Seven Mile Beach/Day Pass Questions

[momoftwins]

Of course we have to wait til the last minute and the 7 Mile excursion thru DCL is completely booked (we are going 4/16). Are the taxi's reliable to and from the beach? I wouldn't normally worry about getting back to the ship on time, but with it being Spring Break I have visions of not being able to get a taxi to and from the ship and being on time.

I saw some people mention day passes at either the Westin or Royal Palms. Can someone tell me how to get a day pass? Do taxi's regularly run to these areas? Is one nicer than the other? I am also curious about the cost of the day pass.

If we did decide to take a taxi on our own to SMB, what area do we ask to be dropped off at? I want to make sure we can get seats, umbrellas, and food.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[kcashner]

There are plenty of taxis. THere is also a bus that the locals use. Seven Mile Beach or Sea Grape Beach are very nice (they are all sort of part of the same seashore). The taxi driver will know where to drop you. The beach itself is free; there are plenty of vendors with chairs, umbrellas, etc.

As far as getting back to the ship on time---we always time our journey back to be there an hour early. It is well worth cutting a potential hour off our day for the "no risk" of being late. Remember that Grand Cayman is a tender port. The time of the last tender will be in the Navigator and announced at the show the night before.

 

[momoftwins]

Thanks for the quick reply. Do I just tell the taxi driver when to come back to the beach, or are there plenty to waiting for fares to return to the ship? Does Sea Grape have food vendors?


I am a little nervous with this being spring break that the beaches may be very crowded and taxi's may be in short demand. Do you think we will have an issue?

Do you know anything about the day passes?

Have a great night.

 

[kcashner]

I've read about the hotel day passes, but never done one myself. I try to confine my comments to things that I have actually done (or someone in my immediate travel group has done). I hope someone else will jump in and help you.

You are welcome to ask your driver to come back for you at a certain time (a nice tip should assure that he gets there; fares are set by the government.) However, there are typically plenty of cabs in the general vicinity. If you don't see one, the people in one of the food stands will call one for you.

Sea Grape is the end of 7 Mile Beach. It tends to be a little less crowded, but has plenty of vendors and is very nice. I really don't think spring break will be an issue for you...but then, I've never done Grand Cayman at spring break. For what it's worth, most college spring breaks are over already.

Just another thought--the spring break crowd probably wouldn't be leaving the beach at the same time that you would be. They don't have to catch a ferry to a ship; they'd stay at the beach longer. And they would have to be staying somewhere--wouldn't they tend to use the beach by their hotel/guest house/whatever in order to save taxi fare? Just musing here--no real info.

 

[momof2minnies]

Royal Palms is not a hotel.It is a beach area on 7 Mile Beach.The taxi drivers were great and if you give them an approximate time you want to return the same driver comes back and looks for you in the parking lot.This is their livelihood so they want the customer to return with them.It was great and after being in Nassau I was very skeptical-never Nassau again.This was great and Royal Palms AWESOME is all I can say-would do it again in a heartbeat!!!!

Linda

 

[ascatsob]

We actually did a day pass at the Marriott on seven mile beach. The taxi cabs were plentiful and it was a quick ride. We just went to the front desk and asked for the day pass. It included the beach, beach chairs, umbrellas, the pool and access to the spa and locker room. We really loved the beach there and had absolutely no problems. Have fun and enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the caribbean!

 

[maggie blossom]

what was the cost of the day pass to Marriott?

Sounds good!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

I just did this 2 weeks ago! We didn't book an excursion on the ship. We just got a taxi and asked them to take us to Seven Mile Beach. Our driver took us to Royal Palms. It was great! Admission was free, we just had to pay fir beach chairs and an umbrella if you wanted one. There is also a pool there, too.

To get a cab back to the ship was a breeze...they are lined up outside when you decide to leave! The ride back to the ship was 10 minutes or so... No worries!

Have fun!

 

[sunburnin]

We did a day pass at the Westin 3 weeks ago and loved it.

www.resortforaday.com

TIP: do this if its spring break!!! We had the Carnival Valor shadowing us on our cruise and it was almost 1/3 college kids on spring break (per other passengers). We saw the kids everywhere and they were having quite the party. Nothing wrong with that - been there done that - but not the atmosphere for our kids to be around. None of them were at the Westin, but heard they were all over the other parts of the beach.

It was around $150 and included a room for the day, access to their resort, spa, pools, beach chairs, towels, etc. The beach was beautiful with no crowds. The kids went back and forth between the beach and the pools. They have servers that come around for drinks and lunch and deliver right to your chair. We camped out by the pool.

Having the room was great to shower and dress before heading back to town. We all cleaned off there in the big shower - nothing wrong with the DCL showers - but the extra space was great.

We took a "bus" from the port to the hotel. Took about 10 minutes and $20. I recommend getting a taxi instead. The bus was more of a tourist trap in my opinion and they made us wait for more families to make the trip and just seemed off.

At the hotel, taxi's were waiting aplenty. We told the bellman we wanted a ride, he whistled and the taxi was there from around the corner. Same price $20 with a nicer driver. We had him drop us off in town to shop a bit before heading back to the Magic.

We'd do it again for sure.

 

[Mason3]

On our first trip to GC, our Stingray City excursion was canceled due to wind. Instead, we took a taxi (about $20 w/tip) to Royal Palms. When we were ready to leave, there were several taxis waiting out front, and it took less than 10 mins to return to our tender area.

Our two trips to GC were in November and March, so we did not hit the spring break period. If you will be there during college spring breaks, then it may be a good idea to go to a place where they charge admission.

 

[stamot]

Great question and information. I will like to know how much is the day pass in different hotels and if is better to book with dcl or use a hotel day pass.

 

[ascatsob]

what was the cost of the day pass to Marriott?

Sounds good!

If I remember correctly I believe it was only $12 or $15. You can always call them directly. They may have even had different options.