Why is there no Pier in Georgetown

[laxlove6]

all the money that this island has and they force cruise ships to use tenders????

[dmwnc1959]

all the money that this island has and they force cruise ships to use tenders????

 

There are lots of cruise ports world wide other than Grand Cayman that don't have piers. There are ports that do have a pier but you dock miles from town. And then there are ports that have piers which cannot accommodate todays very large cruise ships, or all ships that pull in on any given day and some still have to anchore out. I watched the bridge cam on Crystal Symphony the other day as they anchored in Bermuda because two others ships occupied the pier at the Dockyards. Even ports in the US like Bar Harbor, Maine, Newport, R.I., Catalina Island, California don't have piers where cruise ships can dock and passengers must tender. There are also ports that have a fragile underwater coral ecosystem that prevents a port from building a pier.

 

To answer your question specifically about Grand Cayman the lack of any kind of a continental shelf and the very deep, steep drop off a short distance from shore may make it nearly impossible to build a pier there.

[TurtleTagger]

No worries. Grand Cayman is in the process of making final arrangements to destroy the little reef that remains in George Town (bye, bye Eden Rock and Cheeseburger reefs :() by constructing large enough piers to accommodate today's mega ships. The plan also includes adding a pier by the Turtle Farm to take out the reef up there as well. Progress...:confused:

[AWCHIEF]

No worries. Grand Cayman is in the process of making final arrangements to destroy the little reef that remains in George Town (bye, bye Eden Rock and Cheeseburger reefs :() by constructing large enough piers to accommodate today's mega ships. The plan also includes adding a pier by the Turtle Farm to take out the reef up there as well. Progress...:confused:

 

That is very sad news. Greed is a terrible thing.:mad:

[Grandpaul]

Also a little safer for the passengers though.

[TurtleTagger]

Also a little safer for the passengers though.

 

True. The number of tenders that have gone down with all hands on board has been getting a bit out of control. :D

[Grandpaul]

Almost happened to us a couple years ago actually.

[dmwnc1959]

That is very sad news. Greed is a terrible thing.:mad:

 

Agreed. Let's bulldoze the rainforest to build a mall, let's destroy the best dive reefs to build a pier so ten-thousand passengers can storm the island and buy trinkets and t-shirts.

 

I would rather tender, or skip Grand Cayman in bad weather, than destroy the ecosystem for profit. If its true they are doing this just to build a pier then shame on Grand Cayman.

[OKC Cruisers]

I agree: Why should we let one of the world's natural wonders stand in the way of progress? Dredge the harbor! Build a pier or two (or maybe ten) and get some more crappy souvenir shops in a much larger terminal area. :eek:

 

Pete

[mrsfuzzmo]

This almost sickens me. The reefs around Georgetown and all around Grand Cayman for that matter have a hard enough time surviving with the influx of beginner snorkelers, I have not problem tendering in to save this precious and beautiful eco-system.

[TurtleTagger]

As cruise visitor number continue to dwindle, the government has been advised that it is mostly due to ships avoiding GC because of the the tender situation. They have also been advised that the lower cruise visitor numbers will continue, if not accelerate, to dwindle as the larger class of newer ships bypass the island all together because tendering with ships that size simply would not be feasible.

 

The local economy is very dependent on tourism, with cruise visitors playing an important part in the economic equation.

[kyrisong1]

I think it's horrible, one of the reasons why I love GC is because of the beautiful reefs, to tender is a minor inconvience if the alternative is ruining a reef.

How sad that people would be ok with this, just another example of peoples greed and self centered thinking.

Carole

[lovevacadays]

True. The number of tenders that have gone down with all hands on board has been getting a bit out of control. :D

 

My thoughts too. Let's destroy reefs so that passengers don't have the hassle of a short tender ride.

[Keith1010]

There are cost and ecological reasons. They couldn't build a pier large enough for all those cruise ships.

 

Keith

[carbon]

Tendering is big business in GC and political. I do not see them building a pier.

[Family Travel Story]

Let me start by saying, I am by no means an environmentalist. I drive a luxury automobile that takes high octane gas; I like to go to destinations where there are modern luxuries and built up towns. I typically book suites on cruise ships that take up way more space then I and my family really need. In addition to that, the fact is Grand Cayman like much of the Western World is driven by capital markets and revenue potential.

With all of the foregoing stated, Grand Cayman, is one of my favorite islands. I think the water is bluer, the weather is just the right temprature and the snorkeling is fantastic. More to the point, the tender ride from the harbor to the terminal is only about 5 - 10 minutes, and frankly, it is usually a very nice ride. I must say that destroying a reef system to avoid a short tender ride is where I absolutely draw the line. I have no qualms about taking that tender ride, if it would save even a small strip of coral, I would be more then willing to take that short and frankly enjoyable tender ride. Though I do wonder how many other Caribbean islands have destroyed coral and other natural beauty to build the piers that I so do enjoy? I am not sure, I want to know the answer.

[Keith1010]

Very well said.

 

I think we are much better with the tenders and I really could not envision a pier big enough for all the ships.

 

Keith

[judyzoo]

No worries. Grand Cayman is in the process of making final arrangements to destroy the little reef that remains in George Town (bye, bye Eden Rock and Cheeseburger reefs :() by constructing large enough piers to accommodate today's mega ships. The plan also includes adding a pier by the Turtle Farm to take out the reef up there as well. Progress...:confused:

 

That stinks!