Grand Cayman Excursion

[Disneyfam854]

We currently have booked the Intimate Trip to Stingray City and Starfish Beach with Lunch G81 in Grand Cayman For upcoming cruise. Has anyone been on this port adventure recently that can provide reviews and answer the following questions:

how intimate as far as passenger count?
how long at each stop?
what was for lunch?
was snorkeling gear provided at either stop? (I know it’s not a snorkel trip, but possibly given to view better)

this trip seems pricey compared to other sting ray trips that include snorkeling and I am trying to justify price or decide if we want to just book with outside vendors such as Captain Marvin. Thanks in advance!

 

[Joel0917]

It’s great
We did this. Less people so awesome.
We only had 8 people hours.

About 45 min at stingray and maybe 45 at starfish.

Then we stopped for lunch at a beach for 45.

 

[Disneyfam854]

Wow! Only 8 is awesome!! I was worried it would still be 20 people or so. Hope that is close to the usual and not too many more. Thank you for this information!! Feelin’ a bit more confident in keeping the reservation. Did you get to feed the stingray with provided food? Or was any snorkel gear provide?

thanks again!!

 

[CisforCookie991]

I can’t speak to the DCL excursion but the Captain Marvin’s tour that goes to the starfish beach was amazing. We just did it a couple of weeks ago.

It was 26 people but didn’t feel crowded at all. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The trip also included reef snorkeling and stingrays. We got back to the port and on a tender just in time to catch Cabanas right before it closed.

I wasn’t timing the stops but I’d estimate 30-45 minutes at each one. They had snorkel gear but just for the reef stop.

 

[Disneyfam854]

Great, thank you for the feedback on Captain Marvin’s! Captain Marvin’s is much more reasonable in price and I have heard very positive reviews. This was going to be our plan if we went outside of Disney. I have not reached out yet to confirm, but I do not know if Captain Marvin’s time’s available to book will work with our time in port, as we are on the shorter port time itinerary (1030a to 4). I will look into as I am still torn on which to go with. I don’t mind paying extra if it is worth it, but always looking to the best deal!

 

[CisforCookie991]

Great, thank you for the feedback on Captain Marvin’s! Captain Marvin’s is much more reasonable in price and I have heard very positive reviews. This was going to be our plan if we went outside of Disney. I have not reached out yet to confirm, but I do not know if Captain Marvin’s time’s available to book will work with our time in port, as we are on the shorter port time itinerary (1030a to 4). I will look into as I am still torn on which to go with. I don’t mind paying extra if it is worth it, but always looking to the best deal!

Ahh yeah that’ll be a problem. When we went, that particular tour was only once a day. The official start time was 10:30 but it left the port at 10:15, and they wanted everyone there between 9:45 and 10 to check in. If it’s in your budget, they do private as well. If we had been with another family, I think that’s the way we would’ve gone but it’s just 4 of us so the price difference was too much to justify.

Edit: I’m wrong. There was a second tour but it was at 2:30 so too late for us.

 

[PAGA2003]

I don't have first hand experience yet (we're booked for this summer) but there is also Stingray Sailing that offers smaller group excursions. The price is higher than Captain Marvin at $85 but the maximum they take is 20 guests. They have great reviews and are very responsive through email so maybe worth checking with them as well.

 

[Disneyfam854]

Update since trip- I personally would not recommend Disney Port Adventure G81 Intimate Trip to Stingray and Starfish based on our experience. We had fun but do not feel it was worth for the price we paid.

Based on price, I had high expectations and expected a small group as described. Maybe my expectations were too high, but based on other Port Adventure experiences I have rarely been disappointed. Most similar excursions I researched had 20-30 passengers, so had I hoped at most 12 but realistically planned for less than 20. Our group was extremely large for being “intimate“. We had 67 total and we were broken down to 3 boats, leaving 24 on our boat. To skip ahead, our boat also broke down on way back, causing us to combine boats on that leg making even less “intimate”.

