Car Rental in Grand Cayman

I have a car booked for our September cruise and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for things to see, do, drink or eat, that is a bit different from the usual.

I have a car booked for our September cruise and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for things to see, do, drink or eat, that is a bit different from the usual.

Hi, I think you will really enjoy having use of a rental car. I feel that is the best way to see the island.

I used to live on Grand Cayman and would suggest a drive out to Rum Point beach since you have the car.

If you are looking for something different for a casual lunch, I would check out A La Kebab. They specialize in donner kebab ( gyro) wraps and it is one of the places I miss most lol. They are located in the Seven Mile Beach. http://www.kebab.ky/

I was just trying to post but seems there was a 'glitch' in the system and now I see the OP that used to live in Grand Cayman posted similar to what I was trying to! We had done the 7 Mile Beach several times and although it's a lovely beach, we wanted to do something different, so we rented a car. It was great! We drove to the other side of the island and went to Rum Point which was very nice and saw so much of the island. We had a great day. We walked from the ship to the car rental place I had found online and they were very good. We had a full, fun and interesting time .... highly recommend it! :)

I have a car booked for our September cruise and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for things to see, do, drink or eat, that is a bit different from the usual.

who are you renting with?

who are you renting with?

Avis in Grand Cayman

Dollar in Cozumel

Rental with insurance is around $55 each per day, USD They both have Jeeps, but charge 4 times more. If you try and rent in Cozumel, instead of in advance, plan to pay a LOT more. Grand Cayman is right hand drive.

who are you renting with?

CHSGRL

I am an original Greenville guy! Along with Columbia, Charleston and Hilton Head!

had the best rates.Call them at 345-949-8111 to see if they will meet the ship. They have 2 pick up spots, airport and another. Also try their web site at andys.ky

Renting a car in Cozumel. A word of strong advice for those who have not rented in Mexico before.....

I lived there for several years and rented cars when friends would come to town. In Mexico if you rent a car you need to take the full insurance. Even though your credit card may cover your accident, without full insurance you will be required to pay upfront all the costs covering the accident and wait for your credit card company to reimburse you. You could also be taken to jail until everything is sorted out.

Just my two cents.

We had a reservation with Dollar in Cozumel, turns out they were not at the Carnival pier(my fault) but were closed due to no ships in their port. A taxi to the airport wasn't feasible so we rented from Alamo, at the port. Car I rented had no fuel, so they upgraded us, no problem there. We had a ball, as always. In Grand Cayman, we rented from Avis airport, which picked us up in a courtesy van. The company, car and manger were all good, but the service rep we had, Donna, was condescending and rude. Good experience in GC. Beware! Full insurance in both, taxes and fees increased that $25. car to $85.00 !

We had a reservation with Dollar in Cozumel, turns out they were not at the Carnival pier(my fault) but were closed due to no ships in their port. A taxi to the airport wasn't feasible so we rented from Alamo, at the port. Car I rented had no fuel, so they upgraded us, no problem there. We had a ball, as always. In Grand Cayman, we rented from Avis airport, which picked us up in a courtesy van. The company, car and manger were all good, but the service rep we had, Donna, was condescending and rude. Good experience in GC. Beware! Full insurance in both, taxes and fees increased that $25. car to $85.00 !

Hoping to rent a car in GC. How far was the drive to and from the airport (twice) with Avis?

I am watching this post as well. I rented a van from Firefly at the airport for only $40 bucks. Its legit as they are part of Hertz. The only issue is that I have to go to the airport to pick it up. Firefly said they will drop me off at the pier when done.

I hope the airport isnt that far from the port!

The car rental office at the airport in Grand Cayman is about a 4 mile drive from the port, maybe a touch less. With typical traffic it is less than a 10 minute ride.

For all you Americans used to Left hand Drive (driving on right side of road):

How hard is it to get used to driving on the left side of the road? Am I going to crash into someone at the first intersection, or will I get used to it after a bit?

I'd love to do this. (Keep left, keep left)

Thanks.

Hoping to rent a car in GC. How far was the drive to and from the airport (twice) with Avis?

Too far to walk comfortably. Much traffic around the airport. Avis will have you call from a shop at the port. A courtesy van will pick you up and take you vback

For all you Americans used to Left hand Drive (driving on right side of road):

 

How hard is it to get used to driving on the left side of the road? Am I going to crash into someone at the first intersection, or will I get used to it after a bit?

 

I'd love to do this. (Keep left, keep left)

 

Thanks.

Just keep going, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT!

No problem with me. I have done it before but not lately. The bigger problem was my car had the turn signal on the right side of the wheel and the wipers on the left. I kept turning on the wiper whenever I turned!

Also there is a concentration factor when driving that precludes you from seeing much of the scenery, unless you stop. In addition, the traffic is very heavy downtown and around the airport. Parking for 7 mile beach was a bit difficult, but not impossible. Also in Grand Cayman, the pretty coastal roads on the map, mostly have large bushes blocking the water view, when traveled. Probably won't rent a car again in Grand Cayman. Not because of driving on the left, just because the drive was not what I expected. A taxi tour may cost more, but may be worth it.

For all you Americans used to Left hand Drive (driving on right side of road):

 

How hard is it to get used to driving on the left side of the road? Am I going to crash into someone at the first intersection, or will I get used to it after a bit?

 

I'd love to do this. (Keep left, keep left)

 

Thanks.

The bigger issue with with adjusting to a car with the the steering wheel on the right side. As Rudzig noted, the turn signal is then on the right side of the steering wheel and windshield wiper controls are on the left.

Fortunately Cayman has different coloured license plates for rental cars. So if we see a car with a white license plate turn on its wipers as it appraochs an intersection then we know it is about to make a turn. :D

Driving in traffic is pretty easy. Just keep following the car in front of you. It's when you are making a turn onto a road from a parking lot that you are more likely to make a mistake. Tragically there was a fatal accident a few years ago when tourists pulled out of a parking lot into the wrong lane on an empty road. When they rounded a bend in the road they collided head on into a car coming the other way. The wife of the tourist driver died as a result.

How hard is it to get used to driving on the left side of the road? Am I going to crash into someone at the first intersection, or will I get used to it after a bit?

 

Thanks.

I think partly depends on your comfort level in driving overall. I love driving, have driven in all sorts of traffic and all sorts of weather in many major cities. It doesn't take me more than about the first 15 minutes each time once I get in that right hand side seat. I've driven in Australia, Bermuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

My DH on the other-hand would never consider doing the driving in any of these places. He is a good navigator though and reminds me when turning: Left is little, Right you must go aRound the lane.

In G.C we rented from Avis (at airport) drove to Rum Pointe and had a lovely day. It rained a bit (not much) so we were glad we hadn't slpurged on the Jeep.