Stingray City and Sandbar | General Information

Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Philadelphia

Hey folks.... silly question for you all. We have been to the Grand Cayman twice in the past 12 years - both times without kids. Now we're coming with our 16/13 year olds. I have been to Sting Ray City twice. Once we stood on the sandbar without gear - once we snorkeled in deeper water. These days, are there different trips or have they all migrated to the Sand Bar.. With my "cautious" daughter, the Sand Bar is the way we want to go....

Thanks for any info!

Jan Divegirl

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:46 pm Post subject:

Hi geramedia:

I recently took the Sting Ray Cruise with Soto's and they made 2 stops.

First stop was snorkeling in semi deep waters, can't touch bottom, and second stop was Sting Ray City which was on the sand bar. (knee deep-maybe a bit higher) :D

If you do decide to book, Remember to mention that you are a CAG member to receive discounts for all of you. :wink:

Rgds,

Michelle

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:53 pm Post subject:

I believe that almost all of the snorkel trips go the the shallow Sand Bar. They also include at least one other spot for snorking at a coral reef so you can see all the tropical fish. That would, of course, be a bit deeper.

Now, when people want to scuba dive with the Sting Rays, they don't go to the Sand Bar, but instead to the "actual" Sting Ray City which is in 12 to 15 ft of water. Oh Boy Charters takes divers there and they will also take snorkelers......however, those snorkelers wouldn't get the "up close and personal" experience that you get at the more shallow Sand Bar.

Hope that didn't just confuse you more.

Char

Newbie Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 19 Location: Plano, TX

I have read that Sandbar and a good place to go for the Stingray experience. The waters are more shallow at 1meter to 3 meters. So, it sounds like you can stand there vs. 12 ft water at Stingray City. This would be preferable for us with 2 kids.

Any thoughts / experiences? Also who is the best or recommeded outfitter to take you there. Lastly, Captain Marvin's does snorkel-only trips and will take you to the stingrays. Has anyone done this?

Thanks,

Brian

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject:

Bubba - If you are snorkeling as opposed to diving you definitely want to go to Stingray City Sandbar. We highly recommend Soto's Cruises or Oh Boy, who will give you the best prices and least crowds. Request Barrier Reef as your second stop, weather permitting. Wink

You will find discounts and special offers for these places in Activity Guide when you arrive or you can book it ahead and mention that you are a member of this forum.

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:24 pm Post subject:

Hello Brian,

Yes, you absolutely can stand in the shallow water at the Stingray City Sandbar and yes, it would be the very best experience for your two children. The company that comes the most highly recommended here is Soto's Cruises and you can watch a video and read more about them here -

One of the things that people seem to like the best about Soto's is that they only take 20 or so people, they have wonderful customer service and the trip is only abuot 2 or 2 1/2 hours, so it doesn't take up too much of your day. They include one extra snorkel stop in addition to the the sandbar.

You know, most people who go to Sting Ray City go to the Sandbar, but everyone just calls it "Sting Ray City", even though it's not the deeper channel that the divers go to. I have done both.....I have gone as a diver to the deeper Sting Ray City and I have gone as a snorkeler to the Sandbar, and I actually prefer the Sandbar for the more up close and personal experience.

Spend some time reading through all the reviews here about Soto's. They really do sound wonderful. If you book with them directly (not through a concierge) and pay in cash, your price will only be $30 US per person.

Hope this helps,

Char

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:00 am Post subject:

Hi Bubba:

We took the Stingray City trip with Soto's on 5/27. We requested to take the trip that takes you to what they call the Barrier Reef and SRC; however, Soto's indicated they were not going to the Barrier Reef at that time, so our trip was to the Coral Gardens and SRC. We had a great time. Some people have indicated that they liked the trip that includes Barrier Reef better because they usually see eels and, possibly, a reef shark while snorkeling. You might ask Soto's whether or not they have resumed the trip that includes Barrier Reef. If not, I'm sure you will still have an exciting time going to Coral Gardens. I would estimate the water at Coral Gardens to be about 10-15 feet deep (if that), and at SRC, you will be standing on the bottom - maybe 4 feet deep. We had a great time and the guides (Billy & Armand) were really nice.

Karen2

Newbie Joined: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 7

I have read lots on this website. My questions are probably discussed somewhere but I haven't seen it. I will be traveling to GC with a family group of 13 in August and would like to book the Soto's trip.

-Do we take a shuttle from where the cruise tender arrives, or do we walk to another pier nearby, etc.

