Stacy No E Posted December 3, 2004 #1 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Just got back from our cruise and wanted to post for the first time. Booked the Stingray City tour with Soto's back in July and arrived this past Wednesday. We were picked up at the designated spot by Randy, the owner and we set out. The boat itself was great and the crew was very helpful and nice. We had our two boys (10 and 12) and had never snorkeled before but jumped right in. The water was unbelievable, weather great and our tour had only 11 on board including the crew. We had two snorkel stops before the sand bar (which had at least 14 boats) but we were anchored a little further out to avoid the crowds. Once they break out the squid - the stingrays go crazy and swim over for a snack. Great attention from the crew and a photographer to capture the memories for you for sale. All in all, great time and would highly recommend. :) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaJenkins Posted December 4, 2004 #2 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Glad to hear you had such a great time. My 1st cruise is 01/01/2005 I booked with Soto's a few days ago. I still have not heard from them though. Do you remember how long it took to hear back from them? I am so nervous and excited I can hardly think of anything else. LOL TeresaJenkins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy No E Posted December 4, 2004 Author #3 Share Posted December 4, 2004 I booked the tour back in July and got a confirmation immediately. Hurricane Ivan of course hit after that and they didn't have any e-mail or phone communication. I was worried at first because we didn't hear anything at all from them after the initial confirmation but when we showed up at the pick-up spot he had a list of all the people who had booked and it wasn't a problem at all. I'm sure they have it all under control and you'll enjoy the fact that there isn't likely to be as many people on board. The people with 50-75 people were staring at us longingly wishing for more room. Don't worry, you'll have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 5, 2004 #4 Share Posted December 5, 2004 I understand (from CC posts) that Soto's is changing the tour starting next year. Priced a few bucks more, and one less snorkel stop. It may or may not be true and may or may not take effect. No matter, this and similar tours are still incredible bargains. I went on Soto's Cruises in November this year and highly recommend them. Even if they do change itinerary/price, they will still be on my short list of operators to consider. I booked over the phone. Used a phone card to make sure I knew what the max damages would be. Ended up being less than 30 cents/minute (I'm thinking .28). If in doubt, ask your long distance carrier what the rate is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohendry Posted December 5, 2004 #5 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Just got back from our cruise and wanted to post for the first time. Booked the Stingray City tour with Soto's back in July and arrived this past Wednesday. We were picked up at the designated spot by Randy, the owner and we set out. The boat itself was great and the crew was very helpful and nice. We had our two boys (10 and 12) and had never snorkeled before but jumped right in. The water was unbelievable, weather great and our tour had only 11 on board including the crew. We had two snorkel stops before the sand bar (which had at least 14 boats) but we were anchored a little further out to avoid the crowds. Once they break out the squid - the stingrays go crazy and swim over for a snack. Great attention from the crew and a photographer to capture the memories for you for sale. All in all, great time and would highly recommend.:) :) Will you post the email address for making reservations with Soto's? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy No E Posted December 5, 2004 Author #6 Share Posted December 5, 2004 The website for Soto's is www.sotoscruises.com You can book online and look around to see what you are getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaJenkins Posted December 8, 2004 #7 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I booked with Soto's for my Jan. 1st cruise, and they have not gotton back to me. I wrote to them last week to ask if it went thrrough, but they still have not contacted me. Does it normally take 2 or 3 weeks to hear from them or should I try again. Thanks, TeresaJenkins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 9, 2004 #8 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I booked with Soto's for my Jan. 1st cruise, and they have not gotton back to me. I wrote to them last week to ask if it went thrrough, but they still have not contacted me. Does it normally take 2 or 3 weeks to hear from them or should I try again. Thanks, TeresaJenkins Don't worry, be happy! Don't know, but I've always just called them. It didn't sound quite right to me, so I emailed Kerry and asked... Got the response back today (she did mistake which reservation I was inquiring about - I was one of Isabel's party in November - I guess I asked too many questions) - I think you are ok, but if you don't hear anything by next week, I'd email her again. If you are running any kind of spam filters, sometimes good things get trashed also. If so, you might check your wastebasket or wherever the spam goes. Hi Thank you for your kind message. I was off Island for one week with my sick mom and another girl was handleing the immediate reservations until I returned. Haven't got thru them as yet but maybe Isabel XXXXX's is in that batch to answer. Kindly note my letter to potential visitors for 2005: Thank you for your enquiry for 2005! Kindly note that we will be making some changes to the