Every passenger lands by tender, about a four-minute ride, and Stingray City trips cost $56 to $75 for 2 to 3 hours. The dry season runs November to April.
Put in your ship's arrival and all-aboard times from your cruise planner. Each tour is checked against the time you have, minus the buffer you choose for getting off the ship and back to the pier.
Example times are filled in. Your cruise line's daily planner has the real ones, and a tender port needs more buffer.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Back-to-ship | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turtle AdventureIncludes Turtle Lagoon swim and snorkel (mask and snorkel included), Turtle encounters with yearlings, Green's Breeding Bay and hatchery, Predator Reef viewing and feedings, Aviary and Blue Hole Nature Trail, Breakers Lagoon pool and waterslide |
$50 per adult |
1 to 3 hours (approx.); open daily 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, last admission 4:30 pm, Turtle Lagoon closes 2:30 pm |
Not stated | Tickets valid 30 days either side of the booked date with free date changes; refund wording on the page is contradictory. | Check dates | |||
Stingray City & Coral Gardens 2-Stop Tour |
$56 per adult |
3:00 hours |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Tour #6: Stingray City Sandbar ExperienceIncludes Stingray City sandbar |
$59 per person |
2 hours (about 45 minutes at the sandbar) |
up to 48 |
No age restriction; under-4s need own flotation | Not stated | Free cancellation 72+ hours ahead; no charge if ship can't stop or arrives late, or if captain cancels for weather; no-shows charged. | Check dates | |
Tour #2: Stingrays and one snorkel stop to Barrier Reef OR Coral GardensIncludes Stingray City sandbar, One snorkel stop, Snorkel gear (4+) |
$65 per person |
2 hours 30 minutes |
up to 45 |
No age restriction; snorkel gear for ages 4+, under-4s need own flotation | Not stated | Free cancellation 72+ hours ahead; no charge if the ship can't stop or arrives too late; captain may cancel for weather. | Check dates | |
Stingray City Coral Gardens & Starfish Beach TourIncludes Stingray City sandbar, Coral Gardens and Starfish Beach, Shuttle from the cruise ship port and Seven Mile Beach hotels, Snorkel gear and life jacket, Water, fruit punch and lemonade |
$66 per adult |
4:00 hours listed; departs 9:30 am, returns 1:00 pm, Monday to Saturday |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Stingray City, Coral Gardens (Reef Snorkel) & Starfish SnorkelIncludes Stingray City sandbar (about 45 minutes), Coral Gardens reef snorkel (about 30 minutes), Starfish Point stop, Snorkel equipment, Free shuttle from the Royal Watler cruise terminal |
$69 per adult |
3.5 hours (page also says 3.0); departs 9:00 am and 12:00 pm daily |
Not stated | Operator may cancel for safety, weather, mechanical problems, low numbers or crew illness; refund policy page not read. | Check dates | |||
Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Point |
$70 per adult |
3 hours |
Groups of up to 25 (company-wide) |
Not stated | Check dates | |||
Tour #4: Stingray City and Two Snorkel StopsIncludes Stingray City sandbar, Barrier Reef and Coral Gardens snorkel stops, Snorkel gear (4+), Shuttle from Seven Mile Beach hotels/condos |
$75 per person |
3 hours dock to dock |
up to 45 |
No age restriction; snorkel gear for ages 4+, under-4s need own flotation | Not stated | Free cancellation 72+ hours ahead; no charge if ship can't stop or arrives late, or if captain cancels for weather; no-shows charged. | Check dates | |
Stingray City, Reef Snorkel, Starfish & BeachIncludes Stingray City (45 minutes), Coral Gardens (30 minutes), Starfish Point (20 minutes), Beach stop (60 minutes), Free shuttle from the Royal Watler terminal |
$79 per adult |
4.5-5.0 hours; departs 9:00 am and 12:00 pm |
Not stated | Operator may cancel for safety, weather, mechanical problems, low numbers or crew illness. | Check dates | |||
Rays, Reef and Rum Point |
$105 per adult |
5 hours |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Stingray and Island Tour |
$115 per adult |
4 hours |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Stingray City, Starfish, Reef Snorkel & Turtle Lagoon (Grand Tour)Includes Stingray City (45 minutes), Coral Gardens (30 minutes), Starfish Point (20 minutes), Turtle Lagoon swim (90 minutes), Free shuttle from the Royal Watler terminal |
