From Gary Sorenson, Morris Murdock Travel, The Spectrum

Caribbean cruise offers entertainment, food and plenty of sun

As our tour boat anchored, we were seated on the top deck, looking at the incredible blue colors of the Caribbean Sea. Then we saw them, huge dark shadows swimming a few feet beneath the surface.

Stingrays were all over. The crystal clear water made it easy to spot the gentle giants gliding through the inviting Caribbean water. It was amazing to look at the stingrays from the boat. Now, it was time to get in the water with them!

Spring break brought our family back together again for a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Lori and I had been looking forward to this family trip for more than a year, since the time we booked it.

Our adventure started in the City of New Orleans, as we boarded the beautiful Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Navigator of the Seas. The first few hours of the cruise were spent on the mighty Mississippi River, as we continually passed barges and freighters headed up river. Then we moved onto the expansive Gulf of Mexico, which doesn’t look so big on a map but took a day and a half to cross.

During the two days at sea before we reached our first port, we filled the time with ice skating (yes, the ship has an ice rink!), conquering a rock climbing wall, eating nonstop, playing miniature golf and shuffleboard, watching an ice skating show and more eating.

Our first stop was in Jamaica and after hitting the soft, white sand beach and shopping for the day, we were back on the ship for another elegant dinner. I am so impressed by the high caliber of waiters and staff on cruise ships. Our boys loved being pampered by them.

The next morning, I watched as the cruise ship passed from the dark blue deep waters into the incredible turquoise colors surrounding the Island of Grand Cayman. After arriving, I had the fun opportunity to do my local radio show live from Grand Cayman before we headed out to what the locals call Stingray City.

For nearly 100 years, fishermen in Grand Cayman would stop at a submerged sandbar just inside the protecting reef. Although it is about two miles off shore, the water is only three- to four-feet deep, so they anchored here to clean their fish. This attracted the stingrays that were looking for an easy meal. The stingrays associated boat motors with food and ever since have congregated on the sandbar. The locals soon started taking tourists out to Stingray City to experience these amazing animals.

After jumping in the warm water, it was just seconds before the first five stingrays started swimming through our group. It was as if they were extending a welcome to us, as they seemed unafraid.

The guides on our excursion soon brought out a bucket full of pieces of squid. We were told to hold the squid sticking out of our closed fist. As a stingray came by, we put our hands underneath where its mouth is located. Suddenly, there was a sucking feeling like a very strong vacuum and the squid was gone, having been eaten by this beautiful creature.

Our guide then lifted a stingray to the surface, giving us a chance to feel its rubber-like skin and look into its human-like eyes. It was an unforgettable experience and it had just begun. I put on my snorkel mask to get a clear look at them underwater and seeing them “fly” as they gracefully flapped their wings was absolutely incredible.

Now it was time for our personal encounters! Again, the guide lifted a stingray to the surface, this time placing it in my arms and snapping a family picture. We each got the chance to hold a stingray and were somewhat apprehensive as they wanted a picture of us kissing this not-very-attractive face.

Our sons were a little nervous at first, but then they, too, were amazed and excited to individually hold a stingray. Each of us was thrilled to touch the stingrays, feed them, interact with them and just watch them. We could have stayed all day!

All ages of people on the tour joined us in the water and just a few watched from the nearby boat. With the water so shallow, there was never a feeling of uneasiness for anyone in the group. When you go to Grand Cayman, make sure you take this wonderful excursion.

Too soon the adventure with the stingrays was over, but our fun just moved a half mile over to a shallow reef to snorkel. The water clarity again was perfect and the sea life was exciting to see. There were colorful fish darting in every direction and the corals with their many shapes and species were spectacular. The calm, warm water was a refreshing respite from the brilliant Caribbean sun — remember your sunscreen!

Then we were onto the next stop, Cozumel, and more time on the amazing ship before returning to New Orleans. The week was over far too soon, but the time spent with our boys was really the highlight of the trip. We laughed, we had fun, we kissed stingrays, we ate constantly and we created additional cherished memories as a family. It was such a rewarding and refreshing week in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Gary Sorensen is a regional manager for Morris Murdock Travel. Contact Morris Murdock Travel at 595 S. Bluff St. in St George, call 628-3633 or email [email protected].

Photo: The Sorensen family holds a southern stingray in the waters surrounding the Island of Grand Cayman. / Photo courtesy of Gary Sorensen

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