"Cruising to Grand Cayman(under construction)" Grand Cayman by cjg1

Grand Cayman was the first port of call during our most recent Caribbean cruise in April 2011. Grand Cayman was a new destination for both my wife and I, so naturally we were excited.

This port was a tender port so we needed to take a tender boat from the cruise ship to land; not ideal but it was a smooth ride. Once we arrived in Georgetown we had a loose itinerary: explore some beaches, do some shopping and grab some lunch. We arrived rather early in the morning so we were able to see alot more than I had anticipated and with less crowds.

The weather was a little hot with temperatures in the high 80's and quite sunny. Despite the heat we had a fun day exploring Grand Cayman...it is a beautiful and friendly place. I did appreciate that this island felt safe; there were vendors hawking for business or strange characters trying to give you a "cheap island tour".

Taking a break from shopping

Shopping is always an activity we enjoy and Georgetown did not dissapoint. From Duty Free liquor, clothing, watches, jewelry and souvenirs; we managed to find it all.

As always when we travel we try to find a Christmas ornament and we managed to find a nice glass ball ornament in a beach theme for our Christmas tree. I managed to buy a few souvenir tees; in particular a really nice one from the Hard Rock. As for jewelry my wife always scores in this department; we left the island with pair of blue and white diamond earrings from Effy.

Depending on what you are shopping for prices vary. I have found better deals on Liquor in St. Maarten. Jewelry here depending on the store is a bit more expensive than St. Maarten but cheaper than St. Thomas. Souvenirs such as tee shirts and post cards are on par with other Caribbean islands.

Arrrgggg...playing pirate

Pirates once called Grand Cayman their stomping ground. In the 18th century pirates Blackbeard, Neal Walker, George Lowther and Thomas Antis sailed these waters.