by Cindy Abrahams

Created on: March 05, 2009

You've done the research and picked your perfect cruise ship. You have visions of setting sail and visiting exotic locations. You may even have gone so far as to research each port of call you will be visiting and planned out what you will do when you get there but there is one last thing you may want to consider before you take off for that dream cruise and that is port of call etiquette.

I live on one of those beautiful Caribbean islands that you are likely to visit if you are taking a cruise through the Caribbean. On a typical day during high season (generally December through the end of April) our tiny island comprised of about 60,000 year round residents will increase by 10,000 to 20,000 people in any given day due to several cruise ships visiting.

Now don't get me wrong, we are very friendly here in the Cayman Islands and when you visit us in Grand Cayman you are in for a real treat with so many activities and shopping and restaurants and that beautiful Caribbean Sea and sugary sandy beaches and the smiling faces of the local residents all waiting for you so that you can enjoy a wonderful experience but there are a few tips and reminders you may want to consider when visiting a port of call.

1. Find out what the local customs are for driving and walking - before you rent that car for the day or take off walking learn the rules of the road. Here in the Cayman Islands we drive on the left hand side of the road and guess what, pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way! If you are coming in from the USA and many other countries this is going to be a hard one but remember to look right first then left then right again. If you are a pedestrian, don't assume cars are going to stop for you especially if you aren't using cross walks and for added safety use the cross walks! We use a mixture of UK and US based road systems so you will find signal lights, stop signs and roundabouts. If you have never driven a roundabout before do some research on the internet on how to use them and you will keep yourself safe and get a lot less people honking their horns at you.

2. Find out what the local religious climate is - here in Cayman we have 83 countries represented in our population but we are a Christian based country. Please don't take offense if you visit us during a Christian holiday and we wish you a Merry Christmas or a Blessed Easter and don't be surprised if you encounter one of our government agencies or enter public spaces and see references made to that Christian

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