Stingray City Grand Cayman

[Luvmypetz]

I'm choosing the Magic 5 day b/c GC is an island I have not visited yet. Is Stingray City an absolute-can't-be-missed? For $10 difference, does anyone know the difference btw "Adventure to Stingray city sandbar" and "deluxe stingray city sandbar snorkel"? Is an independent tour operator a better way to go?
Thx everyone!

 

[FLpixie]

We chose an outside vendor to do the tour and LOVED it. Smaller group, more individualized attention, better price.

We will definitely do it again if we hit GC a second time (and I never do something twice).

 

[Stasia5]

We used Captain Marvin's for our tour. It was the highlight of our trip!

 

[travelmomof3]

We visited Grand Cayman as a land vacation and absolutely loved Stingray City! We also used Captain Marvin's and were really happy with them.

 

[RedSox68]

I'm pretty sure we did our excursion through DCL -- it included a tour of some of the island, a visit to the turtle farm, and then the ride out to the sandbar and a visit by the stingrays. It was an unbelievable experience and we were so glad we did it. We were never afraid -- and I'm not a good swimmer (and very short), but was able to mostly stand on the bar and the water never reached my chin. The stingrays were amazing and we even got to feed them. There were several boats at one time -- and it would be that way whether you do a private tour or with a group as they all go out at the same times. But we never felt it was overcrowded or the boats too close. Bring an underwater camera -- my daughter got some great pictures underwater!

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I'm choosing the Magic 5 day b/c GC is an island I have not visited yet. Is Stingray City an absolute-can't-be-missed? For $10 difference, does anyone know the difference btw "Adventure to Stingray city sandbar" and "deluxe stingray city sandbar snorkel"? Is an independent tour operator a better way to go?
Thx everyone!

Absolutely the coolest thing I've ever done, Stingray City. We did a private charter with eBanks Watersports with another couple. It was awesome having a group of 4 of us, versus a group of 15+ in some official excursion tour group. Definitely worth exploring private charter options.

 

[michellev]

I would recommend a private company - the tour ship groups are very crowded.

We used Stingray Sailing and were very happy with them. The tour also included a stop at a nearby reef if you enjoy snorkeling.

 

[anricat]

We chose the same tour as RedSox68 through DCL and we were very pleased with it. It was the "Island Tour and Snorkeling with Stingrays" We visited the Turtle Farm and Hell and then went on a boat to Stingray City. I felt like the number of people on the boat was just about the right number. I didn't feel like the tour ship group was crowded as a previous poster indicated. I wouldn't hesitate to choose the same tour again. It was fantastic.

 

[Snurk71]

Adding another positive experience with Capt Marvin. We used them on a land trip back in 2010. We got 1 or 2 stops for snorkeling before going to stingray.

 

[Bear3412]

Adding another data point;
We have used Native Way several times with only amazing results.

http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/our-tours

This tour I highly recommend; Sting ray, snorkel, star fish beach.

This tour usually feels like a private tour, at least in the fall.
We have had 4 - 8 extra people aboard during the fall. So it feels like a private tour almost.
IOW one other family of 4 aboard, at times two families of 3-4 aboard.
In the summer it can have twice that crowd. So, .... what 16 - 20 pax. lol

The DCL boats have close to a hundred.

These folks will take care of you.

No worries booking outside of DCL. They know the times, they also know the time zones better than you. lol

They will also drop your group where requested, along the "way" back to the pier, outside of the tour if requested.

They offer flexibility in the schedule. (Visa Moment)

IOW we have had great experiences with this group over the years.

JME

There is also this helpful resource regarding GC; http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=147

 

[Csstingray]

We loved Stingray City! Even my kids, who were apprehensive about the stingrays, still talk about the experience! One thing to note: we visited Grand Cayman on a 5 night Magic as well. I don't know if your days will be the same, but our cruise stopped in Grand Cayman on a Sunday. A lot of businesses don't operate, or operate limited hours on Sundays. The independent tours I looked into did not have the same stingray tours on Sundays, either. So, we went through DCL, and had a great experience. The crew on our tour were excellent, and I didn't feel it was too crowded.

I also noticed there were two dcl tours (probably the ones you referenced) that seemed pretty much the same--the only difference I could see was that it seemed to be two different kinds of boat (so maybe two different companies booked to do the same type of tour?). Don't know for sure, though.