Grand Cayman, is it safe to walk around?

My husband and I will be on the Dream this spring and one of our ports is Grand Cayman, we would really like to explore on our own but want to know if anyone else has done this and how safe it is? Also, any recommendations for must see/do there? Thanks in advance.

Very safe in my opinion

We think it is safe.

Very safe! We would not hesitate to walk anywhere on that island on our own.

We had no problems walking around by ourselves

I have walked Grand Cayman many times. I consider it safe to walk. It is great for shopping, restaurants and bars. I like going to the Guy Harvey shop to see the art work, tee shirts and other souvenirs. There is a pier bar/restaurant on the water side of the street that sells great seafood, chowder and beer. Enjoy the walk.:cool:

I find the immediate area around where you dock dangerous... dangerous for my spending! Lots of good shopping

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Absolutely! I feel safer walking around Georgetown than just about anywhere else in the Caribbean.

The only danger was to my lungs considering the crappy cigar I bought there - lol - It only cost 5 bucks so I'm not complaining. Much. It did burn harsh and fell apart at the end but it actually wasn't the worst cigar I've ever had.

What we did was go into port and immediately there are tons of people with vans willing to drive you around for a few bucks. We went with Brenda..or Debbie...something like that...she was delightful, it cost us I think 20 bucks a head, we were in an air-conditioned min-bus (or large van) and she took us all over the island, pointing out various historical and interesting spots. Made several stops including the rum-cake place and the turtle farm and Hell, and some other places. Most of them were free to walk around but the turtle farm actually cost money if you wanted to go in - we didn't so I have no idea what went on there. I just enjoyed the sight-seeing and picture taking and whatnot. We got back with a little time to spare so we shopped at all the little shops right near port. Typical island souvenirs but we had fun.

I never once felt less safe than I do on my own street. I'm not saying take a nap on a bus stop bench with your wallet on your chest but overall, it was nice and people were friendly and we enjoyed our time there.

GC is the second port on our Panama cruise next year and I heard you can take a 2 dollar bus to their beer brewery and get a 6 dollar tour that includes many beer samples so I'm looking to do that next time.

Compared to Jamaica, very safe. Nobody bugging you to buy things, nice open air market down a few blocks to the right of the port, very clean.

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Thanks everyone sounds great! My husband is particularly interest in the brewery now that he has read this :)

Wondering why you might think it was not safe??

It is a very wealthy island but you will probably find more to see/do if you take some sort of excursion.

If you don't want to use those offered by Carnival there are local tour operators who also offer activities.

Just be careful walking around the port area . Several construction areas are not roped off very well and there are loose materials as well as pot holes. A member of our group skinned her knees up badly.

My husband and I will be on the Dream this spring and one of our ports is Grand Cayman, we would really like to explore on our own but want to know if anyone else has done this and how safe it is? Also, any recommendations for must see/do there? Thanks in advance.

Last time we were there we went on a tour and they made a comment that Grand Caymen has zero crime rate. I have always felt safe there.

Probably one of the safest. Last time we did like a "treasure hunt" with my son and visit each place who gives free gems ! At the end he had like 10 gems and we had a lot of fun.

I feel a lot safer in Grand Cayman than in most US cities.

Not in the line to tender back on to the ship. Could collapse from frustration/exhaustion/aggravation. Hour and a half easy.

I have cruised A LOT

OMG... GC is VERY safe...a very RICH country...it's the banking capital of the Caribbean! No real need for crime there!

No beggars, no hawkers....it's nice! It's nothing like Jamaica or Belize or Costa Rica, where folks will follow you begging or trying to sell you something.

If you are going to Grand Cayman, I highly recommend doing the Stingray tour. We went with Captain Marvin. I suggest you do it through an independent company. While we were out there, the boat for the Carnival excursion came to the same spot. There were probably fifty people on it and a lot of the people never got to get even close to the rays. Our boat had twelve people on it and the captain and his mate got in the water with us and interacted with the rays to get them to come in. He even gave me a back rub with one of them.

They take you out to shallow water where the water is only about waist deep. As soon as your boat stops, there are probably at least fifty stingrays that swim up to you. They give you a pail of squid and the rays come right up and eat out of your hand and rub up against you. It sounds frightening at first but it's something you'll never forget.

After that, he took us out to another area for snorkeling. As you got back into his boat, they hose you down with warm water to wash off the salt water.

With Captain Marvin, you put your credit card number down to hold the excursion. They don't scan it until you actually show up. If your ship doesn't stop there for any reason, (Which does occasionally does happen) you don't get charged for it.

Crime in the Caymans trends to be of the white collar variety

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From what our driver said there was one murder last year and it was after a night of drinking and over a woman. They caught the guy a few hours later. They do have a bigger issue with drinking and driving.

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I appreciate that one's sense of personal safety is relative and by most measures Cayman is a low risk location for tourists. The chance of being victimized is quite low, and it is probably true that Cayman is perhaps the safest major cruise destination in the Caribbean for our tourist visitors.

Cayman's crime rate is not zero. Far from it. We have struggled with some property crimes such as burglary and incidents of driving while intoxicated are far too frequent. And sadly a very few of those burglaries have targeted tourist accommodations, sometimes even while the lodging is obviously occupied. Such incidents are extremely rare and authorities treat such incidents with the priority they deserve.

There are rare incidents of petty crimes that seem to target tourists. Typical would be incidents where items were stolen from the beach while the tourist is in the water. But some more serious incidents including muggings have occurred, but most commonly late at night targeting stay over visitors. Being a bit unsteady on your feet after several drinks in an unfamiliar location while you walk around looking for your hotel is not wise anywhere.

No, there was not just one murder in Cayman last year (2016), there were two. Some years there are more. And suspects are not always quickly caught. Even when there is an arrest and trial some suspects have been found not guilty. There is due process in Cayman's courts and prosecutors must genuinely prove their case. No kangaroo courts here in Cayman.

There are a couple somewhat rougher neighborhoods not far from the cruise port area downtown. Still it is doubtful that you would experience anything negative if you wandered into one of these areas during a day visit.

Probably one of the safest. Last time we did like a "treasure hunt" with my son and visit each place who gives free gems ! At the end he had like 10 gems and we had a lot of fun.

Is this something you arranged or is it something that is available to do? It sounds like something my 10 y/o would love!

Last time we were there we took the public bus to get around. I highly recommend it.