We are about to book with Captian Marvins in George Town for the stingray trip . We are on The Mariner of the Seas and sail on 9-11 . We are concerned about how long it may take to get off the ship . We have read about very long waits to get to shore . How much time is normal ?
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18th Anniversary on "The Mariner of the Seas"
Chevy,
In Grand Cayman that is a difficult question to answer, as it really depends on how many other ships are in port on that day, what time you arrive, etc. The problem lies in that there are only a mimited number of tenders that can dock at the pier at one time. It can be a very short wait, or last a few hours. What time are you scheduled to arrive and what time is Capt. Marvin's tour?
Nancy
Hmm,
Chevy, if you were able to get tender tickets for one of the very first tenders you would be fine - particularly if the ship remains on EST and does not change their clocks to reflect island time (some ships do, some don't) - thus you would actually be arriving at 7:00 AM island time. I believe they want you to arrive 1/2 hour before the scheduled tour time. Captain Marvin's is near the tender dock (about a 10 minute walk). The key would be to make sure to get one of the first tender tickets. Some ships pass out tender tickets the night before - some a few hours before - but, no matter what - make sure you are in that line for the first batch. I checked the port schedule for the day you arrive in GC and there will be 5 ships in port that day - 3 of them are scheduled to arrive before you.
Nancy
Chevy,
As an after-thought: I know you said you were considering Capt. Marvin's tour, but you might want to look into Captain Bryans - they have a 10:30 - 1:30 trip on the Buccaneer that might provide just the cushion you need, in case there is a tender back-up.
Nancy
Traditionally RCCL hands out the tender ticket for the next days port the night before you get there – check the daily compass for the time they start handing them out. Just make a point to have somebody in that line when it opens so you can get an early tender number. Royal Caribbean is pretty good about sticking to those numbers so as long as you are also wherever they tell you to be to catch the tender that morning with you tender tickets you shouldn’t have any problem getting ashore in time.
I will be on that same 9/11 Mariner cruise and am in the process of booking a stingray/snorkel cruise. My inquiry to Capt. Bryan's email address was returned as undeliverable. Does anyone have a contact email or toll free phone number for him? Thanks.
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. The site you listed seemed to work fine. FYI - they are listing their 2 excursions of the day as departing at 9:30am and 1pm. We have previously gone out with them and loved it, so I am hoping a 9:30am departure time will somehow work out. I've included our ship arrival time in my request for a reservation, and asked them if it looks feasible.
Lacey,
Captain Bryan has 2 vessels - one of them is the Buccaneer and it is scheduled for 10:30 and 1:30. However, since you have already made an inquiry - they will probably suggest that alternative if the other is not feasible. BTW - I have been on both and had a great time!
Nancy
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