Destination: georgetown

Population: 32,000

Language: English

Climate: 75–85 Degrees

Currency: Cayman Islands Dollar

Size: 100 Square Miles

o the uninitiated, the words "Cayman Islands" have a strong tendency to evoke John Grishamesque images of high finance, secret deals, well-heeled businessmen in sunglasses with combination-lock briefcases conducting their affairs behind the closed doors of the island's 550-plus famously private banks. But unless you happen to be one of the businessmen in question, it's far more likely that you'll come away with another image entirely upon visiting these shores - of blazing white-powder-sand beaches stretching mile after mile along the coastline, and of the brilliant multicolored coral reefs lying just underneath the waterline.

If you want a full-length visit to the Caymans, ask for an early wake-up call, and get in line for the first tender from the ship (latecomers tend to get stuck in line when they could be enjoying themselves ashore). If you do arrive on shore early, the shops of Georgetown will still be closed (they don't open until 10 a.m.). So the best bet is to hit Seven Mile Beach first, then return to town before the last tender returns to the ship at 12:30 p.m. Valtur offers its own shore excursion to the Seven Mile Beach for $25, which includes transportation, one complimentary drink and a beach chair. But if you want to rough it, take a cab ($3 each way), and a beach blanket. Then come back at your leisure for a stroll around Georgetown before departing.

For more adventurous souls, take a trip to Stingray City, where you can dive or snorkel amidst a school of unusually tame stingrays.