Grand Caymen and Cozumel

[laurie1534]

We are going to be in Grand Caymen on the 2nd day of our cruise and then Cozumel the next day.. We want to enjoy both ports but don't know that we can take 2 back to back days at the beach. We want to see the beaches but out of the two ports which do you feel has the better snorkeling and beach activities.. It will be my family of 4 with myself, my husband and two daughters 18 and 20. I just know when we were on the the Eastern Caribbean cruise we got pretty burned at the beach the first day.

 

We are not big shoppers so that is really not important..

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

We will be there at the end of July.

 

I know this is a bad problem to have. :cool:

[twhfan]

I went to both places last Summer. Grand Caymens is beautiful and has lots of opportunities for snorkeling & beach activities. I would use this as a beach day. There is also not as much to do in port there as in Cozumel. In Cozumel, you could do a jeep tour of the island and still have lots of time left to shop in port. Hope this helps.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I agree with the other poster that GC would be a great beach day. We did a sting ray tour with a snorkle stop and beach stop with lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed that.

 

You may want to consider a tour to the ruins in Cozumel or the Mexican Cooking class if that interests you. When we were in Cozumel over Thanksgiving, we took a cab to the Square and walked around, enjoyed some music and sat for a bit at an outside cafe.

[JohninDC]

Snorkeling was much better in Caymen than Cozumel. Keep your options open in case the weather keeps you from making it into Caymen - no pier, you tender in. Good luck!:)

[laurie1534]

Cadcow,

 

Which company did you use for StingRay City.. We checked into this last night and it looks like there are alot of choices..

 

My one daughter says No Way is she getting out of the boat, but maybe once we are there she will feel better about it.. She said if Steve Irwin died while doing that I am not getting in.

 

I am sure she will snorkle once we are out of Sting Ray City.

[Dpeeps]

We just got back from our cruise that went to Cayman and we did the stingray tour thru Nativeway....and it was fantastic! THey also took us snorkling to 2 different reefs....one was a coral reef and the other was one with really big starfish. They quoted me a price of 40 dollars but when we were on the tour they only charged us 35 per person! It was well worth it!!! We all loved it....there were 10 of us.....4 adults and 6 kids!!

[laurie1534]

I think half of us want to do Sting Ray City and the other 2 don't. they said why would we get in the water with Sting Rays... Was it imtidiating at first? I could see where it would be kind of freaky.

 

I will have to show them all the pictures it looks gorgeous and all the reviews are wonderful. :confused:

[bguppies]

Cozumel has a ridiculous amount of beaches and beach clubs all the way down the west coast where you dock.

 

The water in Grand Cayman was nicer and the snorkeling was better IMO.

 

If you have never done the Stingray City excursion, I would make sure everyone does it at least once. (my all time favorite excursion so far)

 

On our upcoming cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel in Januray, we are again doing Stingray City and snorkeling in GC and a beach day at my Wife's favorite beach Nachi Cocum in Cozumel.

 

Bill

[2PinaColadas]

Cadcow,

 

Which company did you use for StingRay City.. We checked into this last night and it looks like there are alot of choices..

 

My one daughter says No Way is she getting out of the boat, but maybe once we are there she will feel better about it.. She said if Steve Irwin died while doing that I am not getting in.

 

I am sure she will snorkle once we are out of Sting Ray City.

 

If you read about Steve Irwin's dead, you will see that it was truly a freak accident. Sting rays are gentle, especially the ones at the stingray sandbar. We used Moby Dick. They were fantastic. The crew got in the water with us, helping the kids to feel more comfortable and safe. I loved it and am so glad I talked my DH into it. He felt the same way as your daughter did at first.

[sundercruiser]

Also, my understanding (I'm NOT a botanist!) is that the name "stingray" is a bit of a misnomer, as it conjures up images of POISONOUS snakes or spiders. Granted, dead is dead, but Steve Irwin died from being stabbed in the heart, not from any poison. There is poison on stingray barbs, but (apparently, from what I understand) it's not that dangerous for humans. Mostly your danger with them is being cut or stabbed or otherwise hurt by their "barb," and there are plenty of ways to get cut that don't remotely involve stingrays, such as driving in your car to the airport, etc.

 

So if you explain that to those who are leery of getting in the water with stingrays, it might help them overcome what I feel is a somewhat irrational fear of the Cayman stingrays. I haven't found any information about anybody being hurt by them in the 20 or 30 years that people have been enjoying them on Grand Cayman -- does anybody know of any reports?

[jean-lynd]

The only time I have heard of anyone being "hurt" there is when they get a stingray "hickey". If you get the squid scent on your body the stingrays think you are food and they will suck on you causing a hickey. Two in our group got hickeys the last time we were there. So - if you decide to feed them make sure you don't wipe your hands on your body.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Enjoy!

[jdlpg]

I have done some reading regarding stingrays and stingray city. The species of ray that killed Steve Erwin was a Bull Ray, the rays in cayman are southern rays. I think the most significant difference though is the fact that these rays have been human feed for decades, first by fishing boats that would anchor and clean their catch throwing the waste overboard. Then people got in with them. These rays are born in this environment and are used to people and are very gentle. They have barbs for defense but use them only for that purpose. You can find a history on the Grand Cayman Excursions website.

 

We are cruising in December and would like to do the wave runner to stingray city, it does freak me out a bit, these things are not cute! My 10yo stepson says no, but I am hoping he will change his mind if not before then when we get there.

[drew sailbum]

...I haven't found any information about anybody being hurt by them in the 20 or 30 years that people have been enjoying them on Grand Cayman -- does anybody know of any reports?

