Shore Excursions for Western

[gonepincrazy]

Thanks for the info! Guess I'll be the photographer from the boat then will take the underwater camera in with me so I can capture it all. Sounds great - just hope the ship makes it into GC when we go.

 

[Cdolan]

I hope they anchor and let the tenders go in. The cruise director told us we were the first sailing in 5 weeks (April 12 -19) to make it tendering into GC. It's a really wonderful island and great people, so it would be really sad to miss! Gets fairly crowded at Stingray City, so if you are good swimmers, just put on the goggles and get in the water once the boat anchors! Best of luck.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by Buckaroo's Dad
We took The Land And Sea Tour offered by Disney and it was terrible.

Can you elaborate on specifically which tour you took and what it involved? We are planning to take island tour and snorkeling with the stringrays which seems to be the best DCL stringray city excursion-so say Barb & Tony and I believe them!

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

The following is a "cut and paste" from a previous thread I responded to on the same subject.


a warning about the Grand Cayman Island Tour. We took the one which was sponsored by Disney. It was very disappointing. So much so that practically our entire tour group complained to guest services. And the CM I spoke with at guest services had been on the tour earlier in the year and her opinion matched our own!

The tour guide could barely speak his own native language let alone english. He told us nothing about Grand Cayman except that he was sorry because on this day the rum factory was closed. It became his mantra. I asked him a few questions about the international banking which Grand Cayman is known for. Yes, he said, the island has many banks. They are open. The rum factory, he was sorry, but that day it was closed. On top of it all, I don't drink alcohol.

The Grand Cayman Island Tour also included a boatride to an off-shore semi-submarine which remains motionless in the water as you sit there in rather uncomfortable seating. I think most of the fish were laughing at us. The boat guide spoke english, so we could easily understand when he explained that the semi-sub's tape player recently broke so no information was currently available as to what we were seeing. Well, at least the windows on the semi-submarine were clean so we could clearly see what he couldn't explain.

Another forgetable thrill was visiting Hell while on the Grand Cayman Island Tour. Although vapidly "cute," it shouldn't be listed as a "major" sight to behold.

Our bus driver was a real piece of work. His driving was as adept as his command of the english language. Oh, by the way, he couldn't speak any english. We travelled on what appeared to be a major thoroughfare and then on (obviously) lesser travelled roads. Poverty appeared to be rampant. Paving appeared to be optional. But rest assured the friggin rum factory, unfortunately, was that day closed.

When we finally arrived back where we started, both literally and figuratively, I paused to listen to our surroundings. No, no fat lady was singing.

After such an enlightening tour, I was almost ready to give up on any hope of learning about/enjoying Grand Cayman. Fortunately, my son and I didn't return to the Magic immediately after the "tour," even though the rum factory was that day closed. We had made arrangements months earlier to go horseback riding along an isolated beach with Nikki's Horseback Tours. Not only was the ride absolutely fantastic, but when Nikki learned of our disappointing island tour she drove us around some lovely local areas and provided insight into Grand Cayman's history. All this was at no additional charge and on her "own" time - my wording, not Nikki's.

So give some thought to the other options available to you in place of a Disney-sponsored Grand Cayman Island Tour. If you don't care for horseback riding, then perhaps you might wish to try Captain Marvin's. They have gotten such rave reviews that DS and I will definitely try them on our next cruise - along with yet another ride with Nikki.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Buckaroo's Dad-
Now that I read your description, I recall reading it on a previous thread. The tour we are planning to do is a different one so hopefully we'll be ok. Thanks for the response!

 

[cjsmith]

We're scheduled to go to just the Stingray City excursion with DCL. Has anyone done this excursion? I hope that this isn't as horrendous as the tour excursions sound.
Carolyn

 

[zyezye]

We were recently on the Magic Cruise that hit a bad storm and had to bypass Grand Cayman and change the day in Key West. Had we booked any shore excursions that were NOT through Disney, I doubt if we could have gotten our money back.
Keep that in mind when considering booking non-Disney shore excursions.
Bobbi

 

[plutojudy]

Good point, Bobbi, I'm sure most people don't think of that when they book their own excursions. We did surrive that rough cruise. Say hi to Becky.

