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Sting Ray Excursions


FishPunkin

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My two kids (age 11 and 14) both want to do a stingray excursion, which are available at most all of the ports on the Triump (Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk). I'm wondering if anyone has done one of these and would like your opinions.

 

I also can't help but wonder if it's like a whale watching cruise where you're not "guaranteed" to see one. Are there lots or just a few.

 

Thanks!

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There are hundreds, if not thousands, at the sandbar in G. Cayman. You'll be given food [raw fish] to feed them. Cruise ship pax are one of the main food suppliers for the young rays that inhabit the sandbar

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There are hundreds, if not thousands, at the sandbar in G. Cayman. You'll be given food [raw fish] to feed them. Cruise ship pax are one of the main food suppliers for the young rays that inhabit the sandbar

 

But they are not going to Grand Caymen.....

 

I cannot speak for that tour in your ports of call as I have only done Sting Ray City/Rum Point in Grand Caymen...

 

Perhaps others can advise more or go to the "Ports of Call" section for more input.

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We did this in HMC this year. I do not have anything else to compare it to but....it just wasn't great. We are planning on doing it in Cayman next year. At HMC, you are in a SMALL enclosed area. You are not allowed to stand because of the coral. The water was not clear. This was my 1st time snorkeling and w/ sting rays. I am glad we did it but glad it only cost like $30. I expect Cayman to be WOW!

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Grand Cayman was AMAZING!! Gf was very nervous, but after about 5 minutes she was having a blast! Not sure of your ports but seems to me these other areas are trying to cash in on the popularity of something that happened naturally in G Cayman. Research carefully!

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We LOVE the stingrays of Grand Cayman! (see my avatar) Too bad you're not going there. Maybe you can do that one on your next cruise. I'll be cruising the eastern Caribbean for my first time next month, and I did see a couple of stingray excursions listed. However, I read somewhere that the stingrays at one of those islands are in an enclosure, not out in the open sea like at Grand Cayman. I guess you could liken that experience to doing the dolphin excursions, which I also highly recommend.

 

My suggestion is for you to go to the forums for each of the ports that offer stingray excursions on your cruise and ask your question there. You will get more response that way than here. To get to those boards, scroll to the very bottom of this page and find the drop down box on the right. Scroll down the list until you come to the ports, and click on the port that you're visiting. There is a wealth of information to be learned here, and the more different boards you explore, the more you'll learn! Welcome to CC!

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I did the Gibb's Cay stingray excursion in Grand Turk a couple of weeks ago. The excursion started out with about 45 min. of snorkeling (if you wanted to participate). The snorkeling was great. Then they took the boat to a small cay and beached it. At that point the stingrays started coming near the boat. There was probably about 20 people on the excursion.

The stingrays would swim by and brush against your legs, sometimes even passing between them. There were probably at least 15 or so stingrays. One of the operators of the excursion held one and allowed the others to hold it also. They also provided raw fish to feed to the stingrays. They will eat it out of your hand. We stayed approx. 1 hour with the stingrays.

 

I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable excursions I took during my cruise. Well worth the money.

The stingrays are wild (not penned in) yet very used to people.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

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I did the Gibb's Cay stingray excursion in Grand Turk a couple of weeks ago. The excursion started out with about 45 min. of snorkeling (if you wanted to participate). The snorkeling was great. Then they took the boat to a small cay and beached it. At that point the stingrays started coming near the boat. There was probably about 20 people on the excursion.

The stingrays would swim by and brush against your legs, sometimes even passing between them. There were probably at least 15 or so stingrays. One of the operators of the excursion held one and allowed the others to hold it also. They also provided raw fish to feed to the stingrays. They will eat it out of your hand. We stayed approx. 1 hour with the stingrays.

 

I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable excursions I took during my cruise. Well worth the money.

The stingrays are wild (not penned in) yet very used to people.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

I went on an excursion in Nassau similar to this one. The only difference was that the stingrays were pinned in. The barbs were removed from the stingrays so they were safe and extremely friendly.

 

Have fun!

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Hey everyone. Sorry for getting a little off topic but, me and my family will be doing this excursion in Grand Cayman. Will I have any trouble getting off the ship if I didn't book my excursion with the ship? Thanks in advance

 

I was in GC last Sept and did the sting ray with Capt. Marvin. Highly recommend him. I had no trouble getting off the Conquest.

Robb

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Thanks for the thoughts. I did post the question in one of the ports of calls forum, but no responses after a few days, so I tried here.

