Stingrays & Hell

[vancouver_gurl]

Do you think I have time to see both? Thinking to just do the cruise line's (RCI) excursion to check out some stingrays and then try to find a short round trip ride to Hell on my own - any recommendations an how I can do this?? :confused: or suggestions?

 

I don't really want to join one of the tours that just drive around for a few hours because I'd like to enjoy some of the water there.

 

I'm not expecting much in Hell but I'm a bit of a stamp geek and would love to send myself back a postcard post-marked from Hell, take a couple of pictures and that's it...

[jean-lynd]

You might want to see if there is a way that you can get a taxi to take you from the stingray city marina area to Hell instead of riding all of the way back to the pier and then going right back up the same road to Hell. That would save you a lot of time and maybe even save you some money.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Enjoy!

[10th Anniversary]

We will be sailing on Freedom of the Seas in October and want to visit Stingray City and Hell. Then hopefully snorkel at Eden's Rock before we need to re-board the ship. We aren't interested in Rum Point or the Turtle Farm.

 

Any suggestions on what we should do...private tour or something at port day of?

[vancouver_gurl]

You might want to see if there is a way that you can get a taxi to take you from the stingray city marina area to Hell instead of riding all of the way back to the pier and then going right back up the same road to Hell. That would save you a lot of time and maybe even save you some money.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

cool! i'll definately try doing that when we get there. are these 3 places far from each other?

 

i just don't want to get lost or anything.....or not make it back to the ship in time...i'm a newbie so still trying to sort it all out. :p

 

THANKS!!!

[jean-lynd]

The marina where the stingray city boats are is about 3/4 of the way from the pier to Hell. That is why I suggested that you try to figure out a way to go to Hell from the marina instead of going all of the way back to the pier and then going back down the same road to get back to Hell.

[10th Anniversary]

We are trying to figure the same thing out. If we book Captin Marvin's for stingray city, could we ask them to drop us off at Hell? Or will we have passed it as we sail from Stingray City to the Marina? If we get dropped off at Hell, would we take a taxi back to the port? If so, how much would it cost? I know a lot of questions...just trying to figure it all out. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[jean-lynd]

The problem is that Hell is North of the marina so it is not "on the way" from the pier to the marina or on the way back - I would be surprised if they would take you there. That is why I suggested that you try to grab a cab from the marina to Hell and then back to the pier. You might be able to get a cab that would wait for you at Hell. It's worth a try.

[10th Anniversary]

The problem is that Hell is North of the marina so it is not "on the way" from the pier to the marina or on the way back - I would be surprised if they would take you there. That is why I suggested that you try to grab a cab from the marina to Hell and then back to the pier. You might be able to get a cab that would wait for you at Hell. It's worth a try.

 

Thanks for the info...just what I was lookin for. I found a thread a little bit ago that indicated that you can't just grab a taxi at the port and go to hell. They want you to book an island tour that includes hell and the turtle farm. It seems so simple to me, you hire a taxi and the taxi takes you where you want to go. A taxi should be a taxi. Not a mandatory tour on a bus with 25 other people and waste 2 hours "waiting". There will be 5 of us, so I'm not sure what we will do.:confused:

[florida322]

I have booked with Captain Marvin twice. They took us on the Stingray tour and then they took us to Hell, and Turtle Farm after. If you ask them, they will drive you there. I don't remember how much extra it was, but it wasn't much.

[bookbabe]

I found a thread a little bit ago that indicated that you can't just grab a taxi at the port and go to hell. They want you to book an island tour that includes hell and the turtle farm. It seems so simple to me, you hire a taxi and the taxi takes you where you want to go. A taxi should be a taxi.

 

You have to look at it from the point of view of the driver. If it was you, wouldn't you rather maximize your earnings by taking full loads of passengers for longer tours? If they do a quick run, earning very little for that run since it's a short trip with only two people, not only do they not make much money for that trip, they likely lose out on the longer trips altogether, since the people seeking longer tours will be gone by the time they get back.

 

I think it would also depend on how many ships were in on a given day as well. If there's lots of ships, drivers aren't worried about turning down "non-profitable" runs, since they'll likely all fill their taxis with passengers for longer tours. If there's only one or two ships in, you might be more likely to find a driver willing to make a short run, since a short run would be better than nothing.

 

You could take a bus to Hell if you can't find a willing taxi. Buses are easy and cheap. Or, if you wait a bit and seek out a taxi after the initial rush is gone, you might have better luck.

[10th Anniversary]

You have to look at it from the point of view of the driver. If it was you, wouldn't you rather maximize your earnings by taking full loads of passengers for longer tours? If they do a quick run, earning very little for that run since it's a short trip with only two people, not only do they not make much money for that trip, they likely lose out on the longer trips altogether, since the people seeking longer tours will be gone by the time they get back. Great point and I know we can't expect someone to give up the chance to make more money...we would do the same.

 

You could take a bus to Hell if you can't find a willing taxi. Buses are easy and cheap. Or, if you wait a bit and seek out a taxi after the initial rush is gone, you might have better luck. How cheap and where do we get them?

 

Thanks for the info.

[bookbabe]

Bus info is near the end of the first post in the sticky...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=449552

[10th Anniversary]

Bus info is near the end of the first post in the sticky...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=449552

 

Thanks so much for the link. What wonderful information. Should have read the "sticky" before posting. :o Oh well. Didn't read through the entire sticky yet, will do that later...just glanced at the beginning post. So I think our plan will be to book the short excursion with Captain Marvin at 8:30 a.m., then catch the bus in town for the ride out to Hell and maybe stop off a cemetary beach for a little snorkeling for about an hour and then catch the bus back to town for some last minute shopping before we board the tender back to the ship.