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

IN A RUSH TO RELAX?????

CAN'T THIS BOAT GO FASTER????

Our crew are faced with many interesting questions which they love to answer, but the above question is without doubt one that causes some serious confusion for them.

It would be safe to say that 100% of our guests are on excursion with us to visit some of nature's most beautiful sites. Even if they are living on island, and are not on Grand Cayman for a vacation, surely it can be safely assumed that they are with us to relax, breathe in the salt air and commune in surroundings which are not man-made nor of concrete structure.

Has life become SO busy that we can no longer slow down? Does nothing count unless it can be done in a New York minute? Do we really want to live our lives in an instant?

So, to answer your question, oh yeah baby, it sure can, but why would we want it to? Why would we want to rush you past all this beauty? And with only a couple of feet of water under our helm, why would we want to leave a path of disturbance behind us?

Nah. Enjoy your time with us. Relax. Breathe. Sigh. But most of all ...... stop and smell the sea air.

INTRODUCING "DARK VADER"

One of the biggest surprises for most visitors to the Stingray Sandbar in Grand Cayman, is how the stingrays display personalities and character traits much like we do.

"Barbara" is without doubt Captain Mario's favourite, while "Snowflake" has captured Duayne's heart for good. But over the last 2 or 3 months of excursions, we have started noticing a gorgeous looking lady who is fast making her way into the "Acquarius group".

"Dark Vader" settles in for a while

And what a beauty she is ....... forget shades of grey and bring black back! This girl is one slinky, sexy stingray caped in black velvet, bearing a mesmerising aura that weaves a spell on many a guest cradling her.

After playing just enough hard to get, she is oh so content to settle in for cuddles and kisses, and yesterday had her heart quite set on kissing a young male who refused to take his snorkel mask off ....... a disappointment she no doubt seldom suffers. Not sure if he was more afraid of the kiss or the stingray???

We love growing relationships with these awesome creatures and watching them come out of their "shells" and to the fore - it is an absolute honour and privilege.

So next time you are on vacation in Grand Cayman, come join us on a tour to meet the "ladies" - it's a memory you will never forget!

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!

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!

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!

STINGRAY CITY TOURS - AFTERNOON OR MORNING?

Myth versus reality

Stingray City Grand Cayman

Very often, cruise guests wishing to do excursions to Stingray City Sandbar do not have much choice with regards to the timing of their tour, as they are limited by the time their ship is in port.

However, guests staying at hotels and condominiums on island, are afforded more choice - morning and afternoon tours, and they should choose according to their own itinerary.

During high season (November through March) we are often faced with guests wishing to tour only in the afternoon - they have been informed to make this choice to avoid the "cruise crowds".

The irony is that because of this, we have often found the afternoons to be busier than the mornings! 

Our tours have 3 stops and are longer than most tours, so we have the flexibility to move on should we see one spot is too crowded, and then to mosey on back when the crowds have left. Captain Mario dislikes crowded spots as much as the guests, so he normally does a pretty good job of avoiding them.

Our advice? Stick to a tour that suits your mood - perhaps you prefer morning activity and afternoon rest, or you prefer to rise late and end the day with a sunset..........do what suits your preferences! And of course, choose a good operator........

Caribbean Vacation Time!

Wishing you happy Caribbean vacation planning!

STINGRAY CITY GRAND CAYMAN - "THE GIRLS" # 3

Fall in love with a stingray? Possible? We do.....every day......

Stingray City in Grand Cayman is a world famous attraction. No Cayman Islands vacation itinerary is complete without this item - a top of the list thing to do!

There are many tours to the sandbar where you can commune with, feed and even kiss these beautiful stingrays (earning 7 years good luck while doing it!). 

Every day, North Sound in Grand Cayman lures travellers from cruise ships, luxurious island hotels and expats to the many attractions found here. You have a choice of excursions to snorkel sites and the Stingray City Sandbar, or private chartered tours to gorgeous spots such as Starfish Point, Rum Point and Kaibo Yacht Club.

But the best activity is visiting the "ladies" at Stingray City. We have taken numerous guests to this spot, and have yet to find one person who does not fall under their spell. No-one leaves without a smile on their face - no-one.

We fall in love with them every day, with the stingrays revealing their individual personalities over time. Today, we introduce you to "Snowflake" - she is one of Dwayne's favourites, with a shy, gentle and endearing nature. Covered with a  sprinkling of little white marks, she looks as if she has floated through snowflakes and collected some on the way - an impossible scenario in this tropical surrounding, but romantic nonetheless!

The gentle and endearing stingray called "Snowflake"

Stingray City Sandbar, Grand Cayman

So, add this to your bucket list......you'll be SO glad you did!

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!