We set our alarms to have an early breakfast, and were done our daily dose of Topsiders omelets and berries by 9 am. We were also entertained at breakfast by a "pirate ship" which was sailing around the bay firing at us. I think some cruisers had excursions on that ship later in the day. We headed down to the Buena Vista Theatre ready to tackle the tendering process.
Tender Experience
There were about 4 rows full of people ahead of us, and I was all set to while away the time waiting to be called for our tender by putting on the DDs sunscreen, especially since I know that people on excursions get "first dibs" at tenders. As luck would have it, just as we sat down the CMs said that the next tender was ready and it was time for us to file out row by row, walk down the hall, down the stairs all the way to Deck 1 and get on to the tender. I have no idea how long the first 4 rows had been waiting, and I can only hope that on all future cruises we are that lucky again - I think we were in the Buena Vista Theatre for about 1 minute - hardly long enough to even sit down!
The tenders they were using were quite a bit larger than others that I saw for other cruise ships, and was in excellent shape. It was very stable, with a first and second level, and there was plenty of room to sit either in the sun (which we did in the a.m.) or in the shade (which we did in the p.m.). Some of the best views of the Magic were about to come our way, as we motored away from the ship which was moored off Grand Cayman. DH went up to the top level and snapped away. The only downside was that there was another cruise ship further out from the Magic which prevented him from getting a postcard-perfect shot of the Magic in the Mediterranean waters.
It was fun to try the tendering process, but I am really glad that GC is the only stop where this is necessary. It was very convenient to walk off and on the Magic at Cozumel the next day, and again at Castaway Cay on Friday.
Sea Grapes Beach on Seven Mile
After a short ride into the village of Georgetown, we disembarked from the tender and were ready to start our adventure to Sea Grapes Beach. I had read up on the beaches of Grand Cayman, particularly Seven Mile Beach, on the Internet before we left, and felt like I had the whole thing under control. So we took up one of the dozens of offers we received for a cab ride, and we were instantly on our way to the beach. This is a very lucrative business - being a taxi driver in Georgetown on a cruise ship day. For a 10 or 15-minute cab ride (which was thankfully air-conditioned on the way there, but not so on the way back to Georgetown which is when we REALLY needed it), he made $5 per person. There were 9 of us in the cab - several were dropped off at the Royal Palms (at least I think that is what it was called) and then he took the 4 of us to Sea Grapes.
Perhaps we are spoiled by all of the wonderful sandy beaches in Ontario on Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and past trips to Cape Cod, Mass where there is room to stretch, play a game of beach volleyball, and perhaps even fly a stunt kite without having to worry at all about bumping into people around you. Sea Grapes was great, it really was, but WOW did it get crowded. I think I have read that all of Cayman's beaches used to be wider (i.e. more beach between where the beach starts and the water meets it) before the hurricanes a few years ago. When we arrived, it was already very hot (about 10:00 am by now), and DDs had NO sunscreen yet. So we took the time to get that done, then rented chairs and an umbrella ($21 US - package deal) and settled in. DDs started making a sand castle a few feet away from where we were sitting, and then we went for a swim. Again, we are used to having more than 15 or 20 feet before it gets over your head, so it took some getting used to. The water was great - clean, beautiful blue, and with a soft, sandy bottom. We had lugged our water shoes, but didn't find that we needed them. The sand on the beach was also great for sandcastles. All around us, people were parasailing, renting jetskis, and generally enjoying themselves. Behind us was Calico Jack's, selling drinks, lunch, etc. There were also showers for rinsing off the sand and clean public washrooms. I had planned for us to have lunch there, but it just kept getting more and more crowded. Eventually, another group put their chairs and umbrellas between us and the kids and their sandcastle.
HINT - if you go to the beach at Seven Mile at Grand Cayman and rent a chair, put your chair RIGHT at the water's edge - that way, no-one can take your view away!
Now being a seasoned cruiser (LOL), the next time I plan a beach excursion I will not plan on a 4 or 5 hour experience, especially if it's Day 1 in the hot Caribbean with my fair-haired DDs. DD5 was getting very pink, very quickly, despite the 50 SPF sunscreen, T-shirt and hat. I think that 2 hours for the first day is all our DDs needed or wanted, especially since there was so little room to spread out. Sandcastle - check, several dips in the Caribbean - check, snack on pilfered melon from Topsiders (don't do this at Cozumel, but no one checks at GC) - check, and it was time to go. Even with the $60 US investment, I think it was well worth the trip. $15 each for 2 glorious hours on one of the best stretches of beach in the world? Sounds reasonable to me! So, we skipped Calico Jacks and went back to Georgetown. And I was glad to be able to leave when WE decided it was time to go, so I am glad I did the beach excursion on our own as opposed to through a
DCL excursion.
The cabs were waiting at Sea Grapes, and it was not a problem to get back to Georgetown immediately. On the way back to town, there were 10 passengers in the mini-van. Quick math: $50 for the driver for 10 minutes work...
By now, it was 12:30 and we were HUNGRY! Faint with hunger (said DD10), we succumbed to the tourist trap of the Breezes Restaurant that was located immediately across the street from the tender dock, and in the heart of Georgetown, wishing that I had researched a Plan B so that I could have had a list of awesome restaurants, frequented by the locals, on the side streets to choose from. Regardless, Breezes ended up being a decent, if somewhat expensive, stop and we had good quesadillas and ribs, and some COLD GC-brewed microbrewery beer (yum!) with the DDs having smoothies. We opted to sit outside (in the shade) as the indoor sitting in the AC was full to the brim.
