Cayman Crystal Caves

[Ellaleah]

I am planning ahead for 12/20.  I am looking fir a less expensive option to see the Crystal Caves other than the ship excursion.  Majestic Tours appears to be good and much more affordable, but I will need to put together a group of at least 12.  Explore Cayman does not mention a minimum number of people and us just slightly more.  I am wondering if anyone has experience with either of these companies or if there might be some other suggestions.  Thank you for any input.

[kayjay76]

I've been searching for info on this as well. NCL doesn't offer an excursion to the caves so we've looked at any and all tours I can find. The problem with most is you can't just book 2 people. Also most want the money upfront and if you are booking 12 people that's a large amount to pay ahead. Here's what I have found....

This seems the best but you must book 6 people, 74 pp. And you only pay a deposit, not full amount... 

https://www.discountexcursions.com/tour/grand-cayman-crystal-caves-sightseeingtour-1/

This one looks great with a 4 person min but it's 89 pp.  https://www.caymansafari.com/cayman-adventures

 

this one is great if you can get 11 people for 65 pp. 

https://www.caytours.com/best-cayman-crystal-caves-and-sightseeing-group-tours $65  11 min people

theres a couple more but all around 79.99 with min 11 people to book pay up front. If you find anything better than those let me know as I leave in 2 weeks and am still looking 🙂

[bookbabe]

You could rent a car and drive there on your own.  It’s easy to find, about 2/3 of the way to Rum Point.  You can book the caves themselves online.

https://www.caymancrystalcaves.com

[AKR2011]

I went there and can definitely recommend, but my tour was private and expensive. It included lots of other things too. I would rent through Cayman Auto Rentals if you can, as they tend to be the cheapest. Also, the botanical gardens are not far and also a great place to check you. Both are doable in just a few hours.

[kayjay76]

Hi! So we just got back from our cruise and we did the Crystal Caves. We booked thru discountexcursions.com. You need 6 people to book the tour. But the great thing that other companies did not offer was you only pay a deposit, not the full amount. So the price was 74 or 79$ each and I think for 6 people I paid like 148$ deposit. The rest is paid when you arrive at the kiosk to meet your guide.

 

So.... After leaving the tender you'd go straight thru the main gates and there is a blue and yellow kiosk where you'll tell them your name and what you booked. We then paid the remainder balance. ( we had 1 person back out and we still had to pay for them, which is understandable). Our ship docked at 8am and our departure time for tour was 10am. We arrived about 20 min early so he took us right away and said he would take the scenic route to the caves. We met our driver who was very very nice. He walked us a few hundred feet out the port gates and took us to his shuttle van. The drive is about 40 min but it does go by fast and we learned quite a few facts about the island from him.

 

Once we arrived at the Caves, we are passed off to the cave tour guide. Our driver waited for us until our return about an hour and half later. Chester was our tour guide for the caves. There were us 5 and 5 others who took the tour at our time. Chester was great! He talked alot. I mean alot! But he was super funny and very personabe and would take pictures for anyone at anytime. And he talked alot. Did I say that already? 🙂

 

You 1st stop at the bathrooms and gift shop and can buy water or stop for a smoke for 10 min. Then the tour begins. There were 3 caves total. The caves were beautiful! All could be walked up-right in, not much bending at all. I absolutley recommend seeing them, it's like walking into a disney ride where the backdrop is magnificent but it's actually real. Once you're done... it's another pit stop break for 10 min then he drives you back to the main lot. Our driver was waiting for us and had us back to port in plenty of time by 1:15. He was even willing to drop us off closer to shops or even the beach access.

 

Few notes:

* Abosultley bring a drink or water. You can buy there but it's almost 4$ a bottle. And these caves are not cool like you think caves would be. They are slightly cooler than air temp and temp outside was about 82 degrees. Brings me to my next points....

 

* Wear light clothing if day is warm. We were drenched in sweat 15 min into the tour.

* AND halfway thru I remembered I had my portable fan in my pack. I gave it to my aunt who then proceeded to fan all the other women who were dying lol. They kept saying I was the most brilliant person in the world to think of a portable fan. Bring one if you have one or buy one on amazon for 15$. Best investment ever. ( I also used it at night next to my nightstand on the cruise 🙂

* wear sneakers!! I am so not a sneaker person but am happy I decided to stick them in my pack and changed from my sandal slides.

* The terrain is not tough but it's not super easy in some spots. You must watch your footing while walking. My aunt has walking issues and was able to do it but it was a bit tough on her knees. The other 5 people who joined us were older in the late 60's and they did fine but a slow pace. The short walk from each cave is super easy as they have a wooden walkyway or cleared paths between. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 for tough walking from start to finish.

 

All in all I give this excursion and 8.5 out of 10. Do it!!! 

[maryjaden]

On 1/19/2020 at 2:42 PM, AKR2011 said:

I went there and can definitely recommend, but my tour was private and expensive. It included lots of other things too. I would rent through Cayman Auto Rentals if you can, as they tend to be the cheapest. Also, the botanical gardens are not far and also a great place to check you. Both are doable in just a few hours.

Can you tell me who you went through?  We're looking for a private tour, not overly concerned about cost. 

[AKR2011]

15 hours ago, maryjaden said:

Can you tell me who you went through?  We're looking for a private tour, not overly concerned about cost. 

Cayman Safari Adventures! So many things included - caves, botantical gardens, historical site, lunch, Shoe Tree, blow holes, etc.

[maryjaden]

AKR211, Thank you!