Grand Cayman

July 7 - 14 (3 rooms left)2012

 (July 14 - 21, Sold out)2012

December 15-22 2012

July 13-20 and July 20-27 2013 Early Booking Discount book now and save.

About Grand Cayman
Kids Sea Camp is very excited to welcome you and your family to the beautiful Island of Grand Cayman. The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory located in the Western Caribbean, 480 miles south of Miami, Florida, 150 miles south of Cuba and 180 miles northwest of Jamaica. By jet, the Cayman Islands are only a 70 minute direct flight from Miami.

The Cayman Islands offer much more than gentle splendors of sun, sand and sea. Unique heritage attractions include the Cayman Turtle Farm, the world's only commercial Green Sea Turtle farm and Pedro St. James Historic Site with its restored 19th century plantation great house. Learn Cayman's unique history at the National Museum, marvel at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and gardens or visit the National Trust and learn about historic buildings, bird sanctuaries, wetlands reserves and nature trails.

What else is there to do? Bicycling, horseback riding or a game of golf. Shop until you drop in chic shops, duty free emporiums and art galleries or just drop into a hammock and soak up our perpetual Caribbean sun.

Government
The Cayman Islands highest official is the Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Duncan Taylor, CVO, who is the appointed representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He presides over Cabinet, the ruling body of the country which consists of three officials and five elected members. The Governor's term is four years. The existing constitution of the Cayman Islands, introduced on August 22, 1972, provides for the government of the Cayman Islands as a British Overseas Territory.

Currency
The Cayman Islands has its own currency, first issued in 1972, whose basic unit is the dollar, issued in notes with denominations of CI $100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 and coins valued at 25 cents, 10, 5 and 1 cent. The CI dollar has a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar of CI$1.00 equals US$1.25. There is no need for visitors to exchange their US dollars into local currency. The US dollar is accepted throughout the islands at a rate of CI 80 cents. However, this can be confusing to visitors: for example, a US$20 note becomes CI$16. Banks do NOT give a better rate of exchange! Major credit cards (with the exception of the Discover Card) and traveller’s checks are widely accepted. Canadian dollars, Euro dollars and pounds sterling can be exchanged for CI dollars at local banks. In addition, Automatic Teller Machines accepting VISA and MasterCard with Cirrus affiliation are located at Cayman National Bank and other banks and at Owen Roberts International Airport as well as a few other locations such as the grocery stores. Diner’s club is not accepted on the island.

Geography

Size Isn't Everything!

The total land mass of the three islands is 100 square miles. Grand Cayman occupies 76 square miles; Cayman Brac, 14 square miles and Little Cayman, 10 square miles. Grand Cayman is approximately 22 miles long and 8 miles at its widest point, reaching a maximum elevation of 79.77 feet in North Side.

National Song/Symbols

National Song: Beloved Isle Cayman
National Tree: The Silver Thatch Palm

National Bird: The Grand Cayman Parrot
National Flower: The Wild Banana Orchid

History

Christopher Columbus discovered Little Cayman and Cayman Brac during his fourth and last voyage to the New World, on May 10, 1503 when severe winds pushed his ships off course west. The ship's log reported "... we were in sight of two very small islands, full of tortoise, as was the sea about, inasmuch as they looked like little rocks." Consequently, Columbus named the islands Las Tortugas after the abundant sea turtles sighted.

The islands were later named Lagartos, meaning alligator or large lizard and finally, the name Caymanas was applied around 1540, derived from the Carib word for marine crocodile. This name in a modified form has remained since the late 16th century.

During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the islands were replenishment centers supplying abundant fresh water and food; including sea turtles and wild fowl. English, Dutch, French and Spanish explorers, buccaneers and ships plying the Spanish Main route all passed through to make use of these services.

The islands came under British control in 1655 when Jamaica was captured from the Spanish by Oliver Cromwell's army. They officially became part of the British Empire under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670, after which Spain recognized British possession of "all lands, islands, colonies and places situated in the West Indies." For almost 300 years after that, the islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica.

The first royal land grant in Grand Cayman - signaling the beginning of permanent settlement - was recorded around 1700. Others would follow until 1742. These settlements included the use of slaves, (although slavery was limited and never reached harsh and oppressive conditions which existed elsewhere in the Caribbean). About this time, the population of Grand Cayman was 400.

Today, tourism and the international financial industry form the basis of Cayman's strong economy and prosperity. The Cayman Islands is recognized as the "birthplace" of the modern sport of recreational scuba diving in 1957, when the legendary Bob Soto opened the Caribbean's first dive shop on Grand Cayman.

The country's Tourist Board was formed in 1966, launching the country's early serious efforts at tourism promotion overseas. It was the precedent for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, which was created by the Tourism Law of 1974.

The country's successful offshore financial industry dates back to 1966 when the first banking and trust laws were passed, laying the foundation for the modern banking and financial services industry which exists today.

For more information, please visit http://www.caymanislands.ky/.

REMINDER: ALL US PASSPORTS MUST BE VALID FOR UP 6 SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION DATE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY. AIRLINES ARE ENFORCING THIS

All schedules, itineraries and package inclusions are subject to change.