Stingray tour. This will be shown on the website as quickly as possible. Please note: We will be offering a two hour, two stop snorkel tour (instead of three). Times: 9:30am - 11:30am and 1pm - 3pm. WE REMAIN ON EASTERN STANDARD TIME YEAR ROUND. Stops: Stingray Sandbar and Coral Gardens Rate: US$30 per adult and US$20 per child (4-11 years old) We will be accepting Visa, Mastercard and American Express. If I can be of further assistance, kindly let me know. Sincerely, KERRY, SOTOS CRUISES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay D Posted December 9, 2004 #9 Share Posted December 9, 2004 My group of 8 adults went on trip with Sotos on Thurs Dec 2 and was enjoyed by all of us!! One good special thing I noticed about Sotos was that at Stingray Sandbar, the staff got everyone on their boat quite comfortable in the water & with the rays by first introducing the stingrays slowly, a few at a time with touching, rubbing shoulders, holding on arms etc. Then after entire group was relaxed, the staff brought out the squid for feeding. As a result, people on our boat were not screaming in panic when alot of rays came around their legs like people on other boats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted December 9, 2004 #10 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I used Soto's about a month ago and can't recommend them enough. Our tour operators were very knowledgable and friendly. We had only about 15 people on board and got a very personalized tour. We paid $24 for adults and kids too. But I'd pay $30 any day for that kind of a tour!:) It's still a bargain and it is our all time favorite excursion! The rays were so gentle even our 5 and 7 year old girls got right into the water and played with them. They wanted to take one of the smaller "baby" rays home with them and put it in the bathtub as a pet.:eek: They've always responded to me very quickly. But since the hurricane the phone lines in Grand Cayman have been very poor. They told me that it would take months to get the phone lines and e-mail situation back to normal. So don't give up on them, they're worth the effort.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 10, 2004 #11 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I booked with Soto's for my Jan. 1st cruise, and they have not gotton back to me. I wrote to them last week to ask if it went thrrough, but they still have not contacted me. Does it normally take 2 or 3 weeks to hear from them or should I try again. Thanks, TeresaJenkins Hi Teresa Did you book it under Teresa Jenkins? If so, Kerry does not seem to have a reservation. That was the only name I had to pass on. If not, what name did you use? If so, please book again, I guess. I highly recommend them. Here is her response to my follow up question: Hi Bill Thanks for the information. I went thru all messages and I don't see a reservation for Jan 1st under her name. If she could try to resend it that would be great. Or even send it from another email address, that might help. Not sure why it did not come thru. Thanks for all your help. KERRY, SOTOS CRUISES They really are trying - not sure where the disconnect is. I've sent two emails in two days and received same day responses. You did try to book Soto's Cruises????????? For Jan 1? How many people? Under what name? mr bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeresaJenkins Posted December 10, 2004 #12 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Wow, thanks for going the extra mile on this for me. Yes, I booked it under my name. I am the only one from my party who will trust anyone off the boat; or themselves for that matter. I guess it is 1st time cruise nerves. I got a really nice email from Kerry at Soto's today. Though I'm sure I am having a blonde moment, I'm not sure I understand it completly (which may clue us into why tey couldn't find my info the 1st time). LOL Does this line mean they just need my CC info again? "Your agreement and a completed reservation form is required" "Hi Thank you for your enquiry for 2005! Kindly note that we are in the process of making some changes to the Stingray tour. The website will be updated soon. Please note the following: We will be offering a two hour, two stop snorkel tour (instead of three) Times: 9:30am - 11:30am and 1pm - 3pm Stops: Stingray Sandbar and Coral Gardens Rate: US$30 per adult and US$20 per child (ages 4-11) We will be accepting Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Your agreement and a completed reservation form is required. If I can be of further assistance, kindly let me know. Thanks. Sincerely, KERRY, SOTOS CRUISES" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 10, 2004 #13 Share Posted December 10, 2004 So, a party of 1, for Jan 1. 2005, For Teresa Jenkins (I think so)? What ship? Does your cruise begin Jan 1 or does it arrive in Grand Cayman Jan 1? Morning or afternoon tour is next question, I guess? My Christmas shopping is mostly complete, so no need to post your CC number. Sounds to me like Kerry must have received an email from you, but the original reservation is AWOL or has errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenP Posted December 10, 2004 #14 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I booked with sotos via the website in November 2004 about a week in advance. I never heard back from them (even checked email on the cruise). I ended up booking through captain marvins (everything went great). THe communication problem may have been Hurricane Ivan related. Lesson I learned is that I should have called them before getting on the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTarbay Posted December 22, 2004 #15 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Hi Thank you for your enquiry for 2005! Kindly note that we are making some changes to