too many ships at port?

[Jthegreat]

Leaving on the Encachantment this Sat and noticed for our stop and George Town, Cayman Islands there are 5 ships in port that day. Seems like a lot of people at one port. Those with experience w/ this many ships at one port, what can I expect. We are doing an early (8:30) excursion at Stingray city, and then on our own. Any advice?

 

Jay

[negc]

Expect large crowds especially in downtown Georgetown where the tenders drop passengers. The last time we were there the downtown area was so crowded that after we were there for half an hour, we turned around and took the next tender back to our ship. Once you are on tours, however, things should be better, but expect to see lots of people on Seven Mile Beach and near the piers where the tenders operate. Traffic may also be a problem so be sure to leave sufficient time to get back before the final tender heads back to the ship.

[MGoBlue2]

5-7 ships in GC is not unusual, so they're used to handling the crowds. Personally, if I were looking for something to be concerned about it would be whether the weather would let us get there at all. It's one of the most cancelled stops around.

[Nliedel]

Grrrooowwwlll. This is my all time biggest problem with cruising today. I love to cruise, I love the large ships but the ports are so overwhelmed. We are going to try a small ship and a boutique cruise next year for this very reason.

 

I thinK I will always sail RCI but will mix it up from now on.

[OPSoccermom]

There were 7 ships in GC when we were there last March.

 

While we were fortunate enough to make it ashore that day, it was way too crowded in the small downtown area and tender pier. Many excursions were either delayed or cancelled (not just RCI, but Carnival and Princess as well) because there was so much traffic around the downtown area that the transportation could not get there to pick people up. Our snorkle/Stingray City tour (RCI's Rays/Reeef Combo) ended up leaving 90 minutes late (we had to just stay at the tender pier during that time) and ended up so delayed that we never really got to the snorkle part of the tour - we ended up on the very last tender back to the ship.

 

I know GC is a beautiful island, and we were so looking forward to it as it was the only island we had not been to previously, but our experience was not pleasant.

[superjerryw]

Leaving on the Encachantment this Sat and noticed for our stop and George Town, Cayman Islands there are 5 ships in port that day. Seems like a lot of people at one port. Those with experience w/ this many ships at one port, what can I expect. We are doing an early (8:30) excursion at Stingray city, and then on our own. Any advice? Jay

 

You don't mention if you purchased your excursion from the cruise line or arranged it yourself. When we were in Grand Cayman one time there were several ships in port and too many tenders operating. Our tender had to wait in line for about 30 minutes before it could approach the tender pier dur to the large volume of tenders from all the ships. If you purchased your excursion from the cruise line you have nothing to worry about. If you purchased your excursion independently you might have a problem.

[blueboro]

On a 2003 Christmas cruise on the Brilliance, there were 11 ships in Cozumel. Talk about a crowded downtown area!!

[ronandannette]

Is there such a thing as low season on this itinierary? Specifically excluding hurrcanes which prevent island access, are there fewer ships stopping during the summer? We're booked for August 27, and have never been to the Caribbean (or on a Voyager class!) and are really hoping it will be quieter than winter time. Any feedback would be helpful.

[39august]

Go to cruisecal.com to see how many ships are in any port on any date.