After lunch, we took in the shops and followed through on the research that we HAD done in advance to satisfy DD10s insatiable need to shop. We eventually found some neat souvenirs at Del Sol (where you too can purchase nail polish that changes colours in the sun - who knew we needed that...) and at the Blue Iguana, which I thought had a great selection of T-shirts. DD5 bought a stuffed Grand Cayman turtle to be friends with the stuffed Nemo she had bought at the
Disney store before we left Orlando (remember the turtles that accompany Dory and Nemo on their journey? - she had it all figured out!). Stuffed Nemo and Grand Cayman turtle later were to find a place of honour alongside the cool, sunglass-wearing, towel-animal shark one evening in our state room!
Returning to the ship was a breeze (and thankfully there WAS a breeze!). The tenders were moving regularly, and again we walked right on and it filled quickly.
We were back on board by 3:45 pm, and by 4 pm we were swimming in the pools until we headed back to the room to get ready for - pirate night!
Pirate Night
Pirate Night was a day early on our cruise. I found out after we returned through the DIS that this was because there was a plan for the next night at Cozumel to leave later than usual (1 am) and allow CMs some (much-deserved) time off the ship. So, the fireworks would be on Tuesday night after we set sail from GC on our way to Cozumel. This worked out PERFECTLY as far as we were concerned, as our PLAPLAP rotation had us in Parrot Cay for dinner on Tuesday, so we had the optimum decor for the bandannas and pirate festivities. Not all of the organized activities were successfully moved to Tuesday however, as Captain Jack Sparrow was out for character greet on Wednesday evening, not Tuesday. I noticed several guests who must have re-donned their pirate gear for their picture with Captain Jack on Wednesday. As an aside, I thought the CM who played the part of Jack did an awesome job. Either he really WAS drunk (unlikely) or he had really practised the part!
The Pirate Night menu is the only one that made it home with us as a souvenir. It was a fun night, with DDs wearing festive skirts and the whole room getting into the spirit of the evening with bandannas aplenty. I felt sorry for our tablemates, whose kids had abandoned them for the clubs. It's so much easier to pretend to be a kid again when you are actually WITH your kids....
After dinner we took in Rich Purpura the Magician
for a while, and then headed off to the Golden Mickeys. I have read many posts on the DIS about which show is the favorite, and why, and the Golden Mickeys seems to be up there for many DIS'ers. For us, the Golden Mickeys didn't capture our attention - perhaps it was because it was already WELL into a very long day. Up early, quick breakfast, tender, cab, build sandcastle, swelter, hot cab ride, wait for lunch, walk around hot village, walk back to tender, swim in pools, excitement of pirate dinner. Phew! Nap time anyone? No time! Perhaps the other reason that I didn't like the Mickeys is that I am a sucker for a storyline, which is not what the Golden Mickeys is trying to do at all. So, don't listen to me - see it for yourself and be the judge! And even after having said it was not my favorite, it was still very good, and I am certain that I will end up settled into a good seat in the Walt Disney Theatre next February to see the Golden Mickeys once again (and maybe I will get DH to go ahead and try to get DDs interviewed on the red carpet - that was fun to watch!).
The Pirates in the Caribbean night got into full swing at about 9:45 pm, and the fireworks were at 10:30. We watched the party for a while while snacking on our ice creams, but DD5 was wilting - fast. So we wandered further up on Deck 10 where it was cool, dark, and quiet - as I have read elsewhere on the DIS there was a band trying valiantly to be entertaining at the Quiet Cove. Tough gig. We enjoyed some quiet family time further up Deck 10 talking quietly about our day and all that it had delivered, and then resolved to head off to bed as DD5 announced that she no longer cared whether she saw the fireworks.
Just as we headed off, we walked back into the melee as Mickey slid down the line and the fireworks began!
Talk about impeccable timing! DD5 got her (11th) wind and we stayed to watch them go off - with a perfect vantage point! What fun!
After that it was truly bedtime - we tucked the DDs in, and then DH snuck back up to the pirate feast and brought me back some treats. Mmmm. Ended the night with chocolate-covered strawberries. Another day full of fun memories...
Up Next - Chapter Wednesday - Cozumel
Cinderella is her favorite Disney movie (although she is a bit scared of the previews she has seen at Walmart for Cinderella 3). She has a Princess-themed bedroom, a Cinderella backpack, a Cinderella bedside clock, and went out for Halloween last year as Cinderella. So it was not a big surprise that she settled into her chair and was mesmerized with a glowy expression on her face as she watched the story of Franco and the exploits of the evil stepmother as she attempts to undo the happy ending of the Cinderella story. The actors were very good - I particularly liked the actor portraying Franco. He was out for character greet and photo ops later in the week on the Friday night, and she got her picture taken with Franco, the evil stepsisters and the Fairy Godmother! She was in heaven! 
Clever DD now goes down to Deck 3 (barefoot) to Guest Services, and seeks out a new KTTW card, goes back up to Deck 6 and lets herself back into the cabin. Sigh. She certainly likes to seek out adventure. When she is 18, I will give her check-out privileges in the clubs.
