grand cayman or little cayman

[heehee62]

Is the little cayman really that much better than grand cayman? We would be able to dive 5 days during the last week of March.

The grand cayman is a lot more convenient/cheap than little cayman. But we will never be able to return again to the Cayman Islands so am worried we will never see the best part..

Is rough waters likely at grand cayman at the end of March which would prevent us from being able to dive the best parts of the Grand Cayman?

the flight from grand cayman to little cayman would occur the same day we arrive/ at the island. is there a moderate risk that the interisland flight is moved to another day? We can't miss our flights back to our home cities.

Thanks.

 

[jdcpa]

The grand cayman is a lot more convenient/cheap than grand cayman.

Thanks.

You might want to edit that part of your post. I don't know what you are asking.

In my opinion, it all depends on what you want above water.

Yes, I think the diving is better on Little Cayman, but that is mostly because you may not have the opportunity to get to all the places on Grand Cayman. Diving is great either place. I am just a fan of Little Cayman.

Little Cayman is much quieter, with little night life and little choice of restaurants. No shopping. A lot less to see. Heavy on relaxation. If you want to dive and relax, Little Cayman is the choice.

The flights are very reliable, but you never know. It is rare that you don't get off the island. Particularly now with the early flight over to the Brac. There were some issues with the servicing of the Otters, but I think those are resolved now.

To me, it depends on what you want to do.

Let us know what you like and the answer will come from that.

---------- Post added February 3rd, 2015 at 07:03 AM ----------

I should point out that there are numerous threads on this board on this issue that you can search for information. Try a search to help you form your thoughts as to what you would like to do.

 

[caymaniac]

If your idea is to get the very best wall diving the Caribbean has to offer, then pick Little Cayman, there will be nothing other than diving except maybe looking at sea birds. Little Cayman is intimate, there will be interaction with others that you will be diving with. This is perfect for us, we like to get away from the business and love the quiet.

If diving is a main focus but you want more on land to do, then pick Grand Cayman. Almost all diving is boat diving. There is a shopping mall "Caymanna"on Grand Cayman, a downtown area with shops, the Seven Mile Beach area, the Queen Victoria Gardens, Rum Point and a few things to see like the Turtle farm, Hell and the East end. There are plenty of places to eat. This will probably cost a bit more, restaurants are not cheap and you will have to rent a car. If you want to stay on the 7Mile beach it will be expensive, nothing found under $200 per night and then there is a tax on that. Condo's will run about $2000 or more for a week (VRBO). It is much quieter on the East side of GC, good diving too, not so many places to stay.

Your flights will work but you could be stuck in GC for hours at the airport before the plane leaves from GC to LC. If you have tickets the flights do not get moved to another day, Im sure there have been people that this has happened to but my experience has not been like that. I've never had a problem in over 20 years with getting the flights to connect, it's the time waiting in the airport that drives me crazy. The security line in GC can be VERY slow.

The end of March is a great time to go to the Caymans.

 

[heehee62]

Any recommendations on how much time should I have between when my international flight lands at the airport and when my interisland flight departs? Also, can I wait till the last minute to book my flights? Think the answer is no but thought I'd check anyway.

Dive, dive, dive is all I care about lol. Have to talk to my traveling companions though - they may feel different. Thanks for your help.

 

[diver 85]

LC IMO---for better/?easier diving (from top to bottom)--------fewer people,......too.......

EDIT:........just read the last part of your post.....Book EARLY(they can fill up quick---@ times).........In Oct of '14, we landed GC @ 4PM for our 5:10 Cayman BRAC(Brac that is) flight--was supposed to have 2 and a half hours in between flights BUT the day BEFORE, Cayman Airways cancelled the 6:30 flight & moved us to the 5:10 flight.....BTW, we were VERY ?worried BUT made it with about 30 minutes to spare...We were flying AA(I think it was) & had to claim our bags in GC & recheck them to CA for the Brac flight---but ---no problem.......Good luck.......

EDIT 2........forgot to say, we got in the 'In Transit' line to get our 2 bags in GC---wound up never going thru Customs to boot!!!(had to wait maybe 2 or 3 minutes for Immigration-in the In Transit' line)---ie they let us 'walk on thru' @ Customs when we said we're needing to check these in @ CA & our flight 'was soon--(just never said how soon)' .....

