Cayman Island Cruise Excursions

A Cayman Island cruise excursion most likely is one of three major choices -- Seven Mile Beach, Stingray City and Georgetown.

Mention the Caribbean, and most people think about beaches. Mention Cayman Island beaches, and anyone who has been to Grand Cayman will think of Seven Mile Beach. This 5.6-mile long beach north of Georgetown is packed with resorts, restaurants, shops and beach bars.

It's the place to go for anyone wanting a grand and active beach experience.

Stingray City is one of the most famous attractions in the Caribbean and by far the best Cayman Island cruise excursion. Visitors go to a dock near Seven Mile Beach and take a boat out to a sandbar where dozens of stingray live.

Fishermen used to go to the sandbar to dump the entrails of their catch. The stingray ate what the fishermen threw overboard, then the fishermen got into the water to feed the stingray by hand. Now visitors can climb in the water as well and experience the stingray gliding by them in search of handouts.

Cruise ship visitors will find this excursion can almost always can be arranged on board the ship. Book the excursion right after boarding the ship because it often fills up fast.

If shopping has more appeal than Seven Mile Beach or Stingray City, cruise ship visitors can spend their time in the Cayman Island capital of Georgetown.

They will find plenty of the usual Caribbean shopping experiences with an emphasis on duty-free shopping for designer merchandise. Check out the Conch Shell House, built entirely of mollusk trumpet shells.

Other things to do for cruise visitors include a visit to Hell, a town located on the west side of Grand Cayman, and a turtle farm in the West Bay district where green and hawks bill turtles are bred and raised.