Cayman bus service

[Pika8347]

So I've read that there is a very affordable bus service 'outside' the cruise port -see attached. Is there any 'catch' to these fares? To me, this seems like an excellent option for the four of us to see the major attractions contained on the island. Yes, I know there's there's a slight wait time and there's still and admission fee. 

 

Edit: prices are from 2021.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Pika8347
Prices are from 2021

[bookbabe]

Buses are mini-buses, and I personally wouldn’t take them to points outside of town when visiting by cruise ship.  They do not necessarily operate on a fixed and rigid schedule, and can be much less frequent outside of town, and might be full so you’d have to wait for the next one.  “Soon come” as is frequently said actually means exactly the opposite most times, and you can’t risk being on Island Time when visiting by cruise ship.

 

They are a great option for heading to the beach, maybe even Hell or the Turtle Farm, where you’d have good access to taxis as a backup for a speedy return to the ship.

 

Then again, your comfort level with the risk factor might be higher than mine.  So yes, those really are the one-way rates, no hidden extra costs.

Edited March 2, 2023 by bookbabe

[Pika8347]

11 hours ago, bookbabe said:

Buses are mini-buses, and I personally wouldn’t take them to points outside of town when visiting by cruise ship.  They do not necessarily operate on a fixed and rigid schedule, and can be much less frequent outside of town, and might be full so you’d have to wait for the next one.  “Soon come” as is frequently said actually means exactly the opposite most times, and you can’t risk being on Island Time when visiting by cruise ship.

 

They are a great option for heading to the beach, maybe even Hell or the Turtle Farm, where you’d have good access to taxis as a backup for a speedy return to the ship.

 

Then again, your comfort level with the risk factor might be higher than mine.  So yes, those really are the one-way rates, no hidden extra costs.

Excellent points! There's only two ship in port that day, so my logic was that it would easy to get back and forth. However, 'soon come' makes me very hesitant. Thank you for your insight!

[bookbabe]

24 minutes ago, Pika8347 said:

Excellent points! There's only two ship in port that day, so my logic was that it would easy to get back and forth. However, 'soon come' makes me very hesitant. Thank you for your insight!

They’re good buses, and not horribly erratic, or locals would never manage to use them to commute.  However, they aren’t really on the same type of rigid schedule that the buses in a major US city would be on.  
 

It’s the cruise ship factor that makes it scary IMO, since if there was a breakdown or accident you couldn’t just quickly grab a taxi to head back to the port instead, especially as far out as Rum Point or East End.  A taxi would likely have to be ordered from town, and would take up to 45 min to get to you, depending on where you were, and then the same back to the port.

 

Would I use them to head to Public Beach, Hell or the Turtle Farm?  Absolutely.  Cheap, friendly drivers, easy to use.  And in an unforeseen delay situation a taxi could get to me quickly enough that I wouldn’t miss the ship.