After our incredible albeit very long and tiring Marvel Day at Sea onboard the beautiful Disney Dream, a much more chilled and relaxed day was definitely needed which thankfully is exactly what we got. When we first woke up on this morning, we were already anchored in Grand Cayman and it looked like it was going to be even more relaxed than what we thought as it was raining heavily and you could barely even see George Town and if the weather had stayed like that, we would have remained onboard that day. However luckily for us (and as is usual in the Caribbean), an hour later there was bright blue skies and sunshine and it turned into the most beautiful day of our entire trip so far.

As it had been such a late night the evening before, we definitely needed a lazy start to the day and as we did not have much planned that morning, we sat in bed making the most of the mobile data that we had on our phones. Whilst we did have some plans in Grand Cayman that day, we were in no rush to get off the ship immediately – the tender boats to the shore started operating at 8:30am – and we had decided to wait until open tenders were announced as it would save us from having to go to the Walt Disney Theatre to sit and wait our turn to disembark. A copy of the tendering information is left for you the evening before in your stateroom and it is also available on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app as well.

Once we had showered and got dressed, our first stop of the morning was the D Lounge on Deck 4 at 9:45am for our Heroic Encounters: HQ character meet and greet that we had booked online thirty days before our cruise. It was so quiet compared to the day before on Marvel Day at Sea (there was always a huge line whenever we walked past) as most people were already off the ship at this time and we waited less than five minutes to meet both Spiderman who taught us how to shoot webs as well as Iron Man.

After having a quiet breakfast sat on the outside deck of Cabanas in the warm sunshine, we walked around Decks 12 and 13 and enjoyed the views looking towards Grand Cayman. Compared to first thing that morning when it had been raining, it was such a perfect day and I was looking forward to getting off the ship and exploring George Town.

Open tendering was announced at 11:00am so once we were ready, we grabbed our bags along with our Key to the World cards and driving licences and walked down to Deck 1 forward and straight onto an empty tender boat. The journey to the pier only takes a few minutes and from where we were sat, we had a perfect view of the Disney Dream.

The last time we visited Grand Cayman was back in 2017 when we sailed onboard the Disney Wonder and we had loved our time on the island. On that trip we had taken one of the brilliant local buses and visited Hell but our plans for this day were very simple as we were simply planning on exploring George Town on foot which we had not done before.

It was also a perfect day to walk around George Town as the only other ship in port with us was the much smaller Oceania Sirena so there were no crowds anywhere at all and it was very peaceful and quiet.

To begin our free self-guided walking tour of George Town, we turned right when leaving the Royal Watler Pier and walked along Seafarers Way (which is also known as Harbour Drive on some maps) towards the beautiful Elmslie Memorial United Church which was built in the 1920’s by Captain Rayal Bodden who designed the roof inside in the form of a ship’s hull turned upside down.

We continued walking slowly along the waterfront where we not only got a great view looking back towards George Town across Hog Sty Bay but also a great unobstructed view of the Disney Dream anchored in the harbour.

Our next stop was the Bayshore Mall to look at the Stingray Fountain before crossing Goring Avenue to the Cayman Islands National Museum which is located inside one of the oldest buildings in the Cayman Islands dating back to 1830 and was once a courthouse, a jail as well as a post office before becoming a museum.

We then walked along Cardinal Avenue past the Island Plaza shopping area as well as many other shops, bars and restaurants – it was so quiet here and there was hardly anyone to be seen.

In 1939 Captain Rayal Bodden also built the Central Post Office which is located at the far end of Cardinal Avenue on the corner of Edward Street and was the very first post office in the Cayman Islands.

The endangered Blue Iguana is native to Grand Cayman (it was once critically endangered as there were less than thirty of them left in the world) and there is a statue of one called Blu just across the road from the post office.

After making a quick stop at Starbucks on Edward Street to buy a Cayman Islands mug and walking past the Public Transit Bus Depot, we reached the George Town Public Library which was also built by Captain Rayal Bodden in 1939. Opposite the library is Heroes Square where you can find many statues including one called “Tradition” remembering those who lost their lives at sea, one called “Aspiration” in tribute to the women of the Cayman Islands as well as a “Wall of Honour” which lists the names of five hundred Caymanians who over the years have contributed to the growth and improvement of the Cayman Islands.

Opposite the square on Fort Street is the 1919 Peace Memorial (also known as Constitution Hall) which was built in 1923 by Captain Rayal Bodden and has been used over the years as a town hall, a courthouse, an assembly room as well as a memorial to honour those who gave their lives in the first World War. In front of the building is a Clock Tower which was built in 1937 in memory of King George V.

The House of Parliament which opened in 1972 is also located on Fort Street where the government of the Cayman Islands meets and when parliament is in session, you are able to watch the proceedings from the public viewing gallery.

We then walked along Fort Street back to Seafarers Way where Fort George (named after George III) is located next to the Royal Watler Pier. This was built in 1790 to defend Grand Cayman from Cuban piracy attacks and today there is a replica cannon, a lookout post as well as a mural depicting scenes from Fort George’s history.

