My Experience in Grand Cayman

[ParrotHeadFL]

I'm in the process of writing a full trip report here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=100717

 

Below is an excerpt of the part where I talk about GC:

 

First stop, Grand Cayman. I had been a bit concerned that forecast windy conditions would prevent us from tendering, but thankfully we had no problems (although the tenders clearly had a tough time gettin into position next to the ship). And here's something annoying... I went to the trouble of going to Mad Hatter's to get a tender number, but we never heard them call any numbers. We waited and waited, and then heard an announcement saying that anyone could board the tenders (no need for numbers). Annoying. Anyhow... The island is still pretty devastated from the hurricane, but they really need the tourists back--so don't feel guilty about visiting! There were just two other ships in port with us: the Disney Magic and the HAL Zaandam. We were going to Stingray City on the Bucaneer catamaran with Captain Bryan, having booked with Island Marketing (http://www.grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com). I had paid a deposit in advance (they don't allow you to pay the whole balance up front), and had brought exact change in cash for the balance and a printout of my confirmation and directions. Captain Bryan's "office" is a short distance from where the tenders drop you office, and can be easily found using the directions they provide you with. Just don't expect to find an actual office; the whole affair is a parking lot with some buses, a desk, and an awning. We signed in, but had quite a bit of time to kill before time to leave. We went to the bakery next door and got a drink, then looked around in the stores for a while. We tasted a few varieties of Tortuga Rum cakes (yummy!), then headed on back to Captain Bryan's.

 

The only other customers on our boat were a couple and their young son, so there were the five of us plus Captain Bryan and his first mate (Javid was his name, I think). We all loaded up in a bus and took a ride out to the channel where the boat was. We got on board the boat, and in no time were on our way to the sandbar. It was around a 30-minute trip. We had strong headwinds, so we couldn't use the sail on the way out. We got out there, and found a fair crowd of people. Another boat pulled up right next to us, and it was a little too close for comfort so we weighed anchor and relocated. Captain Bryan stayed on board, while Javid and the rest of us hit the water. We were required to wear life vests, even though the water was fairly shallow over the sandbar and I'm a decent swimmer. But this probably wasn't a bad idea, because seas were somewhat choppy and it could be tough getting to and from the ladder on the boat.

 

We got plenty of time in the water, and Javid taught us a lot about the rays and worked hard to make us feel comfortable--something that took some time. The rays can be fairly aggressive in snooping for food, so be prepared to have them all over you. It was great. Unfortunately, I managed to lose my waterproof camera. It had been in a pocket on my bathing suit, sealed shut with Velcro. But these cameras float, and it managed to work its way out of my pocket. Very disappointing! But life goes on.

 

After plenty of time playing with the stingrays, it was time to go back to the boat and do some snorkeling. We moved over a bit and dove for a while, then we went to a third spot and dove some more. The last spot was called the Coral Gardens, and was lovely. Finally, it was time to head back.

 

The ship has a head and a cash bar, and free water. One thing missing, though, was food. The excursion ran from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, which covers lunchtime. And I don't know about everyone else, but I get hungry when I'm out on the water. It would've been great if the excurion price had included some food, or if some had been available for purchase. By the time we got back to the "office", we really didn't have much time to eat; we had to be back on the ship by 3:30. This being our first stop on our first cruise, we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get back on board. There was a long line in the hot sun to get on board the tender, but it moved fairly quickly. I noticed that HAL had its own tenders; I guess they're stored inside the ship? The line for Disney's tenders had awnings to keep passengers cool, and there was nearly no line. Kind of nice.

 

So that's it for GC. I definitely feel comfortable recommending Island Marketing / Captain Bryan to everyone. Let me know if you have any questions.

[red32]

Do ypu think you would have had enough time to make an 8:45 am meeting time to go on their other stingray city excursion on the hannibal?

[ParrotHeadFL]

Do ypu think you would have had enough time to make an 8:45 am meeting time to go on their other stingray city excursion on the hannibal?

 

Possibly. Official arrival time was 7:00 AM. Figure folks can start getting off by 7:30 AM, and figure 30 minutes for Carnival to first unload passengers who booked excursions through them. That would put you getting off at 8:00 AM, giving you 45 minutes to get on shore and to your destination. You might cut it close, but if everything went smoothly you should be able to do it.

 

Tendering takes a lot longer when the seas are chopier, and that's a factor that's tough to predict. But most excursion companies I've seen won't penalize you if you don't make it in time due to the ship being delayed.

[sandsand]

Captain Bryan's "office" is a short distance from where the tenders drop you office, and can be easily found using the directions they provide you with.

 

How far would you say it was -- how long of a walk? If I were to meet up with some of my family on shore before we go on the excursion can you think of a very noticible landmark close to the tender area to do so?

 

Sandy

[ParrotHeadFL]

How far would you say it was -- how long of a walk?

 

I'd say maybe 5 minutes from the spot where the tenders let you off.

 

If I were to meet up with some of my family on shore before we go on the excursion can you think of a very noticible landmark close to the tender area to do so?

 

Hm... I don't remember anything jumping out at me as a noticable landmark right there, except for maybe the spot where you get off the tenders. Captain Bryan's place is behind a bakery--you guys might want to meet there and grab a bite. They have "real" food in addition to pastries and such.

[walcherw]

Does anybody know if you HAVE to have prior arrangments or can you just get off the ship and walk to Capt. Bryans van and pay your money? We have booked other tours and had REALLY bad weather :eek: so we did not want to go snorkling. Thanks Woody;)

[ParrotHeadFL]

Does anybody know if you HAVE to have prior arrangments or can you just get off the ship and walk to Capt. Bryans van and pay your money?

 

You could e-mail them and see. Only, I think you'd only be able to e-mail Island Marketing--which I have a feeling just handles the marketing and booking on Bryan's behalf (and on behalf of other tour operators). So, they're going to want you to book through them because that's how they make their money. That's my theory, anyway; I could be wrong.

 

My hunch is that if you walked up with cash, they'd be glad to let you on board if there's room. But that's a big "if." With cruise ships returning to GC, you could run into a position where they're booked solid and have no room. Is that a chance you're willing to take?

 

We have booked other tours and had REALLY bad weather so we did not want to go snorkling.

 

Do you mean that the weather has been too bad for snorkeling, but that the tour operators still took you out so they could keep your money?