Nativeways/Captain Marvins/Sotos

I know I know I know........there have been so many posts about these tour operators, but these are the three operators we have narrowed our choice down to. Please help with suggestions. It would be myself, my fiance and my 19 year old daugher (she is VERY leary of doing this!! ) If you've used one of these operators, your input would be greatly appreciated. We are sailing on the Explorer in January and I want to book our excursion right now and I'm struggling. We're looking for the combination Stingray/snorkeling tour. Don't care about going to Hell or a tour of GC after. We are going to go to 7 Mile Beach after (or so we are hoping). Also, I undertsand there is a difference between the sandbar and the deeper water excursion that allows you to visit/play with the stingrays. Unless someone suggests otherwise, I think we're opting for the sandbar.

Again, ALL opinions would be so very welcome!! Thanks!!!!

Ditto., except I have a 4year old and want the shortest trip. Thanks

We've done the snorkel/stingray tour with Captain Marvin's twice and had a great time both times. From what I read on these boards, the other two outfits are great also. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Just make sure their schedule fits yours.

What is she leary of???

We did Soto's in March and loved it! The owner and crew were outstanding. The price is incredible. You get to snorkel at two locations plus a visit to Stingray City were you get to handle and feed the stingrays. One of the things we liked the best is Soto's has some of the smaller boats with 20 to 30 people per boat. Some of the tours we saw at Stingray City were double decker boats with a lot of people. We are returning to Grand Cayman in 3 weeks on the Grand Princess and will be doing Soto's again.

Hi There!

We went with Nativeway in December 2003 December and were very pleased. We had about 14 people on the boat and we were in about 3 feet of water at the Sandbar. One thing I really liked and may help your daughter is that someone from the crew was in the water the entire time. I walk with a cane and they were very helpful assisting me in and out of the water as well. The cost was $25 and we were at 2 locations. I believe Soto's was $19 and they went to 3 locations. Others from our cruise critic group went with Soto's and were very pleased. I would not hesitate using either one. One deciding factor for us was the timing of Nativeway's 2 tours. I know of someone on an earlier cruise who missed his scheduled morning tour yet still made the other tour with Nativeway. The other tour operators 2nd tours would not be not completed early enough for our onboard time. Hope this helps!

I have my tour booked for Nov 21 sailing with Nativeway. We used them in the past and have been very happy. We are actually chartering a private boat with a total of 9 people through them this time. I have only used Nativeway, so can vouch that they are awesome, but the others you mention I understand are just as good.

Look at all three, pick what you are comfortable with and go. You will have a great time

Enjoy:D

I'm going to try Soto's Cruises in two days - I'm on the Conquest headed for GC via Montego Bay.About the Safir - it is normally offered as a Carnival tour, but is not this time - not sure what its fate is.

We went with Nativeway last week and had a blast. There were kids in our group (about 15). We all had a great time and the crew was very informative.

We went with Nativeway last week and had a blast. There were kids in our group (about 15). We all had a great time and the crew was very informative.

Could you tell me approx how many total were on your boat?

thanks

15 total!!! We had 3 kids....two 4 yr olds and a 10 yr old.

Thanks, I though you might've been saying there were 15 kids in your group.

My bad.

-Monte

We just used Soto's last week with our 5 and 7 year old girls and it was a blast! There was always one tour guide in the water with the people and one tour guide on the boat to keep an eye on our stuff. Captain Marvin's is a bigger outfit with a larger boat (a catamaran ) and a larger group. Both Nativeway and Soto's are smaller outfits with smaller boats and smaller groups. I liked the individualized attention I got from Soto's because it was a small, close knit group of less than 20. They gave each and every person on the boat personalized attention and advice specifically for their needs. I liked the small group personally. Soto's will also drop you off at 7 mile beach afterwards if that is what you wish.

