RCI Stingray swim?

[dalitos]

I'm going on my first cruise in February :) and I am looking forward to trying the swimming with stingrays. Would you recommend RCI's Stingray City Swim & Snorkel in Grand Cayman? I looked at the company itself (stingraycity.com I think) to buy from them, but for only USD5 less I rather go with RCI and not take risks (delays, etc. :eek:).

Also, do I need to have any kind of scuba/snorkle experience? I have never done it before!

Thank you.

[Grits53]

I'm sure this will be about the same excursion as the Carnival one. First, you go to stingray city to play with the stingrays. You do not have to swim there, as the water is only about 3 or 4 feet deep. (See my avatar.) However, I have read on here that you should don your snorkel mask and float around to get a better view of the stingrays. The tour guide will provide snorkel equipment. After the stingray part, you get back on the boat and go farther out to a reef. That is where you do the snorkeling. We did this, but the water was so rough that day that I found it impossible to snorkel without swallowing half the ocean. So I gave up on it after a few minutes. (It was my very first time to snorkel.) However, the water is not always rough, and it will probably be nice and smooth for you. Whatever you do, don't miss the stingray tour. It is a MUST!!!

[w&k]

There are lots of tour operators that do stingray city, ranging from small trips to large boats, and catamarans.

 

If you have a choice, do a morning trip as the stingrays will be more abundant. As the day goes on, they do decrease in numbers as they have been fed all day long.

 

The sandbar varies from 2-4 feet deep depending on the tide and time of year. Having your mask on and snorkel in your mouth puts you right in the middle of the action.

 

We tried to do a stingray city dive trip last time we were in the Cayman, but unfortunately the wind was coming from the wrong direction, so we had to do two beautiful reef dives. Just another day in paradise...

 

Have a great time!

 

Wendy