Grand Cayman 7 mile beach, should we stay or should we go?

[my kids mama]

Doing a small 5 day getaway on the Sensation in October.  Just booked recently to get away from work for a few days.  I have been on the sister ship and I know what to expect there.  I was excited that this cruise had 2 ports that we haven't been to yet.  Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.  In Ocho Rios we will probably do Dunn's River Falls since we have never been.  Might look at Dunn's River/beach tour. Now to decide what to do in Grand Cayman.  I hear the ray tour and/or ray snorkeling tours are great. We did something similar in Belize on another cruise and we loved it!   I also just LOVE the beach!  A crowded touristy beach where the chairs all lined up and I am afraid to leave my stuff, not so much.  I live in Denver and want to take every opportunity to see and experience the beach any chance I get.  Is 7 mile beach really worth it or not? I did some reading but I am still undecided.  I would appriciate any advice that you have.  Thanks in advance. 

[Tampa Bay Irish]

7 mile beach in Grand Cayman is a nice Caribbean beach. Not a lot to it. Typically not crowded. Somewhat featureless. I think you can do better in Grand Cayman. Book a private excursion to Stingray City (that will typically be paired with a snorkel trip as well), go to Hell (rock formation) or the Turtle Farm. Don’t take the ship excursion to Stingray City unless you like overpaying and really like crowds. Go with a private vendor. There are several good ones. Occasionally the reef and Stingray City are “closed.” If that happens you always have 7 Mile Beach as a backup plan. And don’t be afraid of the stingrays. They are like puppies. 

[my kids mama]

12 minutes ago, Tampa Bay Irish said:

7 mile beach in Grand Cayman is a nice Caribbean beach. Not a lot to it. Typically not crowded. Somewhat featureless. I think you can do better in Grand Cayman. Book a private excursion to Stingray City (that will typically be paired with a snorkel trip as well), go to Hell (rock formation) or the Turtle Farm. Don’t take the ship excursion to Stingray City unless you like overpaying and really like crowds. Go with a private vendor. There are several good ones. Occasionally the reef and Stingray City are “closed.” If that happens you always have 7 Mile Beach as a backup plan. And don’t be afraid of the stingrays. They are like puppies. 

Thanks Tampa

I am Irish too!  I like stingrays.  I agree they are like puppies if they are getting fed.  We will probably book one excursion with carnival as we have some OBC to use.  Maybe we can use that to book Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios.  Are the local companies pretty good about getting you back in time?  I always take that into account when it's a tender port. I would assume they would be as it's their livelihood.  

[Amadawn1]

Definitely recommend Stingray City.  On our last trip we used Captain Marvin's.  Much better than the ship's Stingray City excursion.  My second time and I can't wait to do it again.  It was paired with snorkeling, and the snorkeling was fantastic, too.  You can't go wrong.  The private excursions have way fewer people, so you get a much better up close and personal with the stingrays.  Best excursion ever for me.

[my kids mama]

7 minutes ago, Amadawn1 said:

Definitely recommend Stingray City.  On our last trip we used Captain Marvin's.  Much better than the ship's Stingray City excursion.  My second time and I can't wait to do it again.  It was paired with snorkeling, and the snorkeling was fantastic, too.  You can't go wrong.  The private excursions have way fewer people, so you get a much better up close and personal with the stingrays.  Best excursion ever for me.

Thank you Amadawn!  The water is my happy place and just looking at your picture made me feel happy!  I loved the excursion we did in Belize that was similar.  Did you snorkel on a reef?  Was it colorful and "fishy"?

Edited August 9, 2019 by my kids mama

[Amadawn1]

7 minutes ago, my kids mama said:

hank you Amadawn!  The water is my happy place and just looking at your picture made me feel happy!  I loved the excursion we did in Belize that was similar.  Did you snorkel on a reef?  Was it colorful and "fishy"?

We were lucky that day.  Sometimes it gets windy there, so they have to use alternate snorkeling sites.  They took us to a fantastic reef where we saw many fish, stingrays and coral.  It was also fun to watch people diving below us. (Not that brave myself).  the guides know all the stingrays by name, believe it or not.  They are not in captivity, though.  They come to Stingray Sandbar on their own because each company is allowed to bring a certain amount of squid to feed them.  They will allow you to feed them the squid, too.  Scared my DH to death, because the stingray sucked the squid AND his finger into it's mouth.  It was too funny.  But anyways, the water is fantastic and the experience is like no other.  The sandbar is only in about 4 feet of water (wind currents may affect the calm of the water, though)  Hope you get a chance to enjoy!

[my kids mama]

2 minutes ago, Amadawn1 said:

We were lucky that day.  Sometimes it gets windy there, so they have to use alternate snorkeling sites.  They took us to a fantastic reef where we saw many fish, stingrays and coral.  It was also fun to watch people diving below us. (Not that brave myself).  the guides know all the stingrays by name, believe it or not.  They are not in captivity, though.  They come to Stingray Sandbar on their own because each company is allowed to bring a certain amount of squid to feed them.  They will allow you to feed them the squid, too.  Scared my DH to death, because the stingray sucked the squid AND his finger into it's mouth.  It was too funny.  But anyways, the water is fantastic and the experience is like no other.  The sandbar is only in about 4 feet of water (wind currents may affect the calm of the water, though)  Hope you get a chance to enjoy!