 

[Cdolan]

Note on booking non-Disney excursions - I booked everything we did in Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel using NON Disney operators, and had no problems with just being charged balances due when we arrived. Their e-mail confirmations even stated that deposits would be refunded in case the ship could not dock at the appointed time or day. Checked credit card balances via the Internet, and my credit for the missed horseback ride (GC, Honeysuckle Beach Rides) has been posted. So, if you are using legit operators (Grand Cayman Cruise Excursions, Easy Day Charters (KW) and Mr. Sanchos Beach Club (Cozumel) you should be OK. Just keep your receipts in case you do experience a problem. None of the legit tour people want bad press, especially now that the pre-cruise Internet activity accounts for most of their business.

 

[tony3331]

hey buckaroo thanks for the atv link. tell me that girl is our tour guide. and the rum factory opened as soon as you left

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Hi tony3331!

tell me that girl is our tour guide.

Actually, Vagyloine is a reknown Mexican transvestite presently used in still-picture commercials but formerly a member of the Southern Hemisphere's World Arm-And-Other-Appendages Wrestling Federation who went by the moniker "Cozumel's Revenge"...

 

[tony3331]

wow so that means if the quad brakes down the he/she can flip it over and get it going again cool

 

[Cdolan]

Tony 3331, am I "that girl" - and if so, do you need any more info? Done the Disney Cruises three times, and learned after the first cruise, book you own excursions. Less crowded, less money, and if you do your homework, more fun!!

Not a tour operator, but understand that their business is work of mouth about 50% of the time, at least.

 

[Verniebird]

Did the mini-speedboats Sunday on Key West. It was hands down the single best Mothers Day I ever had. Day started out awful......did not rent scooters (looked way to dangerous) and opted for an electric car. Found out upon leaving parking lot that it was not recommended that we leave the "downtown" Key West area because carts are too slow for the highway. Needed to take highway to get to speedboats. Almost run over on highway on way to speedboats. Conor thought it was quite amusing but I was beginning to panic.

Speedboat tour was absolutely awesome. Lucked out, no one else showed up so we got a private tour. Beautiful day, wonderful guide (Matt). Matt even took us over to Disney Magic to see the ship from the water. We gave him our camera and he took our pix for us. Also took Conor snorkeling and showed him lobsters, stingrays, etc.

Would definitely recommend this tour. The electric car was quite costly....maybe hire a taxi to take you to this excursion.

Buckaroo's Dad.......try this excursion. Matt is a former New Yorker who lost his job after Sept 11. Dont know if he will still be with Jungle Tours when you cruise but he was an awesome tour guide.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Welcome home, Verniebird!

Did the mini-speedboats Sunday on Key West. It was hands down the single best Mothers Day I ever had.

Quite a recommendation - UNLESS you've never had a "good" Mothers' Day. (Just checking on the implied comparison - lol).

Buckaroo's Dad.......try this excursion.

Definitely. And THANK YOU very much!

 

[trishy]

Originally posted by cjsmith
We're scheduled to go to just the Stingray City excursion with DCL. Has anyone done this excursion? I hope that this isn't as horrendous as the tour excursions sound.

We did the DCL Stingray City excursion last July and loved it so much we booked it again for our next cruise (in July). The guides were fantastic and the kids absolutely loved it. They have photo ops with the stingrays (you can hold one OR the guide will hold one for you while the photo is taken - my youngest would not touch it). The staff was very patient, very understanding of people's apprehension toward "wild stingrays", and very helpful with the younger kids as well as older folks. I was extremely impressed by this excursion and feel their professionalism and organization off the ship was well worth the few extra $$ we paid.

 

[kdmkdm7]

Can anyone please give me information about horseback riding on the beach at Nikki's? (website, phone #) What is the price?
Thanks very much.

 

[Verniebird]

Ha Ha Ha BD - I do believe that this was truly the best Mothers Day I have ever had. In addition to the awesome excursion, my son Conor and I had lunch at the Hard Rock and he had them bring me a free ice cream sundae ( he told them it was my bday - NOT!! He is named "Conor" for a reason). He also presented me with gold earrings he had purchased at the mall on his own with no help from his 2 older sisters. I have learned a lot about my soon to be 13 yr old son. He is going to make some woman very happy someday. We took this cruise so I could spend time with him as I work from 8am to 9pm every day and all day Saturday. The best Mothers Day part really began the day he was born. He has been the light of my life since then and he did not disappoint me on this trip.

 

[Verniebird]

Does anyone have info on how to reach Nikki's Horseback tour? We will be in Grand Cayman tomorrow and would like to use her tour.

 

[Cruzin1st]

Verniebird,

Thanks SO MUCH for your stellar recommendation of these little boats. I just made reservations last week, and I'm now sure I made the right decision. Thanks again, and I'm glad you had so much fun, especially on your special day.