stingraysailing

[KRW71]

Just booked Stingraysailing. Anyone have stories, pictures, tips or advice to share about them? I have read good things about them thus far:)

[RJ257]

Just got back from Freedom of the Seas and one of our excursions was Stingray Sailing. 2nd time with them. Had friends traveling with us and wanted a highlight tour. They loved the tour. Chip, his dad and crew. They do a great job. While doing the snorkeling portion Chip noticed a couple that were from another boat (Red Sail). They were far away and were very tired. He had one of his crew swim to them and get them to our boat. They were then transported to their own boat safely. The crew on Red Sail never saw the couple was having trouble. Too many people on their boat or just not paying attention to their folks snorkeling.

 

Anyone wishing a Stingray City tour cant go wrong with Stingray Sailing in my opinion.

 

Ray

[KRW71]

Thank you Ray. We are looking forward to it. :)

[RJ257]

You are welcome. Btw the catamaran has free wifi so you can take pics and post if you like to do that.

[Cozzette2]

We just had our second trip with Chip and his dad and it was as stated above, a highlight of our cruise.

The catamaran is incredible and the fact that he take so few people at a time really keeps it personal.

He is informative on so many levels. He has spent his entire life in GC and can pick put all the different stingrays.

He has plenty of equipment and gives you plenty of time to walk with, feed and hold the stingrays and plenty of time to snorkle in an incredible reef.

On the way back he cut up the sweetest pinapple I have ever had plus a plate of other fruit for us to enjoy and get the salt water taste out of our mouths.

We will always go with Stingray Sailing, Chip is the best!

[CanadaJulie]

. While doing the snorkeling portion Chip noticed a couple that were from another boat (Red Sail). They were far away and were very tired. He had one of his crew swim to them and get them to our boat. They were then transported to their own boat safely. The crew on Red Sail never saw the couple was having trouble. Too many people on their boat or just not paying attention to their folks snorkeling.

 

Anyone wishing a Stingray City tour cant go wrong with Stingray Sailing in my opinion.

 

Ray

 

I was on that tour too ! Amazing wasn't it that the staff of the Red Sail never even notived their people drifting away ??!! Good thing Chip was there to help out !!

 

OK - I have done Stingray Sailings twice. I actually booked with Stingray Sailings BEFORE I booked the cruise because I wanted to be 100% sure we would have space (it was our March break so I figured they may be booked already). We just got back home tonight so I have no pictures to upload yet - bags are still packed. But here is my review of Chip and Stingray Sailings.

 

 

1- Booking: painless ! Michele must have that email hardwired into to her brain - lightening fast replies to book, pay or answer questions.

2- Meeting place: easy peasy - white tent at the pier.

3- Transport from the pier to the catamaran: you take a bus from the pier to the marina where the catamaran is docked. The bus was great, clean and modern.

4- The catamaran "Far Tortuga": If you have ever been to Grand Cayman you will understand what I mean when I say the water color is the most beautiful color in the entire world. Crayola does not make crayons this colors. It is electric ! The water is so clear, if you loose a contact lense, you can still find it !! Keeping that in mind: would you prefer a) to spread out, dangle your feet of the edge of the boat, stand up, walk around a little, lay on your tummy on the trampoline and admire this beautiful water OR b) sit shoulder to shoulder with your fellow passengers, facing the INSIDE of the boat and have to twist your neck around backwards to admire the ocean ? Me - I went with the open space and ocean !!

5- The crew: The crew was awesome, friendly, knowledgeable, helpfull (see Red Sail passengers above !). They will help you hold, feed, hug and kiss the stingrays and get great pictures. Pics are available for sale, but no pressure - you want it, you buy it, you don't, no problem.

6- "Extras" : they have free bottled water and fresh fruit for the return - you will need it to get the salt water taste out of your mouth.

 

The only negative thing I have to say is that after the tour, they sent us back to the cruise ship... Seriously... I could have stayed with them and helped... but no... they sent me back home... :rolleyes: to Canada... where it's cold... and our ocean water looks like coffee... :( <sigh>

 

Do not pass go, do not collect 200$ - book with them ASAP. You will not regret it !

 

I've been long winded enough but ! Here is a picture from our first sail with them in Dec 2010.

 

 

Oh yeah, and if someday he gets new Tshirts made up, tell him to let me know - I want to buy a long sleeved one ! :p Would make a better souvenir than the keychain I bought...

[Scubagirl713]

Just got back from the Legend and used Stingray Sailing last Tuesday (sigh, has it really been a week already??). Chip and his Dad and crew were fantastic! The boat is wonderful, loved, loved, loved hanging out on the trampoline up front and feeling the cool mist off the water as we traveled out to the sandbar. They only take a small group, so the boat was never crowded, you get great personal service. Everyone gets plenty of chances to feed and hold the stingrays. We even got back to the dock in plenty of time to do a little shopping and get some lunch. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this tour was. You will not go wrong booking with Stingray Sailing. :)

[jkmcmom]

Glad to read the great reviews! We will be on Legend 1st week in October & have booked this excursion. So excited!

[unionville3]

What time does the morning tour leave?

[ScttSki04]

I have another thumbs up for Chip and Michelle!!!! I've sailed twice with Stingray Sailing and it's been great both times!!! The first time my Sister-in-Law had her 4 year old grandson, Michelle knew this and she drove us personally in her van with a car seat to ensure sis felt safe with the grandson. This was not requested, but very gratefully appreciated that she thinks so much of their guests!!!

