Submarine? here or in cozukmel

[tuliene]

Has anyone done the submarine ride. The one in cayman is called the atlantis submarine expedition. The one in cozumel is also called atlantis. Are these tacky. I have a 5 yr old son. thanks.

[drew sailbum]

What would possibly be tacky about it?

 

The Atlantis submarine is a real working sub. Seating is adequate, and two people share each porthole as I recall.

 

It is probably one of the cooler things you can do to see the underwater world short of scuba diving.

 

You get a tour of the reef with commentary. On many of their tours they pass by an underwater art installation; a statute of a mermaid.

 

Sometimes you can see scuba divers out exploring the reef since the areas covered are popular shore diving sites. Having been in the position of the diver, I found it an irrestible lure to explore the outside of the sub, complete with odd approaches to the portholes.

 

Occasionally Atlantis puts their own divers into the water with some bait to attract fish right up to the porthole glass.

[vmom]

We met a couple on our ship who had done both the sub in Cozumel a few years back and did the sub in Grand Cayman. They much preferred the sub in Grand Caymen. They said they went down 100 ft. Highly recommended it. Said the coral was in much better condition in GC than in Cozumel.

[tuliene]

Thanks. Exactly the info I wanted

[TheWog]

We did it in St. THomas and not tacky at all. DS was 6 at the time and still talks about it. Good luck.

[Laurab23]

We did the one in Grand Cayman in Oct and loved it. It was not very crowded so we had alot of room to turn around and look at stuff behind us.You can walk to the tour place from the pier and book it right there and save yourself a few bucks!

 

Laura

[waterbabe40]

One thing to be aware of is that quite frequently, being underwater looking out the portholes makes many people nauseous. Two out of our party of four could not take it.

[hcat]

we did the one in Cozumel before the reefs were damaged--It was truly awesome. Not sure how the reef is at this point.... the staff was very professional & anyone who felt closed in could sit at the end & go up on deck at anytime--the whole ship does not go under!

the seats were comfortable & with the flsh turned off we got great photos esp when they fed the fish. I am generally claustrophoic but had no problem...

[Host Star]

Has anyone done the submarine ride. The one in cayman is called the atlantis submarine expedition. The one in cozumel is also called atlantis. Are these tacky. I have a 5 yr old son. thanks.[/quot

i would recommend the nautilus semi submersible sub to see more fish.. the atlantis was a disappointment as it goes down so deep and in a sandy area where not many fish are..

[nomoreknothead]

How is the best way to get to the turtle farm if that is all we want to do? We are not interested in doing an excursion that includes hell and snorkling. We were just thinking about going to the turtle farm. Can we just catch a cab and do the turtle farm on our own? Any Help?

[Calicruisefamily]

How is the best way to get to the turtle farm if that is all we want to do? We are not interested in doing an excursion that includes hell and snorkling. We were just thinking about going to the turtle farm. Can we just catch a cab and do the turtle farm on our own? Any Help?

 

 

 

 

Yes you can catch a taxi. We went last month with a tour and I did see taxis out front waiting. Have a great time !

Cali :)

Monarch Baja 11/30/07

Voyager W. Caribbean 12/06

Voyager E. Caribbean 11/05

S.S. Azure Seas Baja 11/90

[flamingo33417]

My wife and I were on the Grand Cayman Sub last year. It was one of the most enjoyable things that we have done and we have taken over 30 cruises.

It is costly..but you get what you pay for on these shore excursions. You can walk to where you board from the dock that you are tendered to from your ship.:)

[flamingo33417]

My wife and I were on the Grand Cayman Sub last year. It was one of the most enjoyable things that we have done and we have taken over 30 cruises.

It is costly..but you get what you pay for on these shore excursions. You can walk to where you board from the dock that you are tendered to from your ship.:)

[flamingo33417]

In my last post...I neglected to make a suggestion. if you decide against the Sub...you might want to take a cab for 20 minutes and ask to be taken to Pedro St. James. It is a GREAT house that was the first substantial building on the island that is still standing. It has a cafe for lunch and a neat museum with a show. If that isnt for you try a tour to the Sting Rays. it is great but they might not want your youngster for age and height reasons. I will attempt to attach a story I wrote about Pedro St. Jamres... let me know what you finally did there : :)

 

PEDRO ST. JAMES

 

Ask any one that has been on a cruise and you will find that they have probably visited the island of Grand Cayman. In fact, it seems that almost every ship traveling to the Caribbean has this port listed as one of its stops.

