which stingray tour for the timid???

[CMM]

After reading some interesting reviews on stingray excursions, I am thinking about this for our family, but I worry it might freak me out! Which tour company would you suggest for someone who might get scared of the stingrays swarming around them? I don't even like it when peoples dogs come up to me. I think 1/2 my family will be fine and the other half might panic.

 

7 Mile beach is my other consideration if this doesn't appeal to the rest of the family.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

[MrsCoach95]

We just got back on Saturday and booked a tour with Moby Dick Tours. It was amazing! They were about $40.00 per person, kids were cheaper. They took a small group out, about 25 on a boat and got you in the water and holding stingrays in no time. They weren't pushy or interested in selling you a tshirt just teaching you about their love for the water and the creatures in it. Very hands on. Our daughter was a little bit scared so one of the guys held her so she would feel more at ease. They recommended other places for us to go and gave us their business card which we showed and got further discounts in town at a local eatery. We talked about our excursion back on board and everyone told us ours sounded so much more fun than the ones booked through the ship. We even got to KISS the stingrays!!!!

[falkcor]

i agree with the above poster and will also endorse moby dick tours. if you think you might freak out, definitely book with one of the smaller independent operators for a little bit more personal attention and space. :)

 

i reviewed the excursion in my review - linked in the signature below. it should be page 3 or so i think.

[oldpatrol]

Different people reviewed different operators. We chose Moby Dick because they seemed to get the most good reviews. Additionally they "claim" (no i'm not naive) on their website they are the most used in the Cayman Islands and voted the best as well. However I won't know for another week because we don't sail until Sunday. HURRY up Sunday!!!

[Lpetchen]

Another great company (been in business for 90 years) is Captain Marvin's. We have used them in the past and will use them again on our upcoming cruise!

[jean-lynd]

My suggestion would be to be one of the last people off of the boat and stay away from the food and they will not come to you. Then you can move toward them as you feel more comfortable. That worked very well for me the last time we were there.

 

Enjoy - it is a wonderful experience!

[CMM]

Thanks everyone, still considering whether to go for it or just make it a beach day!

[GinDon]

GO FOR IT! You won't regret it. You can do a beach anywhere, but you won't have another chance for this unique experience. The rays don't chase you around and scare you, they glide slowly around and between people. They are beautiful and graceful. You'll all love them!

We went with Moby Dick, and they were the greatest.

[MrSegway]

I agree. The Stingray tour is beyond description. Go to the beach at another port of call. In Grand Caymen the Stingray tour is a must. It can be a bit overwhelming when you first get off the boat. Imagine walking in a kennel with dogs. The rays want to swim by you and interact. You quickly get used to them swimming up and brushing by you. Extremly friendly animals.

[Terre]

We have always used Native Way Watersports for this excursion. They don't take a lot of people so you're not crowded and they also take you to a coral reef (the others may, too, not sure). You can book by e-mail and pay them at the end of the excursion. They will meet you at the pier.

[valancy1]

Hands down, I recommend Soto Cruises. They picked us up and took us to their house where the boat was. We went snorkeling and then went out to the sand bar.

 

What was nice is that Randy (owner) was SO PATIENT with us and explained things to us so we understood (a) what to expect; (b) how to approach (or not) the rays; © how to hold the food if we chose to do this; etc.

 

There were FOUR people on our excursion. We paid $30 (and it is still $30 on their reservation page). We are going back in November and will go with them again because of how they treated us. He's just a very kind soul who is a native Caymanian and is very knowledgeable and understated.

 

Enjoy. Try not to miss this experience... it really is wonderful!

[serene56]

I agree. The Stingray tour is beyond description. Go to the beach at another port of call. In Grand Caymen the Stingray tour is a must. It can be a bit overwhelming when you first get off the boat. Imagine walking in a kennel with dogs. The rays want to swim by you and interact. You quickly get used to them swimming up and brushing by you. Extremly friendly animals.

 

I agree- but to let you know you dont have to get off the boat into the waters. You can stay onboard and let the other half your family get in and you can take the pictures

[joyadvtr]

I too was afraid, not just to go to stingray city but also to snorkel. We booked privately with Captain Marvins. We got off the ship and walked down the street to Cap. Marv's. Great people friendly and very reassuring. We took the bus to the boat. We boarded the boat and enjoyed the water, wind and waves. I wanted to snorkel so bad, it was on my "bucket list". I did it. We drove to a different site where the stingrays were. I did not get off the boat at first, I was the only who stayed on board, of all of the boats in the bay. I watched and observed. I was kind of freaked out :confused: that the rays swim past you and rub themselves against your legs. I finally got enough courage to get in the water and just stand there and do nothing. It did take all my courage to do it. But I was so glad I experienced it. You can stay on board the boat, but you can still snorkel at other stops along the way.

[MDSue]

Honestly, I was less excited when my sister wanted to "swim with the Stingrays" I consider myself pretty adventurous, but the idea was a bit scary. Well, we went with Nativeways and I was the first off the boat into the water. The rays were rubbing up against my legs like kittens. They really seem to enjoy the human interaction. you really don't have to get in the water with them, no matter which tour you choose, but you'll miss out on a great experience. This was truly a great experience!

I even got brave enough to kiss the Ray- it's supposed to bring good luck

[capncarp]

The Cayman Stingrays are:

--gentle

--soft like wet velvet

--friendly

--accustomed to interacting with humans

--curious about you

--equipped with eyes that look back at you in curiously human ways.

--an experience I will never forget and would love to repeat.:D

 

Just stay on the boat until you see how things go, or just get on the sandbar and stand still--they will brush by you but like someone above said--like an affectionate kitten rubbing up against your leg. Besides, the mouth is on the underside and has no teeth. Follow the guides' instructions and you will be pretty well covered.

 

Go ahead and enjoy the experience!

[CMM]

As the OP I am now back from our cruise.

We ended up going with Moby Dick. There were about 50 on the tour with us. My daughter ended up really freaking out at the stingray part when they were rubbing up against her and had to get out of the water. My husband and son were fine as were the other 46 people on the tour.

The snorkeling part was a bit chaotic, but we all really enjoyed that part.

 

If I could do it again I would try to find a company that would gaurantee a smaller group. She probabally still would have freaked out knowing her.

[serene56]

50 people :eek: ??

 

was the water standable? I mean could you stand in the water? or was this pure snorkle trip?

[CMM]

There were two stops. One was for snorkeling and that was very deep water, but you could wear life vests. The other stop was the stingrays we stood in waist or a little higher water. You stood and shuffled your feet when walking to not accidentally step on them. At the stingray stop you didn't snorkel.