Boatswain in Grand Cayman

[Ravenne]

Has anyone done the Boatswain Marine Park recently? Specifically snorkeling there? I'm wondering if fins are allowed? All of the YouTube vids I see of people snorkeling there aren't using fins. Are they not allowed?

 

[MarleneP]

Has anyone done the Boatswain Marine Park recently? Specifically snorkeling there? I'm wondering if fins are allowed? All of the YouTube vids I see of people snorkeling there aren't using fins. Are they not allowed?

I was there with my DS (9 at the time) December 2014. From reading a lot about this place on these boards and other sites, my opinion of this place does not seem to be the norm. So.....we did not enjoy it. Seeing the turtles was pretty cool but the snorkeling was horrible...IMHO. We did not need fins because the water was just not that deep. It rained before we got there and there were a lot of people in and out so the water was very murky.

 

[Sparkie]

Just skip Boatswain all together. We did this one through DCL on our May 8, 2016 Magic Cruise. I did see people in the snorkle lagoon but none had on fins. Its very small and looked shallow. Think of it like a lazy river with some fish. The turtles were ok and it was fun to hold them and get a picture. My mom went in the Aviary and said there were not many species of birds. We ended up spending most of our time in the fresh water pool with our 5yo granddaughter who would have no part of the other activities. If you book through DCL, you will get a "lunch" ticket.... LUNCH IS GROSS! It was bland red beans and rice, plantains, pasta salad (those who eat pasta salad that was not kept cold in the caribbean beware) and the mystery meat was said to be BBQ chicken but the leg bone was very very small, the meat was dark, dry and tasted funny- 1 small nibble and into the trash it all went.... I felt bad wasting food but it was inedible.

If you want snorkeling, I would look into one of the catamaran snorkeling adventures- I think your money will be better spent.

Also one more note, I booked excursions via DCL this time because I wanted the transportation covered and didnt want to worry about running short on $$ and not being able to get a taxi back to the ship but we spent ALOT of time waiting for the group to gather, be sorted, counted, loaded, and sometimes that one group member who didnt listen to instructions to be found... it seemed like a waste of time just to stand around - time that I would have rather spent enjoying the port.

 

[MarleneP]

Just skip Boatswain all together. We did this one through DCL on our May 8, 2016 Magic Cruise. I did see people in the snorkle lagoon but none had on fins. Its very small and looked shallow. Think of it like a lazy river with some fish. The turtles were ok and it was fun to hold them and get a picture. My mom went in the Aviary and said there were not many species of birds. We ended up spending most of our time in the fresh water pool with our 5yo granddaughter who would have no part of the other activities. If you book through DCL, you will get a "lunch" ticket.... LUNCH IS GROSS! It was bland red beans and rice, plantains, pasta salad (those who eat pasta salad that was not kept cold in the caribbean beware) and the mystery meat was said to be BBQ chicken but the leg bone was very very small, the meat was dark, dry and tasted funny- 1 small nibble and into the trash it all went.... I felt bad wasting food but it was inedible.

If you want snorkeling, I would look into one of the catamaran snorkeling adventures- I think your money will be better spent.

Also one more note, I booked excursions via DCL this time because I wanted the transportation covered and didnt want to worry about running short on $$ and not being able to get a taxi back to the ship but we spent ALOT of time waiting for the group to gather, be sorted, counted, loaded, and sometimes that one group member who didnt listen to instructions to be found... it seemed like a waste of time just to stand around - time that I would have rather spent enjoying the port.

I totally agree with everything said in this post. I am happy to see someone else feels the same way I do. So many people report loving this place and I just could not see the appeal.

 

[Ravenne]

Thank you both for your insights. We're not specifically looking for snorkeling excursions as it seems every port in the Caribbean has some sort of snorkeling, so we're fine without. It's really my kids who wants to do Boatswain because they want to hang out with the turtles, but me, I can do with or without. Are there other excursions that are more worthwhile in Grand Cayman? Doesn't have to involve snorkeling. We'd prefer active excursions over sightseeing. We have zero interest in sightseeing or shopping.

 

[CB Ace]

We just went to Boatswains and while it wasn't the best excursion ever, we enjoyed it. DD loved being able to hold the fish and she loved swimming in the pool/riding the slide. I thought the food was surprisingly edible for being a small buffet. We took the Disney tour but wished we'd gone on our own, as it started raining and we were ready to leave 30 minutes before the buses. But we had a fun morning there.

 

[mjfisherdc]

We also went on the May 8 Magic. My kids loved the turtles, but would not go into the snorkel lagoon. The snorkel did not fit properly and they didn't feel comfortable going in to the snorkel lagoon. I am not sure about the fins. The stuff that comes with your ticket is only the mask and snorkel

 

[Sparkie]

The other half of my group did the Dolphin Extreme swim through DCL. This one was a dolphin swim and a turtle adventure. The dolphin swim place is literally across the street from the turtle place. They seemed to have a much better adventure. Their lunch was not included.