The sting ray experience was fun seeing them in the wild, however our tour guides were rough handling them, they did not provide a lot of information, and just wanted to group families for the pictures they took. They were also adamant that I could not stand off to side of or behind them to take my own pics at same time. Other tour groups provided food to feed the rays and gave education while this tour did not. I found myself listening in on the guides next to us, which was pretty easy since the site was so crowded overall.

The trip to Starfish Point was the most disappointing. We were directed to the food to go over and get in line for and told to find a spot to sit down and eat. we had options for chicken curry or stewed chicken. In our party the kids got stewed and adults got curry so we could share and try both. All of the plates were nothing but chopped up bones in a portion the size of a side dish, dried out Kraft Mac and cheese, and a large portion of rice. Every bite I tried had a small bone shard and we couldn’t eat. Especially worrisome to provide this to children. After this, we did not interact with our guides again until called to head back. Again other tour guides were interacting with guests taking photos and educating on the starfish. I listened in nearby again to learn. It was a beautiful area, but still a bit crowded with other tour groups.

From here, this is were the boat broke down. All groups left and our boat wouldn’t start. I understand things happen, but after they tried for a bit to get working without success, we had to wait for another boat to come back to get us and it was already loaded with passengers. We ended up getting back to port late and were the last tender. We became “those people“ that were late and looked like we weren’t going to make it despite being booked with disney .

We still had fun, and others may not have the same issue, but I personally would not book again or recommend for the the price and experience we had.

 

[ngl]

Update since trip- I personally would not recommend Disney Port Adventure G81 Intimate Trip to Stingray and Starfish based on our experience. We had fun but do not feel it was worth for the price we paid.

Based on price, I had high expectations and expected a small group as described. Maybe my expectations were too high, but based on other Port Adventure experiences I have rarely been disappointed. Most similar excursions I researched had 20-30 passengers, so had I hoped at most 12 but realistically planned for less than 20. Our group was extremely large for being “intimate“. We had 67 total and we were broken down to 3 boats, leaving 24 on our boat. To skip ahead, our boat also broke down on way back, causing us to combine boats on that leg making even less “intimate”.

The sting ray experience was fun seeing them in the wild, however our tour guides were rough handling them, they did not provide a lot of information, and just wanted to group families for the pictures they took. They were also adamant that I could not stand off to side of or behind them to take my own pics at same time. Other tour groups provided food to feed the rays and gave education while this tour did not. I found myself listening in on the guides next to us, which was pretty easy since the site was so crowded overall.

The trip to Starfish Point was the most disappointing. We were directed to the food to go over and get in line for and told to find a spot to sit down and eat. we had options for chicken curry or stewed chicken. In our party the kids got stewed and adults got curry so we could share and try both. All of the plates were nothing but chopped up bones in a portion the size of a side dish, dried out Kraft Mac and cheese, and a large portion of rice. Every bite I tried had a small bone shard and we couldn’t eat. Especially worrisome to provide this to children. After this, we did not interact with our guides again until called to head back. Again other tour guides were interacting with guests taking photos and educating on the starfish. I listened in nearby again to learn. It was a beautiful area, but still a bit crowded with other tour groups.

From here, this is were the boat broke down. All groups left and our boat wouldn’t start. I understand things happen, but after they tried for a bit to get working without success, we had to wait for another boat to come back to get us and it was already loaded with passengers. We ended up getting back to port late and were the last tender. We became “those people“ that were late and looked like we weren’t going to make it despite being booked with disney .

We still had fun, and others may not have the same issue, but I personally would not book again or recommend for the the price and experience we had.

I appreciate this feedback as we were looking to book this one but very confused about all the different trips to Stingray City. Not sure which one to pick as we really want to go to Stingray City!

 

[Heatherdbby]

I think we are just going to rent a car in GC, as all of the excursions focus more on the water

 

[Disneyfam854]

If you can, I would try and book outside of Disney. We had a short day in port, so it was not an option for us. I really wish we could have gone with Captain Marvin based on other reviews and recommendations.

