Booked a Caribbean Cruise Holiday Part III.
Happy New Year guys and welcome to the third installment on Grand Cayman as a cruise destination. Thanks a million for all the likes and comments on the second post, it has been great to see the interest in the posts and all the comments and shares inspired me to do an amazing third post.
Before we get going with the final instalment lets quickly recap the first installment and why I decided to write these posts.
Recap
Problem – Going on a cruise and making sure you explore and enjoy the cruise destinations – Grand Cayman in this instance - without spending a fortune, standing in line with other tourists wasting valuable time and missing the ships departure.
Solution – Explore the destination on your own by using my experience as a blueprint and the clever tricks and tips I provide in these posts to design your own custom tour.
Why me – I have gone on a number of cruise holidays and a cruise to Grand Cayman where I did a solo tour on a Scooter in 6 hours and I saw all the attractions I wanted to see for under $200 and made it back to the ship in time. I enjoyed the Island so much I went back after my cruise and stayed on the island for a number of months doing every activity and excursion on the Island.
I realized that there is very little info available for cruise ship travelers that don’t want to go on one of the standard cruise line tours offered and would rather head out on an excursion or adventure of their own but, usually decide against it because of safety concerns, lack of information of what the destination has to offer or just being afraid that they will miss the ship due to an excursion gone wrong.
So continuing from the first and second posts, I have put together some great content below to help you put together your own custom tour of Grand Cayman hassle free and for a fraction of the price the tour operators will charge you.
I have included the Infograms from the first and second installments to make this the third installment complete and comprehensive.
As always the Infograms and the content of these posts are free to download and share so please share this post with anyone that is going on a cruise to Grand Cayman or is traveling to the Island in the coming months.
So let’s get cracking…..
Part 1 Infogram:
Part II Infograms
Part III
I have compiled a list of snorkel and diving sites, restaurants, shops and the best beaches to visit while visiting Grand Cayman. I have also included some useful info on transport on the Island which will make getting around on the Island easier and cheaper.
Transport
City Bus: The bus looks like a large van along the main routes. The bus depot is next to the library - across from the Hero's Square Fountain. Walk about two blocks inland on Edward St.... You can grab a bus at the library... much cheaper than a cab. The buses are parked and waiting right next door... a short 5 minute walk from the dock. $2.50 US per person rather than $5 US or more for a cab.
To hail one, respond with a wave when the driver toots his horn.
Sightseeing: one direction to Pedro St. James and in the other direction to Hell (and back). Any bus marked WB is bound for West Bay to 7 mile beach, and will drive right past your destination. Just tell the driver where you want to get off. The difference between the bus and the taxi: Taxis license plates are red numbers on a white background; the bus has white numbers on a blue background. Buses to/from 7MileBeach run every 15 minutes. The bus will stop where you ask it to; coming back to town; just cross the street from where you got off and flag the bus down. They will stop to pick you up. The fare is 1.50CI but we just gave the drive $2 US and he took it. We walked out to the main road and waited for a public bus with blue license plates. The ones to the beach have a yellow circle with #1 or #2 WB on the windshield. The fare was $5 for the 2 of us.
Daily service starts at 6 a.m. from the depot and the schedule is to:
West Bay beach areas - every 15 minutes, from 6 a.m. Fare CI$1.50 each way.
Bodden Town - Every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. Fare CI$1.50 each way.
Taxis: Cab fare from the pier to Seven Mile Beach fare is $4 /pp around the Colony Beach Club section of Seven Mile Beach. I like going a little bit further down to Sea Grape. The fare there is $4/pp. Taxi to all locations on Seven Mile Beach: Royal Palms $4, Beach Club $4 Public Beach $5 Sea Grape $5
Courtyard Marriott $6 Cemetery Beach $6 (Good snorkeling) Rates are fixed and posted, but be sure to confirm the fare before the driver takes off.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
Cayman is regarded as a world-class SCUBA diving destination. Wall, wreck, reef and the famous Stingray City diving excursions are conducted daily by over 30 professional diving organizations.
