🇰🇾 Cayman Islands · cruise port guide
What currency does Grand Cayman use?
Currency
Cayman Islands Dollar
KYD · CI$
Fixed rate per $1 USD
0.83 KYD
CI$16.6 ≈ $20
📌 Pegged to the US dollar — this rate never changes
US dollars?
USD accepted everywhere
Time zone
America/Cayman (ET year-round)
Always confirm ship time before leaving the pier
Watch out: the Cayman dollar is one of the few Caribbean currencies WORTH MORE than the US dollar (CI$1 ≈ US$1.20). Prices quoted without a currency symbol are usually in KYD — that souvenir is 20% pricier than it looks.
Money tips for your Grand Cayman port day
- Always ask "is that CI or US?" before agreeing to a price.
- Paying in USD typically gets change in KYD at a fixed 0.80 rate — slightly against you.
- Seven Mile Beach vendors and taxis all take USD.
Convert prices without port Wi-Fi
Port stalls quote in cayman islands dollars, your budget thinks in dollars, and there's no data signal to Google it. The ShipTime app caches exchange rates before you sail and converts KYD → USD offline, right at the stall — and logs purchases against your US customs allowance while you shop.
Free download · works 100% offline
Take Grand Cayman offline
Ship-time clock on your lock screen, gangway alarms that fire with zero signal, duty-free tracking and offline currency conversion. Built for port days.