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Port and Tour Review - Grand Turk - May 2018 - Turks Adventures (Golf Cart)


Loonbeam
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Date: May 2018

Ship: Carnival Magic

Tour Operator: Turks Adventures - Omar

Tour: 1 Day Golf Cart Rental - $90

 

Weather: Hot and Humid

Time In Port: 12-6

 

 

Pre-Cruise

 

 

We booked the cart via Omar's website. No deposit was required, the person checking us in did ask if we had paid one, so it must happen, possibly at peak times.

 

 

Pickup:

 

 

 

Because of port rules, you need to walk out of the port complex to pick up your cart (8 min walk or so, half under cover, there are no signs, but pretty obvious. Only one vendor has the contract inside the port area (Wet Money) and they charge a lot more - the guy at their kiosk was quoting up to $150 (and it seemed the price varied by how much he liked you based on what we heard).

 

 

The pickup area was right outside the gate, a young gentleman checked our name off a list, had me sign a form, collected the money (cash only) and provided us with a map (see below). Showed us where the gas tank was, how to use the shift and where the turn signal was, etc and we were off on the wrong side of the road.

 

 

The cart was worn, had some rust spots, and the turn signal liked to turn itself on on bumps (something we found out towards the end of the day, which also explains some honking I think), but was serviceable (especially compared to one another pair from the cruise had that sounded like it had the mechanical versions of arthritis and emphysema.

 

 

 

Driving Around:

 

 

Our plan was to check out the Glenn Capsule, the lighthouse and whatever else caught our eye along the way. Which mainly turned out to be lots of donkeys (we were told that its fine to approach, but if they back away, you do too).

 

 

 

Some things to note:

 

 

There are very few if any street signs. The tourist map had none. This means you do a lot of navigating by landmark (the hospital is a good one, but even IT doesn't have any signs (I guess on an island that small, everyone knows where the hospital is). Someone on here posted a list of things to see and a real map. TAKE THOSE WITH YOU. I forgot them and really regret that!

 

 

 

Most of the drivers are understanding and will pass when they can. When the cars are not well maintained, this can be disturbing in a cart next to them.

 

 

Hold on to your hats. Seriously. Crosswinds.

 

 

Golf carts do not have top end suspensions to begin with. Well used ones less so. See above regarding turn signal.

 

 

The port guard let me drop the wife off with the cart in the port area then bring it back out. In fact, he didn't even bother to stop me. 'Whatever' seems to be the motto there...

 

 

 

Around the Island:

 

 

We did find the lighthouse, and there were some nice views there, but not much else. Fun watching some people from the ship zipline (there is an adventure course there, but half of it looked out of commission. Entry to the lighthouse area is $3, you get a voucher to use at the bar or gift shop if you want (we traded ours for bottled water).

 

 

We also took a drive along the high side of the island. Even at golf cart speeds it didn't take long.

 

 

The Glenn capsule is right outside the airport. There is not even a sign there other than the name and date. Fairly disappointing.

 

 

There is a small shopping area in 'town' consisting of a bunch of small shops all selling the same stuff, mostly made in china with a Grand Turk sticker. The usual suspects (Effy, DI, etc) are in the port complex along with other stores and a 'craft market' selling the same stuff.

 

 

 

Impressions:

 

 

Honestly, if you are not into water activities and/or drinking, Grand Turk is limited in options. There was a horseback option that looked interesting, but there is really not much to see other than some nice beaches. The residents seemed somewhat blase about the whole thing. I will say those who went snorkeling said it was wonderful.

 

 

Food was a little pricey and honestly the two places we looked were not very appealing. There were other options that may have been better, but with a short stop we headed back to the ship a little early. Based on the crowd flow, we were not alone. All aboard was 5:30 - the crowd on the pier was a trickle by 5:00

 

 

I can't say I would rush back to Grand Turk again. If we did go, I would probably either stay on ship or do the horseback ride, but I am not a beach or water person. If you fall into the latter category, you will have many more options.

 

 

Photos:

 

 

View from Lighthouse Area:

 

 

Carnival%20Disney%20May%202-810-X3.jpg

 

Historic Lighthouse (you cannot enter or climb):

 

 

Carnival%20Disney%20May%202-833-X2.jpg

 

 

Steve the Donkey (not his real name, if he/she has one):

 

 

Carnival%20Disney%20May%202-843-X3.jpg

 

 

Glenn Capsule:

 

 

Carnival%20Disney%20May%202-860-X3.jpg

 

 

Full Photoset from Trip:

 

 

 

 

Any questions, please ask!

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  • 2 weeks later...

You should get some nice views from the drone esp if people are on the zip line... Should be far enough away from the airport to be a non issue - probably cannot use it at the port or along the NE side of the island, at least not very high.

 

Thank you for the tips and info... the pix look great and the lighthouse looks awesome for a spot to take my drone up
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Visited Grand Turk on 30 May 2018 and got my golf cart from Tawanda who works for Omar and Turks Adventures. I reserved through their website, paid the $10 deposit via PayPal, and paid the remaining $80 in cash when I picked up the golf cart. Easy peasy.

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