GRAND CAYMAN

[simpleohio]

Looking at the excursions and nothing sticks out to me...anyone have any suggestions based on your experience for 2 adults when we are port for the day.

 

[wilma-bride]

We did the Island Tour. It was an Ok tour and a nice way to see some of the island - we visited Hell and also the turtle farm. Others have reported that you only get 30 minutes at the farm but we had a lot longer than that - almost too long, to be honest. We wouldn't do it again, now we have done it once, but if you haven't visited before, it is a good way to see the island. We did an adults only tour, which was good.

 

[Meriweather]

We also did the turtles....loved it!!
Hell and a few other spots. It was a good tour.

 

[bfamily5]

We booked Stingray City with Capt' Marvin. Excellent tour, very up close with the wild stingrays. So glad we did it in Grand Cayman!

 

[MUN]

Looking at the excursions and nothing sticks out to me...anyone have any suggestions based on your experience for 2 adults when we are port for the day.

I suggest spending the day at 7 Mile Beach.

 

[starvenger]

I suggest spending the day at 7 Mile Beach.

Second this. Will cost you $10 for the ride over, and you will need to pay for chairs and/or umbrellas, but it's a nice area to relax.

 

[MUN]

Second this. Will cost you $10 for the ride over, and you will need to pay for chairs and/or umbrellas, but it's a nice area to relax.

We are cheapskates and took the public bus (think van) over and I think the fare was around $2 each way per person. The nice thing about the bus is it doesn't have to wait for it to fill up before it moves. I remember walking by taxis that were also vans that were waiting for additional passengers before they left.

We hung out at the "Public Beach" at 7 Mile Beach. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the place (bar/restaurant) where we rented chairs & umbrellas. It was right across the street from the bus stop.

MUN

 

[starvenger]

Neither do I. But then there's only the one place.

We got a bucket of beer there and they let us use one of the picnic tables in the shade. And considering there were 10 of us, that worked out just fine.

I am a bit of a cheapskate as well, but the truth of it was that the excursions for grand Cayman simply didn't jibe with what we wanted or excite us. If something did resonate, we would have booked it.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

The last time we were there, there were six ships in port - so we stayed on board. The island maxes out at about three ships. Anything more than that and traffic is a nightmare. If you've never been there before, the island tour that goes to Hell and 7-mile beach is a good way to see the island. This is one port where I would definitely do an excursion through the ship. The last time we were at 7-mile beach it took over an hour to get back to the docks because of traffic (and you can see the dock from the beach).

 

[crafty91]

You don't mention what activities you are usually into so that would help guide you. Our family enjoyed the Snuba excursion and you don't have to have any experience to do it plus its walking distance from the pier so you don't have to worry about transfers. We have also just sat in Margaritaville for hours and enjoyed the scenery!

 

[marianner]

Second this. Will cost you $10 for the ride over, and you will need to pay for chairs and/or umbrellas, but it's a nice area to relax.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[BelleWannabe4]

Also agree with hanging out on 7 Mile Beach. The beach is beautiful and the snorkeling can be good. Just be aware that food was pretty pricey, so that's something to consider in your timing if you would rather not spend money on so-so food. I think I spent close to $20 on a sandwich, fries and water with the exchange rate.

 

[Praying Colonel]

DW & I did the Turtle Farm/Water Park & Snorkeling trip. It was a lot of fun and we'd do it again.

 

[bumbershoot]

There are many specific beach/restaurant areas all along 7 mile beach. I recommend looking at the ports of call section about GC over on cruisecritic. Also look at a satellite view map.

Our intention for GC was to get up early and get off the ship, do the "duck" tour early, and then go to a beach. Alas we got off late, it was rainy, we signed up for the duck (there's the duck tour company that works with the cruiselines and then another one that takes reservations apart from the cruiselines and we used the latter), there was a delay. We ate at Margaritaville, got on the duck tour and then our day was pretty much done. In the future we'd take a taxi to one of the beaches. I think this is the one I have in mind: http://tikibeachcayman.net/

 

[Larry Garner]

You don't mention what activities you are usually into so that would help guide you.

 

[dsdeleon]

We have stayed there and done all activities so when we cruised in for the day, we knew exactly what to do. Walk about 5 min toward 7 miles beach and rent a bike. Take the bike about 2 miles near the Ritz Carlton and go in on the public beach 10 feet between most resorts. There is a place to park and lock the bikes. Stopped at the grocery store for some provisions and went to the coffee shop across the street for bathroom breaks/snacks. Best best day ever!

 

[simpleohio]

I was looking at that underwater thing with the helmet, forget what it called...the duck tour sounds nice. I will google that.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Also agree with hanging out on 7 Mile Beach. The beach is beautiful and the snorkeling can be good. Just be aware that food was pretty pricey, so that's something to consider in your timing if you would rather not spend money on so-so food. I think I spent close to $20 on a sandwich, fries and water with the exchange rate.

Everything in Grand Cayman is pricey

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

We did the turtles and dolphin swim - it was a good excursion.

 

[DisneyGayl]

We did the Sea Trek helmet dive when we were in Grand Cayman last month. It was awesome! We walked among coral reefs 28 feet below the surface. It was easy to do and doesn't require diving experience.