Cayman on Own

[brandysmommy]

Has anyone done Cayman on their own, if so what did you do, what did it cost, and how did you like it?

 

[middleofamerica]

We went to Seven Mile Beach on our own and had a great time. No crowds, just ask in town and take the taxi bus. It was a mini-van type of bus and it was only a few dollars per person.

The beach is free and one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see. Don't mess with an excursion there. It's a self-sufficient island and you can just use their public transportation system to do what you want there on your own schedule. When in doubt...ask a local.

 

[cruisecrzy]

I'd also like to hear ideas. The last time we were at the Grand Caymans we walked a short way and snorkled. But now we have a little one so we would love to hear what others did.

A fellow DISer gave me this website. I believe it is where I snorkled on my last visit. We emailed them and are thinking of snorkeling there (but the moms only...dads and kids still need something).

http://www.edenrockdive.com

 

[aprilgail2]

We used Captain Marvins for a stingray/snorkle trip. It was GREAT!!!

 

[Lauri]

We did an island tour. When we got off the tender, there were taxi drivers waiting there to take us on an island tour. Our particular driver was not great, but some of them tell you everything as you go. I believe it was about $20pp. We went to the governer's house, hell, the turtle farm (we had to pay our own admission here), and to a tortoga rum store, where we got great samples. The tour took about an hour. It gave us a good overall view of the island, so it was worth it to us.

 

[jd99]

We rented a dayroom at the Westin GC and it was great. For less than the cost of a DCL excursion, we had full acceess to all Westin facilities incluidng a great pool and incredible beach. And a room to shower (in a human sized shower) and a bed for our little one to take a short afternoon nap. It was really a perfect day

 

[mott]

We rented a dayroom at the Westin GC and it was great. For less than the cost of a DCL excursion, we had full acceess to all Westin facilities incluidng a great pool and incredible beach. And a room to shower (in a human sized shower) and a bed for our little one to take a short afternoon nap. It was really a perfect day

How did you get the day rate - do you have to contact the hotel directly? Were you able to do this via email?

 

[webray]

We did a two hour island taxi tour on our own. About $20pp. It was great. Turtle farm, hell, rum store, local vegetation, neighborhoods, famous places/landmarks. We did it right when we got off the ship. The driver would then drop you at a beach or take you back to port area for shopping. Well worth it.

 

[sdaniel105]

Has anyone done Cayman on their own, if so what did you do, what did it cost, and how did you like it?

We do it all the time. The last time we booked a SRC trip through Capt Bryan's. We rented a van and drove to the dock where the boats is. Went on our SRC trip. When we returned we went from there to the Turtle Farm. After the TF we stopped by Hell for a few photos. We then just did a little driving down the coast. Had hoped to get by and see the blow holes, but were worried a little about time.

One warning. The rental companies are at the airport and it will probably take you about 30-45 minutes to get to the airport and get back to the tender area. Also, the drive on the left side of the road.

Sean

 

[myboysmom]

We rented a car (it was with Budget to begin with- never with Budget on Cayman again- and ended up with Avis ). We drove up to the Turtle Farm and went to a very small beach for some snorkeling (Cemetary Beach), if it wouldn't have been for the screw up with Budget it would have been a lot more fun. We would rent a car again and do things on our own.

 

[brandysmommy]

Does anyone know what beach club Disney uses on SMB? I know in Cozumel, you can go to the same beach club and have the ammenities at a lower cost and all the Cozumel beach clubs seem to have websites. I can't find out anything for Cayman. My concern is having young children, I want to make sure we have some facilities so to speak yet I don't want to go on Disney's schedule or at Disney's cost.

Anyone ever done the Jeep Safari Island Tour advertised at grandcaymancruiseexcursions on the internet - I can't post the full address but you can guess...

FYI - I e-mailed the Westin from their website and they do offer day rooms however not during peak times.

 

[delta0413]

Another vote for Captain Marvin's. DW, DD17, DD12, and I were on the 7/7-7/14 cruise on the Magic. This is the second time we have booked with Captain Marvin and it was great again. We prefer them because of a smaller group size and more personal attention. We even had Captain Marvin himself as our skipper this time. He is 90 years old and he can still drive that boat like anyone 1/3 his age.

We also strongly recommend Paradise restaurant. It is the building with the green roof just to the right of the area Disney uses as the tender spot. Try the Paradise Grilled Chicken... it's great!

Enjoy!

 

[momof6innc]

I emailed the Westin about a price, had to send a second email with the date and I'll let you all know what they say.

