Suggestions for an excursion to Stingray City!

[doolange]

I just got off the VOS and wanted to see the Stingrays but had nothing booked. Got off the boat and at the pier, there were dozens of people holding signs to take you to various tourist attractions. We went with Clifton (that was the mans name). He took us from the port, to the place where his boat was docked, took us out to the Stingrays on a catamaran with about 12 of us. It was $25/person with 2 kids free. It was well worth it.

[britchicknyc]

No problems with Nativeway? I want to book with them but am nervous they might leave without us - and that we may not get back in time....

[mbisson]

Only problem we had with nativeway (this past Dec) was that they made us leave when the excursion was over. We had a great time.

 

-Monte

[britchicknyc]

Sounds like a great problem!! :)

[Going Home]

We did Stingray swim & snorkel thru RCCL and went with Capt. Andre. It was THE BEST excursion we have ever been on!! Not crowded, plenty of time to swim with the rays and snorkel the reef. The Capt actually let my son drive the boat on the way back!! He was 9 at the time!! We visited a so called Stingray City in St. Johns and will never take any other excursion other than the Caymans. All the others are caged, starved and treated inhumanly. Hope this helps

[logan1_2000]

We did Stingray swim & snorkel thru RCCL and went with Capt. Andre. It was THE BEST excursion we have ever been on!! Not crowded, plenty of time to swim with the rays and snorkel the reef. The Capt actually let my son drive the boat on the way back!! He was 9 at the time!! We visited a so called Stingray City in St. Johns and will never take any other excursion other than the Caymans. All the others are caged, starved and treated inhumanly. Hope this helps

 

There are both 2.5 and 3 hour snorkels listed. We want to go to the sandbar, enjoy the sting rays, and have the peace of mind of going through the cruise ship and not sweating the return. Anyone know which one does that best among the excursions offered through RCI?

[PSCruiser]

Just off the Grandeur, and did the Nativeway excursion last Wednesday. Can't say enough about this excursion - we thought it was our best ever, and we have been on many snorkel boats.

Our cruise critic group got about 20 people together, and booked an entire boat. Cost was $50 pp. Three stops: 1. Stingray City - our guide was great with the rays, we spent about 45 min. there. 2. Reef snorkel - we were taken to a beautiful spot not far from Stingray City. Once we got there, our guide got in the water with us, and we went to a spot where he used food to lure a big Moray eel out of his hole, so we got a good look. Then to another spot where he did the same with a nurse shark. Then we had time to explore the reef on our own. When back on the boat, we were given a menu to radio ahead for our lunches (included). 3. Last stop was Rum Point, a beautiful beach. First we were served lunch, then had about 2 hours to swim, snorkle, or just chill.

I'd book with them again in a minute.

[Michaelx2]

I agree that Native Way does give you good value for your money, however, we would have definately missed our last tender if there had not been a long line earlier in the day to catch a ride back to the ship. We made sure to let them know when our last tender was and they seemed to make note of it (2:45pm) however we were still sitting in the van at the marina at 2:45 waiting for another boat of folks. We made it to the pier at at 3:10pm. All the stress we had dropped in the first 4 days of the cruise all came crashing back as we sat in traffic in that van. Just a word to the wise, make SURE they take you seriously when you let them know what time you need to be back at the pier. That said, the excursion itself was great.

[heartofamerica]

We were on Celebrity when we went to Grand Cayman. We booked thru the ship, and I am glad we did - because of rougher than usual seas (not enough to cancel the port thankfully), the tendering was quite slow. We didn't get on shore until after noon, and the ship was scheduled to leave at 5. Because we booked thru the cruise line, we had the peace of mind that the ship would still be there when we got back, even if it was a bit late.

[danyelle]

We're using Sotos for our excursion next month. I weighed the positive reviews I heard from their past passengers and their excursion times and they came up number one.

Be sure to check when your ship will arrive in port and consider the time difference when choosing a tour. Nativeway and Capt Marvins both left too early for our ship.