the Stingray tour. This will be forthcoming on the website very soon. Please note the following: We will be offering a two hour two stop snorkel tour (instead of three). Times: 9:30 am – 11:30 am and 1 pm - 3 pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME Stops: Stingray Sandbar and Coral Gardens (or Barrier Reef weather permitting) Rate: US$30 per Adult and US$20 per child (ages 4-11) We will be accepting Visa, Master card and American Express cards. A completed reservation form is required. If I can be of further assistance, kindly let me know. Sincerely, KERRY, SOTOS CRUISES I am going in January.This is the email I just received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclark Posted December 30, 2004 #16 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I just got back from my 12/19 cruise on the Valor. I did the Soto tour and thought it was just plain terrible, just awful. I'll post more tomorrow, but for starters, we left late and came back early, so the whole thing was only 2 1/2 hours. There is more but I am exhausted. I wouldn't recomend them to anyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 30, 2004 #17 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I just got back from my 12/19 cruise on the Valor. I did the Soto tour and thought it was just plain terrible, just awful. I'll post more tomorrow, but for starters, we left late and came back early, so the whole thing was only 2 1/2 hours. There is more but I am exhausted. I wouldn't recomend them to anyone... I thought the Dec 19 Valor cruise was EASTERN Caribbean? Thought 12/30 was the first visit to GC for the Valor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclark Posted December 31, 2004 #18 Share Posted December 31, 2004 My mistake- I was on the Victory. I was exhausted last night when I posted and mixed in the Valor (which I photographed as it passed us in Miami) with the Victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted January 1, 2005 #19 Share Posted January 1, 2005 My experience with Soto's was nothing less than first class and I've read nothing that convinces me otherwise. I took all the pictures I wanted, including some of the photographer and posted a number of them on Cruise Critic. Photographers on tours are typically not employees of the tour company (any of them). If one is determined to have a bad day, they usually succeed. Some people are better off paying more money for a ship's tour that offers less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsclark Posted January 1, 2005 #20 Share Posted January 1, 2005 My experience with Soto's was nothing less than first class and I've read nothing that convinces me otherwise. I took all the pictures I wanted, including some of the photographer and posted a number of them on Cruise Critic. Photographers on tours are typically not employees of the tour company (any of them). If one is determined to have a bad day, they usually succeed. Some people are better off paying more money for a ship's tour that offers less. I have given specific examples of why I thought Sotos was bad. People who read post may find specifics more informative than vague superlatives and smug comments like "If one is determined to have a bad day, they usually succeed" You state that "Some people are better off paying more money for a ship's tour that offers less.". Could you offer something to support this? The people from the ships tour were there before we got there and STILL out in the water with the rays when we left. They had MUCH MORE time there. Are you really saying that less time is more??? Also, contrary to what you might imply, these tour boats didn't look like double decker busses from Bangladesh with 100's of people suffocating from claustrophobia; they were vacant, with all ithe passengers frollicking with the rays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted January 1, 2005 #21 Share Posted January 1, 2005 I tried sending this via private email, however, you don't seem to accept CC mail. I was writing in general, however, since you asked. You are entitled to your opinion as am I. Soto's is in fact, NOT that worst tour ever. In fact, it is one of the best. There is always more than one way to interpret "facts." I will elaborate. More than once you mentioned that Soto's left late (e.g. in this thread and the other.) I suspect they left +/- on time and you were irritated that you arrived early, albeit at their suggestion. Perhaps this set your mood for the rest of the day? Rest of your cruise? Influenced your family's mood? That is a shame. If all passengers had shown up early, they would have departed early. Otherwise, they wait for the normal departure time and maybe a little longer. This to me is a postive, not a negative. What if your ship's arrival was a few minutes late? How many people were on your trip? Were they all from your ship? Not all ships arrive at the same time, nor do they tender at the same time. I think you assumed too much about your fellow passengers. Ship tours do not depend on other ships for start time. Most of the ship tours go directly to stingray city and return - no additional stops. Which leads to how do you know the additional boats you saw were ship tours and not other local tours? If you saw "them" at other stops, I tend to think they were not associated with a cruise ship. If someone does not want to wait for others to tender from other ships, a ship tour seems to be a reasonable alternative, although it will cost more and usually will not include as much as tours that you can arrange on your own. You assert a ship stingray city tour would have been better, yet you have not done one. I have done both and disagree. When I was last in GC, Nov 11, ALL ships stingray city tours were cancelled. This is not unheard of, yet Soto's took us out (and