Caribbean Vacation Next Year With Mostly Non-Divers

[Clark Fletcher]

So, my wife and I decided to take our son and daughter (and their new spouses) on a family vacation next year. Currently, I am the only diver in the family. My daughter and son-in-law are maybes and my son is a maybe. Wife and daughter-in-law definitely not.

First and foremost, it's a family vacation with diving for me (and others who may cert before then or during the trip). My wife declared wherever we stayed had to have a beach and everyone wanted AI (I'm okay with AI for a first family vacation). Anyway, I was leaning toward GC but, even though a lot of the places on Seven Mile Beach come up during a search for AI resorts, apparently none of them actually are (according to my travel agent). I'm told that the only resorts on GC that are AI are the dive resorts. Ultimately, it caused me to rule out GC for this first family vacation (I will go there eventually even if it's on my own). So, we ended up booking one of the Sandals on Jamaica. One of the attractions for me was that the Sandals include scuba (instruction is extra).

So, the first question is, are the dive resorts the only resorts on GC that are AI?

Second, how is the diving out of the Sandals resorts on Jamaica? (specifically Sandals South Coast which used to be Sandals Whitehouse)

Thanks.

 

[Damselfish]

I don't know of any traditional AIs on Grand Cayman. Most of the dive resorts aren't really AIs either, other than maybe Cobalt Coast which probably doesn't suit your needs. A few may include breakfast.

The Wyndham Reef on the East End has an AI option for meals. It's a nice place with a nice beach, and some of the best diving on the island is from the East End. But for better or worse it's far away from the more developed parts of the island, so it depends what else you want.

Sunscape Curacao might be a place to look at next time, it's a real AI and not a dive resort per se, but there is an onsite dive op that is not part of the AI. (Which is not a bad thing, it being separate. Yes you'll pay more, but you are likely to get more and better diving that way, as compared to what I've heard about nearly all diving included at most AIs.)

 

[rek_diver]

Here's a suggestion for you to consider.

Give your family the advantages of staying in a vacation rental rather than AI. When we travel as a family or as couples or as a group of friends, we always rent a condo or house, they're available in just about every diving destination.

1- They cost a heck of a lot less than the AIs.
2- With the money you save you can dine out every nite and eat better with great atmosphere in top rated restaurants for much less than you'd spend on the food portion of the AI package. Easy enough to do the research and write down the prices so you can show your family.
3- Rather than a small hotel room you can get a spacious house or condo, maybe even with ocean view. You can have snacks, some meals such as breakfast or lunch together as a family, and you've got plenty of room to spread out and have quality time together.
4-A condo in a resort can often have amenities that rival the AI resorts including pools, tennis courts, marina with access to boat rentals, etc.
5- As am aside, when food and drink is unlimited because it's a high priced package, people tend to eat more and drink more booze than they probably should. This might be a tough sell to your family, I'm just say'en..

It's win/win for everybody.

 

[drrich2]

I'd do a forum search on Jamaica; discussions about diving there haven't been overwhelmingly positive, viewed from a dive trip point-of-view.

If you want A.I., sandy beach and nearby good diving, did you consider the southern A.I.'s in Cozumel?

What does the rest of the family view as preferable about A.I.? Is it guilt-free eating when they're traveling on your dime, as everything's basically pre-paid? Lounging around scarfing food &/or booze without going out? I've no strong position on A.I.; just curious as to what they're after.

Speaking of which, what do they plan to do off-resort, if anything? Cozumel has a good reputation for safety outside of resorts from what I read; Jamaica, maybe not so much? If they just stay on the resort it might not matter. If they don't...

Richard.

 

[luscioman]

Based on what you stated have you considered a cruise?

 

[KathyV]

I see that you are a newer diver so Jamaica should be okay, where have you dived already? It's been years since we dived Jamaica and we were newer divers then too so we were easily impressed; but we saw our first octopus there and, much to my amazement, 3 manta rays cruised past when we were on a dive - which is very rare in the Caribbean! I didn't see mantas again until many years later in Hawaii. I also remember seeing a lot of morays in Jamaica.

But of course, things may have changed, it was a long time ago. Jamaica is not considered the best diving and although we met a lot of nice people we were constantly being approached by individuals that wanted to sell us something - including things that are not legal! I always think of Jamaica as the place where people will wake you up on the beach to sell you something that you couldn't possibly want to buy!

So an all-inclusive is probably the best way to visit Jamaica, I think Hedonism was the only AI available back then and we were not into the singles scene (I don't think it exists any longer?!) But at an AI you can stay on the resort property most of the time and use guided tours for excursions. Since you are not planning to do much diving it should be fine; but next time you should come here for advice before you book.