 

While my husband and I went to GC on a cruise many many years ago (before they had frequent cruiser programs), of all the places we went, we thought GC was one of the places we'd like to go back to. Seems like we may have to plan another cruise that goes to the GC to go to Stingray City.

 

Thanks again!

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I went on an excursion in Nassau similar to this one. The only difference was that the stingrays were pinned in. The barbs were removed from the stingrays so they were safe and extremely friendly.

 

Have fun!

 

We just did this one on Friday. It was incredible. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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This was totally worth it, & your kids would love it. In Grand Cayman, they took us by bus to a little docking area & then put us on a boat that went pretty far out into the ocean, we couldn't see land anymore. There was a large sandbar area & several boats (I am guessing from other cruise lines) anchored nearby & many people in the water. The waters were pretty rough the day we went so it was not easy to keep your footing in the sand because the current was a little strong. However, the experience was tremendous! We thought it might be tourist-y & a little cheesy, but it was awesome. The guides told us that the stingrays come out to the sandbar to eat because local fisherman throw food into the water, & although they are wild animals, they are fairly comfortable around people. There were about 50 of these graceful creatures in the water, & they would brush against your legs. They felt like enormous portobello mushrooms. One of the guides got into the water, too, & he held his arms out under water, & one of the stingrays swam right up & "laid" there in his arms. Also, my husband went underwater slightly so his back was covered, & the guide put one on his back & it kind of flapped there for a few minutes. Awesome experience! We highly recommend it!

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I did the Gibb's Cay stingray excursion in Grand Turk a couple of weeks ago. The excursion started out with about 45 min. of snorkeling (if you wanted to participate). The snorkeling was great. Then they took the boat to a small cay and beached it. At that point the stingrays started coming near the boat. There was probably about 20 people on the excursion.

The stingrays would swim by and brush against your legs, sometimes even passing between them. There were probably at least 15 or so stingrays. One of the operators of the excursion held one and allowed the others to hold it also. They also provided raw fish to feed to the stingrays. They will eat it out of your hand. We stayed approx. 1 hour with the stingrays.

 

I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable excursions I took during my cruise. Well worth the money.

The stingrays are wild (not penned in) yet very used to people.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

 

We were in GT off the Triumph the week of Aug. 25 and also did the Gibbs Cay stingray swim with snorkeling at a really nice reef. Terrific excursion!

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The GC Stingray experience is great! You get a nice long boat ride way out in the ocean to the sandbar. As stated above, there are lots of people, but the area is very large, so plenty of room to spread out . There must have been 20 boats there, and we didn't feel crowded in the least. Hundreds of stingrays, and they are not at all shy! Put on a snorkel mask and they will come right up to your face, swim between your legs, etc. A nice array of fish, too. This excursion is not for people who are squeemish, because they will be very "touchy-feely!" At least they were when we were there!:D The current is rough, though, so hang on to your kids. They give you a long time in the water. I thought this excursion was well worth it. We also went to the turtle farm and to Hell, but spent very little time there. The stingrays were the focus of the tour. The ones where they are in captivity couldn't possibly compare!

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I did the Gibb's Cay stingray excursion in Grand Turk a couple of weeks ago. The excursion started out with about 45 min. of snorkeling (if you wanted to participate). The snorkeling was great. Then they took the boat to a small cay and beached it. At that point the stingrays started coming near the boat. There was probably about 20 people on the excursion.

The stingrays would swim by and brush against your legs, sometimes even passing between them. There were probably at least 15 or so stingrays. One of the operators of the excursion held one and allowed the others to hold it also. They also provided raw fish to feed to the stingrays. They will eat it out of your hand. We stayed approx. 1 hour with the stingrays.

 

I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable excursions I took during my cruise. Well worth the money.

The stingrays are wild (not penned in) yet very used to people.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

 

Based on this review, I'd vote for Grand Turk! I've done this in Grand Caymen & Half Moon Cay. Grand Caymen was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Much like what was described in Grand Turk. Half Moon Cay on the other hand was a huge letdown. The rays are in a penned in area in the "park" section of the island. The water was rather murky. Just not a great experience. There was simply no comparison between Grand Caymen & Half Moon Cay. So I say go with Grand Turk!

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Hey everyone. Sorry for getting a little off topic but, me and my family will be doing this excursion in Grand Cayman. Will I have any trouble getting off the ship if I didn't book my excursion with the ship? Thanks in advance

 

Based on experience, I would recommend that you book your tour for at least a couple of hours after your ship is scheduled to arrive in GC. You may not be on one of the first tenders, and there is always a chance that your ship will be a little late arriving in GC. Other than that, no problem.

 

Jeff

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