 

[Doctorfish]

My experience in the airport at grand cayman on arrival has been: 30 minutes to 1 hour to clear immigration customs and pick up bags. 15 minutes in line to check in on Cayman Airways to LC. another 15-30 minutes to go through security to boarding area. We have done it in less when lucky but like to have 1 1/2 hours for the transfer if possible. Any less can become a nail biter.
Everyone goes through customs and immigration in GC even if going on to sister islands. Bags must be re checked as well.

Brac and LC have very good diving but not much else to do.

Diving on GC not quite as good but there are other activities. If I just want a week of diving, LC is the choice. There are several small dive resorts on LC, Little Cayman Beach Resort, Southern Cross, Pirates Point. Price points a bit different. All of them have a following.

 

[AggieDiver]

Your experience connecting to the Cayman Express flights will depend entirely on what day and what time of day you come through. The flights themselves are generally very reliable and rarely get completely cancelled or delayed by more than a few minutes. I have come in late afternoon (~4pm) on Saturday several times and made the connection to the Cayman Express flight to LC at 5pm with 10-20 minutes to spare. If you are coming in earlier in the day on Saturday and trying to catch an earlier flight to LC, you might need to budget more time as customs and security can get quite backed up midday. If you are wanting to go to LC, I would book your Cayman Express flights as soon as you know your schedule, as they quite often get completely booked well in advance.

As for the question of GC versus LC, it really depends. If you know for absolute certain you will never go back to the Caymans, and your priority is getting the best diving, it is a no brainer that you should choose Little Cayman. If you have non-divers in your group, or consider getting out and partying with the local nightlife or going shopping to be an important part of a successful vacation, then it might be better to go to Grand to keep all parties in your group happy. Grand has some very good diving, but in my opinion, LC is the best wall diving in the Caribbean.

 

[South4Scuba]

I have never dived Grand Cayman . . . because we absolutely love Little Cayman. We have overnighted in Grand Cayman several times and it just as described above. Good nightlife, restaurants and hotels. We have been to Little Cayman Beach Resort numerous times and we like it more every time we go. If I was making the trip to The Caymans I would go to Little Cayman.

The airport can get a little crazy on Saturdays. As long as your incoming flight is not late you should be able to make a connection in about 90 minutes or less. We've flown in from Houston with a 45 minute layover and made a flight to Little Cayman. You have to understand that they run the express planes a little different over there. You will not necessarily be on the exact flight number you book. They load each plane to the max and keep flying until dark. They will put you on anything that heads out if there is a seat. If you are heading over to Little Cayman you can usually bypass the big crowd at customs by going through the Resident or Inter-Island Customs Area. I'm not sure if it is offically approved, but if they don't kick you out you just saved 20 to 30 minutes.

Of course, another option is to leave on Friday and overnight in Grand Cayman. Hotels are about $175 but the peace of mind and empty airport on Saturday morning are priceless!! This is about the only way we travel to Little Cayman anymore.

I would not expect March to have winds unless there is a late season cold front that moves in from the north. Little Cayman has diving on the south side of the island if the wind blows out of the north too much. The north diving (Great Wall) is much better but you can get wet on the south side.

 

[KathyV]

We like both. We prefer diving in the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and we enjoy experiencing the topside attractions of Grand Cayman.

We try to spend time on GC before going over to CB or LC to dive. When we are on GC we like to snorkel and we may do a few dives because there is good diving around GC but I think that Bloody Bay wall off of Little Cayman is the best diving in the Caribbean.

As others have said it depends on what you are looking for - if you want a dedicated dive trip with excellent diving on a quiet, relaxed island then go to LC. If you want to enjoy the fun and food and attractions of a beautiful, tropical island that also includes good diving - then go to GC.

You will have fun whatever you decide.

 

[Kharon]

I was on GC last Sept with a group that only dove the west side and mostly the Eden Rock/Devil's Grotto area. It was a waste of money and time. I've heard that the north east and south are really good, but I've also heard that LGC or CB are far, far better.