Would this be possible - rental car to Rum Point, snorkeling, etc?

[Antonia]

We are new to cruising and want to make the most of our stop at Grand Cayman. We aren't all that interested in swimming with a bunch of stingrays and would prefer a beautiful beach for relaxing instead.

Our Grand Cayman stop is with RCCL from 8-4 on May 8. We are 4 adults. Would it be possible to rent a car, drive to Rum POint and back. Can you do some snorkeling at Rum POint? Do they have equipment rental for snorkeling there?

[drew sailbum]

Yes. Yes. Yes.

 

Rent a car and drive yourselves - it's really not hard.

They have snorkel gear for rent at Rum Point.

Snorkel around the dock, off the the right of the dock, or straight out 50 yards and more past the end of the dock.

[Antonia]

Thanks - this sounds like something our family would love doing. It is me and DH and our son and daughter-in-law. DH wants to snorkel. I think we would love the freedom of just renting a car and going! What are the blowholes I have heard people refer to????

[drew sailbum]

The blowholes are a natural eruption of seawater through gaps in the otherwise solid ironshore rock. If there is sea swell (or strong waves) coming in from the southeast, then as the swell meets the shore there is a surge of water through these gaps resulting in a display that can look a bit like a geyser.

 

If there is no sea swell from that direction, you aren't likely to see much of anything. Conditions are more favorable in the summer months.

[MrsPete]

We rented a car in Grand Cayman during our November cruise, and it was the LOW POINT of our trip.

 

Unlike other islands, you don't walk off the ship and see rental car places right there by the port. We reserved with Avis, and our instructions were to walk to the Blue Iguana Gift shop, where we'd be met by an Avis rep. First, the Blue Iguana turned out to be a good bit farther down the road than we'd expected -- we kept thinking we'd passed it, but we hadn't -- it was probably a little over 1/4 a mile. It was a nice shop in the middle of a bunch of other nice shopping, but we were confused because we really thought it'd be a block or two from the port.

 

Once we were there, we called Avis, and they promised to come right over and pick us up. So we waited and waited and waited. We called a second time. Another group of renters came in, and they called Avis. We all waited together. 40 minutes from our original call-time, the shuttle showed up. There wasn't enough space in the van for everyone, so my daughers and I (because we were the smallest) ended up crammed together sharing a seat. My husband was especially frustrated because he rents cars several times a month for business, and he is a priority-customer with Avis; they should've been taking super-good care of him!

 

The shuttle drove us to the airport -- probably a ten minute drive -- and we picked up our rental car quickly and efficiently.

 

But that was where our troubles really began. Avis gave us a map, but they neglected to mention that Grand Cayman has NO STREET SIGNS! I guess they blew away in the hurricane, but we had an awful time navigating around the island. We finally found our way to the Butterfly Farm and Hell, and we stopped by 7 Mile Beach (incredible) for a while.

 

After our beach stop we were tired of driving in circles, and we were getting snappy with one another because we were so frustrated. So we spent the better part of an hour trying to find our way back to the airport. Returning the car was quick and easy, and the shuttle took us back to the Blue Iguana immediately. We enjoyed walking through some of the shops near the Blue Iguana and slowly made our way back to the ship.

 

The whole family agreed that it was not a very good day. We spent more time in the car than we did enjoying the sites. Even my even-tempered husband said NO MORE RENTAL CARS. We'll pay someone to drive us where we want to go!