I too have visited there and found that I had been on every one of the land excursions that is offered by the tour companies. For those who have found this to be the case and even for those who may soon travel to that area, I have discovered a place that is just coming into public attention and is seldom mentioned by tour operators

Just a 20 minute taxi ride from the pier at a cost of about $ 5.00 per person

you can enjoy visiting a place called Pedro St. James. This is a recently restored great house that was formerly known as Pedro Castle. It is believed to be the oldest known existing stone structure in the Cayman Islands. Originally built of quarried native rock around 1780, at the time the population was about 400 people and half of them were slaves.

Situated on a 7.65 acre property , it was purchased in 1991 by the government to be developed as Cayman’s first national landmark and tourist attraction.

At one time this palatial property was said to have been a hotel and restaurant , a popular watering hole and hideout for pirates. In May 1835 The Great House served as the birthplace of the freedom from slavery and as the government site for the residents of the Island. Several fires and hurricanes devastated the main building and the Cayman Island government spent more than (US ) 8 Million dollars in the acquisition and preparation of the property as a national heritage during the 1990s.

The first floor houses the jail, store rooms, kitchen and pantry . A bake oven and outdoor kitchen on the building’s outside are recreations of the original estate. On the second level are rooms that contained the courtroom and dining room and are surrounded by wide mahogany floored verandahs. The third floor also surrounded by wide porches, held the sleeping rooms, all furnished as in the previous centuries.

 

At the end of a quiet , mango and mahogany shaded road overlooking a limestone bluff and the endless expanse of blue ocean, the estate has been enhanced with a visitors center that was completed in December 1998 at the cost of over 1.5 million dollars. It includes five buildings in 19th century architectural style. One building houses a 49 seat state of the arts multimedia theater featuring a 20 minute video presentation on Pedro St. James and highlights of 200 years of Cayman history. The other facilities include a gift shop and a café. Interpretative displays and signs throughout the great house and magnificent grounds allow self-guided tours but guides are also available.

For those who wish to do more than swim with the sting rays and visit the turtle farm , here is a place to see the Caribbean Islands as they were originally developed.

Admission to the property is from 8:30 AM –5:30 PM daily. The multi-media show

starts on the hour from 10 A M to 4 PM. The admission is $8.00 for adults and for children ages 6 to 12 years is $4.00 You can learn more of this fascinating place on Grand Cayman at http://www.pedrostjames.ky

 

 

 

Written especially for the Condo News August 12, 2004

587 words (sshotz@hotmail.com)

[Noni]

I see the tour of 90 minutes through Royal Caribbean is at a cost of $94. How much cheaper is it to go to the dock and book? Do they go out several times a day? Is the location of booking to the right or left when you tender in? Thanks for any and all info. We will be in GC in 3 weeks.

[nimbex1970]

very easy to catch a cab, just negotiate the price before you leave with an estimated pick up time. It doesn't take more than an hour or so with the turtles, its small but still a neat thing to do.

[nomoreknothead]

Anyone have any idea of how much the cab fare should be approx.? I have no idea and don't want to get ripped off!

 

 

How much is it to get into the turtle farm?

[flamingo33417]

If you are facing the street it will be to your right just a few yards to the office and the place where you are to meet. I am not aware of any pricing It is somewhat costly..but you get what you pay for in sightseeing.:)

[Noni]

The submarine it will be. I did not realize that you can book it on shore. I agree with the fact that we are on vacation and $5 or $10 is not going to sway us in a decision of what excursion we wish to take. It would be like going to the movies and NOT having popcorn!!!! We are on vacation for R & R and are not going to worry about nickels and dimes.

I am getting excited as we take off for Miami in only 16 days to board the Explorer on the 28th. I will start getting clothes together this weekend.

Thanks for all the info.

[acromom]

My family and I are going to GC in June. We are planning on going on the submarine tour. I have heard many good things about it. If you do decide to go, book it directly with Atlantis Adventures and not through the cruise line. The cruiseline charges $100 per person. Atlantis Adventures charges $79 for adults, $69 for teens and $49 for children.