My daughter and I have dreamed of going to the Grand Cayman Turtle Centre for years. Years! Finally, this past summer we visited Grand Cayman during our Western Caribbean Cruise on the Carnival Dream.
Now, like always, I had researched ahead of time and I knew that a percentage (likely a high percentage) of the turtles at the “farm” are raised to be sent to market. I tried to ignore that reality because honestly, my giddiness over being able to hold a sea turtle made me feel justified. I tried to remind myself that it was just a part of their culture to eat turtle meat. The Grand Cayman Turtle Centre also explains that by providing the turtle meat it eliminates the need to hunt (or would it be fish?) for the endangered turtles.
At the end of the day, we had an experience that we will likely never have anywhere else. We not only learned about the turtles but we held them and Meghan swam alongside them in a “lagoon”.
Take-Aways from the Grand Cayman Turtle Centre.
1. Get the same pass for everyone
Yes, it is twice as expensive but if there are people in your group that want to swim with the turtles I suggest all springing for the adventure pass. Especially if you are a small group/family.My daughter and I wanted to explore every inch but the rest of our group were a little less excited. I purchased the “Adventure” for Meghan and myself but the rest of our group didn’t feel the need to purchase the advanced experience. So, after exploring the hatchery and the touch tanks, they waited in the Schooner Restaurant for us to check out the pool area and for Meghan to swim in the lagoon. In hindsight, we should have just all sprung for the adventure ticket so that we could have spent more time overall at the centre instead of trying to rush through to re-join the rest of our family. Of course, the adventure price is more than double the “Exploration” fee, so you’ll need to make the decision that is right for your group. I’ve provided the ticket details with links at the bottom of the post.
2. Bathing Suit Optional
If you spring for the adventure ticket, bring your swim attire. You will have the opportunity to swim/snorkel in a lagoon alongside sea turtles and other fish. There is also a pool and slide on property that you can utilize. (Lockers and facilities are available). Swim attire is not needed in the touch tank area the water is about thigh level to an adult. So you definitely wouldn’t want to wear pants of anything that wasn’t at least splash proof.
3. The holding tanks and touch tanks
The tanks were very small which made us sad for the animals. But there is no way you could do anything but smile while holding one of these beautiful creatures. They are magnificent. I wish all of these little turtles were out swimming in the ocean instead of a concrete kiddy pool. The touch tanks were very similar in size to the touch tanks at Sea World and other tourist locations.
4. Newborn Turtles are Amazing.
Turtles lay their eggs several feet down in the sand and the baby turtles spend their first 7-10 days climbing their way to the surface and then…they have to shimmy their way over the sand making their way to the ocean. Nature is amazing. They have such a literal uphill battle at birth. The newly hatched turtles somehow imprint the exact location and return once they are mature to lay their own eggs in the same location. Amazing!
5. I wish we would have learned more.
The centre had informational signage and an educational video in the hatchery but I wish they would have had more employees circulating and conversing/educating guests in a more direct way.
Grand Cayman Turtle Centre Ticket Details:
Turtle Centre Exploration Tour – $ Check site for current pricing
This tour gives visitors access to:
The Green’s Genesis Pond
Turtle Touch Tanks
Smiley’s Saltwater Lagoon
Stingray’s Playground
The Education Centre & Hatchery
Schooner’s Bar and Grill
Turtle Adventure Tour $ – Check the website for current pricing.
The Adventure includes all of the Exploration features as well as:
Turtle Lagoon
Predator Reef
Caribbean Free Flight Aviary
Breaker’s Lagoon
Blue Hole Nature Trail
Cayman Street
*There is also a large gift shop accessible with either pass. We did not explore the free flight aviary area during our visit. So, if you check it out on your trip, be sure to comment below and let me know what you thought.
Will we go again?
Now that we have had time to let it sink in…..Will we go again? I waited 3 months to write this review so that I would be sure of this answer, yet I’m still a little unsure. While we both loved the educational opportunity and holding a sea turtle was a magical experience…we both agreed that it really shouldn’t be our human experience. Sea turtles should be free and wild. They shouldn’t be man-handled and cramped in tiny concrete pools (yes, I feel the same about factory farms) or swim in man-made lagoons. For these reasons, I think that we should treat it for what it was, a once in a lifetime experience. We learned a lot and our love of these amazing creatures grew even more.
Would I recommend the Grand Cayman Turtle Centre to others?
As for you? I can honestly tell you that seeing nature in all of its beauty, up close and personal, is life changing. I hope that anyone who visits The Cayman Turtle Centre or a similar educational facility will go on to do a little more outside of that experience. Maybe it will get you to pick up that piece of trash at the beach, purchase sustainably caught seafood and care just a little more about the world in which we are a very small part. If these facilities can change a mind or a heart, it is absolutely worth the $45 again and again.
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Happy Travels!
Jillian