Strange question about Port Sanitation

[gwen1019]

hi Everyone,

 

This will be our very first time traveling to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios this March. The pictures that I have seen of those 2 ports look gorgeous but my question is on our last cruise one of the stops was Belize and the public restrooms that were available at the different excursions we went on were... well lets just say the plumbing in Belize is not like in the US. Can anyone tell me if Grand cayman and/or ocho rios have similar sanitation/plumbing difficulties? I have a traveler that wants to know ahead of time what to expect if a public restroom is needed while in port.

[Capt_BJ]

hi Everyone,

 

This will be our very first time traveling to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios this March. The pictures that I have seen of those 2 ports look gorgeous but my question is on our last cruise one of the stops was Belize and the public restrooms that were available at the different excursions we went on were... well lets just say the plumbing in Belize is not like in the US. Can anyone tell me if Grand cayman and/or ocho rios have similar sanitation/plumbing difficulties? I have a traveler that wants to know ahead of time what to expect if a public restroom is needed while in port.

 

IME - CI - no problems. CI has a very high standard of living and I've never had any concerns in the places I've been and I've been there on many week long stays.

 

JA - different story. Depends on where you go. If you keep to the main tourist resorts no real problem - places like the big hotels and the dislocated US chain stores like Jimmy B's. But last time I was to DRF the facilities were ... rustic. So too what was available at many beaches away from the big hotels....or the Jerke Centre etc

 

JA will be closer to Bel' while CI is like the Keys....

[drew sailbum]

In Grand Cayman, expect restrooms on par with any you might see in public building in the USA. In older buildings you may not find handicapped accessible stalls. Some restrooms may be rather small, particularly if you need to use the restroom in a store where restroom use is usually limited to employees.

 

In newer buildings restrooms are substantially similar to modern design standards in the USA. Ventilation may be a bit better than in some of the older buildings.

 

As to general cleanliness, I have found almost all public restrooms to be quite clean and well supplied. Toilet seats are standard everywhere. Stalls are generally well maintained with doors that latch, though stalls may be subject to occasional graffiti. All toilets can accept reasonable amounts of toilet paper. Most restrooms use paper towels for drying hands (few electric hot air dryers).

 

Many buildings use some form of septic tank or cistern which is regularly pumped. Sewage pumped from tanks is properly treated.

[gwen1019]

Thanks to both of you! My traveling group just likes to know what kind of conditions we are going into - Not that it would deter my group from participating in any excursions but we like to know what to expect ahead of time... Sounds like Grand Cayman is not an issue here but depending where we go in Ocho Rios JA there could be and since we are definitely considering going to DUnns River Falls since that seems to be the thing to see while there we'll just know that "rustic" conditions will be a part of the experience!!

 

Thanks again.

[twinkletoes4445]

Grand Cayman is like the Beverly Hills of the Caribbean. You'll find everything in top-notch order. No one will hassle you about buying things, and they accept USD. If you use USD, they may give you your change in CD, so carry smaller bills with you. We pretty much only use credit cards when we are there and have had no funky fees or odd charges. We love the fact that we can rent a car and explore the island on our own, which is why we now do land vacations there. The island residents are very polite and courteous. One time we were stopped along the side of a road (looking at a map), and a man in a Mercedes stopped and pointed us in the right direction. We just LOVE visiting the island. :)

 

Jamaica is nothing like GC, but we still enjoyed our visit there. Just be careful there. I'd use a guide and not wander around on my own. We used the restrooms at DRF (I think) but I don't remember much about this. We also spent the afternoon at Margaritaville and used the facilities there, and they were fine.

[caymanjohn]

Facilities on our island are generally good but at the cruise terminals there have been problems.

 

At the Royal Watler Terminal there are on-going plumbing problems, which mean the restrooms may, or may not, be open.

 

At the South Terminal you simply do not have the facilities to cope with thousands of visitors.

 

Otherwise, enjoy your visit here.