 

[keighttf]

I think we are just going to rent a car in GC, as all of the excursions focus more on the water

I’m finding it difficult to find a car rental agency. Who are you using?

 

[Heatherdbby]

I’m finding it difficult to find a car rental agency. Who are you using?

Andy’s Rent-A-Car Ltd
Bookings@andys.ky
Main: 345 949 8111

www.andys.ky

370A West Bay Road

PO Box 167H

Grand Cayman, KY1-1401

Cayman Islands

 

[Heatherdbby]

I’m finding it difficult to find a car rental agency. Who are you using?

Marshall's Rent A Car
1-345-949-0550
Reservations@Marshalls.ky
www.Marshalls.ky

 

[Heatherdbby]

I’m finding it difficult to find a car rental agency. Who are you using?

And then I found alamo as well but I can't get anyone to answer the phone or email with them..

 

[BarlowFamily]

Update since trip- I personally would not recommend Disney Port Adventure G81 Intimate Trip to Stingray and Starfish based on our experience. We had fun but do not feel it was worth for the price we paid.

Based on price, I had high expectations and expected a small group as described. Maybe my expectations were too high, but based on other Port Adventure experiences I have rarely been disappointed. Most similar excursions I researched had 20-30 passengers, so had I hoped at most 12 but realistically planned for less than 20. Our group was extremely large for being “intimate“. We had 67 total and we were broken down to 3 boats, leaving 24 on our boat. To skip ahead, our boat also broke down on way back, causing us to combine boats on that leg making even less “intimate”.

The sting ray experience was fun seeing them in the wild, however our tour guides were rough handling them, they did not provide a lot of information, and just wanted to group families for the pictures they took. They were also adamant that I could not stand off to side of or behind them to take my own pics at same time. Other tour groups provided food to feed the rays and gave education while this tour did not. I found myself listening in on the guides next to us, which was pretty easy since the site was so crowded overall.

The trip to Starfish Point was the most disappointing. We were directed to the food to go over and get in line for and told to find a spot to sit down and eat. we had options for chicken curry or stewed chicken. In our party the kids got stewed and adults got curry so we could share and try both. All of the plates were nothing but chopped up bones in a portion the size of a side dish, dried out Kraft Mac and cheese, and a large portion of rice. Every bite I tried had a small bone shard and we couldn’t eat. Especially worrisome to provide this to children. After this, we did not interact with our guides again until called to head back. Again other tour guides were interacting with guests taking photos and educating on the starfish. I listened in nearby again to learn. It was a beautiful area, but still a bit crowded with other tour groups.

From here, this is were the boat broke down. All groups left and our boat wouldn’t start. I understand things happen, but after they tried for a bit to get working without success, we had to wait for another boat to come back to get us and it was already loaded with passengers. We ended up getting back to port late and were the last tender. We became “those people“ that were late and looked like we weren’t going to make it despite being booked with disney .

We still had fun, and others may not have the same issue, but I personally would not book again or recommend for the the price and experience we had.

Thank you so much for your update! We have Captain Marvin's booked for our Cozumel day but kept wondering if we should switch to this DCL excursion instead. I think we'll keep Marvin.

This reminds me of our Alaska cruise Glacier Explorer excursion, the one only offered through DCL. We had a terrible experience from start to finish and would not do it again, not recommend it. But others have had great experiences. Thanks for being honest about the good and not so good.

 

[CisforCookie991]

Thank you so much for your update! We have Captain Marvin's booked for our Cozumel day but kept wondering if we should switch to this DCL excursion instead. I think we'll keep Marvin.

This reminds me of our Alaska cruise Glacier Explorer excursion, the one only offered through DCL. We had a terrible experience from start to finish and would not do it again, not recommend it. But others have had great experiences. Thanks for being honest about the good and not so good.