$125 per adult |
5.5 hours; departs 9:00 am |
Not stated | Operator may cancel for safety, weather, mechanical problems, low numbers or crew illness. | Check dates | |||
Tour #3: Beach Lunch, Stingray & Snorkel tourIncludes Stingray City sandbar, Two snorkel stops (one is a conch dive from November 1 to April 30), Fresh seafood lunch on a beach across the North Sound, near Kaibo and Rum Point, Snorkel gear (4+) |
$129 per person |
5 hours |
up to 40 |
No age restriction; snorkel gear for ages 4+, under-4s need own flotation | Not stated | Free cancellation 72+ hours ahead; no charge if the ship can't stop or arrives too late; captain may cancel for weather. | Check dates | |
Stingray City Love TourIncludes Guided stingray interaction at the sandbar, Optional reef snorkel and Starfish Point, Fresh fruit and light bites, Chilled drinks |
$230 per group |
Billed by the hour; about 1 hour each way to Stingray City, sailing back |
Private, up to 6 |
Not stated | Check dates | |||
Stingray City TourIncludes Masks, snorkels, fins and buoyancy vests, Children's life jackets, Squid for feeding stingrays, In-water staff, Freshwater shower, juice |
Not listed |
About 3 hours total (about 45 minutes reef snorkel and 45 minutes at Stingray City) |
Not a formal guarantee; states no one on its Stingray City tours has ever missed their ship and start times are matched to cruise schedules. | Check dates | ||||
West Shuttle with Crystal Caves Guided TourIncludes Guided tour of three caves and a nature trail, Round-trip shuttle from the Western districts, including the cruise ship terminal |
Not listed |
Guided tour about 90 minutes, hourly from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (may close early in slow season) |
Not stated | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
What the cruise lines list for their own excursions in Grand Cayman, from their websites, next to a local operator's trip of the same kind.
| Line | Excursion | From | Length | Same kind of trip locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carnival |
$77.99 per person |
3 hours |
Frank's Watersports, $56$21.99 less | |
Norwegian (NCL) |
$159.99 per adult |
about 3.5 hours (estimated) |
Read on each cruise line's website on October 22, 2026. Lines change these prices often, so check the page before you book. Trips are matched by what each listing names; inclusions and transport differ, so open both. Every port compared.
Cruise ships anchor off George Town, and tenders carry everyone ashore. Voters rejected berthing infrastructure in an April 2025 referendum, the Cayman Compass reported. The Port Authority is upgrading the existing landings instead, with approval for shaded awnings and water stations between the Royal Watler Pier and the South Terminal. Tenders land at three terminals within walking distance of one another: Royal Watler, the main one, and the smaller North and South terminals about 500 ft away on Harbour Drive.
Caribbean Marine Services ran most of the tender boats in 2019, according to the Cayman Compass: 15 boats carrying 250 to 300 people each, on a ride of about four minutes. Passengers booked on tours go first, in an early rush around 6 am, while others take a number and follow. An official quoted in the article estimated two hours to unload 4,000 passengers from Carnival Vista. When the harbour is too rough, ships move to the Spotts dock on the south shore and the tenders follow. On some rough days passengers cannot come ashore at all.
Captain Marvin's office is in the Waterfront Centre, across the street from the terminals, and its private dock is about 15 minutes away by car. Moby Dick Tours buses guests from the dock to its boat at the Yacht Club, about 15 minutes each way, and brings them back to the port for the tenders. Seven Mile Beach is about 2.8 miles north, roughly a 10-minute drive. Taxi fares follow an approved table, and there are no rideshare services.
The Cayman Islands do not observe daylight saving time, and the Port Authority warns that its listed times may differ from the cruise lines'. It tells passengers to follow the times the ship gives. Cayman stays on Eastern Standard Time all year, so from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November the island runs an hour behind Florida.
