Best Ways to Explore Grand Cayman?

[ashleyps23]

Hey all!

 

Our family of 6 will be in GC at the end of December and are looking for less expensive ways to explore without just plopping ourselves down on a beach. All the cruise-sanctioned excursions are mega $$$ and we're trying to avoid that.

 

Two members of our family are approx. 70 yrs old and less mobile but still up for an adventure. The rest of us are in our 20s/30s. One member has requested NO stingrays or snorkeling, another has requested we do not rent a car :) Doesn't have to be an official tour or "excursion," either. I have heard some disturbing things about the turtle farm recently and would like to avoid that as well.

 

Please help us figure out something to do together that won't empty our wallets!

 

-Ashley

[bookbabe]

Well...no stingrays, no turtle farm, no snorkelling, no rental car, no beach, no cruise ship excursion, plus cheap...that pretty much leaves you with walking around downtown (shopping, restaurants, small craft market, museum).

 

In theory, you could take the bus to Hell, but that's a 10 minute stop max and IMO not worth the effort of getting there.

 

If we add a bit of expense, you could get a taxi at the port to do an informal island tour, or maybe do the Atlantis sub/glass-bottomed boat (if your cruise line isn't blocked out). There's a car museum near the turtle farm that might be an option, and you could get to it by taxi or bus.

 

A rental car really would open up a lot of options, and make for a great day. There's Pedro St James castle, the botanical gardens, the blowholes, East End, Rum Point and lots of great scenery once you get outside of town, but you really can't do any of that by bus and a taxi would be fairly expensive.

[ashleyps23]

Hey bookbabe, thanks for the reply :)

 

I realize we're making it difficult but the goal is to find something that works for all six of us who have varying ideas of fun. The castles, gardens, blowholes, East End and Rum Point all look great and I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to hit at least one or two of those.

[cb at sea]

There is great bus service in GC that goes almost everywhere....$2.50 pp...check the Grand Cayman bus schedule and routes online!

[bookbabe]

There is great bus service in GC that goes almost everywhere....$2.50 pp...check the Grand Cayman bus schedule and routes online!

 

 

I would NOT try to use the buses to get to East End or Rum Point or any of the sites in that direction when visiting by cruise ship. Buses are not as reliable once you get outside of George Town, and you would not want to get stuck and miss the ship.

[pdc2013]

Hey bookbabe, thanks for the reply :)

 

I realize we're making it difficult but the goal is to find something that works for all six of us who have varying ideas of fun. The castles, gardens, blowholes, East End and Rum Point all look great and I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to hit at least one or two of those.

 

I know you would probably prefer to tour all together but did you think of splitting your group in two. That way everyone will enjoy their time. Sting ray city is an incredible experience not for everyone i guess but....

[#1TravelMom]

We just returned from Grand Cayman. We rented a car at Cayman Auto Rentals - 10-15min walk from the pier. It is very easy to drive in GC. All of the roads are very well marked. I'd veto the person who doesn't want the car rental. We drove to starfish point and then back to Rum Point for the Day. We had a FABULOUS time!

[judyf]

We just returned from Grand Cayman. We rented a car at Cayman Auto Rentals - 10-15min walk from the pier. It is very easy to drive in GC. All of the roads are very well marked. I'd veto the person who doesn't want the car rental. We drove to starfish point and then back to Rum Point for the Day. We had a FABULOUS time!

 

Please tell me more, thinking of renting a car. Did you book ahead? If so any deposit or pre-paid? How was traffic and driving? How was parking? We leave Friday and this is the one island I didn't book anything yet.

 

Thank for any help.

[ashleyps23]

We also just got back from GC. We weren't in port for a terribly long time (arrived at 7am but didn't get on the tender out until 9:30, last tender back was 2:45 which meant in line at 2:15) so we ended up wandering around town for a bit before taking the bus to 7 Mile Beach for lunch and a dip in the ocean. It was a beautiful day and very relaxing.

 

Beach chairs were $5/ea and umbrellas another $5. Bus cost $2.50 pp each way. Just watch out for menu prices which were listed in CID. Paying in USD ended up being about 20% more expensive than we expected because nobody in our group read the fine print!

[lovestx]

Please tell me more, thinking of renting a car. Did you book ahead? If so any deposit or pre-paid? How was traffic and driving? How was parking? We leave Friday and this is the one island I didn't book anything yet.

 

Thank for any help.

 

I'm not this poster but thought I could answer your questions.

 

We spent a day on GC off the Equinox in November and rented a car through Cayman Auto Rental. Reserved in advance using their website. Don't believe the charges went through until we returned the car. Total cost for the day was $80 plus about $9 in gas. Traffic and driving were not difficult though they do drive on the left. I found a driving tour on Tripadvisor, printed it out, and used it as a guide for our day. We, too, spent a chunk of time including lunch at Rum Point. Really enjoyed our day.

 

Cayman Auto Rental is about a three block walk from the tender port.