lkemerson

We will be traveling to the Cayman Islands, and staying at the Treasure Island Resorts in April. My question are these...how is the parking situation at Treasure Island Resort? We would like to rent a jeep from Andy's and just want to make sure that all will be well with parking at the resort should we decide to do this.<BR><BR>I have read [and read, and read] about many of the Stingray City operations and keep seeing Captain Dexters listed as a good choice. I would love to take advantage of the internet special savings by booking on-line, but keep reading about trying to go when not too many cruise ships are in the area. How does one find out when there are less cruise ships in the area??? I have seen that Saturday and Sunday's are good days. Is this true?<BR><BR>Also, is the Wharf restaurant the only [or is it just the best] place to dine and watch the feeding of the Tarpon, and what times are the best to go for this? Once I know this information, how soon should I call for reservations [the day before, the week before?]<BR><BR>On to bug issues...we generally travel to cooler climes [England, Ireland, Scotland], and have never had issues with bugs before, so after reading on this list, I am concerned with some of the bug issues. Are they bad at the end of April? <BR><BR>Thank you one and all for any and ALL help!<BR><BR>I need some sun!<BR><BR>Karen, in the frozen tundra of Michigan

Scott66

Hi Karen,<BR><BR>My wife &amp; I stayed at TI a couple years ago, and I should be able to answer your questions...<BR><BR>Parking is not an issue, there will be plenty of room to park there.<BR><BR>Capt Dexter is a great choice, we used him last March, and had a great time. As far as the cruise ship schedule goes, you can get the schedule for your entire stay, and plan around it, or on the lighter days:<BR>http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm<BR><BR>The Wharf is a very nice restaurant. It has one of the prettiest views you'll see for dining, and the atmosphere is fabulous. Keep in mind it does get a few mixed reviews, and is quite expensive. If you are interested in the tarpon feeding, they usually feed them around 9pm, so make reservations for around 8:30, and request to be close to the edge of the pier. We really enjoyed this. Although we both had excellent meals there, The absolute best dinners to be found are at Smugglers Cove, and The Reef Grill. <BR><BR>As far as bugs go, I believe this depends on the time of year you go. April should be just fine. We have been in both May &amp; March, and bugs were never an issue. If you are worried at all, simply pack a can of Off in your suitcase.<BR><BR>Hope I've answered your questions....have a great trip!!

lkemerson

Thank you for the reply Scott...and did you look??? No cruise ships [so far]listed for the latter part of our week there. I also received an email from the Captain Dexter trips stating the same. <BR><BR>After reading on how much the food costs will be, we decided to just go ahead and plan $200 per day for food, which should be more than enough for the two of us. I like to over budget, that way I can always come home with something unexpected, and unplanned for!<BR><BR>How many people ended up on your Captain Dexter trip?<BR><BR>Thank you for all your help.<BR><BR>Karen

karan

karen,<BR><BR>i hope you have taken a look at the Cayman Islands section of fodors.com talk. Lots of great posts about Grand Cayman. I used it a lot to plan our fabulous trip.<BR><BR>Just about every detail is covered.<BR><BR>Have a great time.<BR><BR>

karan

karan-bugs.<BR><BR>Mosquitos love me. We were in GC from 2/9-2/16. When I wore my skin so soft sunscreen with bug repellant, I got no bites.<BR><BR>When I did not have it on, I got bitten. So, my advice is that if you are sensative like me, wear it at all times and avoid the beach at sunset.

Scott66

Karen,<BR><BR>We only had about 15 or 16 people total on Dexter's boat. It was a great experience. After playing with the stingrays for a while, he does another snorkeling stop along the barrier reef, where he coaxed a 6 foot moray eel out from a rock to feed by hand. I highly suggest following Dexter closely at this stop so you don't miss out.<BR><BR>That's great you have a few days void of cruise ship crowds. We had days where there were 5 ships in port, and we just stayed at the resort, or headed to the northern section of 7MB to stay away from the crowds....easy to do with that cruise schedule. I'd recommend checking it a few times before you go due to possible additions.<BR><BR>I think $200 a day should be okay, just remember, that 200US=160CI. The better restaurants like the ones I mentioned or the Wharf will run 100-150CI for dinner. When we stayed at TI, we bought some cereal &amp; coldcuts, and kept them in our mini-fridge. This saved a few bucks, and was easier than eating every meal out. <BR><BR>My wife &amp; I decided to try something new this year, so instead of GC, we decided to try Belize....only 32 days to go!! have a great time in GC...it is an amazing place.

cruisin_tigger

You'll have a great time at Treasure Island. They have the best swim up bar! FYI - A good place for reasonable chow is the Cracked Conch restaurant, across the street from the turtle farm. You can't beat the scenery from their back deck. Have a great time - wish I was going!

donnapg

We just got back fro GC on Tuesday and did the snorkel/stingray tour with Capt Dexter.<BR><BR>We had 16 people on the boat but it did not feel crowded at all. The trip was great - he was going to take us to see the Stingrays first but because there was one boat there with literally hundreds of cruise ship people in the water he diverted and we did snorkelling first.<BR><BR>He did indeed coax out the moray eel - my kids are still talking about it. Annd we got many pictures with him and the stingrays. you can always ask him about the best time to go - he will tell you.<BR><BR>Also on the cruis ship front - our last day there 6 ships were scheduled to be in port - I was watching from the beach and saw them anchor WAYYY out or leave. It seems the seas were too rough that day for tenders (everyone is so insurance concious now-a-days) so none of the ships came in that day. (According to a cab driver).<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip - wish I were still there.<BR><BR>Donna

lkemerson

Donna,<BR><BR>Again, you are a wonder. Thank you for all your help, I truly appreciate it. Captain Dexters, and Soto's for the car it is going to be.<BR><BR>I'm sure I'll wish we had gone ahead and stayed 10 days instead of 7 on April 29th when we are heading back home. <BR><BR>We are going to look for a condo to perhaps rent the next time we go, and have our grown kids meet us there. How fun.<BR><BR>Happy weekend.<BR><BR>Karen