Stopped lurking, questions on western ports

[adedward]

Hi, I have been lurking for a few months and, although I have learned quite a bit, I have a few specific questions where I need some help please. First, my husband and I will be taking our first cruise in May, on the Magic. I can't seem to find exactly where we come to shore and whether we dock or tender to port at Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and would like that information. In addition, I wonder if there is a public beach for snorkeling and restaurants and public parts of town within walking distance of our landing spot at Grand Cayman, as we are thinking of not doing a formal tour there. Finally, how far from the dock at Grand Cayman is the snorkeling beach where you snorkel over the shallow ship wreck and then over the reefs? Thanks for any help.

 

[lillygator]

we dock in Cozumel....I am not sure about beaches in walking distance...I will check my notes and postr later. What cruise are you on?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You will tender to port in Grand Cayman. I don't think there are snorkeling beaches near the pier. You will have to arrange for an excursion or transportation to some of the more popular snorkeling spots.

You will dock at a pier in Cozumel. There are no public beaches within walking distance of the pier. Again, arranged transportation or an excursion would be best.

 

[adedward]

Thank you both for your help. So, in Grand Cayman, do the tenders run all day long, or only at specific time? Do you find cabs at the dock, or do they have to be arranged in advance? Is there any wonderful little town center anyone recommends to go and walk around to look at local architecture and/or churches, eat at local restaurants, go to a local market?

 

[tigger2002]

I have been looking for a lot of the same information. I found this guys website to be pretty good. He lives in Cozumel.

http://www.cozumelmycozumel.com/Pages/CozumelCruises.htm

 

[lucyddr]

You will tender to port in Grand Cayman. I don't think there are snorkeling beaches near the pier. You will have to arrange for an excursion or transportation to some of the more popular snorkeling spots.

Actually, there is a great area to snorkel less than 1 mile from the pier in Grand Cayman. It's called Eden Rock. If you get off the tender and exit the port to the right, you'll walk down a sidewalk to Eden Rock. There is not much of a beach there (just a few chairs on packed sand), but there is a little bar, lockers, and snorkelling right from the beach. This is also a great place to take photos of your ship (assuming another ship isn't blocking the view). The snorkelling there is kind of cool in that you snorkel with big tarpons (4-5 ft long). We enjoyed it, and all it cost us was the locker rental (and the few drinks we bought)!

There is also another place called Sunset Beach (or something like that) a little farther down. I don't know the info, but if you check the "other" cruise board you can find some info on it. I have read about Cheeseburger Reef and some other off-beach snorkel areas (which I think are the ones you are actually referring to), but I don't recommend them unless you are an avid snorkeller as the reefs are about 100 yards of more off shore.

 

[kcashner]

Thank you both for your help. So, in Grand Cayman, do the tenders run all day long, or only at specific time? Do you find cabs at the dock, or do they have to be arranged in advance? Is there any wonderful little town center anyone recommends to go and walk around to look at local architecture and/or churches, eat at local restaurants, go to a local market?

Tenders run all day. Early on, you will need a tender ticket (that's how they keep us in order as many people want to get off early). Tickets are free, but are for a specific time. When the crowds have died down they will announce open tendering which means you show up when you want to. Back to the ship, it's always open.

You can find plenty of cabs at the doc. There will be a tourist info booth at the doc where you can get info on booking excursions privately (if you didn't do this on line), island tours, etc. Sometimes they even have discount admission tickets.

 

[adedward]

Thanks everyone for your help. Only one more question right now: what about a great older "town center" in Grand Cayman to see architecture, churches, local markets, etc?

 

[lucyddr]

I don't know of a true "town center" in GC. If these are what you would want to see, I would suggest a private tour in a taxi. You can pre-book or just get one at the port. Be sure you negotiate a price BEFORE getting into the car (with the time involved, etc.). The locals are your best bet for seeing "their" areas. They could always drop you off at 7 Mile Beach or Eden Rock for some snorkelling afterwards.

 

[MickeyCruiser]

We did an early morning snorkel excursion that gave us time to take a taxi to a beach afterwards. Snorkelling was great and wasn't far for the pier. I would not miss the beaches in Grand Cayman they are beautiful. I don't remember which one we went to, but it was a small fee to enter, you could rent chairs and umbrellas.

 

[jj4]

We walked around GC in the rain last Nov and the only part of town we came across was not particularly interesting. It was mostly banks(LOTS of them) and some touristy shops. Maybe there is something else but we didn't find it. We also hired a taxi driver and he took us to the turtle farm and through some residential areas but we didn't see any museums or churches. We did however see iguanas crawling up the sides of peoples houses and lying on the roofs! That was pretty interesting, don't see that everyday!

 

[CAVEA001]

When I went to Grand Cayman, I made no formal plans. After the tender boat, we walked about 4 blocks (past all the taxis) and found a taxi service for $2.50! They took us to "Hell" (where I really wanted to go) and then for another $2.50 to "7 Mile Beach". All in all, a really cheap day!

 

[adedward]

Hmmmm, sounds like finding a good snorkel location might be the best option on Grand Cayman; can't find anyone who found any interesting local culture to explore. Thank you for all your help.

 

[pouncingpluto]

If you want to get a cab to the beach on Grand Cayman, which beach would you recommend? We're an adult couple looking for relaxation... sun, sand, etc. We don't need activities, water sports, etc. Long story short, we're going on two cruises with just a week in between, and we're doing an excursion the first time we visit Grand Cayman. The second time we want to save money.

 

[mom2missmous]

Hope you don't mind a "piggyback" question on GC... Does anyone know if you can walk to magaritaville and hard rock cafe from the dock, or will we need a cab? DD and DH collect t-shirts, hats , and pins from both and want to make a quick stop in each. In fact, that is our main reason for even getting off the ship in this port! lol

 

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Hope you don't mind a "piggyback" question on GC... Does anyone know if you can walk to magaritaville and hard rock cafe from the dock, or will we need a cab? DD and DH collect t-shirts, hats , and pins from both and want to make a quick stop in each. In fact, that is our main reason for even getting off the ship in this port! lol

Yes, you can walk to both. Margaritaville is to the left of the dock (maybe ~4-5 blocks, just guessing), and Hard Rock Cafe is to the right. Here's a picture of the dock & Hard Rock Cafe in the background so you can see how close they are to the dock. This was taken from the balcony at the restaurant (Breezes) that we ate lunch at.

adedward--Which May cruise are you on? If it's May 16th, come join our thread! Some of us posting to your Q are cruising together! (Hi guys! )

 

[mom2missmous]

Yes, you can walk to both. Margaritaville is to the left of the dock (maybe ~4-5 blocks, just guessing), and Hard Rock Cafe is to the right. Here's a picture of the dock & Hard Rock Cafe in the background so you can see how close they are to the dock. This was taken from the balcony at the restaurant (Breezes) that we ate lunch at.

adedward--Which May cruise are you on? If it's May 16th, come join our thread! Some of us posting to your Q are cruising together! (Hi guys! )

Thank you!