Grand Cayman?

I am in a wheelchair and would very much like to be able to do the stingray swim in Grand Cayman. I spoke to RCCL and asked about accessible tours and they found one that they think is accessible. I am ready to book it, but now my husband has read that of all the tendered piers, Grand Cayman is the worst for wheelchairs. Is this true? I've never been to a tendered pier before, and since RCCL said that they could get my chair into the tender (wheelchair accessible, so they say) I didn't think there'd be that much trouble getting OFF the tender at the port. Now I'm worried.

I really wanted to be able to see the stingrays. As of now it's really the only port I really want to get off at. If I can't get off the ship here I may wind up staying on the ship for the entire cruise -- which isn't totally horrible but it is a bit disappointing.

Any advice? Anyone in a chair gotten off the ship in Grand Cayman????

Thanks!

Barbara

I do not use a chair but have a rolling walker. My worst ever tender port was cozumel. However the ease or difficulty in tendering is much more dependent upon the weather and the state of the seas than the facilities. We went into Grand Cayman at midtide and there was a little up ramp at the tender facility on land. It was not excessive. The weather was wonderful the day we tendered and the seas were very calm. I have never taken an accessible snorkel tour. My biggest problem is getting back on the boat given that there are steps to be negotiated. What is the name of the group you will be using? I try to go to Grand Cayman (land vacation) every few years and would like to find a snorkel boat that is easier to use. I do love to snorkel there both at the stingray sandbar and on the reef. Thanks.

I agree with katisdale, being able to tender into Grand Cayman is very much dependent on the weather and the wave action. This is a port where even the ship being able to anchor and go to the port sometimes gets cancelled and even when the ship is allowed to anchor, sometimes the waves are so bad that tendering is very difficult. However, when this occurs, ordinarily the excursions to Stingray City are cancelled. (Although sometimes private tours do go in this situation.)

What I would be most concerned about is whether the tour RCI is telling you about is really accessible. We have had situations where we went to take a snorkel tour after being told it was "accessible" and either found that it was not, or the tour captain refused to allow us to board because he did not feel they were prepared to deal with a disabled passenger. So after this, I do two things. First, I try to locate private tours that can accommodate us. Secondly, when I book through the cruise line, I insist that the cruise line rep either give us the contact information for the tour so we can talk (either directly or via email) to the tour folks and make sure of all of the details or that the cruise rep ask the tour folks very specific questions. Frankly, the cruise rep usually gets so tired of acting as the middleman, they usually give me the contact info. :)

Anyway, RCI is one of the cruise lines that has given us the tour info to talk with them directly, so it is worth a shot. If they refuse, then bombard them with a lot of detailed questions. You certainly need to know whether or not you can get on the boat--is there a ramp or what? Also, where is the boat docked? How do you get there? If you "walk" to the boat, is the dock area without steps? When you get on the boat, how do you get on and off for the snorkeling? I wasn't aware of any snorkel tour company in the Caribbean that currently has a lift, and if this tour has one, a lot of us would be very interested in knowing about that.

If they are going to "help" you in and out of the water by placing you in the water and lifting you back out "by hand", then make sure you are comfortable with this and also find out how many crew they have available. I don't see how they can do this if there aren't at least two crew members available to help--one will probably push try to lift you up and the other grab your arms and pull you up. If this won't work for you, then you probably need three crew members (as one crew member always stays on the boat) so that two can be in the water to help you out.

Find out how many people on the tour. If this is one of the regular ship tours, they look like cattle boats. There are so many people on them, we were concerned that we would really be able to get the appropriate attention from so many staff members.

Also, make sure they have a snorkel vest or bring your own.

Depending on what type of assistance you need, there may be some private tours that can accommodate you too, but not if you need a mechanical lift. You would have to be helped in and out of the water "by hand".

Please post back and let us know what you find out. Also, if you take the tour, please post back and let us know of your experiences. There are many disabled snorklers out there and it is great to be able to locate additional resources.

I am in a wheelchair and would very much like to be able to do the stingray swim in Grand Cayman. I spoke to RCCL and asked about accessible tours and they found one that they think is accessible. I am ready to book it, but now my husband has read that of all the tendered piers, Grand Cayman is the worst for wheelchairs. Is this true? I've never been to a tendered pier before, and since RCCL said that they could get my chair into the tender (wheelchair accessible, so they say) I didn't think there'd be that much trouble getting OFF the tender at the port. Now I'm worried.

 

I really wanted to be able to see the stingrays. As of now it's really the only port I really want to get off at. If I can't get off the ship here I may wind up staying on the ship for the entire cruise -- which isn't totally horrible but it is a bit disappointing.

 

Any advice? Anyone in a chair gotten off the ship in Grand Cayman????

 

Thanks!

 

Barbara

Hi Barb,

We did not make it to Grand Cayman but my MIL did use the ternders on Voyager of the Seas to get to Labadee.

Getting on the tender was no big deal. The tender boat had a big "apron" area that she parked the scooter on. We stood next to her. This area is not covered and it didn't feel hot until we were on the way back.

I had arranged with Soto's for their snorkle tour. I would do as others have said and get a private tour operator. I would also check with the operator directly and be very specfic about what you can and cannot do and what you feel comfortable with.

When the shorex folks say a tour is "accessible" I've found that that really means accessible if you can walk a few steps or if you can balance standing.

Since we did not make Grand Cayman we did Nassau instead. We took an "accessible" glass bottom boat tour. In reality my MIL had to climb up a few steps to get on the boat and there were steps to get down to the glassed in area. It was ok for her because she could handle the walking but if she was a full time chair user it would not have worked at all.

Good luck!

Caroline