We have visited Grand Cayman several times on past cruises and loved it.   We made the decision, based on our experience, to go there to stay for an extended vacation.   I would have to say now that unless you're a diver,  I wouldn't recommend staying longer than 3-4 days. 

Grand Cayman is literally all about the ocean, and the shopping.  During our stay there were extremely high winds so the ocean was off-limits, unfortunately.  We DID get one day out and experienced Stingray City, which absolutely can't be missed.  It was incredible.  Things unfortunately went somewhat downhill from there.

Because we could not enjoy the ocean, we traveled the entire island several times and visited all of the attractions.  Sadly, we were terribly disappointed with the majority.  One of the practices that we found quite annoying is their habit of "lead in pricing."  By this, I mean they advertise an attraction at a reasonable price, but when you arrive, you discover that the low price only gets you a very small portion of the package.  If you want to see everything, it's more...and a LOT more.  The Turtle Farm is one such example.   For about $15 per person you can visit the farm, which is part of a larger aquatic park.  If you want to see the whole park, however, it's $65 GC (add about 20% to that for US pricing).  I absolutely love turtles and enjoyed that part of the park, however I will caution that it is VERY smelly and not very well-run.  Unfortunately, the smell isn't contained within the farm...we stopped to watch the sunset across the street from the facility and had to leave because the stench was overwhelming!  I suspect that the rest of the park may not impress either, as there were only a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived.  The Botanical Garden was similarly priced...for about $8 per person you can drive through the gate and see a small portion of it.  If you want to see the whole park, however, it was $30+.   We chose not to go in at all, as from our experience the attractions on the island were very disappointing compared to other islands we have visited.   Sadly, the free attractions and highlights were literally not worth the time -- the Lighthouse Park and the bird sanctuary were untended and overgrown, the blowholes have been damaged by past hurricanes and really don't perform at all anymore, the Mastic Trail was barely passable, and Hell was, well....  We were looking very forward to the Saturday Market to experience local food and crafts, however unfortunately it was closed for reasons unexplained.   That left us with duty-free shopping in Georgetown, which you learn very quickly is not "duty free" if you're not on a cruise ship.  We should add that Grand Cayman is VERY expensive (we paid $9 US for a gallon of milk) so come prepared for a financial shock.  We were seldom able to stop for a drink anywhere on the island without spending $25-30 US for two drinks. 

That being said, however, there were many magnificent moments.  Seven Mile Beach is truly beautiful and not crowded in the off-season.  We found a wonderul little restaurant on our way back from the turtle farm where we enjoyed a reasonably-priced, sunset meal literally right on the beach.  Our drive to Rum Point was a highlight...incredibly beautiful up there and you see some unbelievable homes on the way.  The east side of the island is unspoiled and uncrowded and offered many "photo moments."  Beachcombing on our side of the island (we stayed in Bodden Town) was fabulous...enormous, perfect conch shells every few feet and you can take as many home as you can fit in your suitcase.  There are lots of wonderful little local restaurants ("jerk shacks") where you can try the local cuisine.  However, even these experiences get tiresome after a point, and after a few days we were quite ready to leave.  Had the wind cooperated, we certainly would have enjoyed a few more days on the ocean -- windsurfing and reef fishing were on our agenda but sadly remained impossible during our stay. 

In a nutshell, unless you plan to spend the majority of your time snorkeling or diving, the Caymans are nice to visit for a few days, but I would not necessarily recommend them for extended stays. 

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