[girlscruise2011]

I just booked them yesterday for my Thanksgiving Cruise on the referral from someone on my rollcall. Love hearing all the good things about Stingray Sailing. Its hard with so many reviews to read which one to actually book.

[Skitheboat]

I just booked them for our August cruise. I am so excited! The website was very informative & the booking procedure was easy. They are very quick to reply to emails. Thanks to all who recommended this tour.

[Editrix]

You can't go wrong with Chip and Michelle because they run a top-notch operation. I can't remember where I learned about Stingray Sailing (here or Trip Advisor probably), but no matter, I'm just so grateful I did.

 

I booked an afternoon excursion for January 24 because Voyager was scheduled for a late arrival. When Michelle greeted us at Watley, she said my husband and I would have the catamaran to ourselves, as all of her other bookings had taken the morning excursion.

 

All of the cruise charters were filled to overflowing, while the Far Tortuga carried just my husband and me. We had lots of time with the stingrays, and lots of personal attention from Chip. Pretty darn cool!

 

Chip was born and raised in the Caymans, and he and Michelle are now raising their family there. You couldn't find a better skipper or more knowledgeable guide.

 

Highly recommend.

[Cya@Sea]

You can't go wrong with Chip and Michelle because they run a top-notch operation. I can't remember where I learned about Stingray Sailing (here or Trip Advisor probably), but no matter, I'm just so grateful I did.

 

I booked an afternoon excursion for January 24 because Voyager was scheduled for a late arrival. When Michelle greeted us at Watley, she said my husband and I would have the catamaran to ourselves, as all of her other bookings had taken the morning excursion.

 

All of the cruise charters were filled to overflowing, while the Far Tortuga carried just my husband and me. We had lots of time with the stingrays, and lots of personal attention from Chip. Pretty darn cool!

 

Chip was born and raised in the Caymans, and he and Michelle are now raising their family there. You couldn't find a better skipper or more knowledgeable guide.

 

Highly recommend.

So glad to hear this about Stingray Sailing. We booked them for our upcoming cruise and really are excited for our day with them.

[hartford2012]

Did our research and booked Stingray Sailing ahead of time Just got home and so glad we opted to book on our own, not with cruise line. Chip and company were wonderful, especially with my fearful 9 year old daughter who the crew helped acclimate to the situation. She ended up having a fabulous time, holding rays, with plenty of photos to prove it. Capt Chip and staff was very knowledgable and we appreciated their hospitality. The best part of this trip is that you are on a catamaran with your legs dangling off the side of the boat, if you wished, with plenty of space to spread out, sail flapping gently in the breeze. We watched the other jam-packed boats motoring along past us. In the water, it looked like hundreds of people crowding the rays while our group was small and intimate. Everyone helped each other out, no lines, just easy and relaxing.

 

Worries about making it back on ship in time? No need. Chip knows his way around (he's local and gave us some local news about anything we asked) and got back with plenty of time to shop or eat or stop at the beach.

 

By the way, Carnival gave first preference to board the tender to folks who booked through Carnival. The non CC excursion people had to go through a rear exit on smaller, less fancy tender. But because there were fewer of us, our tender left the ship sooner and we arrived on the wharf before the Carnival tender. Our tender also unloaded faster because it was smaller. So, I would definitely recommend this outfit, like everyone else here! Thanks, Chip and staff for a memorable morning!

[surreymum]

We used them last week. I second all that has been said. We had the most amazing day. They are extremely professional and the nicest people you can imagine.

[drew sailbum]

I've been out aboard Far Tortuga before Chip owned it. It is a nice boat, and as a catamaran it is more stable (less side-to-side rocking) than a mono-hull boat. That might make it easier if anyone in your party tends to get seasick.

[girlscruise2011]

Did our research and booked Stingray Sailing ahead of time Just got home and so glad we opted to book on our own, not with cruise line. Chip and company were wonderful, especially with my fearful 9 year old daughter who the crew helped acclimate to the situation. She ended up having a fabulous time, holding rays, with plenty of photos to prove it. Capt Chip and staff was very knowledgable and we appreciated their hospitality. The best part of this trip is that you are on a catamaran with your legs dangling off the side of the boat, if you wished, with plenty of space to spread out, sail flapping gently in the breeze. We watched the other jam-packed boats motoring along past us. In the water, it looked like hundreds of people crowding the rays while our group was small and intimate. Everyone helped each other out, no lines, just easy and relaxing.

 

Worries about making it back on ship in time? No need. Chip knows his way around (he's local and gave us some local news about anything we asked) and got back with plenty of time to shop or eat or stop at the beach.

 

By the way, Carnival gave first preference to board the tender to folks who booked through Carnival. The non CC excursion people had to go through a rear exit on smaller, less fancy tender. But because there were fewer of us, our tender left the ship sooner and we arrived on the wharf before the Carnival tender. Our tender also unloaded faster because it was smaller. So, I would definitely recommend this outfit, like everyone else here! Thanks, Chip and staff for a memorable morning!

 

We used them last week. I second all that has been said. We had the most amazing day. They are extremely professional and the nicest people you can imagine.

 

Thank you both for coming back and letting us know how you enjoyed the excursion. I am so looking forward to it in November, especially now :D