On October 22, 2026, the Port Authority listed Carnival Horizon from 6:30 am to 4 pm and Carnival Glory from 6:39 am to 5 pm. The Cayman Compass reported in 2019 that cruise passengers spent an average of 5.29 hours ashore, fourth of 34 Caribbean and Latin American destinations. On the November 2019 day the paper followed, more than 11,000 passengers arrived and just over 9,900 were tendered ashore; about 16% stayed aboard.
Captain Marvin's says it avoids scheduling trips that clash with ship times and tracks the last tender of each day, though it offers no formal guarantee. Moby Dick Tours says it matches its start times to cruise schedules and that nobody on its Stingray City tours has ever missed a ship. Both companies' main trips last 2 to 3 hours.
Visitors may interact with stingrays only at two places in the North Sound, the Sandbar and Stingray City, which the Department of Environment designates as Wildlife Interaction Zones. Captain Marvin's Tour #6 spends about 45 minutes at the Sandbar on a 2-hour trip from $59. Its Tour #4 adds snorkel stops at the Barrier Reef and Coral Gardens for $75 and takes 3 hours dock to dock.
Frank's Watersports runs a 3-hour Stingray City and Coral Gardens trip for $56 per adult and $46 for children 4 to 10, with under-4s free. Native Way Water Sports charges $70 per adult and $55 for children under 12 for 3 hours at the Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Point. Moby Dick Tours splits about 3 hours between 45 minutes of reef snorkeling and 45 minutes at Stingray City, with squid for feeding the rays.
Longer trips cover more ground. Native Way sells a 4-hour Stingray and Island Tour for $115 and a 5-hour Rays, Reef and Rum Point trip at $105 per adult. Captain Marvin's runs six scheduled stingray and snorkel tours priced from $59 to $129.
Captain Marvin's Watersports keeps an office in the Waterfront Centre, across the street from the tender terminals. It charges nothing if the ship cannot stop or arrives late, or if the captain cancels for weather, and cancellation is free 72 hours or more ahead; no-shows pay. Its boats take up to 45 or 48 guests. It provides snorkel gear for ages 4 and up, and younger children need their own flotation.
Moby Dick Tours includes masks, fins, buoyancy vests, children's life jackets, squid for the rays and staff in the water, then a freshwater shower and juice. It lists no price on its tour page and states no cancellation terms. It offers no formal back-to-ship guarantee, though it points to its record of no missed ships.
Frank's Watersports has the lowest adult price at $56, and Native Way takes $5 per person off for groups of 10 or more and runs groups of up to 25. Neither page lists a meeting point, cancellation terms or cruise pickup, and Native Way books by contact form or phone. Captain Marvin's gives 10% off for groups of 10 or more adults.
from $50 per adult
Turtle Adventure
No back-to-ship policy stated
Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day; closes early at 2:00 pm on Friday, October 23, 2026
from $56 per adult
Stingray City & Coral Gardens 2-Stop Tour and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Also lists Stingray City snorkel-and-lunch and Starfish Point tours, reef fishing and private charters
from $59 per person
Tour #6: Stingray City Sandbar Experience and 3 more options
No back-to-ship policy stated
Six scheduled stingray/snorkel tours from $59 to $129
from $69 per adult
Stingray City, Coral Gardens (Reef Snorkel) & Starfish Snorkel and 2 more options
No back-to-ship policy stated
Describes its own crew and departure points and asks guests to book direct with it
from $70 per adult
Stingray Sandbar, Coral Gardens and Star Fish Point and 2 more options
No back-to-ship policy stated
Booking by contact form or phone
from $230 per group
Stingray City Love Tour and 1 more option
Back to ship: Not a formal guarantee; states no one on its Stingray City tours has ever missed their ship and start times are matched to cruise schedules.
Boat named Moby Dick moored at the Yacht Club
Price on request
West Shuttle with Crystal Caves Guided Tour
No back-to-ship policy stated
Walk-ins accepted when space allows
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.