New booking policy for Clearly Cayman Beach Resorts

[Damselfish]

But that doesn't quite fit because it would apply to all travelers to Cayman, not just to the Sister Islands.

Cayman Islands signs deal for immigration fast track system in Miami

Miami, another place we try to avoid...

If you look at a list of arrivals to Cayman, the vast majority are not coming from Miami, it's a fair variety of airports. I'd guess Miami may have been a somewhat higher percentage in the past, but not now. Maybe that's why they're not doing it, they'd have to do it at a fair number of US airports to do much good.

 

[KathyV]

Miami, another place we try to avoid...

If you look at a list of arrivals to Cayman, the vast majority are not coming from Miami, it's a fair variety of airports. I'd guess Miami may have been a somewhat higher percentage in the past, but not now. Maybe that's why they're not doing it, they'd have to do it at a fair number of US airports to do much good.

Miami is my absolute least favorite US airport and I always try to avoid it when possible. We are flying through Charlotte on our trip to GCM in the fall, but there would have been more flights available if we had booked a connection through Miami.

Although I am not a fan, MIA it is still the "gateway to the Caribbean" IMO and I think that most peope in North America can get to Miami rather easily. So it makes sense that the Cayman Immigration Department would try setting up a fast-track program in Miami before considering other jump off points. Another thing, if your flight is delayed then you probably have more options for catching another flight in MIA than in smaller airports like CLT.

Well, this is all very interesting speculation but it may be totally off-target, so I hope that they make an annoucement soon and end all the mystery!

 

[jdcpa]

I have not seen any coverage about how that works since the original announcement about the Miami Customs option.

Has anybody on here used it?

 

[KathyV]

I have not seen any coverage about how that works since the original announcement about the Miami Customs option.

Has anybody on here used it?

I think that it was originally a pilot program to test the process, I don't know if it is still available.

 

[AggieDiver]

Yeah, forcing me to have to fly through Miami, then through the GCM airport on a Saturday would pretty much kill my appetite for going to the Sister Islands ever again. This whole thing seems like a lot of effort and trouble to find a solution to a problem that largely doesn't exist. If they are not keeping their rooms full enough to turn a profit, then raise the prices a little. I still just don't see the value in ticking off a lot of long time repeat visitors by trying to force them to travel on days when it is much less convenient or enjoyable.

ETA: With only 2 twin otters flying, the only change to the airlift situation I could see making a difference on Saturdays is making us all fly to Brac on the Saab, and having the otters just fly back and forth between the Brac and LC. Making me go through GC midday on a Saturday, then making me change planes in Brac would be another nail in the coffin in my eyes. I sure hope that isn't the kind of "airlift improvement" they have planned.

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

So I just spoke with my contact at Cleary Cayman. Although not inked yet, the plan is in fact to have everyone fly into MIA, where Cayman Air will then fly everyone to Brac and the Otters will shuttle folks over to Little. Needless to say, I told her that there is great unhappiness in this community over the Sat to Sat policy, and pointed out all of the logistical hassles and risks that this new plan entails. She was sympathetic, but it sounds like it will happen.

 

[KathyV]

So I just spoke with my contact at Cleary Cayman. Although not inked yet, the plan is in fact to have everyone fly into MIA, where Cayman Air will then fly everyone to Brac and the Otters will shuttle folks over to Little. Needless to say, I told her that there is great unhappiness in this community over the Sat to Sat policy, and pointed out all of the logistical hassles and risks that this new plan entails. She was sympathetic, but it sounds like it will happen.

That's very interesting and surprising that one of my guesses was correct!

I definitely think that loyal, repeat customers should let Clearly Cayman know how you feel about these changes - both pro and con. They've already shown that they are listening to customers by easing up a little on the original, Saturday to Saturday requirement - by offering guests that book longer than a week the opportunity to fly midweek as long as either their arrival or departure day is on a Saturday. It may not be exactly what you like but they are trying to accommodate. So perhaps, after they get more experience with the new flights, and hear more feedback from customers, they will make more modifications to their plans.

We've always flown Sat to Sat because of our job restrictions, and the limited availability of direct flights from ORD to GCM, and also because we usually like to spend some time on GC in advance of heading to Brac or Little, so the changes don't bother me right now; but we hope to retire next year so things might be different for us in the future.

I'm not a fan of ORD or GCM on weekends - and I hate MIA every day of the week - but I'm trying to keep an open mind and will wait to see how it all works out. Our reservations and the flights for our fall trip to GC and LC are already booked. The Clearly Cayman resorts have always been friendly and accommodating to us in the past and now they are trying to implement a new and innovative solution for a old problem, so I am going to try and give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being - and wait and see what happens.

The biggest complaints that I read about traveling to the Cayman Sister Islands are 1) the need for multiple connections, 2) dealing with the lines and crowds at GCM, 3) the lack of convenient, available flights - especially to LC, 4) the need to overnight before and after trips to LC especially if coming from the Western US and parts of Canada, and 5) the frequency of lost and delayed luggage (my personal gripe!) So it does seem like they are listening to customers and trying to do something better - and perhaps also bring more prosperity to the sister islands in general.

If it is true that the great majority of their guests already travel Sat to Sat (and it probably is) then if the new program is successful, my guess is that they will eventually set aside a percentage of rooms for guests that are looking for a different model.

But be sure to speak up and let them know about your concerns! Here is their Contact Us page:
Contact Us | Little Cayman Beach Resort

 

[AggieDiver]

Man that is just terrible news if they stick with that plan. I have pretty much sworn off United entirely, and have been very excited to be able to fly Southwest to the Caymans. Now if this plan goes through, I can't fly southwest to MIA, and the only non-stop I can get from Houston to MIA in the morning is on United. So if I want to dive with LCBR, now I am supposed to pay extra to fly an airline that I hate, to get to an airport that I hate, so that I can get on another plane with an airline that will charge me baggage fees (Southwest won't) to go to another airport where I will have to change planes (and wait) to get me to LC? No thanks. That whole plan just shows a complete lack of awareness about what it takes to get to LC.

I am just picturing what that is going to look like, even if only half the people at the resort took the Miami to Brac to LC routing, lets say it is 60 people accounting for the new rooms to be built and the condos. That means a total of 5 twin otter flights to and from the Brac to get everybody over to LC. Assume 1 hour to fly to load the plane, fly to LC, unload, reload, turn around and fly back to Brac. That means some poor souls will have to travel through the Miami airport and then sit for a 4+ hour layover in Brac. I guess you could shorten that if you had both otters doing nothing but Brac runs, but then you can't have anybody flying in through GC unless they all come to the Brac also. That would mean 100+ people all getting to Brac after noon, and trying to get them all to LC before sunset. At the same time, you will have 100+ people being ferried over to Brac every Saturday morning and then having to wait around for their flight to GC or Miami. Just can't see that as workable in my mind.

Did your contact at Clearly Cayman give any indication about what exactly makes them think forcing people to fly through Miami on a Saturday is going to generate a lot more repeat business than they currently get? This whole thing just seems like they are trying to fix something that isn't broken. They get so much repeat business and seemed to generally stay well booked, I can't really understand the interest in making such sweeping changes without trying to spend more time explaining them better. I guess we will book one last trip this fall and then go find someplace else to go in the future until I see how this works out or management there comes to their senses...

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

@AggieDiver, great post, the logistics seem impossible and boggle the mind, I don't know what on earth they are thinking--well, I do, but I don't know how they think it will work to make them more money. My contact would not go there (understandably).

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

And @KathyV, I meant to say, indeed, you nailed it! But it's a huge bummer you *may* be right.