How "bumpy" is the waverunner tour to stingray city?

[savannah2117]

We are considering this, but my husband is afraid it might be "too much" for our 10 year old, so he wants to do it with our 16 year old and have me take the younger girls, 10 and 14 on a boat tour and they do the waverunner tour. I want them to have fun and thrils, but I would kinda like to be together as a family and I can't find any place that does both. Any ideas?

[drew sailbum]

It depends upon how strong the wind is and the direction it blows from. It could vary anywhere from dead flat calm to rough-as-h#ll.

[soon to cruise]

I think it's usually rough water because of all the boats in that area messing up the water. All I know is that we were beat to death and we were in the little seadoo jet boat along with the jet skis and I dont know how they stayed on those things!! Of course we were going way faster than we should have. The water was so rough though dh was afraid the boat would be swamped if he didnt skim "HA" the waves.

[marvin1155]

cuz they canceled on us last minute, like right before we were suppose to get on the waverunners, they suck sooooo bad, i cound have done one of those island tours at the tender if they let us know in advance, they ruined my whole day there!!!!:mad:

[soon to cruise]

Did you use the people out at the Grand Caymanian?? (sp)

[marvin1155]

no one was there but two guys who told us the excursion was canceled and a few of the guests that were there

[Stormlover]

We had a blast both time we went. Used Island Marketing the first time and had to get a cab to the Grand Caymanian Resort, and used Shawn Ebanks this past year they will pick you up at the Hard Rock Cafe right in GT. I liked that much better, some say the cab drivers dont want to come to the GCResort as it is a bit out of the way and with the price of gas you cant blame them (I would be afraid of getting stranded there).

http://www.ebankswatersports.com/gallery.htm

We went once in May water was a bit choppy but not bad, last Sept it was great flat and smooth. Made for a great ride we opened them up and had no problems, they were a blast, we will do it again this Sept. You can also try this link they carry up to 3 people per ski.

http://www.fatfishadventures.com/waverunners/waverunnertours.htm

You will have to wear a life jacket, and if the weather is real bad they will all cancell which is for your safety. So have fun, I think your 10 year old will have a blast.:D

[savannah2117]

we haven't went yet, (going June 3rd). After researching, we chose FatFish Adventurs as well. They quickly responded to our emails and my husband called and spoke with Peter, the owner? and was really impressed by their enthusiasm and desire to please. They totally customize the tour, it seemed like the others have a every 2 hour schedule and they rush it a bit to get back for the next tour. We liked the idea of having the tour "open ended" if they wanted to show us more. (I would imagine for additional $) We'll post a detailed review when we get back.:)

[lindslea]

We went on the tour our of the Grand Caymanian a the first of April and the water was VERY rough. We all got knocked around pretty hard and knocked off. Definately wear some good eye protection if you are driving and if you tend to injure your back easily, don't go. I didn't hurt my back but my whole body was sore for two days. I even skipped the next port because I was just so wiped out!

[nauticaz24]

I did the one through Island Marketing the week of April 5th, and it was extremely rough. No one fell off, but I thought I was going to a couple times, and I am a pretty big guy 6 1 230. Definetly bring a pair of cheap sunglasses or something because you will get a TON of salt water in your eyes.

 

I will say that the tour was a highlight for me. The guys were very helpful to everyone and made sure everyone had a good time. They also let you run the jet ski as fast as you wanted!

[savannah2117]

Thanks so much for your replys. Because of your insight, I decided to take our girls on Nativeways while DH and DS16 are going to do Fat Fish Waverunner tour.

 

That's why I love these boards...I feel like it really helps in the planning and AVOIDING of potential problems.;) ;)

[Tagging Along]

We are considering this, but my husband is afraid it might be "too much" for our 10 year old, so he wants to do it with our 16 year old and have me take the younger girls, 10 and 14 on a boat tour and they do the waverunner tour. I want them to have fun and thrils, but I would kinda like to be together as a family and I can't find any place that does both. Any ideas?

