Which Stingray City Waverunner Excursion?

[NavigatorBride]

Anyone have any advice? We're thinking either Grand Cayman Cruise Excurstions or Ebanks? With Grand Cayman Cruise Excursions we have to make our own way to the start point with Ebanks they meet you at Hard Rock. One seems to go to Rum Point and the other does snorkeling at the Barrier Reef. Has anyone done one of these tours or better yet, both?

[NavigatorBride]

Anyone?

[jimbug]

Hmmm...I was also considering doing one of these tours (the Ebanks tours are also sold on Shoretrips.com)...but, I feel like it's an awful lot of $$ for just 2 hours. I know that it's a steal compared to just renting a jetski for 2 hours...so I'm kind of torn. We don't really have any plans for our stop in GC other than maybe, possibly getting a tattoo...but Rum Point looks so beautiful, that I almost don't want to miss it!

[NavigatorBride]

I found another tour operator with dozens of positive reviews on Tripadvisor, but they can't accomodate our group. I'm pretty sure we're going to go with Ebanks. I hope I'm making the right choice!

[Buffettfan 225]

Hmmm...I was also considering doing one of these tours (the Ebanks tours are also sold on Shoretrips.com)...but, I feel like it's an awful lot of $$ for just 2 hours. I know that it's a steal compared to just renting a jetski for 2 hours...so I'm kind of torn. We don't really have any plans for our stop in GC other than maybe, possibly getting a tattoo...but Rum Point looks so beautiful, that I almost don't want to miss it!

I have set up a tour of two double waverunners with grandcaymanexcursions in June and if anyone does this tour before then please post, or even post experience with waverunners. I know our tour starts at a resort, stingrays, rumpoint then back to resort (which you are free to stay and enjoy). Thanks for any feedback on this tour.

[NavigatorBride]

buffetfan, I wanted to do the Rum Point tour instead of the extra snorkel stop tour, but I'm not convinced that Grand Cayman Excursions was the best tour operator to go with. I'm wondering if we can get Ebanks to take us to Rum Point instead. There will be six waverunners in our tour and if we're the only ones that maybe he will agree. We will have five kids on our group ranging in ages from 7-12 and I think they will enjoy the beach more.

 

Have fun with Grand Cayman Excursions. I hope that someone replys to this thread and gives us some reviews before we go.

[diane802]

Check out www.fatfishadventures.com We used them last July and Peter (the owner) was fantastic. We rented 2 waverunners along with a 4 person jetboat and Peter drove his fishing boat for those who weren't as adventurous. We had a party of 10 and everyone said that was the best day of our trip.

[ilovethesun]

Diane,

 

Do you have more info about the wave runner tour? We are going in December and I would love to do this! The prices says it's $175 for a double - is that per person or total for 2 people?

 

Also, how long do you get to be on the jet skis? Do they make you go pretty slowly (this would ruin it for my husband!) or do they give you quite a bit of freedom?

 

How far in advance did you book? Where all did they take you? Did you get to swim with the rays and snorkel?

 

Thanks so much for the info!

[ilovethesun]

Sorry, just forgot to ask for email notification to the thread...

[sbnuggie]

Howdy, we booked with Fat Fish for our trip in May based on reviews here on CC, you have to do a search to find most of them. Their website is not very forthcoming with info etc so I emailed the company to get my specific questions answered by Carolyn who is the lady in "charge" (us married guys already know). I cut and pasted a copy of their email here for your reference:

 

"The stingray City Tour takes 2 1/2 hours to complete. The tour includes a

visit to Stingray City- where you can feed and pet the stingrays, a

snorkeling stop along the reef- at a less traveled area- very beautiful, a

tour through the mangroves (Cayman's natural wetlands) and a stop at Kaibo,

a beach bar/restaurant on the other side of the island- if time permits.

 

You can do the tour either with our 24 ft. boat, jet boat or jet skis.

 

The jet boat can only hold 3 passengers and has a maximum passenger weight

of 500 lbs. The jet boat comes with a driver/guide and the cost is $100 US

per hour.

 

The 24 ft. boat can hold 4 to 6 people and is $100 US per hour.

 

The cost of the jet skis are as follows; 1 rider on 1 ski is $125 US, 2

riders on 1 ski is $175 US, and 3 riders on 1 ski is $200 US. Each jet ski

can hold 2 adults and 1 child. These prices are for the 2 1/2 hour tour.

