Grand Cayman tour

[Maggie'sMom]

We're struggling to plan our Grand Cayman day. We have two very fair skinned people in our group so spending a day at the beach probably isn't the best option, and that seems to be the consensus on the best thing to do on Grand Cayman. I've read through several threads on excursion options but nothing is jumping out as what we want to do. I saw one person post there are people at the port, holding up signs offering to be a tour guide for the day. Has anyone done this?

We're already planning to do a dolphin swim on Cozumel and we don't want to do Stingray City or the Turtle Farm.

 

[Starwind]

We are two adults and did "Discover Native Cayman and the Saltwater Forest (G33)" and quite enjoyed it. There were two bus loads, I think we did our tour in reverse order. The bus is air conditionned.

Bus ride to marina with points of interest and history pointed out along the way. Pontoon boat to visit and learn about the mangroves, with explanation of the area as well. Then bus to "Hell" and pointing out more points of interest. Then visit to Seven Mile Beach.

The Beach was nice, but we stayed up under the trees in the shade near thee parking lot for the visit for the most part [just a quick jaunt to step into the water].

We learned quite a bit, got to to see some of the city, and enjoyed ourselves. Got to hold a jellyfish ! There were kids on the tour as well and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, too. We got back in good time. It was a relaxing excursion that did not at all feel rushed.

We are also not sun people -- I react poorly to it. So I wear a good wide-brimmed hat, long sleeve and long pant sun protective clothing (UPF 50+), and sunscreen what is exposed [which is very little with the sun protective clothing]. I highly recommend Coolibar brand for sun protective clothing, but there are others as well. The clothing serves us well for WDW and cruising and is lightweight enough that I find I am actually cooler wearing long sleeves and pants that without -- no harsh sun directly hitting my skin.

SW

 

[MnkyGirl]

One of the best experiences snorkeling that I have ever had was at Grand Cayman. It was a small operation with lots of one on one attention if you wanted it.
Shipwreck and Reef Snorkeling (G15)

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

One of the best experiences snorkeling that I have ever had was at Grand Cayman. It was a small operation with lots of one on one attention if you wanted it.
Shipwreck and Reef Snorkeling (G15)

Second this. We did this excursion on our last Western and it was amazing. Of note, my Irish descended children wore their SPF swim shirts during the snorkeling allowing them to thoroughly enjoy the snorkeling while preventing the massive burn that we usually get.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I would love to go snorkeling, but we have two kids in the group which are on the autism spectrum and both freak at being in the water around marine life. They are skipping the dolphin swim in Cozumel and are going to do other activities at Chankanaab. We had looked at the Seaworld Observatory semi-submarine, but my DD is less than enthused about it. I looked at the "Discover Native Cayman and Saltwater Forest" and while I think the adults would love it, I don't think the kids will be into it.

I think we'd like something that where we could see some of the island, but have flexibility in case the kids need a change of pace. That's why I was asking about hiring a tour guide when we get there. We can judge how things are going for the kids and adjust as necessary. There are 5 of us total. 3 adults and the 2 kiddos.

 

[LNMom]

We are cruising again next spring-Western Carribbean. I have done very little research. Can I ask why you chose the dolphin activity in Cozumel v. Grand Cayman?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Happy Cruising!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We are cruising again next spring-Western Carribbean. I have done very little research. Can I ask why you chose the dolphin activity in Cozumel v. Grand Cayman?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Happy Cruising!

The dolphin swim we chose is in the Chankanaab park in Cozumel. There are lots of other things to do there at the park so the person who really wanted to swim with the dolphins could and those who didn't want to do it had things to keep them entertained. It seemed at Grand Cayman that the dolphin swim was more on it's own without as much to do right there. Plus, I've heard of the ship missing Grand Cayman due to bad weather more often than I've heard of it missing Cozumel.

 

[ashleytyson]

There are many things to do in Grand Cayman like water sports activities, Boating, subsiding, snorkeling, submarine tour, visit turtle center, beaches, rum point, restaurants, and a lot more activities.

 

[MAmama78]

If you are comfortable doing an outside excursion, check out Captain Marvin's tour to the turtle park. They have very good reviews and the return time is well before the departure deadline. My father-in-law has been to the turtle park and he thought our kids (11 & 8) would love it. DCL did not have it on the list of excursions, so we are going outside of DCL. By the way, my oldest is on the spectrum and we are avoiding the beach because she has a phobia about chickens and there are wild chickens on the island....

 

[Maggie'sMom]

OP here. This thread is from April 2018 and our cruise was at the end of May 2018. In Grand Cayman, we ended up splitting up. The family we were traveling with chose an excursion through DCL which was cancelled that morning. I think it was the Atlantis submarine tour. They were offered another excursion in its place, I think it was the Nautilus undersea tour. They did not enjoy it.

My daughter and I ended up just walking around town for a couple hours shopping. It was a cloudy, windy day with some rain off and on so it wasn't great beach weather anyway.