Stingray City, for the scared...

[jerigt]

We are going on RC on 02/23/2015 cruise and docking at George Town. We were looking at an excursion, GC57, Turtle, Stingray Land and Sea Adventure.

 

My husband wants to go to see it, but doesnt really want to get in the water. His question is:

 

Does a boat take you to that part of the water? or do you walk in from the beach to Stingray City?

 

If you do go on a boat, he is hoping he can just stay on board and watch.

 

Please let us know how this works. He may change his mind once he sees it and get in.

 

Thank you all!

[SunshineCruiser24]

A boat will take you out to stingray city. You don't have to get off the boat if you don't want too, but he really has nothing to fear.

 

The stingrays don't want to hurt you, they're just chillin'. The Steve Irwin thing was a fluke, thousands of people do this excursion a month without injury! You just shuffle your feet, don't grab their tail, you will be fine.

 

I do suggest if he can work up his nerve to get off the boat, to maybe get back on when they bring out the stingray food. They get really excited and it can be overwhelming!!

[ABQrobin]

do a search on YouTube for videos of "Cayman stingrays".

Your husband may be fine with it if he sees how harmless it is and how much fun people have doing it.

[p_mori7]

The ship doesn't dock in Georgetown...it anchors offshore and you take a tender ashore.

[Marigold252]

A boat will take you out to stingray city. You don't have to get off the boat if you don't want too, but he really has nothing to fear.

 

The stingrays don't want to hurt you, they're just chillin'. The Steve Irwin thing was a fluke, thousands of people do this excursion a month without injury! You just shuffle your feet, don't grab their tail, you will be fine.

 

I do suggest if he can work up his nerve to get off the boat, to maybe get back on when they bring out the stingray food. They get really excited and it can be overwhelming!!

 

We went to Sting Ray City in December. It was one of the best excursions ever! At first it was a bit weird to have these huge slippery critters playing with us but it didn't take long for it to become a fabulous experience. Our guide, Bob, on the emerald Eyes boat, was the best. It was a Reef and Rays snorkel tour and they had excellent equipment. Bob gave the best mini lesson on snorkeling I have ever heard.

 

My DH wasn't feeling well so he didn't get in the water on this excursion but still enjoyed watching the action from the boat.

[Marigold252]

We went to Sting Ray City in December. It was one of the best excursions ever! At first it was a bit weird to have these huge slippery critters playing with us but it didn't take long for it to become a fabulous experience. Our guide, Bob, on the emerald Eyes boat, was the best. It was a Reef and Rays snorkel tour and they had excellent equipment. Bob gave the best mini lesson on snorkeling I have ever heard.

 

My DH wasn't feeling well so he didn't get in the water on this excursion but still enjoyed watching the action from the boat.

 

This photo shows Bob, our guide, holding a ray, something they encouraged everyone to do! I had to resize the photo to upload it. I hope it works!

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[Flatbush Flyer]

It's like standing in a bathtub with puppies jumping on you to get a treat.

 

 

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[Snow cat]

To be honest, I absolutely hated it. You don't have to get off the boat of course, but its hot out and the water is inviting! But even floating around without standing on the sandbar, there are stingrays under you, around you etc. I lasted about 14 seconds.

 

But its probably something everyone should try once and decide if its for them.

[mitsugirly]

We have done this excursion (on our own) twice now and loved it. It's definitely a "different" experience (as in they are not animals that are in a pen, but instead they are in the middle of the ocean and their own habitat).

 

Once we went with my oldest daughter and her boyfriend and he's scared of anything in the ocean. So, he stayed on the boat and took pictures for us. He did manage to get in the water once, but just to cool off and when he seen there were no stingrays in "his area". :p

 

So you are welcome to stay on the boat or get off...it's totally your decision...after all, the excursion company gets your money no matter what. :D

[SunshineCruiser24]

Misty girly you have once again turned me on to an excursion (nativeway in one of your old reviews!)

[mitsugirly]

Misty girly you have once again turned me on to an excursion (nativeway in one of your old reviews!)

 

You gonna give it a shot Sunshine? It's a fabulous tour. (I hope you read the second time we went, which was actually the nativeway tour and we had a fabulous time!!!) :D

[SunshineCruiser24]

The one where you almost missed the stingrays and then got them at the end??

[SunshineCruiser24]

I've done stingrays before, but through the cruise line with the turtle farm...

 

I swear, mitsugirly, they should give you excursions for free and consider it free advertising when you write your review. Your reviews are amazing, this is the second excursion you've turned me on to personally. Your review of Little French Key enticed me enough to give up my beloved dolphin swim! :-)

[mitsugirly]

I've done stingrays before, but through the cruise line with the turtle farm...

 

I swear, mitsugirly, they should give you excursions for free and consider it free advertising when you write your review. Your reviews are amazing, this is the second excursion you've turned me on to personally. Your review of Little French Key enticed me enough to give up my beloved dolphin swim! :-)

 

 

I agree! Who do I contact? :D :p But thanks, I appreciate the nice comments. I keep convincing my husband I need so many cruises because it has become a "job" to do them and report back to everyone here. ;) I don't think he's buying that story yet....

[iluvbkk]

Can I leapfrog off this thread and ask how it is getting on and off the boat that takes you to Stingray City? I have knee problems and I'm wondering if I can do it....senior citizen ailments and all that.

[SunshineCruiser24]

It's like a pool ladder in and out of the water. But if you need you can google accessible grand cayman tours.

[mitsugirly]

[iluvbkk]

Thanks a lot for the input!

[Marigold252]

Can I leapfrog off this thread and ask how it is getting on and off the boat that takes you to Stingray City? I have knee problems and I'm wondering if I can do it....senior citizen ailments and all that.

 

If your excursion is on a catamaran you may have an easier time getting in the water. They have a ladder between the net sections in the bow that is more like a staircase.

[mitsugirly]

If your excursion is on a catamaran you may have an easier time getting in the water. They have a ladder between the net sections in the bow that is more like a staircase.

 

 

Well that looks cool. We did a catamaran once (not in GC, but in Nassau on a snorkle trip) and it had the net sections but no staircase like that. I like the way that looks. They should all be like that. :D

[Marigold252]

On our December Caribbean cruise we did three snorkel excursions, all on catamarans. The two smaller boats had ladders like the picture I posted previously, and the third, the large boat in Grand Cayman is pictured in this post. That is my DH sitting above the ladder. The wind was strong and the sea a bit rough that day so HAL let people back out of the excursion after we were on shore that morning. We ended up with fewer than 20 in our group.

[cutiepiefred]

We are going on RC on 02/23/2015 cruise and docking at George Town. We were looking at an excursion, GC57, Turtle, Stingray Land and Sea Adventure.

 

My husband wants to go to see it, but doesnt really want to get in the water. His question is:

 

Does a boat take you to that part of the water? or do you walk in from the beach to Stingray City?

 

If you do go on a boat, he is hoping he can just stay on board and watch.

 

Please let us know how this works. He may change his mind once he sees it and get in.

 

Thank you all!

 

we have done this tour twice and noth time it was awesome. There are plenty of sting ray and fish in the area but once the guides bring out the food they tend to huddle near them at that time he can get in the water by the boat if he is not wanting near the sting rays, but they honestly say near the guided with food or close to the bottom