What a Grand Cayman excursion actually costs
The seven prices, and the unit beside each one
This is the whole catalogue. Read the unit column before the price column.
| Tour | Price | Unit | Cap | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran cruise, Stingray City & snorkel | US$79 | per person | 50 | 3–3.5 hrs |
| Stingray City and Cayman reefs snorkelling | US$99 | per person | 24 | 2.5 hrs |
| 4-stop ultimate tour | US$99 | per person | 24 | 4.5 hrs |
| Private Stingray City & snorkelling charter | US$650 | per boat | 10 | 4.5 hrs |
| Private Stingray City & starfish visit | US$765 | per boat | 10 | 4–5 hrs |
| Private Stingray City, snorkel & Starfish Point | US$765 | per boat | 10 | 4–5 hrs |
| Private luxury boat tour | US$1,200 | per boat | 6 | 4 hrs |
Two of those are the same price with the same cap and nearly the same title. I am not going to invent a difference between them; the ranked version of this list, with what separates them and what does not, is on all seven tours.
Per person or per boat, in one number
The crossover is nine. Nine people on the US$79 shared boat is US$711, and the US$650 charter takes up to ten, so from nine heads the whole boat is cheaper. At ten it is US$65 each, which is under the shared seat. At four it is US$162.50 each, which is more than double it. The US$765 charters cross over one head later, at ten. The US$1,200 boat caps at six, so it is US$200 a head even when it is full, and it never gets there.
That is the summary. The full table, every group size worked out both ways, is on shared boat or private charter, and it is the page to read if there are more than four of you.
What an hour on the water costs
Nobody publishes this and it reorders the list. Divide each price by its own duration and the cheap boat and the dear boat are not where the price column says they are.
| Tour | Price | Length | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran | US$79 pp | 3–3.5 hrs | US$23–26 per person |
| 4-stop ultimate | US$99 pp | 4.5 hrs | US$22 per person |
| Stingray City & reefs | US$99 pp | 2.5 hrs | US$39.60 per person |
| Private charter, filled | US$650 per boat | 4.5 hrs | US$14.44 per person |
| Private luxury, filled | US$1,200 per boat | 4 hrs | US$50 per person |
The 2.5-hour boat at US$99 is the dearest hour on this site by a distance, and the 4.5-hour boat at the same price is the cheapest of the three shared trips. Whether a shorter trip is worth more per hour is a real argument — a smaller boat, fewer people, less waiting about — but it should be an argument you make on purpose rather than one the price column makes for you.
Minutes in the water, from someone who counted them
Andrew, reviewing the US$79 catamaran, wrote down the timings, which nobody selling these trips ever does: “35 mins at Stingray City, 25 mins at Coral Gardens and 25 mins at Starfish Point were ample time to take photos, explore and enjoy the area.” That is 85 minutes in the water out of a trip of 180 to 210 minutes. The rest is boat, briefing and getting there, and knowing that in advance is worth more than any rating on the page.
Those are one traveller’s timings on one sailing, not a published schedule, and I am not going to promise you the same. The other verbatim reviews are on the reviews hub, with the catamaran’s on its own page.
The costs that are not in the price
The photographs, for one. Two reviewers of the same shared trip raised it unprompted. Marcus: “The organization was excellent from start to finish. Unfortunately, the prices for the photos were too high.” Mark: “Unfortunately I think $100 for their photo/video was too expensive.”
Mark wrote it with a bare dollar sign, and that is this island in one line. From the review alone I cannot tell you whether he meant US$100 or CI$100, and the difference is US$20. I am not going to decide it for him. What the page can tell you is that a photo and video package is sold on board, that it is not in the ticket price, and that two people who enjoyed the trip thought it dear. Why the two readings differ is on the dollar trap.
What works
- The price on the platform is in US dollars and does not shift
- The unit is stated on every listing, so a boat price cannot be mistaken for a seat price if you read it
- Filling a charter is the only way to get under the cheapest shared seat
Worth knowing
- A photo or video package is sold separately on board
- Food, drink and anything you buy ashore may be priced in CI$, which is 20% more than it looks
- Taxi fares come off an approved fare table rather than a meter, and this site quotes none of them
What the day costs, not what the ticket costs
Add it up in the right currency. A US$79 seat is CI$65.83 at the peg. Lunch and a drink ashore written “$40” may be CI$40, which is US$48. A bus each way is CI$2, or US$2.40, and there is no bus at all on a Sunday. Nothing on that list is expensive; the expensive thing is doing the sums in the wrong dollar.
The only settled ratingGrand Cayman: Catamaran Cruise with Stingray City & Snorkel
Most stops4-Stop Ultimate Grand Cayman Tour
Private — per boat, up to 10Whole boat, up to 10Private: Stingray City & Snorkeling Charter (Most Popular)
If four hours is more than your ship gives you, read the tender port and how much time you actually get ashore before you book a length. Whether any of it is worth paying for is argued on is it worth it.
Can’t make these dates?
Browse more available grand cayman excursions and find one that fits your schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Grand Cayman excursion cost?
The shared boats on this site run US$79 to US$99 per person, and the private charters run US$650 to US$1,200 per boat rather than per head. The US$650 charter carries up to ten, which is US$65 each if you fill it and US$162.50 each with four aboard.
Are Grand Cayman tour prices in US or Cayman dollars?
The seven listings on this site are quoted in US dollars; each activity page’s own currency field returned USD. Ashore is the opposite problem — a price written with a bare dollar sign is often Cayman dollars, and CI$1 is US$1.20, so a CI$40 lunch is US$48.
Is a private charter cheaper than a shared boat?
From nine people, yes. Nine shared seats at US$79 come to US$711 against US$650 for a charter that takes ten. Below that the shared boat wins on price, and the US$1,200 charter caps at six guests, so it is US$200 a head at best and never beats a shared seat.