STINGRAY CITY TOURS GRAND CAYMAN - THE BEST ADVICE THAT WE CAN GIVE!

DO NOT BOOK YOUR SEA TOUR ON THE LAST DAY OF YOUR VACATION!

Let us say it one more time - do NOT book your sea tour on the LAST DAY of your vacation!

Tropical storm over the North Sound in Grand Cayman

As tempting as it might seem after your flight to a caribbean island promising you a well earned vacation, dropping the luggage in the room and leaving sea tour bookings till your last day of holiday is very ill-advised.

Caribbean = tropical weather

Tropical weather = teenager

 Teenager = dramatic & instantaneous mood swings

therefore

Caribbean = dramatic & instantaneous weather swings

Having said the above, I don't think even hurricanes keep us Grand Cayman tour operators quite as adrenalin pumped as we become when bad weather strikes - conditions become unsafe and tours have to be cancelled. And the wrath of unhappy, frustrated guests and visitors is unleashed upon us......

Perhaps it comes down to expectations. At this time of the year, most holiday makers visiting caribbean islands are escaping from the grey, freezing conditions of home - conditions that bring incumbent lifestyle discomforts, increased utility bills and for those travelling, delayed flights. On the flip side of the coin (or should I say credit card?), the tropical vacation destination is supposed to be quite the opposite - sunny, balmy days in paradise, a comfortable existence of one layer of clothing and hassle free fun hunting ........ and then the weather happens and the dream is blown to bits by gusting caribbean winds. Not exactly the plan.

Believe us when we say that it breaks our hearts when this happens. We sincerely want nothing but the very best of experiences for our island visitors. We want you to have the sun in the hammock, the golden vacation memories. We want to send you home with glowing tans, sentimental smiles and plans for the next visit already on the boil! And as Stingray City Tour operators, we really, really, REALLY want you to experience feeding and kissing the stingrays in Grand Cayman.

We have awesome sea tour operators here in Grand Cayman. We honestly do. And they will do just about anything to make you enjoy your time with them. But one thing they can NOT do is change the weather, nor can they accommodate guests from three (or more) cancelled tours onto the fourth tour, no matter how much money you offer, no matter how much you raise your voice and no matter how little time you have left on the island. Doing so is not safe, not good for business and simply not right.

So we beg you, please book your tours early on in your vacation. If bad weather happens, you can reschedule. If bad weather happens again, you can reschedule again. If bad weather happens again, that is pretty lousy luck but at least you tried and you can try again on your next visit (because we know that you will love our island and come back). 

Just don't leave the sea tour to the last day ...........

Barbara the stingray during a snorkel stop

THE SUN DOESN'T ALWAYS SHINE IN THE CARIBBEAN .....

However, we still feel that a bad day in Grand Cayman is better than a freezing, snow-covered day that many countries are currently going through....I honestly don't think we'd last a day in temperatures under 0C!

Skirting a squall during tour in Grand Cayman

We had initially scheduled standard maintenance for "Big John" yesterday, but then we looked at the weather forecast for the weekend and changed minds rather quickly. A decision was made to try and move all our Saturday clients to yesterday - high winds predicted for the 7th - and that means quite tough, choppy conditions in the North Sound.

I would venture to say that many excursion guests might view a re-scheduled tour with some suspicion, but we honestly try to arrange our tours with the best possible experience in mind. The photo above shows a squall during yesterday's tour, but at least the waters were quite calm and the visibility pretty good - that would not be true of conditions today, even if the sun is shining!

Beautifully clear and calm waters

The above photo show how beautiful the waters were at the snorkelling site - the visibility really nice. We got the opportunity to introduce them to Phsycho the moray eel as well - we have not seen him for a while. Captain Mario reported that he was really quite sociable and welcoming, swimming around and giving our guests a really good eyeful of his beauty. We were once again joined by the Stingray Barbara while snorkelling - she is such a delight - no wonder she is Captain Mario's favourite!

Some may see this as double trouble, but we call it a double delight!

Because our guests were all overnight visitors on island, Captain Mario took the opportunity to extend the tour a little so that he could skirt and out-thwart a squall. This way, our guests missed being rained on, and had a little more time to enjoy themselves - so everyone was happy.