-If Royal Caribbean says we are in port at 7a what is the earliest time we will actually book a cruise for. In other words, when do we finally get to the dock.

-If Royal Caribbean says we leave at 4p. When is the latest we can book a Soto's cruise for and make it back in time.

We want to do someother sightseeing, or 7-mile beaching while we are there. Thanks for any input possible.

Hi mslederer, welcome.....

You have come to the right place to find the answers to your questions... I'll start and many others will join in..

mslederer wrote:

I have read lots on this website. My questions are probably discussed somewhere but I haven't seen it. I will be traveling to GC with a family group of 13 in August and would like to book the Soto's trip.

-Do we take a shuttle from where the cruise tender arrives, or do we walk to another pier nearby, etc. Soto's will pick you up at the dock, just make sure you book directly with Soto's and ask for the Cayman Activity Guide rate...

-If Royal Caribbean says we are in port at 7a what is the earliest time we will actually book a cruise for. In other words, when do we finally get to the dock. I suggest you book the morning trip with Soto's, leaves around 9 or 9:30... you will have plenty pf time to get off the ship and meet the bus... they will know you are coming and will be there for you, really a top notch organization, I was very impressed with them....

-If Royal Caribbean says we leave at 4p. When is the latest we can book a Soto's cruise for and make it back in time. If you go on the morning tour you will bea back to the 7-Mile beach area by noon... plenty of time

We want to do someother sightseeing, or 7-mile beaching while we are there. Thanks for any input possible. You can have Soto's drop you off at Royal Palms for some beach time and drinks or ask them to take you back to George Town for shopping, or snorkel at Eden Rock or even down to Smith's Cove.... you have plenty of time after your Soto's trip to do a lot of stuff. Lobster Pot and the Wharf are 2 nice restaurants that are close to the harbor as well

You should have a great time, look thru the forum called "Making the most of one day" and you will get a lot of ideas......

Hope this helps,

Have a Great Day!!!

Newbie Joined: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 7

Thanks for such a quick response!!! Smile

I'm still confused about one thing. You say they pick us up at the dock. But, then you also say we will meet a bus. So, the tender brings us to the dock, where we take a bus to another part of the dock? Sorry to be so stupid, but I am totally new to cruising. Thanks

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject:

No problem mslederer,

The dock I am referring to where you tender is in George Town, the area that the Soto's cruise leaves from is over on the North Sound side by Canal Point or Snug Harbor.

So the bus you meet will take you over to their boat....

Take a look at this map... click on the one for Seven Mile Beach and will see the area I'm talking about right off the ad for the Hyatt....

If you click on the map for George Town, that is where the ship anchors out and you are tendered to...

If you have any more questions please ask...... You'll be the envy of all the other cruise passengers when you tell them the day that you have planned for your group!!!!

Edited to add: Here are some coupons that may help with your planning, you can print these out and take with you.... enjoy!

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:57 am Post subject:

Welcome to the forum mslederer Smile

,

Don't worry about asking the kinds of questions that you are......first time on a cruise ship and first time to the Caymans, you're bound to have lots of questions. And yes, the questions probably have been asked many times before, but they do tend to get buried amongst all the posts......we're trying to go through some of the forums and "tidy" them up so it's easier to find this information......even we Mods have trouble finding it.

Anyway, Jack did a great job of answering all your questions.....but, I just want to be sure that you aren't still confused about the "bus". You don't have to catch some kind of city bus.......Soto's will be waiting to pick you up in their own mini-bus or something. So, it's real easy.

There are two trips with Soto's........the morning trip is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the afternoon trip is 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. If you're trying to decide between the morning or afternoon trip, I really think you have to take the morning one......they'll probably want to pick you up near the cruise ship terminal about 8:30 a.m., and you'll have no trouble making that. But in the afternoon, since your ship leaves at 4:00 p.m., I think that trip would be cutting it too tight.......I think the very last tender will leave at 3:00 or 3:30 p.m.

So, once again, as Jack said, take the morning trip and you'll have plenty of time to see other things afterwards.......they will even drop you off somewhere like the Royal Palms along the 7 Mile Beach where you can relax with a drink and have some lunch. Royal Palms is the place shown on the live webcam on the upper left of this page...Then you can catch a cab into Georgetown and do some shopping before catching the tender back to your ship.

Have a great cruise and a great time in Cayman!

Char

Newbie Joined: 27 Jun 2006 Posts: 7

I am starting to get SOOOO excited for this trip after all the info I've gotten. Now, I have more questions.

