Stingray city, turtle farm and hell??????

[T-N-C]

We are trying to find a tour that covers stingray city, turtle farm and hell out of Montego Bay. Is this possible, do you have any suggestions on where to find it and can you tell me a little about it? :confused:

 

On another note.... I am a little nervous about getting in the water with the stingrays:eek: . Can I stay on the boat and watch or do I have to get in the water?:o

[twinkletoes4445]

The places you mention are in Grand Cayman (I'm guessing Montego Bay is a typo :) ) and you can stay on the boat, rather than get in the water. Every time we've done a stingray excursion there are always one or two people who don't get in the water. IMO, the stingray excursion is something you should do at least once. We do it each time we're there. It's really amazing.

 

We always use Captain Marvin's, and they offer a snorkel tour and island tour. Hell isn't much, but it's fun to visit at least once. We've not been through the new turtle farm, but have been to the gift shop. Our first time on the island we visited the old turtle farm (it was just down the street). All the tours that take you to that part of the island will visit the same general places. Captain Marvin's will hold your reservation with a credit card, but won't charge it until you're there. We always pay with cash once we get there. Also, if your ship isn't able to stop at the island for the day, you'll not be charged.

 

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

[T-N-C]

I meant George Town in Grand Cayman :o ,oops. Thank You for the information. I have seen a few threads mentioning Captain Marvin's tours, I think I will check this out for sure. Is it better than the tour through RCCL? I have seen a few posts that said Hell wasn't all that it's cracked up to be :D . Do you have anyother suggestions? We are also visiting Montego Bay:) , and Cozumel. Any suggestions for those?

[EBallgrl]

Check out Nativeway Tours, they have a Stingray and Island tour that goes to all of those places. I am doing the tour for the 2nd time here in a week or so!

 

Please, there is nothing to worry about with the stingrays no matter what company you use, they are much like cats as weird as that sounds, they are as gentle as can be and just kinda rub along your legs. YOu dont have to hold them if you do not want to, but give it a chance! Its a once in a lifetime thing, and if you do not like it, you can get right back up on the boat. :D give it a try! YOu might surprise yourself!

[twinkletoes4445]

I meant George Town in Grand Cayman :o ,oops. Thank You for the information. I have seen a few threads mentioning Captain Marvin's tours, I think I will check this out for sure. Is it better than the tour through RCCL? I have seen a few posts that said Hell wasn't all that it's cracked up to be :D . Do you have anyother suggestions? We are also visiting Montego Bay:) , and Cozumel. Any suggestions for those?

 

I'd do my own thing in Grand Cayman, rather than through the ship, unless there's a problem with you getting off the ship in a timely fashion. Are you on one of the larger ships? You might check the Cayman port board and see how many ships are in the day you're in. Tendering is sometimes a bit crazy. We booked an island tour through the ship so we could be the first off and then after that, we walked to Captain Marvin's and did the snorkel excursion. We were there from 7-4:30, I believe and during this time the only other thing we had time to do was eat lunch.

 

http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

 

If this is your first time in Grand Cayman then I'd do the stingray excursion and the island tour. That's what we did. We saw enough to know we wanted to come back for land vacations. For those that have been there a time or two I always suggest to rent a car and drive around the island. It's perfectly safe to do this in Grand Cayman. Can't say that about many other islands.

 

 

We've not been to MB, but I'd say stick with a ship excursion or a guide. We've been to Ocho Rios, and after listening to the shore talk, I was scared to death. Just be cautious of your surroundings and go with a guide and you'll be fine. In MB, I've read that they have a falls there (maybe Mayfield or something else). They also have a Margaritaville, but it's not close enough to walk to like it is in OR.

 

We've only been to Cozumel once, but we had a good time there. We went to Playa (can't remember the full name, but it's changed) and spent the morning there. It was a nice beach morning. Then we went to Chakanub (sp) Park and did the dolphin swim. Our kids loved that.

 

There's a beach place on the Cozumel board that everyone talks a lot about. Maybe Paradise? If I were to return to Cozumel, we'd probably do that. if you're not into beach stuff, there's always the Ruins. We've not done that, but I hear it's a bumpy ride to the Ruin's. There's also town in Cozumel, and you can just walk around and shop or eat lunch there. I was worried about drinking the water there, but we had no problems. The snorkeling in Cozumel is also very good.

 

I'm sure there are other things to do in Cozumel, but we've only been there once. You might check out the boards for both islands and see what's going on there. :)

 

Have a great time! Grand Cayman is by far our favorite island. We love it there....which is why we keep going back.

[twinkletoes4445]

Since this is your first trip there, I'd choose an excursion company that will allow you to maximize your time on the island. You won't believe how fast it will go...

 

If Nativeway has a better time that would work for you, then I'd use them. We always use Captain Marvin's, but that's because we've always had a good time with them. I've read nothing but positive comments about Nativeway.

 

I'd try and be the first off the ship...be it through an excursion of RCCL's or on your own. I'd also take along a couple of snack items. I carry sealed granola bars with me when we get off the ship. We weren't able to eat lunch until at the end, and my kids were starved. So the granola bars helped hold them over. You might have time in between the excursions to grab a bite, but that all depends on how much time you have and how many other ships are in port.

 

We LOVE Breezes. It's right in the port area and if you can get a seat on the balcony (it's tiny), you can watch the people below. After our stingray excursion CM's dropped us at Rackham's and we had lunch and then walked back to the ship. Rackham's is right on the water and it's about a 5 minute walk back to the ship.

