Grand Cayman Custom Advise

[SteveLaz]

Hello Everyone,

We are going to Grand Cayman this coming Saturday, arriving at 1pm, (only stop, staying in GC) Our first time so i am not familiar with going through customs there. I am figuring it will be busy at that time? Our hotel is offering a "Meet and Greet" service at $75 per person where they expedite you through. Just wanted some opinions on this and if would be worth it for the both of us. My thoughts are that it may be worth it as we will be tired and anxious to get to the hotel. We are also planning on just taking a taxi to hotel since only 15 minutes away. Anyone who has done the meet and greet please let me know how it was.

Any thoughts or advise on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[gratefulmjc]

Hi @SteveLaz. I've been thru customs at GCM 4 times on a Saturday afternoon (Feb 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023). The lines were somewhere between reasonable and great...I don't recall ever wanting to scream like one time in Belize.

My personal take is that it's mainly a function of two things: 1) are other plane/planes disembarking as you taxi up to the terminal and 2) where you sit on the plane (we fly United which has unloaded the plane simultaneously from the back and front so getting seats at either end gives you a head start on the people in the middle rows).

Check Grand Cayman Flight Arrivals Online - CIAA

CIAA is the most trusted source online to check Grand Cayman flight arrivals. Here you can also track your flight & check status online with just one click.

www.caymanairports.com

There was a reasonable number of customs agents processing people so regardless of its length, the line moves.

On my last trip, there were kiosks in the customs area (a la the older USA Global Entry kiosks that printed out your form after answering the questions).

And luggage takes time to show up on the belt (not unreasonably long)...I have gotten through customs before my bags appear (which takes the shine off being among the first off the plane).

BTW, if you're flying home on a Saturday (or perhaps Sunday too), a ton of other people do too, be aware that the check in and security lines can get long. Our solution is to check in way way early and then take the free shuttle van to/from the George Town Yacht Club for a predeparture lunch and beer (5 min ride).

George Town Yacht Club

www.gtyachtclub.com

Given my (February) experiences, the Meet and Greet isn't worth it.

Good luck with the trip...enjoy.

 

[SteveLaz]

Hi @SteveLaz. I've been thru customs at GCM 4 times on a Saturday afternoon (Feb 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023). The lines were somewhere between reasonable and great...I don't recall ever wanting to scream like one time in Belize.

My personal take is that it's mainly a function of two things: 1) are other plane/planes disembarking as you taxi up to the terminal and 2) where you sit on the plane (we fly United which has unloaded the plane simultaneously from the back and front so getting seats at either end gives you a head start on the people in the middle rows).

Check Grand Cayman Flight Arrivals Online - CIAA

CIAA is the most trusted source online to check Grand Cayman flight arrivals. Here you can also track your flight & check status online with just one click.

www.caymanairports.com

There was a reasonable number of customs agents processing people so regardless of its length, the line moves.

On my last trip, there were kiosks in the customs area (a la the older USA Global Entry kiosks that printed out your form after answering the questions).

And luggage takes time to show up on the belt (not unreasonably long)...I have gotten through customs before my bags appear (which takes the shine off being among the first off the plane).

BTW, if you're flying home on a Saturday (or perhaps Sunday too), a ton of other people do too, be aware that the check in and security lines can get long. Our solution is to check in way way early and then take the free shuttle van to/from the George Town Yacht Club for a predeparture lunch and beer (5 min ride).

George Town Yacht Club

www.gtyachtclub.com

Given my (February) experiences, the Meet and Greet isn't worth it.

Good luck with the trip...enjoy.

Ok, Thanks! Yes we are leaving the next Saturday at 1:50pm. That is interesting what you do. So you check in at the airport and then leave to go for lunch? Dont you still have to go back through security when you come back?

 

[tridacna]

Ok, Thanks! Yes we are leaving the next Saturday at 1:50pm. That is interesting what you do. So you check in at the airport and then leave to go for lunch? Dont you still have to go back through security when you come back?

You do…but it’s not that bad. It’s a pretty good airport if you don’t have to stand in the line for a Subway sandwich at the gate.