other non-ship tours were there as well). For that matter, it is not unheard of for cruise ships to bypass GC when it is too rough to tender. What would you have thought of that? Not all stingray city tours are the same - even from the same company. Some are 2-3 hours, some a half day, some a full day. One, two or more stops including the sandbar. Not all tour boats are filled with cruise ship passengers - there are also land based tourists in GC. Obviously some tours have more time to spend in each location. You made some strong accusations about your fellow passengers, the photographer, and Soto's. In general, photographers on tours are not direct employees of the tour company - the tour company doesn't make or lose a dime if you buy or don't buy photos. I would report the photographer to Soto's if there were issues. FYI, the Valor, scheduled for a 9am arrival in GC Dec 30, actually arrived at 10:30am. What would that have done to your day? This was your WORST tour ever? Really? Ever? You indicate you were cheated by 1/2 hour on your trip, but you seem most concerned that you had 23 minutes at stingray city instead of 30. Was that from the time the boat arrived or that you entered the water? In any event, that is 7 minutes out of 180, not 30. Nobody left a tip? Nobody? What a cheap group. But I find that hard to believe. Not all tips go in a tip jar. Often they are just handed to the crew. While the impact of Ivan is so much less than what the recent tsunami has caused, Ivan had a serious impact on GC. It will be some time before the island fully recovers, but I didnt see any locals having a pity party. I saw people working their way out. I overtipped everyone on GC, not just Soto's. I'm sorry you did not enjoy the experience you thought you would have with Soto's, but I think the case you present for the worst tour ever lacks merit. Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolPakCan Posted January 2, 2005 #22 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Hi, did anyone purchased a video from the StingRay tour from Soto's ? We are booked for 01/13, and I am wondering what is the quality of the video, how long is it, how much did it cost, and were you happy with it (value vs cost) ? Thank you for any info, Dorota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted January 2, 2005 #23 Share Posted January 2, 2005 The photographer when I was there was only taking still photos. I would email Soto's and ask if it would be possible to have a videographer on board upon request. Even if you book with someone else, I wouldn't assume one would be on board - I would request one. Most of the DVD videos seeem to be $60 on other tour groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted January 2, 2005 #24 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Zydecocruiser, I agree with your statement to dsclark wholeheartedly. My brother went on the ships tour with the doubledecker boats and had a horrible time. :( There was no one on one attention, he had very little time in the water, and the crowds were pushing and shoving as they got on and off the boat. He said it was his worst excursion ever, and he and I are both seasoned cruisers. I don't think it was a ships excursions that dsclark was seeing spending extra time in the ocean. Many local tour operators have only one stop - the stingray stop. That's all they do, so the they spend a lot of extra time with the stingrays. Personally, I loved Soto's snorkeling stop and we got up close pictures of our tour guide playing with a moray eel and a squid surrounded by live black coral, our pictures of it are awesome.:D My experience with Soto's was much like yours. They went way out of their way to make sure we were happy, even paying extra attention to our 5 and 7 year olds to make sure they had an extraordinary time. This was their best cruising excursion yet and they still talk about it.:) Swimming with the rays was the chance of a lifetime that I will always remember. I feel sorry for dsclark because he seemed to have a bad outlook on Soto's from the start ( maybe because he had to wait ) and it ruined the whole thing for him. No matter how many CCers ( on this thread and others ) tell him that this is not normal for Soto's and they really are a good tour company, he seems intent on being angry at Soto's. But there are too many people that have had FANTASTIC experiences with Soto's to let his words go unanswered. We who loved our experiences with Soto's will always talk about what great experiences we had with them. I hope others who have read dsclarks words will also read mine and yours and make an informed decision. All a person has to do is hit the search button here on Cruise Critic and do a search on Soto's to see how much they are liked and raved about here at Cruise Critic.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqi Posted January 2, 2005 #25 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Hi,did anyone purchased a video from the StingRay tour from Soto's ? We are booked for 01/13, and I am wondering what is the quality of the video, how long is it, how much did it cost, and were you happy with it (value vs cost) ? Thank you for any info, Dorota. Hello, My family was on the SOTO's excursion in December 2003 and purchased the DVD for $60.00 cash. It arrived at our home about 6 days later and we were absolutely thrilled with it. It's the best 60 bucks we have ever spent. What a great memory for my children who have watched it over and over again. Go for it...you won't be sorry! Tip: if you know for sure you will be buying it let the videographer know and he will make sure that your group is in the picture enough..which makes it extra special. Have fun!! Jacqui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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