Sting Ray Alley "Self Tour"

K

K&M

Guest
Anyone ever gotten a taxi at the Tender Dock and headed over to Sting Ray Alley in Grand Cayman on thier own?

We will be sailing in May on the Paradise (Carnival) and figured it wouldnt be that hard.

Owning our own Dive and Snorkeling equipement, it just seemed like a much easier, and less costly way of seeing this fabulous spot that everyone raves about.

Anyone else ever venture away from the "organized tour operators" and tried this?
 
R

ready2go

Guest
I thought that Stingray City was a sandbar out in the middle of a bay(like a mile or 2 out). Maybe I'm wrong......
Kelly
 
K

K&M

Guest
See... that is why this site is useful! That is something I wasnt sure about... if there are little boats that will take you back and forth like a water taxi... great, but if it is 100% controlled as a tourist trap, then this is also useful information...

Just wanting to know, since it sounds like sometimes there are hundreds of people there (mind you with different tour operators) and it seemed a little commercial for us.

We would love to dive or snorkle with the Rays.. but feeding food in a contrived "aquarium" type setting may not be for us... that is why we thought that the taxi out on our own would be the best bet.

Thanks all... any more feedback from others would be great.
 
C

Colo Cruiser

Guest
You will have to book a snorkel tour with an indepandant operator. Cost is between $25 and $45 for 2 1/2 hours. You will find them in and around the cruise ship pier in Georgetown.
 
N

Natalia

Guest
Yes, the sandbar is out in the bay, from other side of the island. If you take a private company, you will be happy. Ours only took about 12 people, it was great. Search this site for stingray info, and you will get loads of suggested companies. Also, a private company is cheaper than a ships tour.
 
E

Eddie Jo

Guest
We just returned last week from that excursion. There were at any one time 4-6 boats with
probably 40 + people each in the water. I considered it too crowded. My husband who is usually into being as far from crowds as possible loved the experience with the stringrays.
I am sorry I don't know about getting there other than with a tour.
 
N

Natalia

Guest
To avoid the crowds, book your tour early. Not too early as this is a tender port and some ships have a problem getting passengers off the ship in a timely manner here. But the earlier you get to Stingray City, the better. Also, thats where taking a tour independent of the ship is better, you wont have that boat full of 40-100 people. Private tours will take you to a less crowded area of the sand bar.
 
B

BamaBelle

Guest
Which private tour company do you recommend? I've read about several but don't know what to choose.
 
T

The Nuge

Guest
I have used the cruise tour and Captain Marvins. USE A PRIVATE TOUR OPERATOR!!! Captain Marvin only takes out a max of 12 people at once and would give you as much or (in your case) as little chaperoning as you want. Was less than half the cost of the cruise and also included some local spots for snorkeling. Seemed to know where to get away from the large groups and still enjoy the rays. Other tour operators are on the island that have great reps as well but I prefer Capt. Marvins.

-The Nuge
 
N

Natalia

Guest
I used Captain Marvins and I cant say enough good about them, they were fantastic, excellent customer service. However, there are a lot of private companies like this now that are probably just as good. Ive heard of Native Way, Captain Brians (something like that), and some others. Do some searches here on this board as well as in the community board for "sting rays" and you will get others opinions and some website links. I can give you Capt Marvins, and I know you will not be sorry for going with them, but also consider just searching the web too. I have to decide who to choose as I am taking some family members on a cruise later this year and they want to experience the sting rays. Im leaning towards what I know to be good from past experience. Why fix it if it isnt broken, right?

<http://www.captainmarvins.com/>
 
K

kujobie

Guest
Just a thought, we booked the earliest tour thru the cruise ship and were literally THE first tendered off the ship and the first tour to the sandbar. Those booked thru the ship get first preference on tenders, which can give you an hour or more advantage of port time over the other passengers. The tour boat was not crowded in the least. Both times we have done it this way and were very satisfied and it doesn't cost much more than going with an independant contractor.
 
Top