Comparative Ratings of the Stingray City Tours?

Hello, folks. I am struggling with this issue. There are sooo many private Stingray tours out there -- I've read tons of reviews -- and of course, logically, everyone reports only on the one they've TAKEN.

So, we have Captain Marvin's, Captain Bryans, Captain Crosby, Buccaneer, Soto's, Nativeway, and proably some others. Has anyone ever done a comparison of ALL of them:

-What they offer

-How much

-Type of ship

-Address -- how far from the ship

-How many people they hold

-How many visitors per week/mo/year

-Do they offer video taping

-Stops they make?

-Times of trips daily

- Overall customer satisfaction rating

Has anyone ever posted something like this?

Bottom line -- my family of 4 -- non-swimming hubby, 14 year old swimmer son and 10 year old swimming daughter want to go on a tour that's:

- Great with kids -- a fun excursion

- Goes to the 3 stops

- Has a luxury boat

- Is not LOADED with people so we can get off quickly and have more time in the water (like I've heard the Carnival excursions are)

- And offers video-taping or DVD

Does anyone know of a comparison posting that weighs each one against the other, rather than everyone just telling their experiences? Or has someone taken numerous excursions so they can compare the different lines themselves?

Thanks!:p

We will be in Grand Cayman in November and we are also trying to decide which tour to Stingray City to take. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!

We are going in December and would like the same info. We are looking towards a catamaran/sailboat ride vs. just a boat....also would like a bar for the ride back?

Thanks

I can't give you the comparsion you want but I can offer my take on the tours. I think basically they are all the same. The big factor for me was I didn't want to do a ship tour and I had read about Capt. Bryan and the Bucanneer. I loved the idea that we would be able to sail. My sister is a very poor swimmer and was scared to death at Sting Ray City. She hung back on the ship until the last minute. Got in the water long enough to touch a stingray, have our picture taken and then back to the boat. By the way, this boat has ladders at both ends of the ship so you could exit either way. Enough though my sister is a poor swimmer, she did get off the ship at the other two stop, swam around and had a wonderful time. She is so glad we did this tour and we both got the video. Our group had about 30 people, which was the maximum this boat takes. I felt like we got a lot of personal attention and everyone seemed to be quite happy. They were not pushy about you buying the video, if you said no, they moved on. This boat also has a bar that is open ONLY AFTER ALL SCUBA DIVING IS DONE. The best advice is go with the tour that grabs your attention the most. You won't be disappointed with any of them.

Linda

We took Nativeways tour of Sting Ray City/Coral Gardens. First they sent us an e-mail confirmation stating that their 8:30 tour was our 9:30 ship time(absolutely no problem making it on time). There were 25 people in our tour, several small children and 1 infant(under 1 yr old). They had life jackets if you needed it(infant had it's own),snorkelgear. water was 4 ft deep and you stood where the sting rays swam around. The guides were fabulous with the kids and also the scared members of our group. They caught the rays and held them so you could pet them, hold them. Very personalized attention to everyone. There was a great videotographer on boat who offered either VCR or DVD($50 or $60). No hard sell. DVD was on on ship before we left. Great time and we have the DVD which beats out anything I could have done. We observed some much bigger tours with people milling around getting no guidance or actual contact w. the rays(I think those were ship sponsored tours). Whatever you choose, I'd go with one of the private companies listed on the boards. Go with the AM tour and have a great time. We paid $25/pp - much cheaper than the cruise excursion

While I have only used Nativeway, I will address your critical elements:

- Great with kids -- a fun excursion - The guides were very patient with all the folks on our boat and took time to make sure everyone had fun.

- Goes to the 3 stops - Our tour included Stingrays and two snorkel stops. They also offer longer tours with on shore tours.

- Has a luxury boat - I would call the boat we were on pretty basic. It had a shaded area for those who wanted it and a small restroom.

- Is not LOADED with people so we can get off quickly and have more time in the water (like I've heard the Carnival excursions are) - Our tour was very small, only 9 customers! We were able to get in and out at will, no waiting at all.

- And offers video-taping or DVD - Others have reported this is available, on our boat it was not (but we had a very small group). I would suggest making a specific request if this is important to you.

I highly recommend Nativeway. We had a great time! They also drop you off either back at the port or at 7 Mile Beach (taxis are available to return to town from there).