Stingray City Sandbar was a happy time with Snowflake doing the kissing and handing out 7 years of good luck - Dwayne the 1st mate has a very big soft spot for her.

So, although there was a little inconvenience to begin with, the tour turned out a success and we hope that our guests are left with magical vacation memories and photos, and we hope that we can welcome them back on Big John again one day soon!

One of the ladies at Stingray City in Grand Cayman

LEAVING THE BEST TILL LAST- EXCURSION TO STINGRAY CITY

They say revenge is best served cold. However, there is no best way to serve disappointment. Trust us - we know.

Taking island visitors to meet, feed and kiss the stingrays at the sandbar in Grand Cayman is not only a privilege, but a genuine delight for our crew. First time visitors arrive with a range of emotions - fear, trepidation, curiosity, bravado or simply daring - and all with the under current of excitement. For some, this visit is a bucket item list, for some it is a dream come true for which they have saved a long time, for some, just an attraction which they have "heard" about.

Enjoying Stingray City Sandbar in Grand Cayman

Whatever your motivation for visiting this world famous attraction, our ONE piece of advice would  be :

"DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SEA TOUR TO THE LAST DAY OF YOUR VACATION"

This is the Caribbean, we live in the tropics. Living in the tropics means weather conditions can do a complete u-turn in just a few hours. Annoying? Yes. Predictable? Nope. Controllable? Well, if we could control the weather we would no doubt be far more financially secure.

It sounds rather noble for us to say that we put safety before financial consideration, but we honestly don't want take you on an excursion where you are in the water and have a 40 foot boat being tossed around you by 6 foot swells and matching waves. We also don't think it's too much fun for guests to enter and exit the water in these conditions. Are there tour operators who will take you out despite all of this? Yes. But we will not.

So, given all the above information, it can be plainly seen that it is not wise to book your sea tour for the last available day of your vacation. If weather prevents this from happening, you do not have a (safe) alternative option. Rather book your excursion during the earlier part of your holiday - that way, you have the flexibility to arrange for another day and won't miss what could have been the highlight of your visit. 

GRAND CAYMAN SEES THE LIGHT!

Grey. Fifty shades of it or otherwise ...... just not a Caribbean island colour. We have had WAY too much of it lately. Spoilt much? Yes. Absolutely.

But we think it has gone now ..... let's hope ........ some photos from yesterday ....... Grand Cayman showing her tropical colours again ....... oh yeah ....... we'll let the pictures do the talking!

Enjoying the sun and sea stars at Starfish Point

Stingray City Sandbar

 

Grand Cayman sunset

Snorkelling at Coral Gardens

A Grand Cayman stingray at the Sandbar

ROUGH WEATHER - BUT TOUGH GUESTS!

It is that time of the year when Grand Cayman experiences some its most turbulent tropical weather, with high winds, choppy seas and weather conditions that can change in the flick of an eye.

Safety for our guests is #1 priority. Captain Mario will NOT take chances - he and his crew are often teased about having the best jobs in the world (which seriously, cannot be far from the truth), but with their jobs comes the awesome responsibility of looking after the lives & well being of each guest onboard.

Rain is never an issue for us - you are getting wet by entering the water at three beautiful sea sites anyway! Plus, we have a large interior cabin which can provide shelter during squalls. But wind is a different story, and high winds can change the North Sound (where Stingray City Sandbar is found) from one enormous and stunningly beautiful pond into a cauldron of currents and waves.

Smooth sailing (left) versus Rough days (right) at Stingray City Sandbar

For Captain Mario, it is hard to face guests with disappointing news that a trip will be cancelled due to unsafe conditions, especially when he sees all the kids' faces drop. Some guests have been saving up for this visit for over a year, some are celebrating a special occasion and some are ticking off bucket list items.....the disappointment is never easy.

But sometimes, it is just safe enough for the trips to go ahead and we are always proud of our brave and valiant guests who go ahead despite difficult weather - kudos to you all!

STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN - IS IT DANGEROUS?

Am I going to die?

This is a question Captain Mario hears often when taking excursion guests to visit the Stingray Sandbar in Grand Cayman.

