What is the bast stingray city excursion ?

[jessicarwills]

Just wondering everyones oppinion on the best trip to Stingray City? Any input is appreciated. Thanks Jessie:)

[ockelly]

We did this one last week...fabulous! A great value at $40 and 27 for kids. It included 2 different snorkle stops and time with the stingrays. We were able to feed the rays and actually hold one to have our photos taken...I've heard that some of the other snorkle/stingray trips are very crowded...ours was not. We met at their shop about 2 blocks from the cruise ship dock, took a short mini bus ride to their dock and had 3+ hours on the boat. We were back in plenty of time to have lunch, shop a little and make it back to the ship with time to spare. They also had a camera crew who made a video if you wanted to buy it..we did not, so I can't comment on that. Hope this helps.

[Eliot Ness]

We did the Nativeway Rays, Reef, and Rum Point tour last month and had a great time. The following two threads have some more info and some great pictures:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=381755

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=296735

 

John

[jessicarwills]

Thanks for all the GREAT advice !!!!! We are so excited for our first christmas cruise Thanks again Jessie:)

[BillyMetz]

ockelly, I just made a reservation with Captain Marvin for the day our cruise ship is in port. I have a group large enough that we just went ahead and paid a little extra to have a private charter. We will all know each other and will have a bit of flexibility as to when we move from spot to spot. It will be the same 3 hour tour that you took. Could you take a few more minutes and tell me more about the whole experience with them? I have read they are pretty good and great to work with.

[Peacefrog2180]

I too am most likely going to book with captin marvin for the 3 hr. sting ray and snorkel trip. I've heard very good things about them, and also about Nativeway as well.

 

kelly

[jessicarwills]

:) Thanks again everyone for all the great imput.!. Last time we were in Grand Cayman we got MARRIED!!!!, so we did not get to go on any excursions, this time we are looking forward to visiting the beach we were married at Smith cove, which is beautiful, and Stringray city!!!! Thanks Again Jessie

[ockelly]

ockelly, I just made a reservation with Captain Marvin for the day our cruise ship is in port. I have a group large enough that we just went ahead and paid a little extra to have a private charter. We will all know each other and will have a bit of flexibility as to when we move from spot to spot. It will be the same 3 hour tour that you took. Could you take a few more minutes and tell me more about the whole experience with them? I have read they are pretty good and great to work with.

 

Here's how our day went with them...the tour was scheduled 10:00-1:00. We were to meet at their office at 9:15. We found it easily, checked in and were on one of their busses in about 5 minutes headed to the other side of the island where the boats were docked. We were headed out to sea shortly befor 10:00 with 20-25 others on board. There was plenty of room and there was some shade available on board as well as a cooler full of drinks. Our first stop was a snorkle stop...the coral was unbelivable. After about 30 minutes in the water there, we moved on to Singray Sandbar. My 17 year old daughter who swore she wouldn't touch the rays, was the first one to jump in the water. The crew explained how to feed them and gave us a quick little lesson. They had a big bucked of squid so we could feed them. It was like nothing else. Then the crew caught one and we all had the opportunity to hold it and have our photos taken...Bring a water camera or 2 for this trip! After our time with the rays we went to the barrier reef to snorkle again. Much shallower there so you could really see everything very well. There were beautiful conch shells bigger than my head. They were protected so we put them back after taking a few pictures. We got back to the dock about 1:15 and the busses were waiting to take us back to the office. We saw the cruise ship sponsored trip arrive at the stingrays when we were leaving...the group was enormous. We paid so much less for a much better trip. We actually got to meet Captain Marvin...he's in his 90's and still looks great. I guess living in Grand Cayman will do that to you. Enjoy your trip!

[BillyMetz]

Thanks ockelly. You say in your response that you were on the boat with 20-25 other people. I reserved this as a private charter and am going to invite others to go with my wife and I. I am curious of the right amount. The lady at Captain Marvin's that I talked to said 20 is a really good number but I think I could have as many as 24 that would really like to go. In your opinion would that be OK. We will all know each other and are friends. I have a few other questions if you don't mind. You said you went to two other sites for snorkeling. We will do this as well. Are those sites also in shallow water where you can stand up, or are they in deep water. The answer to that may make a difference in who wants to go. I noticed in some of the other posts that some tour companies offer a video recorded during the trip. Did Captain Marvin offer that? And my last question. Can you describe what the boat is like. Obviously it must be a pretty good size to handle 25 people plus the crew.

 

Again thanks for your review.

[jessicarwills]

How did you book with Captain Marvin? Thanks Again Jessie:)

[luckyking]

Last December we used Soto's and they were great! They do the two stops, snorkeling first and then the stingrays. While snorkeling, out guide coaxed out the resident eel for all of us to see and while at the stingrays, they get one for you to hold and also provide the food to feed them. We had a photographer with us to catch it all on film and you can also request for them to take video. The DVD can be pricey ($50 I think) but it would be worth it if you have a large group. The tour was only $30/person and we were very happy with the service.

[ockelly]

Hopefully I can answer a few questions. Yes, there was a video crew on board, but I don't remember the price. There was no standing at the snorkle stops. One was too deep and the other was all coral. If you stand on coal it kills it. They did have life jackets on board, so even non-swimmers can just float without a problem. The crew also keeps an eye out for everyone, at least ours did. As for the boat, you could put 25 easily. The boat we were on had a top deck which was in the sun and held about 10 people or so. The lower deck had a covered area in the front and an open area in the back. Plenty of seating. Also, there is a head down in the galley, but we did not venture inside that part of the boat. I'm off to go pick up my photos today. If I get anything good, I'll try to post them here.

