Grand Cayman report

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Dillon Pyron - 17 Nov 2005 22:08 GMT

This is from a press release from the Cayman Ministry of Tourism

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS will have 95% of its hotel room inventory, 65% of
its condominium/apartment units and 76% of its guesthouse
accommodations back in operation by next month, according to Charles
Clifford, minister of tourism. Those percentages represent a combined
total of 80% of all room stock that had been damaged by Hurricane Ivan
in September 2004. By March 2006, the combined room total will be 93%,
according to Clifford, who said that all references to "pre-Ivan room
stock" would now cease. "From today forward we will work with the room
stock we have, we will develop strategies which will fill those rooms
and, with our private sector partners, [will] encourage tourism
investment in the Cayman Islands." Other initiatives announced by
Clifford include: redevelopment of Owen Roberts International Airport
on Grand Cayman, beginning next year; a cruise port development
project to reduce congestion of ships and passengers in George Town,
also on Grand Cayman; and to set up alternate ports on Grand Cayman
when bad weather prevents access to George Town harbor. In addition,
Clifford said that the government will "aggressively" pursue berthing
facilities to give passengers more time onshore and easier access on
and off the cruise ships.

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dillon

Science is when a beautiful theory is killed by
an ugly fact.

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Reef Fish - 17 Nov 2005 23:27 GMT

> This is from a press release from the Cayman Ministry of Tourism

For a second, I thought it was Spammer Ray Goldie telling the rtc
readers to visit his webpage and use him as a travel agent!

Since this NEWS is as relevant to scuba divers as it is to the
cruisers,
I am adding rtc to the posted list.

> THE CAYMAN ISLANDS will have 95% of its hotel room inventory, 65% of
> its condominium/apartment units and 76% of its guesthouse
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Clifford include: redevelopment of Owen Roberts International Airport
> on Grand Cayman, beginning next year;

Just as the cruise traffic has brought in TONS of money for Cozumel's
improvement of its city roads and airport, it appears that it's doing
the
same to GCM.

> a cruise port development
> project to reduce congestion of ships and passengers in George Town,
> also on Grand Cayman;

The port development WILL undoubtedly include the building of
cruiseship PIERS. Right now, there is NONE in Grand Cayman.

All cruiseship passengers are tendered to shore. For cruiseships the
size of the Star Princess, the time it takes to tender all passenger to
shore is always between 2 to 3 HOURS.

The most frequent complaint of non-scuba divers and scuba-divers
alike is the LACK of time to see anything during the port of call
hours.
(from noon to 6 pm),

I was talking to someone who visited Grand Cayman for the first
time and took one of the DOZEN Stingray City tours offered by the
cruiseship (these passengers get PRIORITY on getting to shore),
and he said by the time they get off the ship, rode the bus to Stingray
City, and did the Stingray City thing, there was no time left to see
anything else! Not even time to go to Hell! :-)

One of the standard advise given to scuba divers on cruiseships
who PREFER to dive with better dive shops than the tours run by
the ship for beginners is to NOT try it because of the lack of TIME.
If the privately arranged diving could not bring the diver back to
the boat, he will have to find his way to the next port himself,
whereas
the cruise ship will WAIT for it's own scuba tour should it come back
late for some reason.

As long as Grand Cayman is getting to be a regular port of call, for
as many as a DOZEN cruise ships on some days, the building of
cruise ship piers is an inevitable eventuality, like it or not.

The Georgetown Pier is good only for some small commercial
ships and the 110- ft Cayman Aggressor liveaboard for scuba
divers.

> and to set up alternate ports on Grand Cayman
> when bad weather prevents access to George Town harbor.

Now THAT is an interesting question as to where GCM is going to
locate the alternative ports.

> In addition,
> Clifford said that the government will "aggressively" pursue berthing
> facilities to give passengers more time onshore and easier access on
> and off the cruise ships.

Noe Schitt Sherlock, I'd say! http://www.bertc.com/jackschitt.htm

-- Bob.

> --
> dillon
>
> Science is when a beautiful theory is killed by
> an ugly fact.

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RichC - 18 Nov 2005 13:55 GMT

> The most frequent complaint of non-scuba divers and scuba-divers
> alike is the LACK of time to see anything during the port of call
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> City, and did the Stingray City thing, there was no time left to see
> anything else! Not even time to go to Hell! :-)

If you could manage to get aboard one of the earlier tenders, the trip to
sting ray city with one of the independent operators would probably still be
an option + a little shopping time.

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