Expert: Drew Wilmoth - 3/1/2009

Question
Where do the cruises ships dock and how far are they from the beaches?  can
we walk to any beaches and what should we see as we only have a day?

thank you    Jack

Answer
Grand Cayman does not have docks for cruise ships to tie up. Ships remain about a half mile offshore and passengers ride tender boats for the short trip to the dock.

The great majority of the time (90%+) the ships tender directly to the heart of the capital George Town on the island's west coast. Shops and restaurants are within easy walking distance of these tender piers. Downtown is full of great shopping for jewelry and perfumes.

On occasion due to rough sea conditions brought on by passing cold fronts, the ships must move to the south side of the island. On these days passengers tender to the Spotts landing. There is very little within walking distance and you would need to take a taxi to reach George Town or other attractions.

There is no way to know in advance whether your ship will end up at Spotts. The decision is made in the early morning hours as the ships approach the island. Occasionally it is simply too rough and the ships must continue onward without stopping.

Regardless of where the ships tender, there will be a line of taxis to take you to the beach. The most popular beach is Seven Mile Beach - a long thin ribbon of sand that stretches uninterrupted along most of the west side of the island. Seven Mile Beach starts about a mile and a half north of the cruise ship tender docks in George Town and runs for several miles.

There are various names for specific sections of Seven Mile Beach. Popular locations include Royal Palms, Beach Club Colony, Public Beach, Sea Grape, and Courtyard by Marriott. Taxis fare is US$5 to US$6 per person depending upon how far you go from the docks. There are normally taxis waiting at these locations to catch a ride back to town. Taxis are large passenger vans and generally do not leave the port until full.

Grand Cayman is home to the Stingray Sandbar which is our most popular tourist attraction. Tours arrange transportation from the port to a tour boat. The tour boat takes you out to a shallow spot in the sea where you can stand in the water and interact with wild stingrays. The stingrays are very accustomed to being hand fed and touched and will swim right up to you.

Another popular tour stop is Boatswains Beach which is home to the world's only commercial sea turtle farm. The farm raises green sea turtles for both consumption and to release back into the wild to help rebuild populations of this endangered species. Most tours that stop there also make a brief stop at the town of Hell, giving you and opportunity to send suitable postcards from this location.

Many tour operators offer package tour options that take in one or more of these popular tourist sites. They will generally be glad to stop and let you off along Seven Mile Beach on the way back to the ship at no extra charge.

A few tour operators offer a longer option with a stop at the beach at Rum Point (not part of Seven Mile Beach) after the stingrays and before returning to the port. These tours generally include lunch and do not leave enough time for a stop at Seven Mile Beach. These tours work out to be a great value and Rum Point is a very pretty beach location.

Other popular options include scuba diving, submarine rides, snorkeling, parasailing, and other water sports. Save time for a little shopping before you board your ship.  Cayman is known for excellent rum cakes, so grab a sample and select your favorite.

You might not be able to see everything in one day, but you can easily get a feel for the island and the plan to come back to see more on another vacation.