castle701 Posted December 19, 2004 #1 Share Posted December 19, 2004 We have never been to Grand Cayman and do not snorkle. I keep reading that the surf is not too good here and the area is still a mess. Please give us your imput - hate to miss a port we have never been too. ALSO, does anyone know which hotel it is with the 7-mile beach break excursion that RCCL offers. Has anyone booked the Hyatt for the day and lounged around there facilities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam6959 Posted December 20, 2004 #2 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Cayman Islands to me is the best place to visit. Very International. The buildings are beautiful. I don't know what shape it is in since it has been hit with 3 hurricanes, but I love this port so much would not miss it. I hope the ship can tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richtersl Posted December 20, 2004 #3 Share Posted December 20, 2004 When I was there last month, there was still a LOT of visible hurricane damage in many places. The immediate port area looked fine but all you had to do was walk a few blocks before you started seeing damage. I have photos of that visit here: http://lrichters.photosite.com/NovCruise/GC/ I'm not sure about the hotel situation. We passed several of them that were along Seven Mile Beach and none of them looked as if they were open at the time. The beach itself looked gorgeous, albeit a little "bald" since many trees were defoliated and or destroyed as a result of Ivan. If you're interested in the Hyatt, you may want to try to contact Hyatt directly and ask if their hotel on Grand Caymen is accepting guests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nononsense42 Posted December 20, 2004 #4 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Wow! I just looked at all your photos.... awesome. We are sailing on the 1st. I can hardly wait! Thank you for posting the photo link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeno Posted December 21, 2004 #5 Share Posted December 21, 2004 We just got back from our cruise (Dec 18). Yes Grand Cayman still has visible hurricane damage but it is being repaired quickly. Shops are open and doing business. The day we were there (due to rough surf), we had to change our plans (we had intended to snorkel at Eden Rock). Instead we went to Seven Mile Beach. It was lovely, long and pleasant. My husband body surfed and had a great time. The surf was a little high for me (I am very short and have an extemely bad knee) - so I just went into the water briefly to cool off. I did not find it that windy. We thought it was definitely worth going ashore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Times Prince Posted December 22, 2004 #6 Share Posted December 22, 2004 We've been to Grand Cayman several times on cruises. Unless you don't swim at all, don't be afraid of Stingray city. The boat takes you out there to a sand bar and you actually stand in about 4 - 4-1/2 feet of water. The snorkle mask and tube allow you to stick your face in the water and see these magnificant animals more clearly. They also provide a snorkel vest that keeps you bouyant as well. The sting rays come up near the surface, so you can see and experience them just fine. They are gentle creatures, and are used to being hand fed (which is really an experience!). We do advise a morning tour. Of the Cayman experiences this is a MUST SEE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacurnl Posted December 23, 2004 #7 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I cannot speak about the hurricane damage, but we have been to GC twice, and had very enjoyable experiences. We did Stingray City with Marvin, and did a snorkeling tour with Princess on our first stop--very calm waters and the best visibility in the Carribbean--and lots to see in the water. I am a blinded snorkeler as I wear glasses all the time and I can't wear them while I have the mask on, so great visibility is a huge plus for me! Don't miss this island, there is much to appreciate. My DH even said this would rate a week-long land visit! Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted December 23, 2004 #8 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I cannot speak about the hurricane damage, but we have been to GC twice, and had very enjoyable experiences. We did Stingray City with Marvin, and did a snorkeling tour with Princess on our first stop--very calm waters and the best visibility in the Carribbean--and lots to see in the water. I am a blinded snorkeler as I wear glasses all the time and I can't wear them while I have the mask on, so great visibility is a huge plus for me! Don't miss this island, there is much to appreciate. My DH even said this would rate a week-long land visit! Enjoy. Dear Blinded, Even in Ohio they have dive shops. I really recommend you visit one and purchase an optical facemask. Unless your vision is really really horrible, you can probably buy something off the shelf close enough to your prescription. You can get a custom mask, but the extra $$ probably aren't worth it. Your vision underwater will be different, anyway. so something close is close enough. I've used them for about 30 years now and it makes all the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacurnl Posted January 2, 2005 #9 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Thanks for the info-- I'm sure it would be a great help. We will be there again in 2 weeks--I can't wait! Not sure if we will be snorkeling, I think we will try to rent bikes this time. If that doesn't work out I'm sure we'll find something great to do.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruislovin Posted January 4, 2005 #10 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Dear Blinded, Even in Ohio they have dive shops. I really recommend you visit one and purchase an optical facemask. Unless your vision is really really horrible, you can probably buy something off the shelf close enough to your prescription. You can get a custom mask, but the extra $$ probably aren't worth it. Your vision underwater will be different, anyway. so something close is close enough. I've used them for about 30 years now and it makes all the difference. Do you have any information on the approximate cost of these face masks? My husband and I could both use one of these! I usually wear my contacts but if water gets in them it really burns my eyes... I have only heard of the custom masks which are very expensive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharks48 Posted January 4, 2005 #11 Share Posted January 4, 2005 To cruisluvin: I got a prescription mask for about $60. I am "blind as a bat" without glasses, so this was terrific! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruislovin Posted January 4, 2005 #12 Share Posted January 4, 2005 To cruisluvin: I got a prescription mask for about $60. I am "blind as a bat" without glasses, so this was terrific! That's not bad at all for a prescription mask. Do you get them from your eye care provider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zydecocruiser Posted January 4, 2005 #13 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Salt water can sting with or without contacts, so you want a mask that fits. I am not aware of any for $60, but if you can find one that works for you, great. I would think closer to $100 or perhaps more. Depends on a few things. For the "off the shelf" kind, what you do is buy a mask that they make different diopter lenses for. Then usually you also purchase the closest diopter lenses to your prescription. The dive shop will even install them for you, but it is usually just pop out the old and pop in the new. Custom masks might be $200 or more and you would need some measurement info like distance between your pupils. You can buy on the internet, but I would find a mask at a local shop where you can try on and make sure it fits your face and has a good seal. Here is an example of one for under $100: http://www.joediveramerica.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=JDA&Product_Code=Corrective&Affiliate=DB1 Even though they say it fits everyone - I say buyer beware... I prefer to try one on in a local store when shopping. There are many different ones available, this is just a sample: http://shop.divebooty.com/products/s_prescription_dive_masks.html You will be amazed with the results if you have poor vision. You can even use it as a spare pair of glasses in an emergency. Also great fun for those pesky lifeboat drills. Show up wearing a mask and snorkel usually is good for a chuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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