The water was very choppy in April 08, these were much harder than we expected and we had very little time at both Stingray City and Rum Point about 15-20 minutes each. Most of the time you are on the wave runners just trying to "get" there. If you and your husband do this separately, you will spend a lot of time waiting for them to get there...

 

Did you use the people out at the Grand Caymanian?? (sp)

Yes, and if you do decide to do this, take their transportation for only $5.00. The location of the Grand Caymanian is "far" in Grand Caymen terms. I had a very hard time finding a taxi that would take us that far. We had wanted to shop first and had the feeling that grabbing a taxi would be no problem. The taxi drivers were all more interested in finding shorter trips and making more money; they would actually just say "no, sorry, too far." This was very frustrating!!!

We went on the tour our of the Grand Caymanian a the first of April and the water was VERY rough. We all got knocked around pretty hard and knocked off. Definately wear some good eye protection if you are driving and if you tend to injure your back easily, don't go. I didn't hurt my back but my whole body was sore for two days. I even skipped the next port because I was just so wiped out!

Lindsay... oops! As your driver for one leg of the trip, I apologize for you being so sore!!:o Luckily we never fell!! That would have made it even worse!! I didn't want to go too slow & it was MUCH harder to drive that Wave Runner and the saltwater splashing in my eyes even though I had on sunglasses was torture!!! I feel really bad if I made you that sore though, especially if you missed the next day because of the leg that you rode with me. (Unless the person who wrote the above is your mom Debbie?? I know you guys fell off on the way back...???) I wish you would have told me to slow down. I just wanted to get to where we were going since we didn't have very much time when we got to each place. I apologize to you if it was my driving that hurt you.

 

Overall, I do NOT recommend this excursion unless you really just want to ride the wave runners which again, were much harder & water was rougher etc.. I would have rather taken a boat and spent more time in Stingray City or Rum Point. Both wonderful places that I look forward to going to again someday. We were the last to arrive at each place and also the first that I saw leaving because we needed our time to drive back and forth from the further beach area on our wave runners.

 

If you do this, book the 1st tour at 9 am. We booked for 11:00 and it didn't even start until after 11:30 and we had to rush the entire time! And absolutely take a copy of your 2 page printed confirmation. They didn't seem to have us on their "list" but when I provided proof, they said "okay you can ride." Another in our group had reserved 2 wave runners but only were given one because she didn't have the Proof of her reservation. They are also trying to offer the service to the people who are staying at the resort & these folks just walk up and ask if they have any room. I think that's why they try and pretend like they don't know you have a reservation until you can prove it. Very unprofessional.

 

The two guys working that day were very rude, yelled at us and were no help at all. We had asked before paying our deposit since my mom who is older was going with me and they said sure she can do it or we'll help you. The other American tourists who were there tried to help her for a while, the two GC guys who WORKED there did nothing. She ended up not going at all & just stayed on the beach. Which turned out to be a good thing, because if you fall off the wave runner in the middle of the water you are on your own. Others in our group fell & we didn't even know this until later because they were out of our sight. The two guys who were our guides could not have cared less. This attitude of the workers added to the disappointment and basically ruined what was to be our "special" excursion.

Again, for these reasons...

I do NOT recommend unless you are an experienced wave runner rider and mainly ONLY want to spend your time doing this and do not care about seeing stingrays or relaxing on a beautiful beach. They make it sound like you're going to have plenty of time at each location. WRONG!!

 

Not worth the money. Too little time seeing the beautiful sights & you can't see much with saltwater burnt eyes anyway.

 

I know better than to ask for any money back based on the way they word all their documentation. So Buyer Beware!!!:mad:

[soon to cruise]

I thought we were just getting old. I thought my dh was going to die after our ride out to the stingrays. We really couldnt even enjoy it to the fullest because we were so wiped out. I want to go see them again and this time we'll take a nice leasurely ride out there and spend more time. We didnt even have a chance to put our snorkeling stuff on and it was time to go.

