Disney Cruise Line Caribbean Cruise - Part 4
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Welcome to Grand Cayman

If you missed it, Part One, Part Two and Part Three of this series are still available

Early on Tuesday morning, the Disney Magic dropped anchors off of the coast of Grand Cayman, the capital George Town just a tender ride away.

After the disappointing experience of Lumiere’s earlier in the week, we decided to try out Topsiders. This buffeteria is located at the aft (see, I’m even picking up the lingo!) of the Magic with a panoramic view. The food was surprisingly excellent, with the hot food being recently prepared and the bakery goods being equally fresh. There is even a fresh omelette station (a must for anyone). The service is impeccable and Topsiders is a perfect start to any day aboard the Disney Magic.

Disembarkation began at around 7:30am as those with excursions planned left for a day on the island. Lindsay and I had booked a kayaking trip through the mangrove swamps of Grand Cayman’s southern coast, but this was not due to depart until lunchtime. So, with several spare hours, we decided to explore the sights of George Town.

First, the history and geography lesson; Christopher Columbus discovered two tiny islands inadvertently, after being blown off course during his final voyage to the "New World" when his intended destination was the island of Hispaniola. Columbus named the islands "Las Tortugas" after the sea turtles that thrived on the island. However, the name did not endure as the Carib Indians renamed the island "Caimanas", the name refers inaccurately to the iguanas native to the island, not to "crocodiles" that is the literal translation.

The island remained uninhabited until settlers from the other two islands in the chain, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman arrived. It is believed that the first pioneers were deserters from Oliver Cromwell’s army, which in 1665 captured Jamaica from the Spanish for the British Empire. However, the Cayman Islands have bred myths and legends about buccaneers, pirates and buried treasure, although there is little evidence to suggest any accuracy in the tales.

The Cayman Islands remained territories of Jamaica until 1962, when the residents decided to remain British subjects rather than joining the colony in declaring independence. Today, the island is increasingly recognised as the banking heart of the Caribbean, as international banks flock to the islands with the promise of tax free investment. The cruise line industry has also adopted Grand Cayman as a port of call due to the allure of duty free shopping, despite offering no facilities for cruisers to dock. As the Disney Magic arrived, several Celebrity and Carnival ships flanked us on either side.

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three islands, but is itself barely 22 miles long and never more than 8 miles wide. The island is home to just 32,000 people with the majority employed in the tourism and banking sectors.

The tenders dock at either of two terminals at the heart of George Town’s waterfront. Schoolchildren from across the island had designed posters with their unique interpretations of Disney characters and images of the ship to welcome DCL guests to the island. These pictures littered the dockside as we disembarked the local tenders.

Personally, I was disappointed with George Town as it is little more than a series of small boutiques and liquor stores, each selling identical merchandise as their competitors. The town is swamped with jewelry stores selling duty free diamonds and emeralds, in addition to the usual mix of expensive watches. Other stores sell the usual tourist goods like tees and local souvenirs. One personal recommendation is the Tortuga store, which retails the rum-flavoured cake, which is simply delectable! The free samples littering every surface in the store are far too tempting for any tourist. Conveniently, there are four locations throughout the town.

We decided to follow the coast along the famous Seven Mile Beach. This stunning stretch of golden sand leads northwards from George Town. The sweltering heat made the journey particularly arduous as the sun literally sapped every ounce of water from your body. Most of the guests aboard the Disney Magic booked a beach excursion to Seven Mile Beach at a cost of $45 per adult and $25 per child. Although the Beach Break does include transportation, lunch, 2 beverages, towel and a reserved lounge chair, those on a budget could simply take a taxi for just $2 per person from the tender terminal with a local operator.

Most of the other excursions offered by DCL involve water sports such as snorkelling, diving and vessels as varied as submarines and glass-bottomed boats. However, the most popular trip for families was the journey to Stingray City, off the north coast of Grand Cayman. This so-called City is in fact a natural sandbar where thousands of rays live in water no deeper than 6 feet. Families can snorkel or swim amongst the residents, albeit for only an hour. This trip at just $45 per adult and $35 per child looks like good value as it includes transportation by coach and catamaran and snorkelling equipment.

However, Lindsay and I opted for more strenuous activity in the form of kayaking amongst the Cayman Wetlands. A coach took us to South Sound where our guide for the afternoon greeted us with lifevests and our two seater kayaks. From the beach, our knowledgeable guide led us through the crystal clear and shallow coastal waters as we hugged the shore. We paddled through inlets as our guide pointed out the wildlife and plants that are endemic to the island. On several opportunities, we were even able to handle local species such as jellyfish and conches. The entire coastline is shrouded in mangrove communities and this trip gave us the opportunity to see the beauty of these fragile ecosystems. Our guide, an American by birth, but a resident on the island for over quarter of a century, was knowledgeable about not only the biology of Grand Cayman, but also the history and geography. He pointed out the multi-million dollar residences that line the shore, home to many lawyers and bankers. The excursion also included a trip to a platform, just shy of the furthest reaches of the shallow waters of the island (the drop is several tens of thousand feet, created by volcanic upwellings) where our guide produced snorkelling equipment and led us out to some natural reefs that were home to a myriad of different fish species. At $59 each, I can heartily endorse this excursion as it was entertaining and a fantastic way to see the island.