It is also easy to walk to a couple of other casual eateries along the beach. Grand Turk is the capital island of Turks and Caicos islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. Scattered throughout the island you’ll find white sand beaches, salt pond remains, and a 19th-century Lighthouse perched at the end of the island. The Grand Turk cruise port is a popular stop on many Caribbean cruises. Here is the best way to spend a day on this small beautiful island among Caicos & Turks, as well as noteable sites to see and places to visit. On your ride back, you will go on the salt industry tour, visiting Salinas like the Red Salina and even make a stop at the Salt House exhibit.
Cruise News Update: Passenger Fees, Ports, and Changes - Cruise Hive
Cruise News Update: Passenger Fees, Ports, and Changes.
Posted: Sat, 30 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
FlowRider
Look for them on Princess Cruises' Sun Princess and Sky Princess. We’ve covered the basics -- many of which are similar to other Caribbean ports of call -- let’s check out the shore excursions you will struggle to find anywhere else aside from Turks and Caicos. One standout for Grand Turk’s Margaritaville is a swim-up bar where guests can enjoy a cool, refreshing beverage without leaving the pool.
ShoreExcursions
Cruise ship calls at hurricane-damaged Grand Turk could resume as early as this week - The Points Guy
Cruise ship calls at hurricane-damaged Grand Turk could resume as early as this week.
Posted: Mon, 10 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Explore world-class whale watching, breathtaking scuba diving, snorkeling, water rides, boat tours such as catamaran and glass bottom boat. Land excursions include renting golf carts, touring the island on buses, artistically designed trams, ATV tours or just simply walking and sightseeing on the 8.5 square mile island. The Grand Turk Cruise Center is a 13-acre (5.2 hectare) complex and cruise port on the southern end of Grand Turk. Here you’ll also find Jack's Shack, a popular restaurant to grab lunch. Complimentary beach lounge chairs are found fronting the complex, although depending on the number of ships in port, this area of the beach can become extremely crowded. Grand Turk is one of the few destinations in the Caribbean where a great beach can be enjoyed directly off the cruise ships.
Significant Historical Occurrences on the Island
In the Cruise Center, near Margaritaville, you’ll find a self-contained water attraction called the FlowRider. High-pressure water jets shoot a thin layer of water moving over a cushioned surface creating an artificial wave perfect for surfing, bodyboarding, or kneeboarding. If you love to shop-until-you-drop, the Cruise Center is a convenient location with many unique offerings. There are taxi cab stands as you exit the Cruise Center terminal. Many passengers will enjoy their entire port day at Grand Turk within the Cruise Center.
To sum up, here is a summary of things you can do at Grand Turk. Start by visiting the cruise port; grab a bite from Margaritaville, then head on over to sunray beach for a day of sun and splashing. Others include the white sands and east side beaches which are located on the underdeveloped southern side of the Grand Turk.
Transportation to other sites of interest on Grand Turk is available directly outside the Cruise Center. Here you’ll find taxis waiting, and rental car pickups take place here as well. It’s necessary to take the inland roads to get to Governor’s Beach. You can do a guided tour or you can explore the island on your own.
Popular Sights to See in Grand Turk
Grand Turk is a beautiful and scenic destination with lots to do outside of the port area, but remember that when you are off Carnival’s property, you are not under the eye of port security. As of late 2023, the cabanas are $399 for six hours and do not come with food or drinks, making the price steep. Cabana renters won’t have to go without nourishment as a dedicated server from Margaritaville is assigned to deliver food or drinks from the restaurant. Since then, Carnival Cruise Line has brought millions of passengers to the Grand Turk, making it one of the most popular private destinations in cruising.
Grand Turk Port Schedule
Every once in a while, you will meet with a wild donkey or horse which were used as transport animals in the salt industry era. Once you are at the port head over to the Margaritaville, it’s just one and a half minutes from the pier. Once there you will be greeted by a large yellow parrot statue at the entrance. Standing 60 feet tall and the first of its kind, it was built in 1852. The person capacity prison used to hold petty offenses criminals back in the day until it was shut in 1994. Visit this site for $7 per person when in the port, and learn about prison break attempts, drug trafficking route and other interesting historical facts about the island.
