Seven mile beach questions!

[kiapepito]

Debating on doing on our own or doing the disney excursion. Which one is better, cheaper and safer?

If we do our own how much is bus or taxi? Where do they take you on the seven mile beach?

How much are chairs and umbrellas if we go on our own?

Can we take towels off the boat to use?

Do we use cash if we buy beverages and/or food?

Are there other things to do on the seven mile beach if we want to walk around or is it just the beach?

Thank you!!

 

[MelSpees]

Excuse my ignorance, where is Seven Mile Beach?
Yes, you can take towels off the ship. They encourage it, as long as you bring it back.

 

[JasonShannon76]

Seven Mile Beach is my most favorite beach! I love it. (Sorry, I don't know answers to your questions. I was on RCL when I went to Grand Cayman).

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Debating on doing on our own or doing the disney excursion. Which one is better, cheaper and safer?

If we do our own how much is bus or taxi? Where do they take you on the seven mile beach?

How much are chairs and umbrellas if we go on our own?

Can we take towels off the boat to use?

Do we use cash if we buy beverages and/or food?

Are there other things to do on the seven mile beach if we want to walk around or is it just the beach?

Thank you!!

Seven Mike beach on Grand Caymsn as the name implies is quite long it's about five miles long, some places have hotels with umbrellas and some places is complete public access without umbrellas or chairs. The taxi will be cheap
it all depends where you get dropped off.

It is not far from the port In fact you can see the ship from anywhere on it, and there are a few spots that are great for day visitors including Royal Palms, Tiki Beach and Calico Jacks. The amount of the fare will depend on which place you choose to go. Think from $5pp Royal Palms is the closest with the others being a few miles to the north. While therefore The taxis can quote the price both in US and CI and you will get change in CI (the price is less in CI because it has a higher value than the US $). You might also tell the driver what time you want to go back to the ship and they will happily come and collect you as well.

Yes you can take towels of the ship, take local currency or $ there isn't a lot there just the beach and sand.

In summary the Taxis fares are Normally set for certain destination. Busses are CI$2 per person and run on regular routes.

 

[cruisingmom1977]

Seven mile beach is very safe. The only thing I would say is that if you are planning on taking a taxi, you will most likely end up jam packed into a van with about 15 (not exaggerating) other people who are also going to the beach. It is WAY cheaper to do it all on your own with a taxi. We went to the beach at Royal Palms and it was AMAZING. Easily the most beautiful, sandy, clear water we have ever seen (and we travel quite a bit). Also, food and drink is VERY expensive in Grand Cayman so be prepared for some sticker shock. The beaches themselves are free but you will have to pay for lounge chairs, umbrellas, etc. Also, most of the "resorts" will charge you an "access fee" of a couple of dollars per person to cross their property to get to the beach. When you are finished, you just walk out to the parking lot and there are always taxis hanging around waiting to take people back to the ships. Have a great time.

 

[tinkerone]

we do it on our own, much cheaper, and i think last time it was $5 p.p. each way.
grand cayman is a tender so as soon as you get to shore walk to the end of the pier and there will be fifty taxies waiting to take you to seven mile beach. there will be men directing you to a 'taxi' which really is as cruisingmom has said, vans that they pack full of people. you will probably not be alone, tons of people do this, very safe. we have never told the driver where we want to go and we always get to the same spot. i have always thought it was just a regular drop off spot but don't know for sure. they will tell you when your done just come back to this spot. you walk down a short path to the ocean. absolutely beautiful. i don't remember having to pay an access fee but i wouldn't count it out as so many places want your $$. we also have never purchased drink/food or rented chairs so i can't answer that question. we just stroll the beach for a while then head back.

when you go back they again will pack a van full of people, they wait till there are enough people so be prepared to have to wait a few minutes, then they take you back to the port. it really could not be easier and it is a nice, inexpensive way to spend a few hours. again, the only cost for us is taxi as we usually do not purchase anything and don't just sit in the sun. i can see where it could begin to add up with the purchase of food/drink and rental of chairs though.
have a great time, its a lovely beach.

 

[kiapepito]

Thank you everyone

 

[pirate]

Glad I found this thread, my family and I are going to Grand Cayman on the Magic in October, I had the same questions about doing the beach on our own.
Thanks!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Glad I found this thread, my family and I are going to Grand Cayman on the Magic in October, I had the same questions about doing the beach on our own.
Thanks!

Enjoy.

 

[dittymau]

Grand Cayman was fun, wife and I went on our own, after a VERY expensive stop in Margaretaville caught a cab out front for 2 was $10 U.S. And she took us to a spot can't remember the name she showed us a short cut to just go off to the beach without a fee, we walked a bit, stopped at a beach club for some $$$ drinks, then wandered to the Ritz Carlton (very nice) we wandered through, stopped at the rest room ( wife thought we would get arrested) then out the other side, we got to the street and in a minute a "bus" came by and honked, pulled over, we got in and for $2 U.S. Took us back to the port via a scenic route through the other side of town... Wife was like "where are they taking us"? I told her relax, i read about this on dis boards and it is ok. Dropped us at a depot a short walk back to the pier, I thought the GC stop was one of the best, we are not excursion people, like to make it up as we go ... Cheers! BTW - the "buses" are Toyota mini vans, cozy, need I say more.

 

[bumbershoot]

We planned to go to Tiki Beach on our own during our stop at GC but a storm and being late in waking up changed our plans. Someday we will go!

after a VERY expensive stop in Margaretaville

It is expensive, that's for sure. For those who don't know, however, bring your swimsuit to Margaritaville! They have a waterslide and a bit of a pool up on the roof, and you can use it after (or before, I assume) you eat there. We didn't leave enough time but it sure looked like fun!

And if you get off the ship early (it's a tender port so plan accordingly) you can get a "duck" tour (there's one company that works with the cruiselines and another company that you can book right there in the port area) that is great for giving you a nice overview of the area. Familiarizes you. So if you take that nice and early, you can then feel more comfy catching a "cab" to one of the beaches.

Actually, on our duck tour (arranged before going to M'ville, and prepaid at the dock, which is why we had to run off and not use the slide), we stopped for about 10 minutes at a beach, and the driver (super sweet, very funny, expat guy) asked us all to *tell* him if we decided to just stay at the beach and take a cab home, so he wasn't waiting for anyone unnecessarily. So that's an option if your Duck tour stops at a beach and you think it looks nice.

 

[MUN]

We took a public bus (think van) to/from 7 Mile Beach. It was very convenient and cheaper than a taxi. Also, the taxis wait until they are full before they leave. We had the bus drop us off at Public Beach along 7 Mile Beach. There was bar/restaurant across the street from the bus stop. We rented some chairs and an umbrella and also bought a few drinks and some food. The beach is great and the water is very clear. It was an easy, fun, and inexpensive excursion.

MUN

 

[ayz75]

We took the mini bus (we thought it was the $2.5 public bus but it wasn't) It was about $4-$5 per person depending which beach you go to. We went to the Public Beach so there was no admission, but we paid $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. Thinking back I probably could have negated for a better price!