What to do in Grand Cayman if you don't want to swim with the stingrays?

[mouseclick1]

My kids don't really want to swim with the rays on our upcoming April cruise. They did this at Discovery Cove last year and have little interest in doing it again. Is the land tour/turtle farm worth checking out? I don't want to just stay on the ship, but so many of the excursions seem to include swimming with the rays. What else could we do with 12 & 14 year old boys? We have our Key West and Cozumel excursions planned out, just don't know what to do in Grand Cayman?

 

[minnie56]

We were in Grand Cayman in March (with Royal Caribbean) and we rented a Jeep and toured the island. We stopped wherever we wanted...had a swim..ate lunch at a little place on the beach....had a great time. It's a very pretty island. I wanted to see the island and all it's little nooks and we did!

 

[Doctor P]

We did the Nautilus Undersea Tour and Snorkeling. It was a nice excursion that both allowed you to see some shipwrecks and reef life from inside, and then actually snorkel a bit a Cheesburger Reef. It is a great option for both persons that wish to snorkel and those that do not.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

What else could we do with 12 & 14 year old boys?

Nikki's Horseback Riding on the beach...

 

[SuzPasq]

We went last October and decided to skip excursions entirely. We got a taxi for $3 per person (each way) to take us to a beach about 10minutes from the port.

We had a really great day, and a huge part of that was because there was no structure to it. We came and went as we wished. This is the way I plan to do things this year when we do the Eastern itin--get off and find a cab to take us to a nearby beach.

 

[Wavegirl]

There are some great things to do in Grand Cayman that don't involve swimming with stingrays and that might interest teens

There is Beach Horse Back Riding a wonderful excursion with a great company

or

Atlantis Submarine a great way to see the beauty of Cayman's Marine life and stay dry, plus the submarine is really cool as you go down 100ft

or

you could fish for the beautiful marine life on a Deep Sea Fishing Excursion

I'm sure I've missed out some other good ones but this will give you a little food for though

 

[MarkRG]

Can I ask a divergent question? What was the experience like with the Stingrays at Discovery Cove? Were there many of them? Were they at all interactive with the guests?

The reason I ask this is I can't imagine skipping Stingray City if I ever get to Grand Cayman again. It was without a doubt the most profound experience I have had with marine life. There were so many and so docile and interested in human contact. Almost a half year later and I still can't really find the right words to describe it.

I would comment the Turtle Farm was very nice, but if they're really not interested in the stingrays, then they'll probably not have too much fun there either.

 

[Kabuli1]

I'm with Mark on this one! Was the Discovery Cove experience "in the wild" out on a sandbar in the ocean? I had the impression that it was in an enclosed area. The Stingray City experience is amazing! It is an experience I will never forget! I can't imagine not doing it again. While my DD and DH didn't love it as much as I did, they say the same thing - if/when we go back to Grand Cayman we will always do this excursion.

I'm trying to figure out how to do both Stingray City and the horseback riding next time.

Karyn

 

[plutojudy]

minnie56, That sounds like something we would like to do. Where did you rent from and approx. how much did it cost? We missed Grand Cayman in the spring, we went to Costa Maya instead. We cruise again next April and hope to get to see Grand Cayman this time. Thanks, Judy

 

[inkkognito]

The Discovery Cove stingray experience is much different than Grand Cayman. We have done both, and while DC was lots of fun, it can't even begin to compare to taking a boat trip way, way out and being on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean with "wild" rays that are as tame as puppies.
At DC, you are in a relatively small pool/swimming area. The rays are tame, and you can feed them at designated times.
I recommend DC too, tho', as long as you realize that it is going to be a "captive" experience. The aquatic creatures were great fun, and I loved the aviaries and being able to feed the birds. If you go to see the birds early, there won't be any crowd at all because most people don't even discover the aviaries until later in the day.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[mouseclick1]

Thanks - lots of great ideas! Now the tough part, trying to decide!

 

[buzz638]

We were on the August 16th cruise (wich was fabulous!!!)
and we did the horse back riding on the beach with
Honeysuckle beach rides.

We all loved it (DW,DD 10) good horses, great area to ride
and very nice hosts.

So we would definately recommend it.

Have a great time

Steff