Hi Everyone,
I know there has been concern for some on this board about when Grand Cayman would be reopening its port to cruise traffic. I received this press release and thought many of you would find it helpful:

Cayman Set For Rebound

With All Hurricane Damage Reports Assessed, Cayman's Tourism Partners
Work Together for Revitalization

NEW YORK, Oct. 18
Weeks after Hurricane Ivan made its way through the Caribbean,
recovery and rebuilding efforts are underway in Grand Cayman. With two
of the three islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, welcoming
visitors, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism continues to assess
damages and has announced that the latest reports indicate that 25% of
properties are currently open for business.

The Cayman Islands Tourism Associations (CITA) strongly expects that
50% of the properties will resume business operations in the next 3
months. A few properties will remain closed for extensive renovations
into next year such as the main side of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman
and Morritt's Tortuga Club & Resort. All properties will be
re-inspected and re-licensed by the Department of Tourism before the
Government will invite tourists back to Grand Cayman.

Cruise tourism is also expected to resume reduced scale operations by
early November with two to three ships in port.

Currently the destination is focused on debris removal, replacement of
lost housing for local residents and economic recovery. "Our
commitment is to our guests' experience on island. We want to ensure
that when we invite people back that the natural beauty of our people
and our shores are restored," said Pilar Bush, Acting Director of
Tourism.

Thanks to the joint efforts and strong communications between the
Cayman Islands Government, Department of Tourism, Department of
Environment, and Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) immediately
following the storm, all damages were quickly assessed and repairs and
recovery are well underway for Grand Cayman.

Located 480 miles south of Miami in the quiet western Caribbean, the
Cayman Islands is a trio of tiny islands. It is a premier destination
for discriminating travelers, honeymooners and families. World
renowned for its beaches and diving spots, and ranked as the world's
fifth largest financial center, the Cayman Islands offer exciting
recreational opportunities along with friendly, high quality, modern
service. To learn more about the Cayman Islands, visit
http://www.caymanislands.ky or http://www.divecayman.ky or call your
local travel agent.

Thanks for the update Nancy - That makes me hopeful that I will be able to visit as planned.
Suzi

Nancy,
Thanks very much for providing the Cayman update
Cathy

HI
Has anyone got up to date information on Grand Cayman?
I've been tracking RCI website but as of today the change of itinerary link has been remove.
The Link NancyN supplied has got some information but nothing certin.
Many Thanks in advance

Try the links for the Cayman Islands in the first post above. Also, there is another thread dealing with hurricane damage - see "Labadee" in the Royal Caribbean forum, and scroll up to Raoul's post.

Hi Fellow CC'ers,
I posted information about Carnival resuming calls at Grand Cayman on Oct 30 and Princess to follow suit on Nov. 6. on another GC thread (Resuming Stops in Grand cayman?). If you want the specifics, check out my post on that thread.
Nancy

Here is an Update to my Update that I just received from the Cayman Island Port Authority:

The Government announced on Thursday that cruise ships will resume visits to Grand Cayman beginning on Monday, 1 November, 2004.

A maximum of two cruise ships will be permitted in port during the first two weeks of November. The first two weeks will be closely monitored and, upon a satisfactory assessment of the situation and facilities, additional ships will be added as deemed appropriate.

It is expected that the number of ships in port in the second half of November will reach a maximum of three or four ships.

The Hon. McKeeva Bush, Leader of Government Business and Minister for Tourism, said, “I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone for all their efforts, including the many clean-up crews island wide, and I ask that each and every resident do their part in ensuring a warm and friendly Caymanian welcome to our cruise ship visitors on their return next week. I, for one, look forward to seeing those sparkling ships in our waters once again.”

The following schedule of forthcoming cruise ship visits was released by the Port Authority:

Mon, Nov 1 2004: Imagination
Inspiration

Tue, Nov 2 2004: Summit
Norwegian Spirit

Wed, Nov 3 2004: Carnival Triumph
Navigator of the Seas

Thu, Nov 4 2004: Carnival Conquest
Oosterdam

Fri, Nov 5 2004: Radiance of the Seas

Sat, Nov 6 2004: Coral Princess

Sun, Nov 7 2004: Seven Seas Navigator

Mon, Nov 8 2004: Norwegian Sun
Splendour of the Seas

Tue, Nov 9 2004: Carnival Miracle
Disney Magic

Wed, Nov 10 2004: Imagination
Inspiration

Thu, Nov 11 2004: Carnival Conquest
Carnival Victory
Mariner of the Seas
Star Princess

Fri, Nov 12 2004: Explorer of the Seas

Sat, Nov 13 2004: Volendam
Zaandam

Nancy,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the posts on both Grand Cayman threads. This makes me very hopeful that all will be a go for my trip.
Yippee!
Suzi

Suzi,
You are very welcome. I know how you feel. I will be on a cruise Dec. 3 and one of our ports of call was to be GC. I am now optimisitc that we will be able to call there.
Nancy

Well, the port schedule for Grand Cayman is up for December and according to this schedule, it looks like the Brilliance will not be calling on GC, Dec 5 as I had hoped. I am now hoping that it just hasn't been completely updated yet. Here is the link to the port authority, in case you might want to check out your ship:

http://www.caymanport.com/schedule.htm

Nancy

Hmmm, I just checked the GC Port Authority cruise ship schedule again this morning and now the Brilliance IS scheduled to visit GC - but on Dec. 11, rather than the original Sun, Dec 5 date. Wonder how that will effect the rest of the schedule?
Nancy

NancyN:
Do you know of any more current information related to the status of Cayman Islands for a Western Caribbean cruise in Jan/February?
Thanks!

Kandi, both Nancy and I were on Grand Cayman Island a few weeks ago. The damage right downtown is almost back to completely repaired. 7-Mile Beach itself is in good shape with lots of sand, but from the road inland there is still a huge amount off debris. Many of the properties on 7-Mile Beach remain closed and as they were right after the hurricane. There is substantial damage outside of Georgetown. We toured the area of the island where the hurricane hit and there is still total devastation with boats, cars, appliances and debris piled everywhere.

I hope to publish some pictures to PortReviews.com within the next few days.

Tom

To add to what Tom has already mentioned. I just checked the Cayman Port Authority cruise ship schedule and it looks like they plan to be fully operational in Jan/Feb. But, it will be interesting to see how much more of the island has been restored (I will be returning there on a cruise in Feb and will make a comparison at that time).
Nancy

Tom and Nancy:
Thanks for your informative and timely reply. Sorry for duplicate e-mails. I was not aware of this "port" chat site.

Thanks again, we'll try Western this time.
"kandl"