It hosts a world-class lagoon-esque pool which features a swim up bar, private pool cabanas and a surf simulation called the Flo-Rider, where you can have fun testing your surfing and balance skills. The FlowRider can be booked as a shore excursion (through the cruise company). The facility operates with two high-pressure waves producing a 3-inch layer of water moving at high speed. Snorkeling isn’t great here, but rock and coral patches can be found off the coast both to the north and south of the main pier and are home to small amounts of fish. Simply head south past the smaller Cruise Center shore excursions pier and look for the darker patches of ocean.
Learn about the day-to-day life of inmates as well as the mass escapes during the Great Hurricane of 1866. The power snorkel is a lightweight, underwater propulsion device that helps you to cover greater distances, get past rougher currents, and view more underwater creatures. Most ATV excursions leave from right outside of the Cruise Center. You’ll be outfitted with a helmet and goggles and your own four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle.
If you are tired of shopping common trinkets available on all gift shops in the Caribbean. Head on over to the museum and Salt House gift shops as they have more authentic and locally made souvenirs. Located on the west coast of Grand Turk, north of the cruise center, Cockburn town is the capital of Turks and Caicos. The lighthouse was built as a guiding beacon for ships after both the British and US governments experienced sizable losses from the capsizing of their ships at the northern end of Grand Turk. This was caused by the north reef, which is a shallow treacherous reef.
Visit the 18th-century prison and explore how prisoners used to be treated in the ancient days. Located on Front Street on old Cockburn town, Her Majesty’s Prison is a tourist attraction that shows the history of the Grand Turk, from architecture to culture and way of life. In 1962 John Glenn splash landed off the west coast shores of the Grand Turk. He did so in his Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft after being on a mission orbiting the earth. There is a replica of the spacecraft near the entrance of Grand Turk’s airport.
There are also loungers for guests to relax and soak up the warm Caribbean. The pool area at Margaritaville can sometimes be inappropriate for children due to alcohol and language, so be cautious. Grand Turk Cruise Center is situated on the island’s western side, just a short distance from the capital city of Cockburn Town, home to about 5,000 residents. Take a self-guided tour through the prison, which housed both men and women and as many as 60 prisoners.
The duty-free shop is also a main attraction here, as are the FlowRider wave pool and the beached whale statue that is located a little bit farther down the beach. The small NASA exhibition located on the southern end of the Grand Turk Cruise Center offers a good overview of the island’s role in the 1962 Mercury Space Mission. Unlike many other Caribbean vacation cruise stops, Grand Turk is a very small island, and offers a completely different atmosphere than better-known destinations. There isn’t a crowded city or waterfront, just a laid-back little town with great beaches and a little British Bermudian Colonial heritage. One of the reasons I recommend renting a Golf Cart to discover the island is because Grand Turk is very small. Driving from the Grand Turk cruise port to the Lighthouse at the other end of the island only takes about 30 minutes and there are plenty of place to visit along the way.
Comprising 14 acres, the Cruise Center features the largest Jimmy buffet Margaritaville in the Caribbean, with a freeform swimming pool, restaurant, bars, lounge chairs, and beach umbrellas. Several duty-free shops, excursion desks, Starbuck’s Coffee, and stores. A taxi stand is located at the Cruise Center for excursions booked through the cruise lines and trams depart at the Cruise Center’s main gate. In addition to the vast on-sight activities, there are many activities you can engage in on the beach or land that you can book directly from the center or pre-book on the cruise ship itself.
Don’t worry about being under the harsh sun all day long; some parts of the beach are lined with trees that offer you natural shade. If you need diving or snorkeling gear, the Boho Dive Resort rents out such gear. Something in common with Carnival Cruise Line destination ports is the horse ride excursion. Enjoy a tour of the island all the way into the shallow waters of the ocean on a horse’s back.
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