[Tagging Along]

I want to go see them again and this time we'll take a nice leasurely ride out there and spend more time. We didnt even have a chance to put our snorkeling stuff on and it was time to go.

Yep, I like the sound of that... leasurely ride. There were so many to choose from and they were much better priced and many included lunch and drinks... doh!

And I forgot to mention about the snorkeling in my post above. They have snorkeling equipment for you (for free even), but you had to ask for it. And.... just like you, at Stingray City, I had put my mask on and looked in the water literally ONE time & they were already calling us to get back on so we could leave...

Whaaaaaaaaaat?!? We JUST got there! Too bad, it was such a cool place. And with all the boats all lined up and all the other people were just hanging out & relaxing & STAYING THERE. Same thing at Rum Point, what a great place. Looking around at all the people just chilling laying in hammocks, or reading and all the cool water toys available...

NOT FOR US... as we're getting off the wave runners the guy says, "Okay we can only stay here for about 15 minutes and then it will be time to head back!!"

Whaaaaaaaaat?!? We JUST got there!! This is CRAZY!!! and

NOT so much fun. Whaaaaa!!! I think I should have known that the big thing to do that day was RIDE THE WAVE RUNNERS! oh yeah, and stop twice briefly. I felt like they make it sound like you ride wave runners to places THAT YOU GET TO STAY AND ENJOY FOR A WHILE. Big difference, you know?

It's all in the expectations of what you thought you were going to do.

 

I want to go back and take a boat to Stingray city for a short duration and then on to Rum Point for HOURS. This would be a perfect day.

Leave the wave runners behind. Been there, done that, NOT AGAIN!!

 

Did you have any problems with them not having your reservation? That this happened to others and their rudeness the entire day make me want to stop even recommending them to people in better shape who just WANT to ride. Surely their must be other companies that offer Wave Runners?

I would NEVER book with this company again.

[bookbabe]

I posted this in another thread, but I think it bears repeating here...apologies to those who are seeing it a second time.

 

One thing to consider is that riding waverunners is very weather-dependant. :eek: If the weather is nice and the water is calm, it's fairly easy and a lot of fun. If the weather is at all windy and the waves are higher, then it's a lot of work. I still find it fun, but you do bounce around a lot and get a lot of spray in the face.

 

We take our sea-doos out to Stingray City at least two or three times a week when we're on island, so I've had a lot of experience with riding in that area. It can be tough to get back on after you've been in the water, especially with anything rougher than low waves...it's a lot like trying to get on a horse without a mounting block...and without anyone holding the horse still. :D The waverunners move with the flow of the waves, and you may really have to boost yourself up. I find it works well to try to get one knee up on the foot platform area near the back of the waverunner, then sort of climb up from there. Don't try to climb on from the side...it almost never works...and don't try to get all the way up in one jump. There's really no graceful way of getting back on them...the waves pretty much prevent that.

 

It's definitely an ACTIVE excursion the way it's set up, though, and not a sightseeing one. You're right in saying it's more about riding the waverunners than in seeing the destinations. Even on the calm days, you have to pay a lot of attention where you're going, and you don't get to spend a lot of time looking around you at the sights...and since they're generally slower than a boat, it doesn't leave a lot of extra time once you finally get to your destination.

 

I'd put the waverunners in the same category as things like ziplines and ATV tours as far as cruise ship excursions go...if you'd go for those, you'd have a great time on the waverunners. If you prefer something calmer, you'd be better off choosing something else...

[lindslea]

Yeah, I learned my lesson about the waverunner excursion with Tagging Along (hi, Andrea!). Never again! It was definately about riding waverunners and not about stingray city or rum point.

 

Yes, it did turn out to be a very active excursion. I ride ATV's at home and was not prepared for this adventure. That aside, I was much more upset about the messed up reservation and especially the rudeness and lack of concern for safety by the staff than anything else. Had we been treated better, it would have been a lot more fun. I think that I stated in a previous post that I forwarded the confirmation I had for 2 waverunners (they tried to tell me I just had one reserved) to them after my cruise along with a note about what happened, and I didn't hear back from them at all. I have to wonder if the reservation mistake was intentional, given how we were treated. I would not ever recommend this company to anyone.

