Another vote for Nativeway

[allen1aj]

Reef, Rays, and Rum Point Tour through Nativeway http://www.nativewaywatersports.com

 

This was basically an all day tour. We tendered off the ship as soon as we could. We met someone with a sign from Nativeway right off the tender. This person told us that we would be leaving in about an hour, so we walked around and looked in a few shops to kill some time.

 

The tour left at around 9:15. We rode in an airconditioned bus to a location about 15 minutes away. We then boarded a boat and we were on our way. The staff were all very friendly and professional (although young). We signed a waiver at this time and were offered punch or cold water as we enjoyed the ride out.

 

Because of the weather and the waves, we ended up doing the stingray portion first. The water was cool, but you adjusted after a few minutes. The stingrays were everywhere and it was very exciting. We fed them and kissed them and even got to hold them. We also got a very special massage :eek: . We spent about 45 minutes with the stingrays.

 

We then headed over to the reef to snorkel and the crew took our lunch order at this time. I was only in the water for about ten minutes because my mask that I had brought broke and I did not like the fit of the one provided (ok, this is just me being picky~I have been using my set for about a year now and I had to use a child sized one off the boat due to fit and it just wasn't the same :) So, after getting out of the water, I went to the front of the boat and just relaxed in the sun. My DH stayed in the water for almost the full 45 minutes and really enjoyed this part of the excursion. There were eels and a nurse shark as well as many other fish. I should mention that during the snorkeling portion, one of the people on our tour swallowed a bunch of water. It was amazing to see how fast the crew moved into action. Our safety was their number one concern and it was quite obvious.

 

After snorkeling, we headed to Rum Point. A very yummy lunch was waiting for us when we arrived. We ate and then were told that we had about an hour and a half to do whatever we wanted. We walked down to a remote part of the beach (to the left of the pier when facing the beach), found two chairs and relaxed our food away. After awhile, we ventured into the water. The water was shallow and very nice here. I was suprised to see little needle-nosed gar only a few steps in. My DH grabbed his snorkel gear and headed out even further and had a very intimate experience as he was the only one out there and there were many fish (especially on this side of the dock). After playing in the water, we had plenty of time to dry off and then took a peek in the gift shop. There was also a bar for those whose who enjoy drinks, but the American dollar is not too strong in Grand Cayman, so its gonna cost ya!

 

On our way back, one of the crew dived in the water to find some Conch shells. After much searching, he came up with a number of shells. Another crew member then took the Conch a part and served it to us. It was a very interesting experience and I am not a fan of seafood or fish, but I tried it anyway and found it to be somewhat sweet. Anyway, on the way back, the video crew showed us clips of the video and made their sales pitch~which was not at all pushy. We didn't have the cash on us, so we took their card and we will be ordering one now that we are home. It was at this time that we paid and tipped the crew.

 

When we arrived back to the pier and realized what time it was, two people from the Miracle started to have a mini-panic. The last tender for them was at 3PM and it was about 2:30. Well, the crew made sure that the driver knew what was going on and there was a mad dash back to the port. There was a lot of traffic!!! and it took at least twice as long to get back as it did to get there. I am happy to say that we made it back and the girls from the Miracle were able to catch one of the last tenders. We were headed back to the Valor and the tender line was VERY long, but it went by fast enough and we were on board at about 4PM.

 

I would recommend this tour to anyone looking to do the experience with the stingrays and wanting some beach time as well. The snorkeling was excellent too! The price of 60/person, including lunch, can not be beat.

Amanda

[Coolmama_1]

Wow! Sounds like you had an amazing time! Thanks for the recommendation.

[memphismimi]

someone from these boards contacted NAtiveway and got ifo on our ship's thread a few months before we sailed - we did the same trip as the OP and all had a great time - the staff was very careful to make sure we knew HOW to feed the rays - feedback from another pax on the RCI excursion was not anywhere near as positive as our trip had been - small group and a lot of attention from the crew...

 

Thanks to Aunt Nini for setting this up!

 

Mimi

[Aunt Nini]

 

Thanks to Aunt Nini for setting this up!

 

Mimi

 

I don't know about you Mimi, but I'm ready to do it all over again!

 

To anyone trying to decide if they should use Nativeway...By all mean do. You will not be sorry. This was by far the best excursion I have ever taken. The link to my pictures from the Jewel includes some of Stingray sandbar and Rum Point. Check 'em out!