After our mini walking tour of George Town which had taken us just under an hour to complete, we were both ready for some lunch as well as a cold drink. We made our way along the waterfront and past the very tiny Balboa Beach which is the closest beach to the tender boats and the Royal Watler Pier.

Rackam’s Waterfront Restaurant and Bar is located a five minute walk from the Royal Watler terminal and it really is in a perfect location with great views across the water and back towards George Town – and a pretty great view of the Disney Dream as well! I had read good reviews of Rackams online and they had a great food and drinks menu so we knew we had to visit whilst we were in Grand Cayman.

As it was such a hot and humid day, we were thankfully able to get a table in the shade and I ordered a delicious and refreshing Spicy Pineapple Margarita as well as some incredible Tuna Spring Rolls to eat – they were simply amazing!

It was also great fun as we sat there eating our lunch to watch people feeding any leftover food to the tarpon fish below – there is a sign saying that it’s okay to feed the fish but not to feed any iguanas, birds, lizards or chickens.

Our time in Grand Cayman was short and sweet but it was perfect and exactly what we wanted after our long and tiring Marvel Day at Sea the day before. We plan to be back in Grand Cayman again next year on the brand new Disney Treasure and we already have something completely new and different planned for our time on the island and I cannot wait!

When we reached the pier, we waited about ten minutes for a tender boat as there was already a line of people which moved quickly and we were given cold towels whilst we waited which felt heavenly – there was also fruit water available which we sat and drank on the tender ride back to the Disney Dream. We were back onboard the ship at 2:30pm and I also found out that there was a total of 3768 passengers onboard the Dream for this sailing which is one of the busiest cruises that we have ever done.

Our all aboard time was not until 4:00pm so as we were back onboard early, we got changed and made our way up to Satellite Falls at the front of Deck 13 to have a chilled and lazy afternoon in the sunshine. It is one of my favourite places to be on the ship (and I really missed it when we sailed on the Disney Wish last year) and it’s also a great spot to enjoy some peace and quiet as no one under eighteen is allowed in this area – in fact I even fell asleep when I was laying on one of the loungers as I could not keep my eyes open!

All of the horns were blasted at 4:50pm and we headed back down to our stateroom shortly afterwards to enjoy a Mimosa (using our complimentary bottle of Prosecco from being Platinum Castaway Club members and some orange juice from Cabanas) on our verandah as we sailed away from the Cayman Islands.

After having a shower and getting dressed ready for the evening, we walked back up to Deck 13 as it was Happy Hour in Currents from 6:00pm and this is one of the best places on the ship to watch the sunset with a drink in hand. As it was Pirate Night onboard, it was very quiet up on deck as most people were either at dinner at this time, watching a magician in the Walt Disney Theatre or meeting the characters in their pirate costumes.

After we had finished our drinks, we walked down one deck to grab our spot about twenty minutes early ready for the Mickey’s Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party at 7:30pm. One of the many reasons why we love the second dinner seating so much (apart from being able to enjoy empty and quiet swimming pools late in the afternoon and the various happy hours as well as the sunset each night) is being able to watch the shows that take place up on deck between the two dinner seatings with a great view and without having to rush through dinner to get there on time.

I have written about the Mickey’s Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party so many times over the years and yes I still love it just as much as the first time I ever saw it back on our first cruise onboard the Disney Dream in 2016. It is definitely worth getting there a little bit early to get a good view.

Once the show had finished, we dropped our cameras back off in our stateroom before walking down to Enchanted Garden on Deck 2 for dinner. In the past I have never been much of a fan of the Pirate Night menu onboard, however I will admit that I actually really do enjoy it now. I had the spicy Sri Sumbhajee’s Vegetable Samosa and the amazing Deep Fried Calypso Crab Cake to start before having the delicious Shanghaied Noodle Stir Fry for my main course.

After dinner we walked a lap of Deck 4 before slowly making our way back up to Deck 13 ready for the Buccaneer Blast fireworks at 10:15pm – one of the great features of sailing on a Marvel Day at Sea cruise is two nights of fireworks! On the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, our favourite place to watch the fireworks is from the “bump out” on Deck 13 forward as the view is great and it is usually very quiet and you can also sit down on the sun loungers that are there whilst waiting for the fireworks to start.

The Pirate Night buffet no longer exists onboard any of the ships now so once the fireworks had finished, we walked back down to the lobby atrium as I wanted to take a photo of the incredible Pirate Night display at Guest Services before making our way back to our stateroom where we were greeted with a giant and incredible Davy Jones made of pillows, a blanket and two chocolate coins.

I really wish that I could fall asleep as quickly as I do on a cruise ship in everyday life as I do not remember my head hitting the pillow that night! It had been a great day back in Grand Cayman – somewhere that we were originally not expecting to be on this trip after our original cruise was sadly cancelled but everything happens for a reason and it had been a truly perfect day!

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