 

All prices include transportation to and from the George Town Harbor. We

pick up our guests at the entrance to the Hard Rock Café. This meeting spot

is very easy to see and is a 2 minute walk from the cruise ship terminal.

After your tour we can drop you back to your cruise ship terminal or in the

George Town Harbor area.

 

Our tours are sometimes private by chance but during high season it may be

likely that you will be sharing your tour with a few other people. Our

groups rarely exceed 12 people- often they are less.

If you are interested in a private tour for your group or family only,

please let us know. It depends on our schedule as to whether or not we can

accommodate this request.

 

To confirm a reservation a 20% deposit of the total tour is required. We

accept Visa and MasterCard. Credit card details are taken over the phone and

our number is 345-327-4973 or if you prefer we can call you if you send us a

contact number. Once we have confirmed a reservation a confirmation sheet

will be sent to you by e-mail with the details of the tour, transportation

information and our cancellation policy.

 

If you cannot do the tour for any reason beyond your control, illness,

weather, ship schedule, etc...., then your deposit of 20% is fully refunded"

 

 

Also here is a review I found:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=795265&highlight=fish+adventures

 

Good Luck

[ilovethesun]

Thanks so much for this info - this sounds so awesome!

[mollyandgigi]

We just got off the Freedom on 2/22. My family did the waverrunners to see the stingrays and then to Rum Point. The tour guide's name was Ian and he could not have been nicer. My children were a little freaked out seeing all the stingrays so he picked one up and held it for them the whole time. We were petting it and I even held one. The water was above my waist and with the waves I could not bring my cameras into the water because they definately would have gotten wet. I did get to take some pictures while sitting on the waverunner. I highly recommend a waterproof camera or a waterproof protector for your camera because there were other times as well on this vacation I could not take my camera and I wish I had it. (Climbing the waterfall in Jamaica)

 

We rented three waverunners. I had read that anyone over 8 years old can ride alone. That really was not the case but Ian took my 12 year old son out for a test ride and said he could handle it. My best friend has 3 waverunners and he has driven them on the lake (which is a lot different) many times but always with an adult on the back.

 

That being said, he had his own, my husband had one and I had one with my 9 year old daughter on the back. I also have jetskied before but mostly on a lake. This was rough. As far as how fast you can go - my husband was doing 360's and he said he had it "opened all the up" which I guess means as fast as the thing will go. Ian was always way ahead of us and I was trailing somewhat behind because my daughter was getting nervous with all the waves...so my husband was speeding ahead of me and then turning around coming back to me. Like I said Ian was well ahead of us, with my son who did awsome and two other people.

 

For me it was a great experience but I have had my fill of the waverunners for a while. It was a long ride for me to the stingrays, maybe 20 or 30 minutes at high speeds. Then another 10 minutes or so to Rum point then all the way back to the hotel. I was very sore the next day! I probably was trying to stop the ski from banging against the waves because of my daughter but I did have a work out! ;)

[Buffettfan 225]

We are booked in June with I think same company- GCexcursions?

1.)If this is same company, can you recall cost to get to the starting point at the resort (did you take a cab?)

2.)Did you wear sunglasses(with leashes), and find them enough for water spray?

3.)What was timing- like how long at RumPoint, and what it was like.

What was total excursion time? We are on the 9am tour.

Did you leave towels at starting point?

Thanks for any details.

[DEERINH2O]

Buffetfan,

 

I am booked with Gcaymanexcursions. We are going on second week of April. Little nervous but excited. I will post a review as soon as I get back.

 

Mollyandgigi, thanks, thats what I thought I would expect.

 

Kathy

[Buffettfan 225]

Buffetfan,

I am booked with Gcaymanexcursions. We are going on second week of April. Little nervous but excited. I will post a review as soon as I get back.