 

Here's a map with some of the restaurants. If you click on the link, many of them have their menus posted. There's also a map that will give you an idea of where these places are located. If you do eat lunch there, be aware that the server will add the tip to your bill, so make sure and look for it. The first time we were there, we double-tipped. We didn't realize that they did this. You can also pay in USD, but they will probably give you change in CD. We pretty much use our credit cards there as much as we can. We've never had any funny fees or problems. There are islands that I won't use my credit cards on, but GC isn't one of them. I always ask the server what our bill would be in USD. Sometimes they have registers that will do this automatically, and sometimes they have to write it on the ticket. It's easier for me to know exactly what things are costing me that trying to figure it out. I also do this at the grocery store there...but the one we go to automatically prints this on the ticket so you know what CD and USD are on the purchase you just made.

 

http://www.caymangoodtaste.com/

[hlb76]

Where is the grocery store in GC? That might be good info to know. how do the rate compared to the ship if you need meds or something. I would never buy food seeing that is all over the place on board but do like to grab a pop or something.

[BuckNakedBooda]

Two years ago, one of our stops was Gran Cayman and my wife had went ahead and booked the Turtle Farm tour. She and several others became very upset when the tour guide had told our group that many of the turtles were to be used as food for the residents. I thought it to be very unusual that someone would tell a group of people information such as what was stated.

[bookbabe]

She and several others became very upset when the tour guide had told our group that many of the turtles were to be used as food for the residents. I thought it to be very unusual that someone would tell a group of people information such as what was stated.

 

Why would that be unusual? It's like telling someone on a cattle farm tour whether they are beef or dairy cattle. The turtles there are for both conservation purposes and for consumption...why hide it? Turtle is on the menu at almost every restaurant...it's not like it's a secret... ;)

[BuckNakedBooda]

Why would that be unusual? It's like telling someone on a cattle farm tour whether they are beef or dairy cattle. The turtles there are for both conservation purposes and for consumption...why hide it? Turtle is on the menu at almost every restaurant...it's not like it's a secret... ;)

 

What we (my wife the animal lover) had heard that these turtles were raised for conservation purposes. She even contacted a friend (another animal lover) who had taken the tour on a previous cruise and it was never brought up that these turtles were used for food. When the guide brought up the fact that most of these turtles were to used for food, many people became upset that they were never informed of this and that if they knew, they would have never taken the tour.

 

We were unaware that turtles were on menus in the Caymens...

[bookbabe]

What we (my wife the animal lover) had heard that these turtles were raised for conservation purposes. She even contacted a friend (another animal lover) who had taken the tour on a previous cruise and it was never brought up that these turtles were used for food.

 

That's too bad that your wife got inaccurate (or at least incomplete) information. I feel terrible for her, that she was caught unprepared like that. There's been quite a few threads here on CC where the "turtle farm's turtles are food" topic has been discussed, ad nauseum... :) Someone almost always brings that fact up any time a Turtle Farm thread is started.

 

Some of the turtles are released to the wild, but many are sold commercially. I'm told the theory is that, by selling "farmed" turtle meat, fewer turtles will be hunted in the wild (legally or illegally) and wild stocks will have a chance to replentish. It's a slightly different approach to conservation than some people might be used to...

[jenphan]

I meant George Town in Grand Cayman :o ,oops. Thank You for the information. I have seen a few threads mentioning Captain Marvin's tours, I think I will check this out for sure. Is it better than the tour through RCCL? I have seen a few posts that said Hell wasn't all that it's cracked up to be :D . Do you have anyother suggestions? We are also visiting Montego Bay:) , and Cozumel. Any suggestions for those?

 

For cozumel I've booked an excursion going to Tulum to see the Mayan Ruins. I heard its pretty amazing. From Montego Bay, I believe there are excursions headed to Dunn's River Falls near Ocho Rios, which I also heard is one of the must see sights of Jamaica

[Desiree D]

We are trying to find a tour that covers stingray city, turtle farm and hell out of Montego Bay. Is this possible, do you have any suggestions on where to find it and can you tell me a little about it? :confused:

 

On another note.... I am a little nervous about getting in the water with the stingrays:eek: . Can I stay on the boat and watch or do I have to get in the water?:o

 

We were offered this excursion through Carnival, and just got back on Sunday from our cruise. It was about what I expected, but was was hoping it would be better. Not sure why, except the sea was a bit rough, it was hard to stand up. At first the Rays didn't pay any attention to us, until food was brought out. Before that, I found myself chasing them to get near enough. The first time one brushed up against my legs though, it felt so strange and kinda "creepy", though it was fun to see them so close. We had swam with nurse sharks and sting rays in Belize, though much deeper water. I felt I had wanted something new, but decided to go in Grand Cayman anyway, due to the popularity of this trip.

 

The turtle farm was interesting, and very nice. I wished we had more time to visit there, to swim even, but we were rushed. It was nice. All in all, it was about what I expected. Next time I want to visit the butterfly farm and a nice beach- maybe.

 

We were shown turtles that were to be released, and older turtles that were to be used for food.

[LynneL]

... I am a little nervous about getting in the water with the stingrays:eek: . Can I stay on the boat and watch or do I have to get in the water?:o

 

 

As another poster said, give the stingrays a try. Maybe if you can attempt the mind over matter approach...I initially was very squeemish about this but got in the water & petted one that our guide held. I put in my mind that petting the stingray was no different than petting my dog & visualized it that way (also when the guide picks them up & shows you the bottom they almost look like they have a little smiley face so pretty cute). Once I did that, I fed them, enjoyed them coming close to me, & loved the whole experience. Having fish come up close to me while snorkeling....can't quite get past that one though - so much for mind over matter there!

[Raydar]

We where on the island for a week, so we took a drive up to Hell. Obviously, you can't have a "bad" adventure on the island, but if I had paid to go on a cruise excursion to Hell, I would have been VERY disappointed! It is a cheesy tourist trap. A sharply rocky plot of ground with cutouts of the devil around it. There are so many other beautiful things to see on the island!