Grand Cayman

[holie]

Yes, I realize there are already a lot of Caribbean threads going right now, but something piqued my interest. Because I am going on the western cruise next April, I am slightly concerned about what I'm hoping is only a slight chance that we might not dock at grand cayman.

How many of you have been on the western and haven't made it to GC?
How touchy are they about weather conditions to make this decision? Was the weather pretty bad or was it mild?
How many times have you been to GC and how many times did you cruise the western?
Please, put my mind at ease and tell me anything possible about this.

 

[BigJon]

I've taken 4 Western cruises on the Magic, and we missed Grand Cayman one time because of rough weather. A couple hours later that day, the Captain announced we would be going to Key West instead (the next day).

 

[kcashner]

You never dock at Grand Cayman, you drop anchor and tender. The reason is that the island is surrounded by a coral reef and bringing the ships in close would destroy the reef.

Because you must tender (the ship has smaller boats tie up to it and take passengers to the island..they are like 300 passenger boats), it can't happen if the seas are rough. It took us 3 or 4 Westerns before I saw GC...one due to the island being closed from previous hurricane damage, the others due to rough seas. We've made it every time since...so my odds are about 40% of not making it, but that's just my personal experience.

 

[schimj]

DW & I have taken a two Western Carib cruises (one DCL, one Carnival), and made it to Grand Cayman twice. We sailed there in June & November, and the seas weren't too rough to tender at that time. We have another cruise booked for the week after next (yaaaaay!!!), and we're hoping that the Tropical Ickyness has passed by then and things calm down some so we can walk around GC again!

 

[tammymacb]

We have been to Grand Cayman several times both on cruise ships and as vacations on island. I chose a cruise in January of this year that was stopping at Grand Cayman and I couldn't wait.

Well, we had crappy weather and couldn't tender. Worst day of the cruise. I booked a Western on Fantasy sailing in June, and I'm hoping that the weather is typical of summer Grand Cayman weather/hot and water slick as glass.

 

[BealsRwe]

4 western cruises on DCL, and we have been to Grand Cayman every time. We have sailed in Nov, Dec, and Jan. We did have a stop in Costa Maya one year due to the port of Cozumel still being closed after a hurricane. This past Dec, we had rough seas returning from Cozumel because a cold front with lots of rain had pushed thorugh Cozumel while we were there.

Side note...in 12 DCL cruises, we have never missed a port. 1 RCL cruise this summer and we missed their private island due to rough seas, so we stayed in Nassau overnight, and then had an unplanned sea day. It didn't ruin our cruise, but I was hoping to get to their island to compare to our beloved Castaway Cay.

We generally book excursions through DCL, as if they are cancelled due to wetaher, not getting into port, etc., they are refunded. Last Dec, I did book Boatswains in Grand Cayman on our own, because the savings was huge...enough for me to risk not getting there.

 

[tammymacb]

If you book with a reputable tour company, they know if the ship couldn't get in. They don't charge.

 

[kcashner]

Captain Marvin's on Grand Cayman takes a credit card number when you book, but they don't charge it. If your ship can't get in, there is no charge (I'll attest that they don't as I've had it happen). When you show up, you can pay in cash or tell them to bill the card. The only way it will be billed without your body is if the ship tenders but you don't show up or cancel in their time frame.

 

[DCLFAN1022]

We're currently on the Magic, Western Caribbean Cruise right now and didn't make it to Grand Cayman due to high winds but, Captain John informed us the day before and decided that we would go to Costa Maya instead.

 

[disneydreamer82]

We have cruised on Western's only so far and on our first cruise we couldn't tender at GC b/c of rough water. Was a little disappointed at first but then they announced buy one get one free drinks and we got over it Made it there on our second and third cruise no problems, hoping we make it again on our cruise in 23 days!!

 

[holie]

Thanks so much guys! I guess it's just the luck of the draw- good and bad. I've heard April is a good month for Caribbean sailing so here's hoping as I'm really excited for the excursions I have planned and heard it's the best port on the western

 

[LindaBabe]

Luck of the draw, for sure. It's the tender company that makes the choice - if they won't tender, the ship doesn't stop. We missed it one year on a day that just looked 'a little choppy' to us, but apparently dangerous to them. They live there, and it's their livelihood, so I assume they make wise choices!

 

[ruley3]

We have missed it 2x and been 2x.... It is beautiful but I am fine either way and I do not let it tarnish my trip!!!!!

 

[postalchick71]

Been there twice in April and made it both times.