Turtle Farm $50 !!!!!!!!

[kremer91]

We shared a taxi to the turtle farm with some folks on Tuesday March 27th. We had kids and so did they so we thought it would be a good hour or so diversion from sitting on the beach all day. Everything I read, including a brochure in the cab on the way, said it was $7.50 to get in. Were we all surprised to learn admission is now $50. They made improvements but were all shocked at that much of an increase. I believe excursions booked on board allow about an hour there and cost around $30 for taxi there, to Hell and the beach. If you walk up to the door without an excursion expect to pay at least $50 US. We did not go in and heard from others that is is nice but not worth $50.

[voiceofid]

if anyone else was looking for other information, dw and i were at the hell/turtle farm/stingray excursion from ccl 3/25-4/1/07 and it was $74pp we were in the farm for about 45 minutes, the whole trip took about 5 hours, only juice was included, but the our tour guide clifford was nice and answered all the questions in our group and stopped at multiple landmarks

[hcat]

like everything else on Gr cayman--overpriced & usually overcrowded. No longer a favorite of ours!

[Tom Servo]

My wife and I were extremely disapointed in Grand Cayman overall after spending a day there last week. When we arrived at the turtle farm, we asked what the admission was and nearly fell over when the woman at the desk told us $50 per person without a guide, or $75 with one. Needless to say we left in disbelief.

[acromom]

Definitely overpriced. I contacted them via email to get information on price and this is what they sent me

 

Boatswain’s Beach is open seven days a week from 8:30am until 4:30pm. The cost to visit Boatswain’s Beach is US$35.00 for children between the ages of 2-12, and

US$75.00 for adults; children under 2 will have free admission to the Park

My daughter really wanted to see the sea turtles, but I am not paying that much money.

[bigaforj]

Went to GC in '03 and paid $7-$8 per person. Can't believe it is that high now. Wow.

 

If you really want to see sea turtles, put on a mask and fins and hang out on 7-mile-beach from 7-9am. They were everywhere. AND FREE. You can even see them from the shore.

[twinkletoes4445]

That's way too much money. The first time we visited GC, we were on a cruise, and we booked an island tour excurions through the ship. I think it was $29 per person, and that included admission to the old turtle farm.

 

The new facitilty is beautiful, but there's no way I'd spend that much for a guided tour of the place.

[TRIBE1959]

I'm booked next week on Island tour including Turtle Farm was $39 pp through ship.

[PSUengineer]

We shared a taxi to the turtle farm with some folks on Tuesday March 27th. We had kids and so did they so we thought it would be a good hour or so diversion from sitting on the beach all day. Everything I read, including a brochure in the cab on the way, said it was $7.50 to get in. Were we all surprised to learn admission is now $50. They made improvements but were all shocked at that much of an increase. I believe excursions booked on board allow about an hour there and cost around $30 for taxi there, to Hell and the beach. If you walk up to the door without an excursion expect to pay at least $50 US. We did not go in and heard from others that is is nice but not worth $50.

 

 

I am going through Captain Marvins in May to the Turtle Farm and Hell (including admission) for $25 pp. I doubled checked the price and he said that hte price would go up in the fall but is still $25pp now.

[sstephy]

The Turtle Farm used to be just that - a turtle farm. They've built up the whole area and it is now part of Boatswains Beach which includes a huge park, shopping, dining, swimming, and they're still building. I think what the $50 buys is a day pass to the whole park (or at least I'd hope so), :eek: but for people who just want to go into the Farm it's a shame they've priced it that way and are turning away so many customers. :( I think they may find out very shortly too many visitors are walking away and they're losing a lot of business.

Just my opinion, but I think they need to price the 'Beach' ala carte and let those who only want to see the turtles do just that.

 

I, too have been turned off by the expensive Cayman experience. There is very little to do and see and I'd rather the ship stop somewhere new. They've also recently built a huge skateboard park in addition to Boatswains Beach. I don't think they're going to attract too many cruise passengers, but they may prove me wrong. :cool: I vote to skip Grand Cayman altogether.

[R We There Yet?]

The more I read on these boards about the outrageous prices that are being charged for a shore excursion, other than going ashore long enough to put my big toe on land just to say I was there, the more I'm sure I'll be spending most of my time on the ship!

[caribbeansun]

If you want the best bang for the buck then skip the tourist trap places - rent a car and drive to Rum Point or explore the east end of the island on your own.

 

Grand Cayman is a beautiful island but unfortunately if you don't expand your possibilities beyond the "canned" experience you will never know what you can find.

 

Cayman is a perfect location for a beach day - just chill and relax!

 

Renting a car for the day will run you something like $50-$60

[OttoCal]

The Turtle Farm used to be just that - a turtle farm. They've built up the whole area and it is now part of Boatswains Beach which includes a huge park, shopping, dining, swimming, and they're still building. I think what the $50 buys is a day pass to the whole park (or at least I'd hope so), :eek: but for people who just want to go into the Farm it's a shame they've priced it that way and are turning away so many customers. :( I think they may find out very shortly too many visitors are walking away and they're losing a lot of business.

Just my opinion, but I think they need to price the 'Beach' ala carte and let those who only want to see the turtles do just that.