 

Kathy

Thanks- as planner for the family, I too am nervous, but your report will certainly help ease things. We plan on getting our own cab as not sure of tendering time, and then "having to wait" for others that may not have gotten an early enough tender. Let me know how getting to excursion goes, feedback...details...yep for now lgetting by reading and enjoying others cruising experiences. ~Buffetfan

[NewMomInME]

We just got off the Freedom on 2/22. My family did the waverrunners to see the stingrays and then to Rum Point. The tour guide's name was Ian and he could not have been nicer. My children were a little freaked out seeing all the stingrays so he picked one up and held it for them the whole time. We were petting it and I even held one. The water was above my waist and with the waves I could not bring my cameras into the water because they definately would have gotten wet. I did get to take some pictures while sitting on the waverunner. I highly recommend a waterproof camera or a waterproof protector for your camera because there were other times as well on this vacation I could not take my camera and I wish I had it. (Climbing the waterfall in Jamaica)

 

 

Hi! thanks for the review--- who did you book this with?

[diane802]

Diane,

 

Do you have more info about the wave runner tour? We are going in December and I would love to do this! The prices says it's $175 for a double - is that per person or total for 2 people?

 

Also, how long do you get to be on the jet skis? Do they make you go pretty slowly (this would ruin it for my husband!) or do they give you quite a bit of freedom?

 

How far in advance did you book? Where all did they take you? Did you get to swim with the rays and snorkel?

 

Thanks so much for the info!

 

The price is $175 for two people. If Peter (the owner) doesn't have another person booked the same day, he will keep you out about 4 to 5 hours. He wants you to have fun, so he will take you out to a place where you can go as fast as you want! After we visited Stingray City (you stay there as long as you want), he took us to a great restaurant/marina called Kaibo. It is mostly visited by the locals, and had great food. Book as soon as you can because the waverunners get rented quickly. If you have any other questions or would like me to email you photos of his boat, jetskis, or jetboat (we had 10 in our party and rented all his boats) just let me know. I also have pictures of Kaibo.

[ilovethesun]

Diane,

 

Thanks again for the extra info! Sounds perfect for us! I would love to see some pics - please send them to angie at addsalt dot org.

 

Thanks so much! I will book soon!

 

angie

[mollyandgigi]

Grand Cayman Excursions - Ian was our tour guide. You definately need sunglasses or something better; my husband and daughter both lost theirs! I had a pre-arranged pick up at the port through Grand Cayman Excusions. I don't remember the cost. We did leave all of our stuff at the resort where we began our journey on the waverunners. There is a compartment on the ski where you can place your wallet and camera. It was the size of a small shoe box, maybe a little deeper. Our tour started at 10:00 am but definately had enough time to make the 9:00 if we had to. We never had much of a wait getting off at any of the ports. To me it seemed like a very long time to get to the stingrays. We were just riding into the horizon with no destination point in sight. Maybe 30 minutes to get there....then another 10-15 minutes to get to Run Point. The water was rough and I had my daughter on the back and she was having fun but nervous as well...

[myrtle0116]

Diane,

 

Thanks for the info. We're booked with Peter in 2 weeks. Can you please share your pictures and include the restaurant as well? Thanks!

 

Susan

[diane802]

I downloaded some photos onto Photobucket of our time with Fat Fish Adventures. I know you will enjoy your adventure with Peter! Let me know if the link does not work. Also, let me know if you have any other questions about the excursion or anything else Grand Cayman related.

 

http://s729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/diane802/Fat%20Fish%20Adventures/?albumview=slideshow

[DEERINH2O]

mollyandgigi,

 

do you remember the resort you started off from for the grandcaymanltd tour?

 

thanks,

Kathy

[sbnuggie]

Thanks Diane802 those pic's are great, looks like you had a great time, I can't wait for our Jet Ski Tour in May. Had one question though, since there is a snorkel stop, did you bring your own gear and where did you store it? I'm assuming with your big group you just put everything in the boat and/or jet boat but if its just me and my wife where would you put your stuff?

 

I was thinking of a snorkel/mask/fins and towels.

[diane802]

Peter supplied the snorkeling equipment. We brought towels, cameras, and misc items and left them on his boat. He has a compartment he can put them in to keep them safe and dry. Have fun on your excursion, I know you will really enjoy your time with him.

[diane802]

Diane,

 

Thanks again for the extra info! Sounds perfect for us! I would love to see some pics - please send them to angie at addsalt dot org.

 

Thanks so much! I will book soon!

 

angie

 

Hi Angie,

 

During the winter months Peter will take you out to catch lobsters (when he was telling me about it I could tell this was one of his favorite things to do). After you catch the lobsters he'll take you to Kaibo where they let him cook them for free and you get to eat them right after you catch them! So, if you like lobster.....