Need Help With Cruise Excursions

[gbdopp]

We are cruising on Celebrity's Century during Spring Break. One day we are stopping in Grand Cayman. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with using local tour operators for their excursions instead of what their cruise ship is offering. After doing research on the Internet, it appears that using operators NOT affiliated with the cruise line would be significantly cheaper, but I am afraid that if I do.... I will "get what I pay for" and be sorry that I went with them. On the other hand, if other people's experiences have been positive, then we will book with them. We are cruising with our 3 children and want to make sure that they are not dissapointed as this is their first cruise. Many thanks for your response. Gail

[Tisambas]

We usually just get off the ship and see what the local taxi drivers are offering. I have not done that in Grand Cayman- we just took a taxi to the beach but I would expect that you would be able to negotiate a nice tour with a local taxi. We have found that the cruise line tours tend to push shopping at stores that they have some type of deal with. Grand Cayman has always struck me as a safe Island You might be best off to read a guide book before you go and just rent a car.

[M&M Mousers]

Grand Cayman has virtually no crime so you can feel totally safe there. When you disembark the ship there will be tour guides, with vans, waiting to offer you very inexpensive tours. They are all licensed by the state. We've had wonderful tours everytime. From Georgetown you can go out to the Turtle Farm - $18 to play with turtles from babies to huge or $56/person for the waterpark/turtle farm experience, you can look them up online (Cayman Turtle Farm or Boatswains Beach Cayman) for more info. You will also visit Hell, which is really a souvenir shop/store with some interesting paintings on the outside and a post office drop in front of some very wicked volcanic formations. Picture opportunity is about all it offers - look online for more info. They'll take you to the Rum Cake Factory, actually it's another gift shop with samples of many many types of rum cake. Yum. On this tour they'll drive you through town so you'll see the Governor's Mansion (not a drop off point, but you get to look at the outside) and an old house with sand and shell decorations, and past 7 mile beach. The guides are very friendly and generally talk all the way. You can have them drop you back at the ship, or at Cemetary Beach where you can visit the white coral beach and swim in the always warm water. Then, you can catch a public bus ($1.50 per person) back to the ship. The bus system is really 8 passenger vans and is totally reliable. It is also a wonderful way to see the island - you can look them up online also (use Grand Cayman public bus as your search term) and the site gives you all the routes and rates. To take the bus back to the ship you simply stand by the side of the road (your tour operator will tell you where) and the bus picks you up. If you take a tour to the opposite end of the island from Turtle Farm, you can visit the beautiful Queen Elizabeth II botanical garden and the Blue Iguana Habitat - look online for info. This tour will take you past miles of gorgeous beaches. If you ask, your driver will stop and let you look at blowholes. You could certainly rent a car and drive around the island, people there are very courteous drivers, but they drive on the wrong side of the road. If you're not familiar with the island it might be a bit much for your first visit, but it's pretty impossible to get lost. Believe me, once you've gone, you'll go back.

Happy Cruising!

[llund]

We have been there twice and both times used Captain Marvins. The are within walking distance from the dock and wonderful to deal with. They will take you to Stingray City, Hell, Turtle farm, etc. They have a website so you can look for them online.