 

I, too have been turned off by the expensive Cayman experience. There is very little to do and see and I'd rather the ship stop somewhere new. They've also recently built a huge skateboard park in addition to Boatswains Beach. I don't think they're going to attract too many cruise passengers, but they may prove me wrong. :cool: I vote to skip Grand Cayman altogether.

 

Sstephy is right about the pricing and how that might really impact how many people go there. I was really interested in going to see the 'Turtle Farm' for a short visit and an inexpensive price. It looks like they have a splashy new facility, with many bells & whistles, that is going to be very nice. They consulted Disney for input on some parts. That had to be pricey. Looks like they are trying to turn it more into an all-day excursion, not a short stop at a farm. I was interested in the short stop at the farm so I could see some other things while at Grand Cayman, so I will probably scratch this from my 'things I would like to do in Grand Cayman' list :(

[hubofhockey]

If you want the best bang for the buck then skip the tourist trap places - rent a car and drive to Rum Point or explore the east end of the island on your own.

 

Grand Cayman is a beautiful island but unfortunately if you don't expand your possibilities beyond the "canned" experience you will never know what you can find.

 

Cayman is a perfect location for a beach day - just chill and relax!

 

Renting a car for the day will run you something like $50-$60

 

That Seven Mile Beach is among the best anywhere. To me, it's a waste to do an excursion at the expense of going to that beach. I'll be at Sea Grape on my cab "excursion" in about three weeks.

[charlsee]

That excursion to Hell is just the pits! We saw the turtle farm before it was gussied up, and it was interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it, and certainly I wouldn't pay $50 pp to visit it (even if Hell was thrown in for free!).

[frog lover]

We did a tour with Captin Marvins for $25 past the Govenors House, Gotti's place, the Olde Homestead Hell then to Turtle farm it was about 1.5 hours. Our Guide was awsome and we enjoyed the short tour that left us lots of time to play at the beach.

We got dropped off at 7 mile beach not sure what the bar on the beaches name was but we were glad to farther out on the beach. When we walked up the beach we came across the spot the boat books people into it was packed to packed you couldn't see the beach for the people.

If we do it again we will just take the bus to the beach and enjoy!;)

[SqueakyDust]

$50 pp?! So for our family of 4 it would be $200 - I'd expect a pet turtle thrown in for that price ;)

 

This was one of the things that I thought we'd do on our visit, but at that price they can forget it. If the ship offers the trip cheaper (along with something else) we may take it.

I don't see the point of just hitting a beach - we've a love beach here at home (shame we don't get the weather) so will have to look around for something else. Shame.

 

Thanks for the info though, it's the first I've read on this.

[Denycejac26]

I have read from the Boatswain's Beach page that you can snorkel in man made lagoons. Would anyone know if this is covered in the $50 or 75 admission fee?

 

I have also read you are able to "hold" the turtles...anyone had experience?

 

We are looking to stop here specifically for the turtle "experience"/farm so I would not mind paying if we would get those extras in the admin fee.

 

Thank you!!!

[TRIBE1959]

It's a little man-made lagoon don't think snorkelling would be interesting. You stand in a line guide hands you a turtle they take your picture you hand it to the next person. Whole park walk takes maybe half an hour. Okay as a tour inclusion would not make it a destination. The turtle did slap my DS17 so that was fun. LOL

[SqueakyDust]

I found their site yesterday and it did 'sound' much more than is being reported here. (clever PR?) But the price advertised (which I really had to search for) was $60 for ages 12+ and $29 for under 12s.

I too couldn't figure out if things mentioned were included in the entrance fee or if everything is 'extra'.

[leahsdad]

First time to GC we did the hell-7 mile-rum cake rip off tour and spent over $100 for a couple of drinks and salads at Margaritaville---felt totally ripped off by the whole experience

 

Second trip we rented a car from avis and drove ourselves to Rum Point--had lunch and drinks there---wonderful spot ---can't wait to get back again--great quiet beach day

 

Paul

[frog lover]

Do a google search of GC and book a private tour in March it was still $25 for our tour! You have 30 mins with the tours that was a little rushed but for $25 with transportation it's better than the $50 the charge to walk in?Yes you get to hold turtles our guide picked them up and passed them to us. DH was slapped by a turtle too!

They were still working on the lagoon when we were there it is like a water park (smaller version of ex-elha Mexico sorry don't know how to spell it) Captin Marvins was awsome!!!!!:D

[phopte]

We were there the first week of April. The entrance for the dry part was $50 for 13 and up and $75 to include the wet part. We did the dry part and after the sticker shock, we enjoyed it. You can pick up the turtles in one area by yourself; you don't have to have it handed to you. The snorkeling is in a man made lagoon with life guards posted. They are setting up a street scape to shot a "typical" GC street and life but it was not open yet. It looks pretty good and I got a few nice pictures. There is an aviary with a lot of local birds that you can go through.

 

The turtles were just plain awesome! I too had thought the price was less because if you search for "turtle farm Grand Cayman" you get the web site for the old farm. They moved it across the road to get away from storm surges that were causing them lots of damage. With the new facilities came new prices. If you look up boatswains beach you can find the info for the new place.

[dolfansam]

My family was going to go to the turtle farm on our own and now I am glad we are going to do the pirate encounter. I would not pay $50+ to see turtles. I am not that interested in them. They certainly do not have the same lure for me as the dolphins do.