His answer?

"Yes, we are all going to die, but hopefully not today, and not with us."

Cuddling a stingray at Grand Cayman's stingray sandbar

Years after the paradoxical death of dedicated conservationist Steve Irwin, Grand Cayman - home to the wondrous Stingray City Sandbar, still feels the sting. It is no small task to remove the barb of this memory from the island guests when faced with the life changing opportunity to interact with, feed and even kiss, our stingrays.

Our company and crew considers itself privileged to observe their guests transforming from fear-filled, intrepid visitors to awe inspired ambassadors of the stingrays. Each giggling guest is seen as a stroke against the tide of ill repute regarding these ethereal creatures. The magic belongs to the Cayman stingrays and their azure Caribbean Sea arena - we are there simply to help you experience the moment.

Stingray City in Grand Cayman

Stingrays will react defensively if perceiving danger. None of the stingrays are forced into this interaction, they are there of their own free will - some will disappear for weeks, others are regulars whom we see daily. Our "girls" have had over 35 years of contact with humans - just listen to your tour guides and treat the rays with respect and you will have an experience that you will not only live through, but never forget.

CHEAP TOURS TO STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN

Tours and excursions to Stingray City Sandbar in Cayman Islands come in all sizes and packages with the corresponding prices (and experience!), and you can choose reputable operators charging from around US$45 for a 2.5  hour trip, to US$1200.00 per hour for the ultra luxurious experience.

Of course, you can ALSO find them cheaper................ Exhibit 1

For some great tips on finding the excursion that suits your pocket and desires,

we hope that this post can help you out.

Happy Caribbean vacation planning!

GRAND CAYMAN TOURS

Today, we simply want to share a beautiful photo of a starfish (now known as Sea Stars), taken at the stunning Starfish Point in Grand Cayman. We include this spot on our tours - some guests find it too tranquil, but 99% of our guests fall in love with it.....so without further ado.....enjoy!

Starfish Point - stunning stop for Grand Cayman Excursions

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!

PERFECT CONDITIONS AT STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN

PHEW! Awesome conditions out there!

If there is the perfect day for going out to snorkel and visit Stingray City in Grand Cayman, today is one of them!

PICTURE THIS.........

Stingray City Grand Cayman

Yup. Yes. This is what our guests will be experiencing today. Says the girl sitting behind the desk in the office ..... low winds, a few puffs of cloud in that Caribbean blue sky and calm waters. Sigh. Just what tropical vacation dreams are made of........

Have a beautiful day!

GRAND CAYMAN ISLANDS - CRUISE PASSENGER INFORMATION

Cruise passengers visiting Grand Cayman are sometimes confused about time differences. This can lead to them arriving too early or (unfortunately), too late to meet their chosen tour operator.

Grand Cayman is on EST (Eastern Standard Time) and DOES NOT practice daylight saving. 

The island welcomes numerous cruise ships - some of these stay on the time of their port of departure, some change their time to the port of arrival, some practice daylight saving and some don't. It is impossible for local excursion operators to know which ship does what, and generally, will quote their tour times in local time.

In our confirmation e-mails to cruise guests, we try to highlight this factor, and provide a link to our website which shows Cayman time - this link follows : TIME IN GRAND CAYMAN.

An alternative point of reference can be found on 24TimeZones.com

If in any doubt, do ask your cruise crew for assistance with time differences.

Happy cruising - Grand Cayman Island looks forward to meeting you!

CRUISE EXCURSIONS TO GRAND CAYMAN

Good morning to all! The weather conditions in Grand Cayman today are looking spectacular for the sea tour operators....blue skies with scattered clouds and just about no wind......some of the best conditions that the excursion operators can ask for when taking guests to Stingray City! Yup, if you looked up from Grand Cayman this is what you should see today.......

Today has been quite hectic with a cruise ship arriving and changing it's in-port time at the very last minute. This can cause so much stress for the independent operators and the guests who have booked excursions with them. Luckily, Captain Mario has just called to say that all our guests are safely with him and on their way to enjoy their visit to Stingray City, a snorkel stop and Starfish Point! Have fun Acquarius Sea Tours guests!