The reason that you don't find AIs on Grand Cayman is because they are not really needed. You can stay in a nice condo, prepare some easy meals, and visit some of their wide variety of excellent restaurants. And you will feel free to travel out and about with safety.

 

[KathyV]

I'd do a forum search on Jamaica; discussions about diving there haven't been overwhelmingly positive, viewed from a dive trip point-of-view.

If you want A.I., sandy beach and nearby good diving, did you consider the southern A.I.'s in Cozumel?

What does the rest of the family view as preferable about A.I.? Is it guilt-free eating when they're traveling on your dime, as everything's basically pre-paid? Lounging around scarfing food &/or booze without going out? I've no strong position on A.I.; just curious as to what they're after.

Speaking of which, what do they plan to do off-resort, if anything? Cozumel has a good reputation for safety outside of resorts from what I read; Jamaica, maybe not so much? If they just stay on the resort it might not matter. If they don't...

Richard.

Hey Richard, I have often heard you speak of the convenience of a "turnkey" liveaboard vacation and I know that you have done cruises as family vacations. An AI is like a cruise on land - everything is included and taken care of for you and you know how much it will all cost in advance.

And in some destinations, where there is a lot of poverty, or concerns about food borne illness, and/or personal safety, an AI could be the smartest choice, and it is easy. I am not interested in visiting the Dominican Republic, but if I went there it would probably be to stay at an AI. And I might do a little diving since it's included.

 

[drrich2]

I’m not anti-A.I.; I agree they’re right for some of the people some of the time, me included. I’m curious in this instance because it sounds like the lack of a good AI option led to crossing Grand Cayman off the destination candidate list.

Fear of getting bad food isn’t likely an issue in GC from what I understand, and I’ve online priced Sandals and their family friendly affiliate Beaches before, and neither struck me as a budget option (even with the ‘big sales’ they seem to have going every time I look), but I don’t drink so that can impact value assessment.

I like cruising and the idea of ‘all you can eat’ pre-paid. Just want them to see what trade offs they’re making.

Richard.

 

[Altamira]

From what the Op's family wants (beaches and AI), a cruise is probably not going to meet the requirements. On a 7 day cruise, they would likely only have 3 ports, beaches maybe or maybe not depending on ports, and while the food is plentiful on a cruise, you can run up one hell of a bar bill in 7 days. Yes, I know the cruise lines have drink packages, but they are not cheap either.

 

[Clark Fletcher]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am a relatively new returnee to diving after a long absence (first certified in 1979). I did get a chance to dive in Key Largo earlier this year but, almost all of our dives got blown out. Same with Pensacola recently - most dives blown out. I dove Blue Grotto and Devil's Den as a backup for getting blown out in Venice Beach in May. We dove Vortex Springs as a backup for getting blown out in Pensacola. As I've told a lot of folks I'm the black cloud of diving. I've had 31 scheduled offshore dives since April 23rd and five of them have actually happened. So, most of my dives since my return to diving have been relegated to the local quarries. So, I'm thinking anywhere with a visibility of greater than 10 or 15 feet is going to be a treat for me.

When we were trying to come up with a place for the family to go, we were trying to find someplace that my son and daughter and their spouses have not been before. We ruled out Cozumel because we've been there with the family before (albeit before I started back diving), my daughter just got back from Belize a few months ago, and she and her husband honeymooned in Cancun back in April.

My wife and I have done enough cruises that we wanted something different. And, scuba diving as part of a cruise ship side trip just doesn't appeal to me.

Personally, I thought GC was a perfect choice for us. The Wyndham Reef was actually where I wanted to go. I thought it had something for everyone. But, at the time, I got over-ruled in favor of someplace on SMB. At the end of the day, we had settled on the Westin. When our travel agent started looking into the Westin, the price just for the room was ridiculous, they wanted the entire amount of the booking up front, and it was non-refundable. And, that was my travel agent calling the Westin directly. The whole thing kind of ticked me off and I kicked the idea of going to GC to the curb.

At the end of it all, Jamaica was a compromise. But, it was one everyone could agree upon. And, the price of the entire trip, AI including airfare, is less that what the rooms were going to cost me at the Westin. And, the scuba is included at Sandals. I know the diving in Jamaica isn't near what it is in GC but, from what I've read there are a lot worse places to dive in the Caribbean. At some point in the future, I'll make it to GC but, it'll most likely just be the wife and I.

I think once my son, daughter, and son-in-law get certified, it'll be an easier sell to plan vacations that are more dive oriented. And, once we've done the AI thing at least once, I think everyone will be more amenable to trying a non-AI vacation.

Again, thanks for all of the suggestions. I always learn something from you folks here on the board. That's why I read it every day.