Ok you convinced me.  Definitely going to do this.  Since it's October, I know Mother Nature might not be kind, but you never know. 

 

[Amadawn1]

October will likely be a perfect month.  It's a roll of the dice in the Caribbean, but we've had great luck in October. Have fun!

[panoramaofthepast]

Find an excursion that combines Sting Ray City with Rum Point - nice beach that usually isn't crowded, with a restaurant that serves decent food, though nothing unusual.

[Amadawn1]

20 minutes ago, panoramaofthepast said:

Find an excursion that combines Sting Ray City with Rum Point - nice beach that usually isn't crowded, with a restaurant that serves decent food, though nothing unusual.

Yes!  I believe we did that excursion the first time through Native Way Watersports.  I would love to use them again.  We're still a year and half out from our next Grand Cayman visit.  I heard that they were difficult to book individually of late because they were kind of contracted to one of the cruise lines.  Native Way was our first Stingray Sandbar/Snorkel/Rum Point with lunch excursion in 2014. I am hoping to be able to book them for April 2021.

[Micahs Grandad]

7 mile beach is a nice beach not that crowded, every 1/4 mile or so a bar on the beach renting out chairs

[FTLCruiseGal]

How many ships are in port the same day as you?  I was just in Cayman and asked the taxi driver to take us to a nice, uncrowned beach.  He took us to called Public Beach as Calico Jacks is there and you can rent chairs and such.  Beach was so crowded, we couldn’t get a chair.  The chairs that were next to Calico Jack’s that we’re “for rent” were reserved and roped off.  There is a hotel next to the beach, but their chairs are private and they do not rent them out.  Area is under construction to add some vendor booths and such.  The people were rude — not the locals, fellow cruisers from other ships.  Maybe it was because it was hot and crowded, but it just wasn’t pleasant.  

 

If there are more than two ships in port that day, I would definitely avoid Public Beach.  

[Tampa Bay Irish]

We have used Captain Marvin before for snorkeling and Stingray City and have been very pleased. I have also heard good things about Native Way as well. Don’t go on a ship sponsored tour of Stingray City. Use your onboard credit elsewhere (steakhouse, gift shop, on board liquor store).

[tattoos]

We had a totally different experience at Calico Jacks.

 

We have been to Grand Cayman a few times and booked an excursion to Stingray City three times and two of those times, there were so many boats with hundreds of people in the water, it was not enjoyable.  The rays were swimming from one group to another, sucking up the squid and moving on.  We went three times because we were traveling with different people who had never been there.  The first time was enjoyable, after that it was been there, done that.

 

The last time we visited Grand Cayman, we were the only ship there and took a shared bus to Calico Jacks on 7 Mile Beach.  We were one of the first groups to arrive and rented chairs at the water line and a floating mat.  I filled my insulated bottle with rum and coke before I left the ship so I didn't have to spend money on alcoholic beverages.  We shared fish sandwiches and french fries (very good) and we also brought snacks with us.  The water was beautiful, the sand was soft, we swam, walked the beach, snorkeled, and just relaxed.  Most of the people there were from the ship and we took turns watching our gear with friends we made sitting next to us so my family could all go in the water together.  The workers at Calico Jacks were very accommodating.  We loved it there and wouldn't hesitate to go back.  

[pooksma]

Grand Cayman is one of my fav stops. I LOVE the beach there and am quite content to go to the beach and not do excursions. It really depends on what you want to do. We usually do a walk around for a bit after the beach. Last trip we returned to Royal Palms and spent a beautiful day just walking the beach, people watching and soaking up the sun.

 

Do what makes you happy and enjoy!

[RWolver672]

Another vote here for Captain Marvin.  Jerry, the boat captain told us how to shuffle around the rays and how to feed them without letting them suck your fingers into their mouths.  When we got to the spot, he jumped in with the rest of us and as another poster mentioned, he knew their names and their history.  He even gave me a back rub with one of them.

 

He then took us to another spot for snorkeling.  When we got done and got back in his boat, he sprayed us down with warm fresh water to get rid of the salt water.  We got back in plenty of time to do some shopping and grab a meal from a restaurant right by the water.  We did do one of the earliest excursions that they offered.

 

We had to give a credit card to hold the reservation.  They took the number but never charged us until we got there.  Had the ship not been able to anchor, we would not have been charged.  That's something to definitely look at when making reservation with any outside vendor.

 

[my kids mama]

On 8/9/2019 at 5:03 AM, FTLCruiseGal said:

How many ships are in port the same day as you?  I was just in Cayman and asked the taxi driver to take us to a nice, uncrowned beach.  He took us to called Public Beach as Calico Jacks is there and you can rent chairs and such.  Beach was so crowded, we couldn’t get a chair.  The chairs that were next to Calico Jack’s that we’re “for rent” were reserved and roped off.  There is a hotel next to the beach, but their chairs are private and they do not rent them out.  Area is under construction to add some vendor booths and such.  The people were rude — not the locals, fellow cruisers from other ships.  Maybe it was because it was hot and crowded, but it just wasn’t pleasant.  

