Bob

Our first port that we got to stop at was Grand Cayman. What a mess. Grand Cayman used to be a wonderful place to visit, but things have changed in 10 yrs, in my eyes. There were about 5 other cruise ships at this port. The ships couldn't park at the docks. Instead, you had to be tendered (get on small boats and be taken) to shore. With 5 other ships, you can imagine the number of people being tendered, but you would never believe the lines to get back on you ship. I don't think anybody, not even Carnival (which had the Conquest and Victory, each carrying almost 3,000 passengers), NCL, and there was another Royal Caribbean ship that was bigger, were prepared for the chaos and lines. Just too many people to hit 1 island at once. The ships did the best they could, but wow, what a mess. Somehow, the cruise ships were all asked who had been where, and those ships that had had multiple stops already, they didn't go to Cozumel. This helped tremendously as there were only 2 ships in Cozumel! Much better.

Grand Cayman, itself, has its ups and downs. Rain poured down like nobody's business, which put a damper on things. Again, you can't blame the ship on Mother Nature.

If you purchase a tour package to go see the stingrays, make sure you get the one that only goes there and not the one that includes another stop for lunch. The place that served lunch was terrible and it took over an hour to get your food. I took the diving tour, which was very nice, but my wife and daughter, along with friends we had made during the cruise, took the other trip. Again, the stingray visit piece was great. Also, depending on the weather, the water can be a little rough at the stingray park as my daughter got a few scrapes, but it was worth it!

If you decide to do things on your own in Grand Cayman, be prepared to spend $5-$8 per person, each way, for a cab. That can be over $50 for a family of 5 round-trip. I heard they are supposed to only charge $5 per person, but some were trying to charge up to $8. Everyone was glad to leave Grand Cayman, including the staff of the ship.

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