 

[LindaBabe]

We took a city bus ride (jitney). We went off out in the direction of Hell and actually turned around at the Hell post office. The bus driver was nice and gave us running commentary (It was right after hurricane Ivan). It was fun to here the people talk and get a glimpse into real life. Some people took the bus to 7 mile beach - the driver told them where to go to catch the bus back. It cost them about $3. each. We gave her $10 each for the round trip, I don't know how much it really was, but she was terrific. Then we wandered through the shops, visited Tortuga rum cake company and went back to the ship. Be ready for a GREAT photo opp on the way back to the ship. That's where you get the classic pose of her anchored at sea.

 

[jldunbar]

Any updates on the cost/how to book a dayroom at the Westin?

If possible, I would also like to see pictures of the pool area and beach. Thanks!

 

[momof6innc]

The cost was about $164, but they will only let you book 4 people in a room. I guess that means if you want more to use the facilities, get wrist bands or whatever, then book more than one room. That rate was for our cruise, and we'll be there on December 5th.

We've decided to stay on the ship.

 

[Indea88]

This is a gorgeous island, especially on the Cayman Kai side of the island. Which is a little distance from where we tender. It is secluded, beautiful and worth the trip.
Last year the four of us, our toddler included, rented the Black Princess with a captain and spent the whole day fishing, snorkling, visiting the stingrays. It worked out great because the kids had the cabin of the boat to play and enjoy.We spent about 5 hours on the boat and were taken back to the Magic in the captain's van. I didn't want to tackle driving on the left! Awesome day!!!!

 

[LaurlieMT]

We just cruised Oct 7-14, and while on Grand Cayman we went by cab to Sea Grape Beach Club on Seven mile Beach. I highly recommend it. My DH and I went to GC for our honeymoon, so we had already toured everything, and decided that with a 5-yr-old and a 3-yr-old all we wanted to do this time was go to the beach.

It was easy to get to Sea Grape. It is about a five minute drive from where the tender docks. We got off the tender, walked up a ramp, and there were cab drivers everywhere, waiting for us. We picked a cab driver, and he took us and two other families to his cab, really a small bus. One of the other families wanted to go to the Royal Palms Beach Club, another club on Seven Mile Beach, and the other two of us wanted to go to Sea Grape. The cab driver told us it would be $4/person each way to Royal Palms, but $5/person for Sea Grape, since it is farther away. Once he had dropped the first family off at Royal Palms, he turned to us and said “You’ll like Sea Grape, not as crowded as Royal Palms!” Sea Grape has chairs and umbrellas for rent, clean bathrooms, an outdoor shower, and a bar/restaurant with decent food. There are tents where you can rent snorkel equipment, and go parasailing, etc. They have some covered picnic areas where you can sit to eat, and a waitress serves you at your table. I think it was about $25 for two entrees (a cheeseburger and fries and chicken fingers, slaw, and fries) that we all split. I had brought water bottles in my bag. Sea Grape is part of Seven Mile Beach. All of Seven Mile Beach is public, and you can go to any part of it. The only differences are the availability of restrooms, restaurants, and rentals. Right next to Sea Grape is a place called “Public Beach” and we walked over there after lunch. It has a couple of covered picnic tables, and a restroom that I didn’t check out. We liked the beach there because it had a flatter place to play in the waves. The hurricane last year really eroded a lot of Seven Mile Beach and made parts of it steeper than they used to be. Public Beach also has a playground near some trees, which DD and DH enjoyed while DS and I swam. If I had it to do over again, I would have packed enough towels to have some to sit on, and we would have skipped the chair rental, but done the rest the same way.

NOTE: The DCL excursion “Seven Mile Beach Break” is identical to what we did, but costs more. The excursion would have cost $36/adult and $26 per child (Total of $124), and all we paid was $5 per person for a cab each way, and $21 total for two beach chairs and an umbrella (Total of $61). The excursion gets you one free drink ticket, and so figure if that would be worth $3 per person, we’re still ahead by $50 for the exact same experience. We got there at about the same time as the excursion people, and left at about the same time. But while the excursion people were standing in a line for their bus to show up, we walked out to the street and immediately got in a cab and went back to the tender! We had a great day.

Hope this helps! Enjoy every second of your cruise. Wish I were back on the ship!

 

[4warmwishers]

We went to Seven Mile Beach on our own and had a great time. No crowds, just ask in town and take the taxi bus. It was a mini-van type of bus and it was only a few dollars per person.

The beach is free and one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see. Don't mess with an excursion there. It's a self-sufficient island and you can just use their public transportation system to do what you want there on your own schedule. When in doubt...ask a local.

Are you able to snorkle at this beach?? Myself, DH & DS 7 enjoy snorkling just off the beach DD4 just floats along with us and thinks she is snorkling (as we did at Coki Beach in St. Thomas). We arn't out for any big snorkling excurtion, just a nice day at the beach. Thanks

 

[brandysmommy]

When you were at Sea Grapes did you notice if ample parking was available?We plan on renting a car and driving around the island a bit first.