Grand Cayman on Thanksgiving week. suggestions???

[mempilot]

Some operators have morning and afternoon Stringray City excursions. The operators only offering one time usually go in the early afternoon to accomodate the cruise ships. I recommend the morning ones, as there usually aren't as many people out there. Also, the morning trips are usually two site snorkels, Stingray City and a shallow reef.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

I'd recommend precisely the opposite.

If you can find a very early morning trip (say 7:00am) then go for it. Otherwise, the cruise ships disengorge themselves upon our shore and the masses are prompty herded via van, bus, and boat out to Stingray City. They start arriving out there around 9:00am and start the retreat about 2:00pm. Cruise ships leave port anywhere from 3:00pm onwards, so the operators time trips to get them back on schedule with time to tender to the ship.

Best bet on bad cruise ship days is a afternoon trip. If you choose one that makes a stop or two at a coral reef as well, the captain can try to time your stop at SRC when there are fewer boats there.

 

[caymancase]

And Saturdays and Sundays are the best day to venture to SRC without the cruise crowds. If there are ships in on the weekends, they are at a minimum. So, book for a weekend afternoon if you can.

 

[mempilot]

Drew Sailbum once bubbled...
I'd recommend precisely the opposite.

If you can find a very early morning trip (say 7:00am) then go for it.

Sounds like the advise I was giving.

Not to plug an operator, but Red Sail had a sailboat that left early. Most of the afternoon trips only went to Stingray City, whereas, the morning trips go to two locations. The second site can offer more anchor points to disperse congestion.

Hey, it worked for us, and there were 3 cruise ships at port, so what do I know?

 

[Drew Sailbum]

But I work for Red Sail. Thanks for the plug. Those are nice boats.

Currently, RSS offers a 9am departure from the Hyatt. 10am departures from Kaibo Yacht Club near Rum Point (some days) which have the distinction of never having cruise ship passengers as guests.

For the coming Thanksgiving week, it looks like mid-week will be really loaded with cruise ships. Take Casey's advice and do your best to schedule toward the weekends.