jeff

We are going on a cruise to Western Carrib. leaving 3/11 and the first stop is Grand Cayman. We will only be on the Island 5 hrs and want to swim with the stingrays with our kids most of all. Would we have to take the cruise's tour, or can we get off early and go on our own. Would reservations be needed? What is the cost? Taxi's on Grand Cayman could take I suppose. What is this cost? thanks, j

Allen

If your children are young, you should understand that the stingrays are accompanied by fish (lots of aggressive yellowtail among them) who have figured out what a great scam the stingrays have worked out to get fed. Being set upon by a school of fish--as well as the 'rays, might be more than a young child--or a sensitive one--could comfortably handle. There is no danger--just perception. <BR> <BR>Personally, I'd opt for the tour to make the best use of a pretty narrow time window. It'd be frustrating to have to count on getting cabs precisely when you need one, and getting through the red tape of the operators on your own.

Nancy

We have taken several cruises to the Western Carribean and have been to Singray City Sandbar twice. Since we were a large family group (20) we made arrangements for a private charter twice though Kelly's Watersports and highly recommend them. <BR> <BR>We did not prepay our trips but arranged for them to meet us at the cruise ship dock and we had the cash in hand--$25 per person. The trip from the dock to the boat was included in the price. If you don't pre-arrange your trip, I think they are usually at the cruise dock holding a sign for cruise ship passengers. <BR> <BR>Kelly's is a family run operation and the two guys that were on our boat were great. Incidentally, we have had the same two guys both trips 2 years apart. Check out their web site at: <BR> <BR>http://www.kellyswatersports.com.ky <BR> <BR>An important thing to note is the difference between Stingray City (deep water and more suitable for divers) and Stingray City Sandbar (shallow water 2-3 feet deep and great for kids and non-swimmers). <BR> <BR>To be on the safe side-we opted to only go to the Stingray Sandbar and then back to town. It works out well as you have a little time to shop in town and you don't stress about missing the boat. <BR> <BR>Have a good trip.

jayne

Have been to Grand Cayman and Stingray City twice. The first time to Stingray City was the cruise sponsored trip. The 2nd time (Jan 2001) we were staying on GCI and reserved our own trip with Soto's(not Bob Soto's). Soto's picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. The 2nd trip was 3 hours long and included other great stops for snorkeling and had a lot less people. This would be great if your kids are swimmers/snorkelers. It was only $19 US, plus tip and included snorkel gear. I'd recommend advance reservations. You shouldn't need a taxi, they'll probably pick you up. You'll love Grand Cayman and the stingrays! Have a great trip!

peg

We selected one of the several providers who were at the dock booking tours as we got off the tender. Booked with Shane to go with Capt Laribbee, $25 per person, they transported us from port to boat and back. Had about 12 people on their boat. <BR> <BR>The offering on the Century was $49/pp, and they went with a couple of groups of 60 or more! You'll spend less & have a better time if you do it on your own. <BR> <BR>Agree that little kids might get freaked out, but if they're not that young, do NOT miss this. It is an incredible experience.