 

Kelly

[TennisLover]

I would love to do the stingray city and snorkling, but we have 3 small children in our group (4,6,8) who cannot do that. Any options for stingray city only and then to the beach? (we've been to GC before - even did stingray city before - but others in our group haven't - it's worth doing again).

 

I will look for Captain Marvin's web site -- maybe he has options there.

[FlashbackAlternatives]

I would love to do the stingray city and snorkling, but we have 3 small children in our group (4,6,8) who cannot do that. Any options for stingray city only and then to the beach? (we've been to GC before - even did stingray city before - but others in our group haven't - it's worth doing again).

 

I will look for Captain Marvin's web site -- maybe he has options there.

 

We are going with Captain Bryan later this month. We also will have small kids with us (4,5,7,8). My 7th old is looking forward to snorkling - she has been practicing in our pool. My 8 yr old nephew can also snorkle.

 

They will have vests to float, so as long as they have no problems putting their face in the water (my 4 yr old won't snorkle), they should be able to enjoy the snorkling part of the Stingray excursion. Also, the stop is only for about 30 minutes - we plan to alternate a parent/uncle/aunt on the boat to watch the kids who aren't snorkling.

 

Ed

[rosebud1g]

I just sailed the Miracle June 25, 2006 and did the stingray city

tour with captainmarvin. It was AWESOME! I called his 800 number

and booked a month in advance. We got off the ship walked down

the street to the left, paid, he provided a bus to his boat that took

us to the sand bar. We were on the boat with about 20 people

and when we arrived at the sandbar..... it was amazingly beautiful.

I took a digital picture and it is my desktop picture now on my computer!

A must is a waterproof camera to take into the water.

Captain Marivin was the captain of the ship and had 2 young men working

for him that got into the water and held the stingrays. They made

sure everyone on the boat got a turn to hold and kiss them. The water was shallow, about waist high, very calm, crystal clear.

my kids were scared at first, but were okay once they figured the rays

would not hurt them. Then the captain drove the boat not to far from

the stingray sandbar for us to snorkel. It was deep water. The fish

were amazing as Cpt Marvin fed them. They were everywhere!

The coral was amazing as well. I wore a life vest even though the water

was very calm it was deep. Then we boarded the boat to go back.

We did the 8:30-10:30 tour. The cost was $40, and carnivals was $70.

I would go again with Captain Marvin. This was a lifelong memory!

I took a picture of him with my kids! If anyone wants to see pics

email me.... Rosebud1g@msn.com

 

happy sailing!

[rosebud1g]

his web site is

C A P T A I N M A R V I N S. C O M

it gives his phone number and prices as well.

[Cruisekrazy63]

I have done stingray city twice and would go with Nativeways before anyone else, less crowded and the owners, Sharon and Eldon are great to deal with.

i used another company before and it was so crowded and we only got to stay at the sandbar with the rays about 30 minutes. Call oe email Nativeways, you won't be sorry!

[jessicarwills]

Thanks again everybody for the great information !!!!!:) Jessie

[felixdacat]

I have nothing bad to say about them. Our boat was not that crowded. They made 2 stops, a 30 minute snorkel and then stingray city. WE had 4 kids, ages 7, 5, and 3 1/2 3 1/2. It was no problem for them, and my 7 year old even tried the snorkeling.

 

sandy

[luvtocruise52]

On our last cruise (Rhapsody), we had done the Stingray City/snorkeling excursion with Nativeway Watersports, and they were so great, we decided to use them again for the “Rays, Reef, and Rum Point Tour” ($60 pp for adults, $45 for age 10 and under; snorkeling gear provided). These guys are amazing! We only had 18 people on the tour and got LOTS of personal attention and time with the rays at Stingray City. Thye made sure everyone had as much or as little interaction as they wanted. At the snorkeling stop, Sheldon lured a nurse shark out of its cave for us to “pet” while it swam around, and also got a moray eel to come out for a swim. Rum Point is a really beautiful beach, and the food included in the tour price was excellent. (You order from a grill menu while on the boat and they have it ready for you when you arrive at the beach.) We bought the DVD of our tour from the videographer ($65). It was well done and brought back wonderful memories.

[deputy836]

MOBY DICK TOURS by far...they were great...nice people, clean boat, smaller boat (holds about 40 people) which was nice...we didn't have to fight with a lot of people to get near the Stingrays...fun time on the ride there! book ahead of time....but they do have a stand at the dock

[Curtis6978]

We took capt bryans buccaneer catamaran on Jul 11, it was great, maybe 20 25 people on board, 3 stops for about $40 per person, the guides were great and the ride back with the sail up was very relaxing. whomever you choose, have a blast!:D

[mcfaddensfarm]

We are booked with Freedom of the Seas in early October. Our ship arrives in Georgetown, Grand Cayman at 9:00 am. I know there have been some posts from others about this, but I figure since some of you have actually done this tour you could help me out--

Are we arriving at 9:00 am ship time or Grand Cayman time? On Captain Marvin's site it says they operate on Eastern Standard Time. I was a little confused about the times when I originally booked, so just to be safe I booked the "short" tour that starts at 11:15 am (we meet at 10:45 am.) Would we have actually been able to do the longer 3 hour tour that starts at 10:00 am (meeting at 9:15 am) if there is some kind of time difference between the ship and the island? Sorry if this sounds confusing, but I'm confused myself...

[Curtis6978]

they are on eastern time, but they do not observe daylight savings time... thus in the summer they are an hour behind... in the fall and winter they are the same as philadelphia new york etc...

[ranchingal]

Two words.

 

Red Baron

 

Just posted a mini review up above this thread.

Here is the link http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/RedBaronSailingCharters.htm