 

[hilljo88]

I did the meet and greet pre-COVID and I believe it cut about an hour out of waiting in line for Immigration (and its Immigration, not Customs that is the backup. For tourists with nothing special in the luggage, Customs is rarely a stopping point.) However, more recently, GCM has installed electronic passport readers and the process is much faster. As gratefulmjc points out, the risk is that you arrive just after several other flights land, in which case it will take more time to get processed. One other consideration is that if you have checked luggage, you will still have a wait for your bags. Meet and greet does not expedite getting luggage off the plane. I flew into GCM in March and May of this year. It took about 10 minutes to get through in March and 30 minutes in May. I didn't use Meet and Greet either time.

And, again gratefulmjc has it right: get to the airport early, check your bags and get your boarding pass. Don't go through security. Instead, go back out to the curb and take the shuttle van to the Grand Cayman Yacht Club (5 minutes away). Have a leisurely lunch or beer there instead of in the cramped airport waiting area.

 

[gratefulmjc]

True @hilljo88...we should have been saying "Immigration" (the first step; checking your passport) instead of "Customs" (the second step; checking your luggage).

After collecting my luggage, Customs for me has always been merely walking past a few agents who smile and say "Hello" as I make my way out of the luggage carousel area through the doors into the general area of the terminal. Unlike Mexico where I get the red light every dang time, I've never had Cayman Customs ask to inspect my bags.

 

[O-ring]

What @hilljo88 said - the new system is really, really fast. Fastest customs experience I have had on an island that I can remember. I was there just last month so there's another recent data point for you.

 

[SteveLaz]

Thanks for all the replies! I just spoke to a friend who was there last month and he said the same thing, that is was a breeze to get through. He advised we do not waste our money on the meet and greet!

Looking forward to our trip. We are staying at Palm Heights, I will be diving with Living the Dream at least 3 mornings ( wife does not dive). We are going to Stingray City with Captain Marvin one morning, Dinner reservations so far at Veranda and Cracked Conch... Any other restaurant recommendations appreciated. Or any other recommendations on things to do.

 

[-JD-]

Just gonna drop some good bets for food and fun ...

Waterfront dining:
"Tukka" East end and now also on the West shore of the North Sound. Lionfish Tacos

Sunset, waterfront dining and diving:
"Macabuca" On the water, outside Tiki bar & restaurant at the Cracked Conch - "Island-reasonable pricing" - time for sunset. North of 7MB in West Bay by the Turtle Center. Watch the sunset with a meal and then do your night dive right from the deck while your companions chill with libations.

Gelato at Camana Bay



Barkers Park
They kite-surf and ride horesback up there. Shallow lagoon area for a couple hundred yards inside the reef. Fair warning - it feels a bit sketchy as for the most part there is nobody around except at the activity points but there is evidence of weekend "camps". Also - dirt/sand roads. We've been all 3 times with no issue.

The Bioluminescent Bay:
Really cool. It is like swimming in the milky-way. Has to be either a new-moon or a late-rising moon as you need darkness to get the full effect. There are tourboats out of the west side marinas or kayak tours from "around the corner" at the Rum Point area on the north side. We've done it twice, last time in January with Capt. Marvin's and they did a nice job.

7MB Snorkeling:
Cemetery Beach & Governor's Beach: Both are a good swim out to the bulk of the heads.
Seafire reef. Immediately North of the RedSail sports at the Kempton Seafire complex there is a nice little reef 10s of feet from the water line that extends for a couple hundred yards along the beach. As kid-safe as you can get on the inside since it is very shallow. We parked in the northern-most lot. Nobody bothered us, but no idea if it is an explicitly authorized use or not.

 

[hilljo88]

Good shore dive at Cracked Conch called “Maccabuca”. Rent tank and weights up there. Entry ladder is at the edge of the tiki bar. Do the shore dive, change in the rest rooms and have a cocktail at the tiki bar before you walk upstairs for dinner.

One other shore dive: Eden Rock/Devils Grotto. Longish swim out to the site but well worth it.