2024.01 Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Cayman (Part 5)
Our first port of call on this cruise is the British Overseas Territory of Cayman Islands. Our ship was anchored just off shore from the port of George Town. Here we had a planned excursion to something that Little Miss loves — animals! Seas were calm, so transferring to a tender was a breeze and quickly we were on shore, in a bus and off on our excursion.
Cayman Turtle Centre
Being on an island is almost like driving in rural areas — there’s one main road that connects everything. It felt no different here, with a well maintained road running along the western edge of the island.
The Centre was cool. They had turtles of various ages in separate areas, and most important to Little Miss, there was a dedicated tank where you could get in and pet the turtles.
There were a few enclosed areas for birds, and they were spectacular:
Finally there was a pool area as well as a bar. We quickly got in the pool to cool down from the clear sun and near 30C temperatures. It was quite refreshing. Watching the local wildlife fight over a leftover drink provided some entertainment while we lounged about.
Soon enough our time at the Centre concluded. Upon departure the bus took us to our only other scheduled stop, Hell.
Hell, Cayman Island
A unique formation is the reason for the title of this spot on the island. We received a quick tour and history of the area, and given the heat we quickly returned to the air conditioned bus.
And just like that the bus returned to the port. During the drive to the Centre, we didn’t see any stores, nor restaurants that caught our eye. We returned via tender to the ship to enjoy the air conditioning and be able to avoid the relentless sun.
We were back on the ship early enough that I went for an afternoon workout, that ended around the time that the ship pulled up anchor and began it’s departure from George Town. There was some kind of event that used the helipad for some guests. It certainly looked unique as some of the crew were there along with drinks and snacks available from servers.
It goes without saying that the Caymans are a major offshore financial area. I spotted every major public accounting firm, along with almost every major Bank throughout the world.
Explore other parts of this trip:
Part 1 – Air Canada Flight Toronto to Fort Lauderdale
Part 2 – Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port & Convention Center
Part 4 – Food onboard Celebrity Equinox
Part 5 – Port, George Town, Grand Cayman (this post!)
Part 6 – Port, Oranjestad, Aruba
Part 7 – Port, Willemstad, Curacao
Part 9 – Air Canada flight Fort Lauderdale to Toronto