Please elaborate on the Glacier Explorer! I'm booking all our port excursions third party, but this is one we were maybe thinking about (assuming we can even get spots). The reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive to "pretty ok" but not much negative so would love to hear the other side.

 

[BarlowFamily]

Please elaborate on the Glacier Explorer! I'm booking all our port excursions third party, but this is one we were maybe thinking about (assuming we can even get spots). The reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive to "pretty ok" but not much negative so would love to hear the other side.

I had read so many great reviews, I splurged on this excursion for DH and myself. We checked DS8 into the club because we didn't think he would enjoy it as much as we would. I'm so thankful we did. The meet time for our excursion moved up. We were sent notifications to our apps...which we didn't receive until AFTER the original time, we were already in line. This was a common app issue for us. DH has android, I have apple. Our messages in the DCL app sometimes get to the other right away and sometimes not until hours later. We thought it was an issue with one of our phones. Not sure. The excursion went in two boats. Though we were in line before the first boat tendered up to the Wonder, we missed the cut off for the first boat. The second boat coming in to unload and pick up our group could not get close to the ship because of ice. We waited...and waited...and waited. For an hour, just standing in the stairway from deck 4 to 3. There were people in line in front of us who received notification of the earlier time and had been waiting longer than us and still did not get on the first boat. Once finally on the smaller boat for the excursion it was just meh. Were the views beautiful? Yes, absolutely. However, guests that stayed aboard the wonder got some pretty great views as well. Our boat didn't get as close or stay as long at the glacier as boat number one. We did stop at some waterfalls...that the Wonder also pulled right up to. A young man threw up inside the boat and we had to walk through it to disembark and get back on the wonder. Overall, it was a vastly different experience from one boat the next. I have no problem splurging on experiences. We loved our helicopter and dog sledding excursion during the same cruise. In my opinion, the Glacier Explorer excursion isn't worth the money. I understand a lot is out of the crew's control (ice, sick passenger) I do think it could have been handled differently. Even the near "ideal" experience of the group on the first boat wouldn't have been worth it to me. I would have enjoyed just staying on the ship.

 

[CisforCookie991]

I had read so many great reviews, I splurged on this excursion for DH and myself. We checked DS8 into the club because we didn't think he would enjoy it as much as we would. I'm so thankful we did. The meet time for our excursion moved up. We were sent notifications to our apps...which we didn't receive until AFTER the original time, we were already in line. This was a common app issue for us. DH has android, I have apple. Our messages in the DCL app sometimes get to the other right away and sometimes not until hours later. We thought it was an issue with one of our phones. Not sure. The excursion went in two boats. Though we were in line before the first boat tendered up to the Wonder, we missed the cut off for the first boat. The second boat coming in to unload and pick up our group could not get close to the ship because of ice. We waited...and waited...and waited. For an hour, just standing in the stairway from deck 4 to 3. There were people in line in front of us who received notification of the earlier time and had been waiting longer than us and still did not get on the first boat. Once finally on the smaller boat for the excursion it was just meh. Were the views beautiful? Yes, absolutely. However, guests that stayed aboard the wonder got some pretty great views as well. Our boat didn't get as close or stay as long at the glacier as boat number one. We did stop at some waterfalls...that the Wonder also pulled right up to. A young man threw up inside the boat and we had to walk through it to disembark and get back on the wonder. Overall, it was a vastly different experience from one boat the next. I have no problem splurging on experiences. We loved our helicopter and dog sledding excursion during the same cruise. In my opinion, the Glacier Explorer excursion isn't worth the money. I understand a lot is out of the crew's control (ice, sick passenger) I do think it could have been handled differently. Even the near "ideal" experience of the group on the first boat wouldn't have been worth it to me. I would have enjoyed just staying on the ship.

Oh yikes! Thanks for sharing. We were on the fence but, even in the perfect conditions, we'll be much happier watching from the ship and spending the entire day lining up for photos with the characters in their adorable costumes on deck.