farm/Hell tour followed at 10:30. The timing was perfect and we even had some time to browse in town. This was the best excursion of our whole trip!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfaddensfarm Posted August 4, 2005 #23 Share Posted August 4, 2005 clsee, I just checked our itinerary and unfortunately it says we arrive in Grand Cayman at 9:00. So I may have to try to start the tour at 10:30 instead if that's an option. I'll check out his web site and/or email him to see what the best option is. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajalover Posted August 4, 2005 #24 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Susky, we were on that boat too! I think I remember you. Gosh, it was hot!!! I was sitting by the ladder to go up top with my daughter. My sons and husband sat up top. I forgot my leis and paper with the meet times at home so I never made it to any of cc'rs meets. I am sorry we never got to meet anyone. It is so fun comparing notes now though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky Posted August 6, 2005 #25 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Oh, you're kidding! Konthego was on that boat, as well (he was sitting up on the bow). I was inside the cabin. Can you tell that I was enjoying myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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