What are the best shore excursions to take in Grand Cayman?

Question

We're sailing with Royal Car. in a few months. Suggestions? Also for Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Answer 1

I think I have been on the exact same cruise before and loved it. Grand Cayman is great. Swimming with the stingrays is by far the number one attraction there. You will need to book that one in advance because the places fill up fast. The turtle farm is also interesting. There are several excursions that go there. We went on one that took us on a tour to sample their rum cakes, visited the beach, then went to h**l, which is an exciting stop which basically consists some ugly rock formations (looks like h**l!) and a post office so you can send people a postcard postmarked from h**l, it is actually pretty cute, and then the tour ended at the turtle farm. It was nice and fairly cheap. As for Cozumel, we usually just shop there and relax on the beach. At Costa Maya, the cruise stop is this little area which mainly consists of outdoor bars and a public pool on the beach, so if you like to just drink and relax then no excursion is necessary, but otherwise you should plan some sort of excursion because there is nothing else to do close.

Answer 2

Do not miss the Sting Ray City. It is something you will never forget.  Amazing!

Answer 3

Turtle Farm in Cayman is great.  We went there with RC in 2003.

We went to the Mayan Ruins when our boat was docked in cozumel.  Awesome!!!

Answer 4

Did a cruise last December that included Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. In Cozumel we went mountain biking to some old temple ruins, and in Grand Cayman we went swimming with the sting rays. Both were awesome but if mountain biking is a little too strenuous for you, just after you come ashore walk through the small marketplace there and as you come to the road there is a rental place for scooters and little electric cars that are a cross between a VW Beetle and a golf cart, it's a cool way to get around the island, drive in to San Miguel for some shopping and then zip down the ring road to the beaches.

Answer 5

You must visit Stingray City in Grand Cayman.  Your boat drops you off on a sandbar with your guide, and you are able to feed dozens of stingrays, hold them, snorkel with them, etc.  

Our guides actually had favorite rays they knew for years.  They are very friendly, soft and tame.

According to About.com: "Many Caribbean guide books call the snorkeling at Stingray City the "best snorkeling experience in the world." It certainly has all of the characteristics of world-class snorkeling such as superb visibility, numerous friendly stingrays and fish, and easy access. You don't have to have any snorkeling experience to take this shore excursion, and the water is shallow, so you don't have to be a good swimmer."

I also took a Royal Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel.  Almost anything you do in Costa Maya is fun.  We drove dune buggies and went to the beach, which was isolated and fantastic.  Costa Maya is still developing, so you get to see the "real Mexico" just outside the port area, which we were able to do on the dune buggies.

On our second trip to Costa Maya we took a mini speed boat tour on a lake that had crystal clear water.  It was about an hour bus ride, and although it was raining a little, it was quite amazing.  The lake was stunning.

In Cozumel we did a jeep tour and snorkel/beach adventure.  That was also great.  We were a small group, and the beach was beautiful.