Are most children scared of the Stingrays???

[goin2dzny]

My DD (will be 8) would like the idea... but I'm not sure once she was surrounded by the fish if she would be frightened...

PLEASE offer some input...

Do a lot of the children that do this excursion end up afraid of the Stingrays???

 

[Pugdog007]

Uh... I was scared of the stingrays.

At first, they swarm you when you get off your excursion boat because they know you have food. They rub against you and it can be quite frightening. My 14 yo was also a little scared at first.

When they settle down a bit, it's the most awesome experience! I would just introduce a child very slowly. There were smaller children in our group that were ok after a few minutes.

You can't really appreciate the SIZE of Cayman stingrays until you actually see them. They are not FL rays that's for sure!

 

[jmalk]

My kids (8 & 10) loved them. They are not the thrill seeking type and at first they were tentative. Eventually they got in closer and by the end they were feeding them. When you have food, they really swarm around and swim into you. Let her go around the outskirts while others are feeding them and see how she feels. We did this at Sea World Dolphin encounter so maybe they were small, but there seemed to be hundreds of them.

 

[goin2dzny]

Thanks!!! I guess I need to find some pictures online and show her the size and so forth and see if she still wants to try... if so we will go for it!!!

 

[AnnMorin]

Ok I was imagining the rays would be about a foot and a half wide am I way off?These aren't manta rays are they? How big are these Cayman rays?

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I have 4 year old twins and they loved the stingray city excursion. We held them so they would not be knocked over since the stingrays are so large-I would have to say that some could be almost a yard wide and 4 feet long from head to tail. They do brush up against you-they aren't agressive but they were strong enough to make me lose my balance and have to take a few steps to regain it. My kids were scared to feed them at first, but the Capt Marvin's guys helped them hold the food in the water in order to feed them. Stingray city was a "not to be missed" experience. Take a waterproof camera to get some great shots.

 

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

My DS13 was fine being around the huge stingrays and he even fed them, but my DD9 was hanging on to my husband for dear life, along with me! It takes a while to get use to them brushing up against you and they can be very intimidating because of their size. They're heavier than you'd think they'd be but they are very gentle creatures. They tell you not to jump around in the water to get away from them because if you land on one you could get stung. I think I would feel more comfortable next time (I would book another excursion with Captain Marvin's for sure!) now that I know what to expect.

 

[Mike Bartenhagen]

Originally posted by AnnMorin
Ok I was imagining the rays would be about a foot and a half wide am I way off?These aren't manta rays are they? How big are these Cayman rays?

They are Southern Stingrays if you want to look for more information on them.

 

[Mtdewbuzz]

The stingrays were anywhere from just a 1 foot wide (babies) to 2 1/2 feet wide.

Yes, the kids will shriek at first when the stingrays touch them (as do the adults). Mostly it's a creeped-out "yuck a stingray just touched me" kinda shriek, not a scared for your life kinda shriek. They are harmless. If nothing else, they can hang back from the rest of the group (like I did) to minimize contact with the rays.