First cruise & I need help

[gatorslayer]

My wife and I are going on our first cruise in Jan. We are doing the 6 night western car. on the Carnival Liberty. We are stopping in Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.

I am completely lost when it comes to the shore excursions. I have heard that it is best to do the excursions through a private company instead of the cruise line for the reasons of money and crowds. The main reason I would do the private excursions would be to avoid the crowds. I would actually pay more if I can avoid crowds. But my main concern with the private companies would be getting to and from the ship in a timely manner. I would hate to miss the ship because the company I choose is late getting us back. (I know that most of you are probably laughing at me right now; but again, this is my first cruise and I a clueless).

Since this is a Cayman board, are there any suggestions that anyone can give me for Grand Cayman. We are there from 7am to 4pm so I would like to do something high activity. (We’re in our mid 20’s and love high activity type things.) I would also like to do something relaxing (I am thinking about the 7 mile beach or Rum point. Which is better?)

Thanks a buch

[CanadianEh!]

hey my wife and i and another couple are on the legend in Jan week of the 20th

 

we are booking String ray sand bar, Turtle farm, Hell tour, and then a drive by 7 mile beach via nativewaywatersports dot com they seem to come rather highly recommended oh yeah and rum factory but i think it is more cake but hey food is ok to :)

 

i have talked to Sharon and she says the tour starts at 9:30 runs for 4 hrs and native way is actually guaranteeing having people back to pier by 1:45-2:00. from what i understand to if you are coming out of florida on your cruise the grand caymans and Florida are on the same time in the winter.

 

just a thought my wife really wants to send a postcard from hell or else we would just do the stingrays, reef and rum tour.

 

not sure if it helps but it is our first cruise so i have the same fear as you but like people say these companies know what they are doing or else they would not be in business anymore.

[Purifyer]

here are a couple of web sites that may help.

http://www.caymanislanddiscounts.com

http://www.grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com

http://www.shoretrips.com

http://www.*******************.com/Sightseeing.htm

 

my wife and i will be doing the thriller boat ride. you can go to their site at

http://www.thrillercayman.ky

 

hope this helps.

[Purifyer]

http://www.*******************.com

 

sorry

[Purifyer]

okay, can't get this one to work. i'm sure the other ones will help.

[CanadianEh!]

okay, can't get this one to work. i'm sure the other ones will help.

 

just write it out like (name of company) dot com/sightseeing.html the software is looking for common company names you know no advertising :)

[texascop2]

Dont worry about using comapnies other than the cruise line. I have done it more than once and was always glad I did. Less crowded and way cheaper and all were very professional.

 

Congrats on your first cruise. One is all it takes to get you addicted.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We use private tours almost all the time--they're usually cheaper, less crowded and better quality. The last straw for us was our first time in Grand Cayman when we did the ship's tour and my husband, and a whole row of other people, had to sit on jump-seats in the aisle of the mid-size tour bus. Your really see a lot on a sightseeing tour from this position! Ha!

 

We try to make sure to use reputable companies, which we usually find by researching on these boards. We are concerned about getting back to the ship on time too and choose tours that give as much leeway as possible at the end of the tour in case the unexpected happens. In other words, we don't book a tour that seems as if it might be tight getting back to the ship.

 

My personal preference is to be back at the pier at least one hour before departure. If I wanted a certain tour that is very long, then I might book a cruise tour; otherwise, no way.

[Gabrielle R.]

We started Cruising 15 years ago and it all started with Carnival- Have fun! We have been to Grand Cayman a few different times. Sometimes your boat cannot tender in due to bad weather, just a heads up for you.

 

With excursions at Grand Cayman, you can google Grand Cayman and find stuff. If you like snorkeling We have done Captain Marvin- WE only had 25 people at Sting Ray City. We saw a double decker catamaran pull in- it was from a cruise ship! We had a great experience with Captain Marvin. Native Ways and Moby Dick tours and I believe Captain Bryan have had great reviews on this board. These companies really try to take great care of their cruise passenger guests. They will make sure you aren't charged if your trip to Grand Cayman is canceled by the cruise ship due to bad weather. They also offer a lot of good tours.

 

As a side note, when you go to Key West, If you enjoy a fun bar, go to Irish Kevin's AWESOME Bar It's just a fun place to go. You can do most of the things in Key West without a ship sponsored tour. The Mel Fisher Museum is near the down town area- great stuff for treasure hunter buffs, or if you want to hold an old gold brick from a Spanish Galleon in your hands. (Worth about $5,000+ today). Just a side note for you. Hope some of this helped! Gabrielle