 

There are about a dozen stingray stings per year which require treatment at the local hospital.

 

Perhaps 3 or 4 of those are from people accidentally stepping on rays in shallow water somewhere other that the Stingray Sandbar site. Those rays are not habituated to interaction with people.

 

That leaves 8 to 9 which do occur at the sandbar site. These are more common on days in which significant wave action makes it harder for people to control their footing.

 

So that is about 12 out of more than 1,000,000 visitors each year. You are definitely more likely to trip and fall in George Town while shopping and end up needing stitches.

 

Finally, a general caution... anytime someone tells you something is completely without risk, they are trying to sell you something.

[GinDon]

Stingray City is one excursion that everyone should experience at least once. It's THAT unique and amazing. The rays are friendly and tame (although I almost lost my balance once, when a ray with a three foot spread decided to glide between my legs!). Our tour guides told us to walk by shuffling our feet, to minimize the off chance of stepping on somebodys tail/barb. I'm pretty much of a scaredy-cat, but I loved my time interacting with these soft, gentle, serene, trusting creatures. I have a great photo of myself puckering up to a huge ray. They say it's good luck to kiss one! We used Moby Dick tour company, google them, they have very informative web site. This tour is good for all ages, very young to very old. You'll love it!

[flatman]

[quote=sundercruiser;There is poison on stingray barbs, but (apparently, from what I understand) it's not that dangerous for humans.

 

Let me set the record straight for you from experiencing being stung by a stingray on the back of a shrimpboat. IT WILL KILL YOU!!! Stingrays poison in there barbs are deadly unless you quickly get to a Doctor with the antidote. That's the long and the short of it. The stingray tours have stingrays that don't somehow sting, or don't have the poison barbs. I can't speak for them, but the reason people are leary of stingrays in general is because they indeed are deadly. Don't make any mistake about it.

[bookbabe]

Stingrays are generally non-aggressive. When threatened, their first reaction is to swim away. This is easy for them to do at Stingray City, since it's just a section of open ocean and the stingrays aren't penned up in any way. They don't just attack you and sting you (although they can be fairly enthusiastic and/or boisterous in their quest for squid chunks). They may sting you by reflex/accident if you step on one. That's why you are not permitted to wear water shoes at Stingray City, and why you are told to shuffle your feet rather than lift them, so that you will not accidententally step on one.

 

There are many, many types of rays. Steve Irwin was stung by a bull ray, a totally different type than the southern rays at Stingray City. It is also suggested that what killed him wasn't the sting itself, but the fact that he was stung in the chest and then pulled out the barb. There is also the issue that the bull ray was a wild ray and unused to people, while the Stingray City southern rays have spent years and years learning that people are not the enemy, they're a ready source of squid snacks. :D

 

For most stings, which are extremely rare, Wikipedia says that the remedy is usually hot water to dilute the venom plus antibiotics. I don't personally know anyone who has ever been stung, so I just have to trust my research on that part of the issue.

 

From my experience at Stingray City, which is fairly extensive, the usual "injuries" from stingrays involve "hickeys" from the suction of their mouths during a search for squid (say when your DH has stuffed a chunk of squid down your bathing suit for fun) or accidental scrapes from their tails when they swim by you too fast looking for squid and the tail kind of whips against you. These injuries are very minor, though, and are far from life-threatening.

 

You'll notice the common element here is squid. Stingrays at Stingray City are only interested in one thing...the snacks that they know you've brought with you. No squid = no stingray attention at all. They're worse than cats that way. If you aren't giving them treats, they've got very little interest in you. They may swim by, just to double-check for squid, but as soon as they realize you haven't got any, they'll swim away again fairly quickly. If you are at all nervous about them, stay away from the squid and the stingrays will stay away from you.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingrays

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin#Death

 

I've been to Stingray City dozens of times, and never had a problem with the stingrays. (With my DH, sure, but never the rays. :D) It's very safe as long as you behave with respect and common sense.

[gazingm42]

We did the Stingrays with the kids.... DD, who loves animals, was very

excited to go do the stingrays. But as soon as the 1st one touched her

leg she was back on the boat light lighting. But DS wanted to take one

home with us!

 

We would do it again and these stingrays are very fun.

 

But we enjoy the beaches better on Cayman vs Cozumel

[vandmark]

With regards to Grand Cayman: we've just returned from a Western Caribbean cruise. Before we left, we booked an independent excursion with StingraySailing.com (it includes a trip to Stingray City, squid for the stingrays, snorkelling at the reef and then a return sail on the Far Tortuga catamaran). It was SO worth every cent. We would do this every day if we could! Chip, Captain Bert and Michelle all make this experience a personal and memorable one. I'm the last person who would choose an encounter with 'wild' sea animals, but these stingrays have been tamed (not captured!) and they're like gentle puppy dogs! The crew gets into the water with you, and - as there is never more than 16 people in a group - you're not crowded and you get the personal touch. They explained about how to touch the stingrays and how to avoid the barbs and there were even baby rays swimming around us! We were given squid to feed them, and I couldn't get enough of them. I am the clumsiest, squirmiest person you'll meet, and I never stepped on a ray or touched them the wrong way. We thoroughly enjoyed the snorkelling afterwards, at the reef, under Captain Bert's watchful eye and enjoyed his amazing snorkelling (and diving!) tips. The sail on the Catamaran (rather than a cattle cart-type boat) was the perfect end to the day. Would definitely do this at every opportunity. Well worth the money; less than a lot of tours are charging; value for money without a doubt. For children, adults and every age.