GRAND CAYMAN
GRAND CAYMAN
Imagine the stereotyped cruise port - one with white sandy beaches, a myriad of duty-free shops selling jewelry and liquor, and regaining water activities like snorkeling and diving - and Grand Cayman will probably come to mind. The cliché could be based on the destination, with its delightful Seven Mile Beach, the George Town shopping center, and numerous sites for diving, snorkeling, and other water sports. Grand Cayman also celebrates marine life in Stingray City and Cayman Turtle Farm and also offers a turn to the island's paradise with the city of hell (the place to send the kitsch postcard par excellence). Yet the cliché has a downside: the crowd. It is not uncommon to find five mega-vessels (we were told there were up to nine) moored in the harbor at the same time, which makes the race process slower than usual and the streets of the center packed with people. (Building a cruise pier where ships could moor is often discussed, but has never gone beyond the "pre-planning" phase.) The constant influx of cruise passengers buzzes the restaurants on the waterfront, so lunch in port is never an economic affair. A walk along the beach quickly turns into an obstacle course for sunbathing tourists, sand children, and water sports sellers. Visitors have two possibilities: embrace the crowd and the tourist spots with a relaxed mentality and isolate, or escape from them. Secluded beaches, such as Cayman Kai or Rum Point, can be reached by taxi, and Seven Mile Beach also has its less crowded spots. A shopping mall in Governors Square offers designer clothes, household items, and even a healthy coffee for a refreshing change from expensive shellfish and seafood necklaces. And the seemingly endless expanses of the sea never feel too congested when swimming peacefully over the coral formations.
