George Town, Grand Cayman

It’s 2023 and after an extra two years traveling around the U.S. we are ready to start traveling to other countries again. We began with a nice Christmas week at my parent’s house in southern Florida. So glad we always look at the weather reports before we travel because a serious cold front came through while we were there. Brrr…

We usually go walking each morning when we visit but it was a bit challenging this time. So strange to have to bundle up in a puffy jacket and beanie to go for a morning walk in Florida. Even the locals and wildlife were having a hard time.

By the time we were ready to head off on our latest adventure it had warmed up. We drove a few hours south to Fort Lauderdale and boarded a cruise ship heading to the Panama Canal.

We had booked this cruise years ago and were supposed to go in March of 2020, but, of course, that was the month when the whole world shut down.

Back in 2020 Princess cruiseline cancelled our cruise, reimbursed us, and gave us cruise credits that had to be used by December 31, 2022. So, here we are, finally starting our international travels after an extra couple of years exploring the U.S. It seems only fitting that we begin our foreign adventure where we left off.

Since Covid, Princess Cruises has updated their ships and the whole cruise experience with new, touchless features. To begin with, we had to download their app to our phone and do all of our pre-boarding paperwork online. We also took our own pictures for their security system and uploaded our proof of vaccination and passport information.

Once everything was done, we were able to pick the time slot to board – no more showing up at the cruise port with thousands of other people all trying to board at the same time. It was so much more efficient and nicer to take care of everything at home instead of at the check-in counter at the port. At check-in we were given a medallion (instead of a key card) on a lanyard to wear around the ship, though we could have had that mailed to our home instead to make things go even faster.

When we got to the port we breezed through security and check-in. I think it took us less than 20 minutes total time until we were heading on to the ship.

Exploring the ship on our first day we quickly noticed some of the changes implemented since Covid. To begin with, there were sinks at every entrance to the buffet. In the past we only saw hand sanitizer bottles.

Also, by wearing the medallion everywhere we had a touchless experience everywhere. When we walked up to a bar, or if a server approached us, our pictures (the ones we took at home) would pop up on their iPad. When we ordered they would charge us by tapping on our picture on their ipad, no need to hand over a key card to swipe.

The other cool upgrade is that our medallion recognized when we were close to our cabin. As we approached the door would automatically unlock. Very cool technology.

After a day at sea our first port of call was George Town, the capital city of the Cayman Islands, a British territory. George Town is on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands, and the most populous.

According to Wikipedia, “it is believed that they (the Cayman Islands) were discovered by Christopher Columbus on 10 May 1503 during his final voyage to the Americas. He named them ‘Las Tortugas’ due to the large number of turtles found on the islands (which were soon hunted to near-extinction).”

“England took formal control of the Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, as a result of the Treaty of Madrid of 1670.” – Wikipedia

“The official language of the Cayman Islands is English (90%). It is also quite commonplace to hear some residents converse in Spanish as many citizens have relocated from Latin America to work and live on Grand Cayman.” – Wikipedia

Fort George is right next to the port. It will be one of the first things you see when enter town.

“Fort George was built some time around 1790 by Caymanians for the defence of these Islands from attacks by Spanish marauders from Cuba.” – Sign at Fort George

George Town is a very small, walkable town. There is really not much to see in town, a few souveneir shops, a museum, library, and a whole lot of bank buildings.

“The economy of the Cayman Islands is dominated by financial services and tourism, together accounting for 50-60% of Gross Domestic Product. The nation’s low tax rates have led to it being used as a tax haven for corporations; there are 100,000 companies registered in the Cayman Islands, more than the population itself. The Cayman Islands have come under criticism for allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes, including a 2016 statement by former US president Barack Obama that described a particular building which was the registered address of over 12,000 corporations as a “tax scam”.” – Wikipedia

If you plan to come here we suggest you spend some time on the beautiful white sand beaches along Seven Mile Beach (named one of the Ultimate Beaches by Caribbean Travel and Life). Sadly, Seven Mile Beach is really only 5.5 miles long now due to errosion over the years.

Or take a tour out to Stingray City to swim with stingrays, a very popular activity. Or take a trip to Hell, a town about 40 min. outside of George Town. Or visit the Tortuga Rum Cake factory. Pretty much do anything other than walk around George Town when you are in port.

Our ship left the Cayman Islands and headed to South America. More on that adventure next time.