 

The best excursion I have done in Cayman was "Reef, Rays and Rum Point" with Nativeways. It was a fun excursion and the staff bent over backwards to make sure we had a good time. Next time, I go with them.

[Tagging Along]

I posted this in another thread, but I think it bears repeating here...apologies to those who are seeing it a second time.

 

I'd put the waverunners in the same category as things like ziplines and ATV tours as far as cruise ship excursions go...if you'd go for those, you'd have a great time on the waverunners. If you prefer something calmer, you'd be better off choosing something else...

 

This was good information and well put. Still, I feel mislead by the company in the way they word the excursion on the website. It is misleading to people who have not been to the island. Why bother going to 2 destinations if your time there will be so short? If they were not so far away in the first place & the ride was shorter it would have been possible, or they could make the excursion a 3+ hour instead of a 2 hour so we would have more time. I think they just care to do more 2 hour trips so they make more money. My belief is that they must know this is unfair, hence their bad attitudes towards us.

 

Just don't sell it as a sightseeing tour. The zipline tours don't do this. They should just say it's all about riding Wave Runners. That will still sell to those people who just want to ride and it wouldn't almost ruin the ONE day that we spent in GC. People should know what they are signing up for, IMHO.

 

Had we been treated better it would have been a lot more fun. I think that I stated in a previous post that I forwarded the confirmation I had for 2 waverunners (they tried to tell me I just had one reserved) to them after my cruise along with a note about what happened, and I didn't hear back from them at all. I have to wonder if the reservation mistake was intentional, given how we were treated. I would not ever recommend this company to anyone.

 

I also believe this. He did not know I had my confirmation in my backpack and he kept saying, "Uh... what's your name again?" I thought he would find it eventually. (keep in mind there are only 6 wave runners at a time... how long could the list be??? It was 2 pages long!!) When I realized he didn't and I gave him the printout he just kept looking at it. There were people standing there from the resort and he looked at them and said, "Sorry, I don't think I can take you this time EITHER. You will have to come back again." Then he looked at me and said, "Okay, you can ride." Duh! I had PAID a deposit online months ago!! I also think I would NOT have gotten my money BACK because one of the things it says under "My responsibilities" in the agreement is to make sure to bring the printout, so if I hadn't I would have been in default. Hence, no refund.

 

Debbie, better late than never, I WILL email them and send a letter to the company. Just in case these 2 guys could be replaced by others. I don't know if they own the company or just work for someone else. I do not expect to get any $ back based on how they write the agreement, but if I could help improve the experience for the next group it'll be worth it. Let me just say, I think they will have heard all this before. You said they still haven't even answered your email. I don't expect to hear back, but I will let them hear from me.

 

Cruise Critic members: If you absolutely must ride Wave Runners; I am sure there are other companies that offer this in Grand Cayman. I also will NOT recommend this co that leaves from the Grand Caymanian Resort. It's too far away from everything else and the guys who were running it are MORE than just rude. More importantly I know they are scamming people who have prepaid but do not bring proof. I watched them do it! :mad:

[soon to cruise]

I have no idea if the two guys were the same now as they were back last June, but 2 guys we had were not rude at all. One was of Jamaican decent and slightly chunky and I dont know where the other guy was from but he was very skinny. Does that sound like the 2 you are talking about. I dont remember their names now. We were actually in the little seadoo jet boat (when they still offered that) and the jet skis were with us. It was so rough that day!! We were pounded. I mean we were catching air and coming back down on the ocean. I thought I was going to die. Litterally! The guy said if we went slow it would swamp the boat and sink and so we went fast thinking we could ride on top of the water and smooth things out a bit....well, that didnt really work. It completly wore us out. I was so tired and sore the next day. I had to hold my neck stiff and clench my teeth as not to get whiplash or bite my tongue. It was quite an experience...and all at the cheap rate of $200!!!!!!!! Live and learn.