Soto's took us to the Stingray sandbar which was perfect. You can stand in the water and hold on to each other for comfort if needed. At Stingray City the water is a little deeper and it's harder to maneuver. You need a snorkel mask there. We never wore our snorkels or masks at stingray sandbar because the water wasn't very deep and we didn't need it. And on the sandbar, you can touch and hold the stingrays much easier. I would go to the sandbar if I were you. And just tell your 19 yr old daughter that if my 5 and 7 year old daughters can get out of the boat and play with the stingrays than she can too. :) They are as tame as kittens and super soft and gentle. They have no teeth so they can't bite. They eat by suction like sucking on a straw. They sucked and slurped all over my girls and they thought it tickled. My only problem was convincing my kids that they didn't need to take the small "baby" stingray home as a pet.:eek:

Both Nativeway and Soto's take about the same amount of time. The cost is very similar too. You can't really go wrong with either of these tour operators. One thing I liked about Soto's was that the tour guide that was in the water with us had some buddies he fed every day near the reefs. So when he takes you to the reefs he feeds his buddies and lets you take pictures of them. His buddies are a moray eel and a squid. We got some awesome pictures of those creatures!:D

The tour times are posted on Soto's web site (first tour 9:30-12:30) but I don't see the times for Nativeway.

Because we too will have a 4 year old, I think the shorter (2 stops) with Nativeway might be better. Does anyone know their tour schedules?

Crusinqt,

I just called my daughter and read your reply to her over the telephone. She's away at college right now. I was laughing so hard at your response about telling her that if your two young daughters could do this, so could she. When I read the part to her about the stingrays not having teeth and they only suck, her IMMEDIATE loud response was "But they're called STINGrays!! That means they sting! Why else would they call them STINGrays!!!?" I laughed even harder. I am going to make reservations no matter what. I figured........she can sit on the boat and watch us all and in all actuality, I have NO doubt that the tour operator would eventually coax her into the water and she'll have a blast!!!

So at this point, it appears it will be either Nativeways or Soto's since both of their boats are smaller than Captain Marvins. Now.........Nativeways does 1 snorkeling stop after the stingrays and Sotos does 2? Can you guys tell me if I understood that correctly? And how will I know when I book......that we are booking for the sandbar (which I think we want) versus the City?

So far, you guys have offered me wonderful information. I'm sure the same is being said by others who are asking.

Thanks so much!!

Both Nativeway and Soto's goes to the stingray sandbar. I haven't used Nativeway, but with Soto's we did a brief 30 minute snorkel at coral gardens and saw some beautiful black coral in crystal clear waters that were only 8-10 feet deep. Then we went to the reef for another 30 minutes and not only saw the reefs but saw the moray eel and the squid in about 8-10 feet of water. The coral gardens and reef are all in the same area as the stingray sandbar. You can see the boats all huddled together with people playing with the stingrays in the distance as you snorkel in the coral gardens and the reefs. That's why I said time wise, Soto's and Nativeway are pretty close. Plus, all kids love riding on a boat, so our girls never got bored or cranky. I did bring along some animal crackers that came in handy.;)

Xpreciousp, tell your daughter that our guide said that he's been doing this for a number of years and has NEVER seen anyone get stung. Don't let the name scare her, it's just like when your child gets ringworm. The name is scary, but it has nothing to do with worms. It's not like a child who has a ringworm lesion actually has worms on them or in them.:eek: Just because a stingray is called a stingray it doesn't mean he's gonna sting you. These creatures are very gentle and soft. And I do think one of the tour operators would be able to get your daughter out into the water. One of them had abs to die for and was pretty muscular and cute. She won't be able to pass that up!;)

Nativeway does have one other stop other than the stingrays. Soto's has 2 stops other than the stingrays as I described above. Soto's is slightly cheaper, but that may have changed for both companies since the hurricane.

cruisingqt,

I think the muscles and abs just might sell her!! LOL

In the meantime, I have a feeling that Soto's won't work for us since we don't get to GC until 9:30am. We don't want to do an afternoon tour.....we'd rather do the morning and then have the rest of the day to lay at the beach or go shopping or do whatever. It appears that Sotos only morning excursion is at 9am. I forgot what Nativeways morning schedule is...........but I guess the choice is now going to be between them and Captain Marvin's. No matter which one we end up with however, it appears from everyone's opinion........we simply can't go wrong with our choice.

