3rd stop Georgetown, Grand Caymen Islands"
We had our first excursion on this island. We got on the first tender off the ship and there was no lines or waiting. We did the Stringray City and snorkeling excursion with Captain Marvins. It took about 45 mins to get to Stringray City then they gave us about 45 mins with the stringrays. Then we went to the reef and went snorkeling. The water was crystal clear you could see all the way to the bottom. When we got back to the port we went shopping and looked around. On our way back to the ship it started raining, but it didn't last to long. I thought that the Caymans was beautiful and nice. I would go back again
Webmaster note:Anyone remember the flying sub from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea?
We had originally booked a two person powerboat/snorkle tour here. We were very dissapointed when received an email canceling that excursion. We could see 7 mile beach from where the ship was anchored and it looked nice, but since we had a beach day in Labadee and a beach resort scheduled in Cozumel, we decided to sleep late and then just walk about the down town area.
The port area was clean and well organized, there were two Carnival ships in port at the same time. After a lot of shopping, we had a nice lunch at Senor Frogs. That was a fun place at a reasonable price, but as a Buffalo Wing Expert (See columbuswings.com) the wings were a dissapointment. There was a light rain here around noon, it was the only rain we saw all trip. Next time, we will check out 7 mile beach.
We spent the morning shopping in Grand Cayman as this is a duty free zone and the buys are very good, especially jewelry. We knew ahead of time we wanted new Movado watches and went to two shops recommended by the ship as the best prices. And they were correct. We paid only half as much as we would have in the US. The shop we visited had so many to chose from, in addition to others that were "in the vault". We were able to bargain even more because we bought one for each of us.
We had lunch at Breezes and then met at the pier for the Trolley Roger tour. It did take us around the town to see the sights and then out north of town to see the beautiful homes both old and new up along 7 mile beach. We did have a good guide but it was nothing exciting and you could have done the same using a cab driver. The guide was good about answering questions and the tram held about 20 people. There was the option of one in the morning and then the afternoon ride which we did.
We had planned to “beach it” for the day and did just that at Sea Grape Beach. The weather was beautiful. We hopped a cab and just spent the day in the sun, the water, reading and relaxing. We met some other cruisers from a Carnival ship that was in port the same day. The beach had the usual amenities, beach chairs, bar, shower. About a 15 minute ride from the port. Wish I were back there as I sit and type and think about it.
In Grand Cayman we choose the 4X4 jeep excursion. This unfortunately was a complete disappointment. We spent most of our time driving through the streets of the town. When we did get to the mangroves the roads were flat and straight. Our guide was very nice and we did enjoy him. Next stop on the excursion was HELL. One tiny tourist trap with a dead coral reef in the back. Unusual to look at but not worth the trip. I sent a postcard from there a month ago. It still hasn’t arrived. After Hell we were taken to a rum cake store that was so crowded you couldn’t move. We chose to wait outside until the shoppers had finished. We then went back to our starting point to wait for our ride back. The ride back took twice as long as the ride there, he took us in a very round about way. If your going to Grand Cayman stick to snorkeling!!
We started out by taking a tour to Sting Ray City. This was Ricky's 1st time in the open water & snorkeling. The rays were very friendly as they swam their way around our legs. At the end of the tour, we had some time to quickly shop & sample some rum cake.
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