-After Soto's cruise, they drop you where? At their pier and then you can walk to 7-mile beach? It looks like just a stroll across the road to the beach. How far is it really? How far to Royal Palms? Can we walk or do we need a taxi?

-From what I hear, the ferry to Rum Point will definitely not be open at the beginning of Aug. Does that sound right?

-Would Soto's drop you at Rum Point instead to hang out for the day? If so, how could you get back? Any kind of shuttle or something?

Rum Point sounds like a nice place to just relax away part of the day. But maybe 7-mile beach would be just as nice without all the hassle. I know the snorkeling is not great there, but I definitely liked the idea of hammocks in the trees and a rumpunch in hand. Any input or ideas?

Thanks!!!

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:28 am Post subject:

mslederer wrote:

I am starting to get SOOOO excited for this trip after all the info I've gotten. Now, I have more questions.

-After Soto's cruise, they drop you where? At their pier and then you can walk to 7-mile beach? It looks like just a stroll across the road to the beach. How far is it really? How far to Royal Palms? Can we walk or do we need a taxi? Too far and unnecessary to walk from their pier. It is my understanding that they routinely take people back to Georgetown or to one of a couple of locations along 7 Mile Beach, so might as well take advantage of that and let them take you to Royal Palms, if that's where you decide you want to go....

-From what I hear, the ferry to Rum Point will definitely not be open at the beginning of Aug. Does that sound right? Correct

-Would Soto's drop you at Rum Point instead to hang out for the day? If so, how could you get back? Any kind of shuttle or something? No, they don't drop you off at Rum Point and even if they did, you'd have an expensive cab ride back to catch the ship. There is no shuttle available at this time either.

Rum Point sounds like a nice place to just relax away part of the day. But maybe 7-mile beach would be just as nice without all the hassle. I know the snorkeling is not great there, but I definitely liked the idea of hammocks in the trees and a rumpunch in hand. Any input or ideas? Yes, Rum Point is a nice place to hang out, but since you only have one day and you're going to Sting Ray City (which is definitely a MUST DO), I think you'll have to save Rum Point for another trip......do what many cruise ship visitors do.....fall in love with the island and then come back for a week's vacation. So, yes, if you spend a little bit of time at Royal Palms, it won't be exactly laid back....gets pretty crowded there, but it is a fun place....they have showers there if you need to clean up, and you can get a nice lunch and all the rum punches you want Laughing

. The beach is beautiful there....you'll love it. Then catch a cab into town and save a little time for shopping before catching the tender back to your ship

Thanks!!!

Hope this helps!

Char

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:33 am Post subject:

mslederer,

Let me see if I can answer your questions and help with your plans after the Soto's SRC trip:

Quote:

After Soto's cruise, they drop you where? At their pier and then you can walk to 7-mile beach? It looks like just a stroll across the road to the beach. How far is it really? How far to Royal Palms? Can we walk or do we need a taxi?

Soto's will pretty much drop you off anywhere you ask along SMB or back at the cruise dock in Georgetown. You can walk from Soto's dock to SMB as Soto's is a 5 minute walk to the beach across the street (West Bay Rd). Probably a 15 minute walk to the Royal Palms and Coconut Joe's, but since Soto's will drop you off, you do not need to walk or get a cab.

If you want to go to Cemetery Beach for some good snorkeling, that's a little further and you may need to take a cab since I'm not sure if Soto's will drop you off there. Here's a link with directions and photos of Cemetery Beach.

Also, here is a link discussing snorkeling sites:

Quote:

From what I hear, the ferry to Rum Point will definitely not be open at the beginning of Aug. Does that sound right?

Based on the information available thus far, it does not appear the Rum Point Ferry will be operating when you arrive.

Quote:

Would Soto's drop you at Rum Point instead to hang out for the day? If so, how could you get back? Any kind of shuttle or something?

Soto's will not drop you at Rum Point and there is no shuttle from Rum Point to SMB or Georgetown. A cab from Rum Point is not feasible given the distance and cost to SMB or Georgetown.

Since you are coming in for the day on a cruise, given the time constraints you face in timely returning for your tender, and the round trip distance and travel time to/from Rum Point, it is really not a practical option for you on this trip, but rather something to consider on a return stay-over trip.

Alternatively, you can snorkel at Smith's Cove or Eden Rock, and when done, grab something to eat in Georgetown, perhaps at the Lobster Pot or the Wharf, and then you can also do some shopping before your tender.

Just some thoughts. Hope this helps. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Jpep

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