North Wall - Diving area that hosts sting and eagle rays, turtles and masses of coral. Reef; Waterway, Cemetery Reef
Cayman Wall - The underwater landscape is densely encrusted with forests of corals, giant sponges and other marine life. Waterway; Reef
There are daily tours out to the walls but pre booking is a must. Costs per person run from US$85 – US$100.
Cali shipwreck is far to the left as you exit the pier as Eden Rock is to the right – it’s about a five minute walk from the pier at the Rackham’s restaurant. Wreck is about 30 yards offshore is accessible for both snorkel and diving.
USS Kittiwake is a retired US naval vessel that was purposely sunk off West Bay in 2011 to form an artificial reef and is a great snorkel and dive location. Dive operators run daily tours to the location for between US$50 – US$100.
Eden Rock Dive centre - to the right of the tender dock, within walking distance, a few hundred yards from the pier, it’s the second place you come to walking from the pier. ..About two blocks. The centre has rentals, restaurant, bathrooms, picnic tables and a few loungers. It’s a great place to snorkel and dive with the Eden Rock and Devils Grotto reef systems about 100 feet out and the cruise ships in port.
Beaches
7 mile beach is located just north of George Town and actually closer to 5 miles long. All the beaches on the Cayman Islands are Public, no charge at all. Some of the hotels will either charge you to use their chairs and facilities or reserve them for guests only. You can take a public bus to the "Public Beach" for $2.50 USD and the rest is free or you can take the bus or a taxi to one of the hotels that charges for their chairs and spend the day there. Most of the hotels have water sports available for a charge. Since 7 mile is a sand beach, do NOT expect any kind of decent snorkeling. Good snorkeling and sandy beaches are mutually exclusive. The southern part of the sandy stretch is the most heavily developed, saturated with condos, villas, restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings, a number of shopping centers, and fast-food dives. This is the most congested part of Grand Cayman. 2 chairs & umbrella were $21
Public Beach - is a section of the overall 7 mile beach. There is no hotel directly behind it, just some parking were a snack truck is often found. There are a couple of covered picnic tables.
Cemetery Beach - If you want to snorkel, the best places on Grand Cayman are at Cemetery Reef, about 15 minutes’ drive from the pier and about 3-4 miles north ... a bit too far to walk. Cemetery Reef is a very popular spot for both snorkeling and sun tanning with trees for shade.
Lunch, Drinks and Shopping
The Cracked Conch, West Bay, near the Turtle Farm, has jerk chicken and conch fritters.
The Grand Old House, located in an old plantation house, is full of atmosphere. The building was shipped from Boston and reassembled in George Town nearly 100 years ago.
Lone Star Bar and Grill, Seven Mile Beach All major games are televised in the bar.
Best Cocktail -A "Cayman Mama" consists of a mix of Caribbean fruit juices along with both gold and coconut rum.
Blackbeard’s for their Rum, Rum Cake and Jerk Seasonings, you can sample all the rum and rum cake that you want. West Indian rums
Margaretville - It is just across from the port, it was a lot of fun and a must see, they have a great restaurant and a souvenir shop. The restaurant is also right next to Kirk Freeport which has some amazing duty free shopping.
Royal Palms is closer to the port area, 7 minutes the beach is free to enter. This area had lockers, showers, bathrooms. Chairs were provided on the beach. The water was the most beautiful shade of blue and off in a distance we could see our ship. I can’t wait to go back. We ate lunch at the Royal Palms lunch stand, we had burgers that were $10 each, the cab ride was less than 5 minutes from the tender drop off to this beach.
Shopping: Includes artifacts for making handcrafted jewelry, antiques, salvaged coins and old maps. Cardinal Avenue is the main shopping street. On it, you'll find Caymania Duty Free, one of the island's best-known duty free shops for perfumes, cosmetics and gemstones. Kirk Freeport is another terrific duty free choice, with Swiss watches, fine china and crystal. The Jewelry Center offers designer baubles. Galleria Plaza (West Bay Road), lots of shops sell duty free.
