Questions For Western Caribbean Cruisers????

[BABYJOSIE98]

We will be on the Magic for the first time in Feb and I know that we are going to do Capt Marvs for our Stingray city tour since our DD is to young for the DCL excursion. I was wondering if it is easy in the Caymans to get a taxi to the town of Hell and the Turtle Farm?? Would we have enough time if we did Capt Marv's early??? Am I trying to cram to much into that day??? I just don't want to miss out on any of these things because I have heard that they are all great. We have been to Cozumel and so I don't think we will plan an excursions for the stop. I know it is 8 months away,but I think about this trip all the time. Thanks for any help.........

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

I'd like to make 1 suggestion to you since you're using Capt. Marvin's for Stingray City. We did Capt. Marvin's on our May 11th cruise since our twins are 4 and also too young for DCL excursion. I asked if they had life vests for kids that young and they said yes. Well, they were regular orange over-the-head types and they tied them around our kids waists. I couldn't snorkle because I had to keep holding my kids to keep them upright. I would use Capt. Marvin's again, but I would bring my own vests. Also, check your equipment before you leave. The mask they gave me had a huge hole in it and I got a few eyefulls of salt water before I realized it.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

My DD is 4 and will be almost 5 when we go and she is very outgoing and so far afraid of nothing. So I must ask??? How did your 4 year olds like swimming with the Stingray's?? Were they scared at all? Thanks for the tip. I will bring her own life jacket and I am bringing her own goggles. Her face is so small that it is hard to find a mask for her. Thanks again for your help.

 

[KeenHo]

We just returned from the June 22 Western Cruise. We went with Capt'n Marvin's and had a wonderful time. We did the 3 hour excursion with stops at the Coral Gardens, Barrier Reef and Stingray City. I don't remember any children on the excursion close to the age of your child. I would say the youngest was 7 or 8. The equipment seemed to be in good condition for everyone. You might need to check it our before boarding the boat to make sure though.

While on the excursion, the crew members took bait and lured a moray eel out from under some coral and we got a great look at him, probably 5-6 feet long and green. We also saw a 5-6 foot shark close-up and personal. It was at the Barrier Reef stop. I was a bit surprised to see it, but I felt no danger. I have a picture of it.

Concerning Hell and the Turtle Farm..... Friends of ours went to Hell and said it was a dud, not worth wasting time to go there. I have also heard that the Turtle Farm is not worth it either. I would recommend a Capt'n Marvin's excursion, booked directly, and to have the shuttle driver drop you and your family off at 7 mile beach on your way back to the Capt'n Marvin's office. We did this and it was no problem. We went to the Holiday Inn beach area, had lunch and enjoyed the beach for a while. We then took a taxi back to the ship.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know of you need any more ideas or details.

Howard

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

Thanks fo your help. It probably would be less hectic to just do the Stingray City tour and then hang out on the beach. I have plenty of time to think about it. Did you feel like you had enough time to spend at each port and that you were not rushed. I see a couple of stops stay till into the evening. If I don't think DD is ready to do the Stingray thing then Hubby and I will go alone and then pick her up and take her to the beach with when we get back. I have heard lots of good things about Capt Marv's and when I looked on line they do take children that are 4 years old. DCL is 6 and over.

We snorkelled a few years back in Cozumel and our guide also jumped an eel. It was cool and a bit scary. Then we had wild dolphins come swim along side our boat. It was a fun day. It will be fun to get back there again. I am already excited and yet I have so many months to wait!!!

 

[KeenHo]

We really didn't feel too rushed in any of the ports. We had a plan of action going in and made it work out. We did move a later morning Capt'n Marvin's trip to an earlier one so that we could have more time on 7 Mile beach. In Cozumel we got off the ship quickly and shopped, then we have to hustle back before our Jeep Excursion gathered. All this with no children on this trip. With children, allow extra time. We have booked for June 2004, by that time our DD will be almost 16 and our DS will almost be 11. Have fun counting down the days.... we did!

Howard

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

Our kids loved swimming with the stingrays. They were a little scared when we first got in, but we held them the whole time and it took only a few minutes for them to get used to them rubbing up against them. There were more women screaming than my 2 kids! The boat crew helped them hold pieces of squid to feed them. Bring a disposable underwater camera. The crew will hold up a stingray for you to see and will tell you all about them. They will take pictures for you next to the stingray and I got some underwater shots of them too.

One thing we regret doing on this cruise was trying to do an excursion at each port. By the time we reached Cozumel we wished we would have just been able to bum around for a few hours then relax on the ship.

 

[KandK]

We were in Grand Cayman 2 years ago. We had to “hold position” off of Spotts Bay because of the high waves. The trip to Stingray City was canceled but we did go to Hell and the Turtle farm. Hell is a variety store with a post office (counter) in it. The attraction is a very small land formation that may cover a baseball field. We found the Turtle farm interesting but I have heard that it took a lot of damage in a hurricane last year, check their web site. This year with our two girls we still are not sure what we will be doing there while on the Magic Jan 30 to Feb 8, our first Disney Cruise. (see you there?)

KandK