Getting There

By Plane

The main gateway to the Cayman Islands is through Grand Cayman. Flights to Grand Cayman Island land at Owen Roberts Airport (tel. 345/949-5252). The airport lies just east of George Town, the capital, and is only a short taxi ride from most of the hotels along Seven Mile Beach. Customs can be aggressive at times, and you'll need to show a firmly booked hotel reservation and an ongoing or return ticket.

The Department of Tourism operates an information bureau (tel. 345/949-2635), which is open daily from 11am to 9pm, right at the airport. You'll also find ATMs in the airport, which can dispense money in either Cayman Island or U.S. dollars.

From the United States -- The Cayman Islands are easily accessible. Flying time from Miami is 1 hour 20 minutes; from Houston, 2 hours 45 minutes; from Tampa, 1 hour 40 minutes; and from Atlanta, 1 hour 30 minutes. Only a handful of nonstop flights are available from the U.S. Midwest, so most visitors use Miami as their gateway.

Cayman Airways (tel. 800/422-9626 in the U.S. and Canada, or 345/949-2311; www.caymanairways.com) offers the most frequent service to Grand Cayman, with three daily flights from Miami, six flights a week from Tampa, three nonstop flights a week from Houston and New York (JFK), and twice weekly from Orlando.

Many visitors also fly to Grand Cayman on American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), which offers direct nonstop flights from Miami to Grand Cayman daily. Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com) flies to Grand Cayman from Detroit and Memphis. US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) offers daily nonstop flights from Charlotte, North Carolina. On Saturday and Sunday they also fly to George Town from Philadelphia. Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) flies daily into Grand Cayman from its hub in Atlanta. Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com) offers service between its Houston hub and Grand Cayman on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It also flies from Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday.

From Canada -- Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca) flies nonstop from Toronto to George Town twice weekly, on Wednesday and Sunday. The flight takes 4 hours.

From the U.K. -- British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS in the U.S. or 0870/859-9850 in the U.K.; www.britishairways.com) has direct flights from London's Heathrow to Grand Cayman on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with returning flights on the same days. The plane touches down briefly at Nassau in the Bahamas (or perhaps San Juan, Puerto Rico). Total flight time is 10 hours. British Airways also flies twice daily from Heathrow to Miami, where continuing flights can be booked on Cayman Airways into George Town. Trip time to Miami is 8 1/2 hours.

Getting into Town from the Airport -- Plenty of taxis meet all arriving planes. The government sets taxi fares, which apply to one to three passengers sharing a ride. Each additional person (additional to a group of three) pays 25% of the fare. Typical prices (subject to change) are as follows: US$15 (£7.55) from the airport to the southern end of Seven Mile Beach; US$28 (£15) from the airport to the northern end of Seven Mile Beach; US$65 (£34) from the airport to the East End; and US$65 (£34) from the airport to Rum Point on the north shore.

To protect taxi drivers and their livelihood, the government doesn't allow buses to run back and forth between town and the airport.

Many car-rental companies operate kiosks in the airport. It's best to reserve before flying to Grand Cayman.

By Cruise Ship

Here's a brief rundown of some of the major cruise lines that serve the Caribbean. For more detailed information, pick up a copy of Frommer's Caribbean Cruises & Ports of Call.

Booking a Cruise -- If you've developed a relationship with a favorite travel agency, then by all means, leave the details to the tried-and-true specialists. Many agents will propose a package deal that includes airfare to your port of embarkation. It's possible to purchase your air ticket on your own and book your cruise ticket separately, but in most cases you'll save big bucks by combining the fares into a package deal.

You're also likely to save money -- sometimes lots of money -- by contacting a specialist who focuses on cruise bookings. He or she will be able to match you with a cruise line whose style suits you, and can also steer you toward any special sales or promotions.

Here are some travel agencies to consider: Cruises Inc. (tel. 888/218-4228 or 800/854-0500; www.cruiseinc.com), CruisesOnly (tel. 800/278-4737; www.cruisesonly.com), The Cruise Company (tel. 800/289-5505 or 402/339-6800; www.thecruisecompany.com), Kelly Cruises (tel. 800/837-7447 or 630/990-1111; www.kellycruises.com), Hartford Holidays Travel (tel. 800/828-4813 or 516/746-6670; www.hartfordholidays.com), and Mann Travel and Cruises (tel. 866/591-8129; www.manntravels.com). Cruise lines don't profit if their megaships don't fill up near peak capacity, so price wars pop up all the time. The companies listed above are tuned in to last-minute sales resulting from the price wars.

You're likely to sail to the Caymans from Miami, which has become the cruise capital of the world. Other departure ports in Florida include Port Everglades (at Fort Lauderdale), Port Canaveral, and Tampa.

Cruise Lines

Holland America Line (tel. 800/426-0327; www.hollandamerica.com): Holland America offers the most Old World-style cruise experience of the mainstream lines, aboard a fleet of respectably hefty and good-looking ships. The cruise line offers solid value, with few jolts or surprises, and attracts a solid, well-grounded clientele of primarily older travelers (so late-night revelers and serious partiers might want to book cruises on other lines, such as Carnival). Seven- and 10- to 14-day cruises stop at deep-water mainstream ports throughout the Caribbean, including Key West, Grand Cayman, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Curaçao, Barbados, and St. Thomas. Although younger faces are starting to pepper the mix in greater numbers, most HAL passengers still tend to be low-key, fairly sedentary 55-plus North American couples. Only about 30 or 40 people per cruise will be traveling solo.

Getting into Town from the Cruise Ship Terminal -- Cruise ships anchor off George Town and then ferry passengers to the terminals along Harbour Drive, which is in the heart of the shopping and sightseeing attractions. The waters are often choppy here, so anticipate a rough ride. The Grand Cayman tourist office dispenses information from a little kiosk at the pier when cruise ships arrive. Taxis line up to meet arriving passengers. If you need to call home, there's a phone center accepting credit cards nearby along Shedden Road.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Portable Cayman Islands, 3rd Edition Author: Darwin Porter Pub Date: September 24, 2007 Price: $12.99				Related Titles: Bahamas For Dummies, 4th Edition Caribbean For Dummies, 4th Edition Frommer's Bahamas 2008