Thanks so much to all,

I don't think I read Nativeway's schedule any where. Is it out there? I emailed them, still waiting for a response.

My wife and I used Nativeway a couple years ago and are booked with them again for Dec. It was the highlight of the trip. Sharon and Eldon were just awesome. There were around 10 people on our boat with 3 nativeway workers. You had all sorts of support and info. There were really friendly. I have included some info below that Sharon from Nativeway sent us about the details of this years tour.

Concerning nervousness, I'm not sure that anybody could have been more nervous to do it than my wife. She is quite nervous of water and getting her head under water. She was quite timid when we went into the water, but it was sooooo warm and the sand sooooo soft, and the water only came up to our mid bellies (why have a 6 pack when you can have the whole keg) that she soon relaxed and really enjoyed it. It's funny because I took some wide shoot pictures from the deck of the boat and even though there are lots of people (from several boats plus ours) I can always pick out my wife immediately because she is just about the only one wearing the bright yellow inflatable vest.:) It was like Linus's blanket to her.

After that we snorkled at the reef and my wife was really scared to put her face/head in the water, but soon relaxed, and like I said above, it was definately the highlight of the cruise for us. We booked this cruise specifically to go back to Grand Cayman.

Here is some more information from Sharon Ebanks at Nativeway

The tour departs the pier at 9 AM Eastern Time and completes around 11:45 AM Eastern Time. We ask that you check in around 8:15 AM Eastern Time AND no later than 8:45 AM Eastern Time. When you come ashore, look for the person carrying the sign that says Native Way Watersports. You may also ask for us at the information booth at North Terminal.

The snorkeling tour goes to Stingray Sandbar and Coral Gardens. We

provide free use of all snorkeling gear and vests, food for the Rays, and

complimentary punch and bottled water. After the tour, you have two

options for drop off: back to the pier, or, at 7-mile beach (where you can

taxi back for $4 per person).

We ask that you provide at least 48 hours advance notice to cancel. If your ship is unable to dock in Grand Cayman, we will automatically cancel your reservation, at no cost to you.

Not sure where the info that they have huge boats is coming from. Maybe the catamaran is for larger charters but that was not our experience. We went last Dec on Capt M and had a boat which may have held 25 at most. There were 15 of us onboard (including 4 small children under age 10) so a very personal tour. If you have questions regarding boat size, you can visit Capt. Marvin's site and click on "Photos". I think they have 3 boats.

I'm sure any of the 3 you mentioned will be very good.

I agree with you... we went with Captain Marvins in August.. had a small boat only 15 of us on board... much smaller than the cruise line excursions.. the crew gave you personal attention and also had a rep from VIP Productions on board to video everything. I purchased it after the trip for $53.00 for the dvd... it is a great souvenior!!

I used Captain Marvins when we were there in 2003 and will use them again in January. I think we only had about 15 on our boat and we bought the video which is fun to look at. We are going back with friends this year an have are setting us all up with Captain Marvins since they haven't been there. They are a short walk away from the pier. Last time we did do Hell and the Turtle farm. This time, my husband and I are going back to Georgetown or 7 mile beach. The rest of the group will go to Hell and the Turtle Farm. You can talk to Ruth as she is wonderful to deal with.

I just got an email from Nativeway saying that their Stingray/Snorkel tour starts at 10:30 am. I am opting for this one over the Sotos this time as we do not dock in GC until 9:30am.

For those of you who've used Soto's, are they easy to find around the cruise terminal? Where exactly do you find them? I hate searching for an independent tour operator, just to find out they were some place other than where I am looking.

Soto's Van picks you up in a parking lot about 100 yards from the dock that is easy to find. You can find a pic or two in here:

zydecocruiser's Album:Conquest - GC - Nov 2004

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Zydeco: Thanks for the reply ... loved your pictures ... looks easy enough to find. Judy