 

If there are more than two ships in port that day, I would definitely avoid Public Beach.  

Thank you.  I believe its 2 ships.  We will be on the Carnival Sensation but the Disney Fantasy will also be there.   A possible total of 6,364 people. 

Edited August 11, 2019 by my kids mama
typo

[my kids mama]

On 8/9/2019 at 6:58 AM, tattoos said:

We had a totally different experience at Calico Jacks.

 

We have been to Grand Cayman a few times and booked an excursion to Stingray City three times and two of those times, there were so many boats with hundreds of people in the water, it was not enjoyable.  The rays were swimming from one group to another, sucking up the squid and moving on.  We went three times because we were traveling with different people who had never been there.  The first time was enjoyable, after that it was been there, done that.

 

The last time we visited Grand Cayman, we were the only ship there and took a shared bus to Calico Jacks on 7 Mile Beach.  We were one of the first groups to arrive and rented chairs at the water line and a floating mat.  I filled my insulated bottle with rum and coke before I left the ship so I didn't have to spend money on alcoholic beverages.  We shared fish sandwiches and french fries (very good) and we also brought snacks with us.  The water was beautiful, the sand was soft, we swam, walked the beach, snorkeled, and just relaxed.  Most of the people there were from the ship and we took turns watching our gear with friends we made sitting next to us so my family could all go in the water together.  The workers at Calico Jacks were very accommodating.  We loved it there and wouldn't hesitate to go back.  

Thank you.  That sounds like a great day!

[my kids mama]

13 hours ago, pooksma said:

Grand Cayman is one of my fav stops. I LOVE the beach there and am quite content to go to the beach and not do excursions. It really depends on what you want to do. We usually do a walk around for a bit after the beach. Last trip we returned to Royal Palms and spent a beautiful day just walking the beach, people watching and soaking up the sun.

 

Do what makes you happy and enjoy!

Do you mean a beach close to the ship and you just walk there?  

[pooksma]

10 hours ago, my kids mama said:

Do you mean a beach close to the ship and you just walk there?  

No, we take a cab/van to the Royal Palms. Cost last time for 4 was $16. You also pay an entrance fee and anything else you choose to use (beach chair, cabana, drinks etc.) Check out their site.

Edited August 11, 2019 by pooksma

[my kids mama]

Ok, so we decided to do a beach day as we have done a similar stingray excursion in Belize.  A beautiful beach is my happy place so now we just have to decide which beach to go to.  Would probably like to do some close to shore snorkeling.  Cemetery beach looks beautiful but has no services.  

[rcprncss]

On 8/8/2019 at 9:06 PM, my kids mama said:

Thanks Tampa

I am Irish too!  I like stingrays.  I agree they are like puppies if they are getting fed.  We will probably book one excursion with carnival as we have some OBC to use.  Maybe we can use that to book Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios.  Are the local companies pretty good about getting you back in time?  I always take that into account when it's a tender port. I would assume they would be as it's their livelihood.  

I would definitely book through the ship in Jamaica.  I would feel safer that way.  We did Dunns Rivers Falls the first time we went to Ocho Rios.  Loved it.  Back then, it wasn't so crowded.  We did it several years later, it was crowded.  

 

I also used Native Ways for Stingray City and Rum Point. It was great!!!!  Love Rum Point.  But this was our second or third time there.  Grand Cayman is more expensive than other islands.  Good luck!

[tattoos]

The first thing I inquire about when booking an excursion or traveling on our own, "is there restroom facilities there"?  If the answer is, "yes", then we proceed from there.  A lot of people are way more adventurous than I am and travel on their own to beaches that have no facilities at all.  Traveling with grandchildren precludes me from being so adventurous.  I require a beach or excursion with restrooms, food, beverages, and lounge chair and umbrella rentals.

[cb at sea]

Lots of beach areas along 7 mile beach have what you want.  Seagrape/Calico Jacks areas is one that has all you're looking for.  Just remember that Caribbean beaches are narrow, so there isn't a lot of beach area to "spread out", like there is on our East Coast!   But, it's a lovely beach and you'll have a great day!

[Rala]

15 hours ago, cb at sea said:

Lots of beach areas along 7 mile beach have what you want.  Seagrape/Calico Jacks areas is one that has all you're looking for.  Just remember that Caribbean beaches are narrow, so there isn't a lot of beach area to "spread out", like there is on our East Coast!   But, it's a lovely beach and you'll have a great day!

Please amend  the above post to SOME Caribbean beaches are narrow, not ALL of them (ex. Magen's Bay , Aruba, and others).  We have been to many Caribbean beaches and have been able to "spread out" on several.  I don't think CB has ever been anywhere else except Grand Cayman 7-mile beach to which I'm sure she took the bus! 😉