There are several Tortuga rum cake stores near the pier --you can sample all the different flavors. Just be aware though, that if you plan on buying booze on the island, don't wait until the last minute. You cannot buy liquor and carry it with you---due to some local regulations, the store must transport the liquor to the ship. There is a cutoff time where they will no longer sell to cruise passengers--usually about 2 hours before sailing--some stores post the cutoff time. Shop early, when you first get off the ship. Gift shops selling rum cake near the tender piers, several of these offer samples. My favorite is still the golden original flavor of Tortuga Rum Cake
Other Attractions
Turtle Farm - $25 adults. Government-run operation raises the endangered green sea turtles to increase their population in the wild. The islands once had a multitude of turtles in the surrounding waters, the green sea turtle now has been designated an endangered species. This eco-sensitive turtle farm exists to provide the local market with edible turtle meat (preventing the need to hunt them in the wild) and to replenish the waters with hatchling and yearling turtles. Visitors can observe turtles in every stage of development in 100 circular concrete tanks. Turtles here range in size from 6 ounces to 600 pounds. At a snack bar and restaurant, you can sample farm-raised-turtle dishes. Home to 16,000 turtles. It's a unique breeding ground and research center for five species of green sea turtles. Northwest Point Road, West Bay this is one of the major sights on Grand Cayman. Established in 1968, it's the world's only commercial green-sea-turtle farm.
Mastic Trail - Guided tours are offered on this old nature trail that takes visitors through several of the island's various ecosystems. Explore this tropical paradise by making your way up Frank Sound Road to the surreal Mastic Trail, a 200-year-old trail that winds its way into one of the West Indies' few remaining tropical rain forests, a hiking trail through the dry forests in the centre of the island.
Cayman Islands National Museum - on the waterfront $5 adults, $3.15 children One of the best museums in the Caribbean, it features changing exhibits on the islands' human and natural history. The museum is housed in a dignified clapboard-covered building that's one of the oldest on the island and one of the few to have survived the disastrous hurricane of 1932. The 557-sq.-m (6,000-sq.-ft.)
Atlantis Submarine is a real, 50-foot long submarine that carries 46 passengers 65 to 100 feet below the surface for a close-up look at the Cayman Wall. You won't get wet. Duration about 1-1/2 hours. Price: $82.50-$94.
Stingray City - Located at the North Sound sandbar, is accessible only by boat. Stingrays gather here to be fed. This shallow, sandy area is one of two spots on Grand Cayman that are ideal for snorkeling among the Stingrays. In Stingray City the stingrays are so tame they suck the squid right out of your hand. Duration 4-5 hours. Price: US$45-US$60
As you can see with the summarized info provided above it is easy to decide what you would like to do or see on the Island, where and what you would like to eat and drink and how you would like to get there.
With the info in this post you can design your own tour in under 15 minutes for a fraction of the cost a tour operator on the Island will charge you and you get a custom tour of the activities, sites, local cuisine and beaches you would like to see. This puts the power back in your hands and ensures that you have a truly unforgettable experience on the Island and don’t stand in cues behind other tourists or at packed restaurants waiting to be seated.
Well that covers it, everything you need to know about Grand Cayman for your next cruise or holiday well….not quite.
I have received a boat load of comments and questions from reader over the last month asking for additional info, what sites and activities would I recommend they do, contact details of tour operators on Island, maps of the Island that shows the locations of beaches and activities, where the best beaches are that don’t have any tourists etc.
I decided to put together something very special just for my readers……..
I am also busy completing the video about Grand Cayman which I am very excited about and which will be part of the next installment.
So be on the lookout for my next post where I will reveal what I have been working on for you guys.
If you found this post and the information useful please like and share the post or share it with someone that is going on a cruise to Grand Cayman. If you have any comments or suggestions please share them in the comments section.
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