Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Grand Turk

cruisewiththekids

By cruisewiththekids,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

 Share

Recommended Posts

mom2ajk

mom2ajk

Posted
Posted

When we were in Grand Turk in Nov. last year we didn't have to pay to use the chairs but we did for the umbrella (only if you want one)and it was only $10. In my opinion it was worth it. But we did see more fish up near the pier at the free beach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
poobears

poobears

Posted
Posted

Is there really anything to do in GT other than packing in like sardines? Doesn't seem to be much to that port as far as beaches go unless you like the bar/party scene or chair to chair crowds. I'll be there with DH a 16yr old and a 17 yr old and everything I read about the port is how over crowded it is. I checked for a pool side cabana as soon as we rented the cruise for next march thinking that would at least give us a bit of a reprieve from the crowds but of course they were already sold out. Even the private beach reviews say they are over booked and crowded. We haven't been there before so don't want to stay on the ship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cocoaloco

cocoaloco

Posted
Posted

go to the tent between the pier and Jacks.. you will see a sign for white sands snorkel charters. Take the 3 stop tour with Capt. Donovan (Who owns the place) and your life will be changed forever. You will likely touch a very tame shark...snorkel over the Grand Turk wall... see the most fish ever ....taste fresh conch...and......... kiss the barb of a sting ray.... then come back and go to Jacks for a couple of Turks Heads.... tell Topher hi. Once again, your life will be changed forever....:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buckett

Buckett

Posted
Posted
Is there really anything to do in GT other than packing in like sardines? Doesn't seem to be much to that port as far as beaches go unless you like the bar/party scene or chair to chair crowds. I'll be there with DH a 16yr old and a 17 yr old and everything I read about the port is how over crowded it is. I checked for a pool side cabana as soon as we rented the cruise for next march thinking that would at least give us a bit of a reprieve from the crowds but of course they were already sold out. Even the private beach reviews say they are over booked and crowded. We haven't been there before so don't want to stay on the ship.

 

Poobears we were just there this past January, and if you like snorkeling, it is awesome in Grand Turk! We booked through White Sands Charters and Tours, who I found recommended here on the Ports of Call boards. We really enjoyed it. It was about 3 hours and then after that we walked down to Jack's Shack and had some jerked chicken and a cocktail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buckett

Buckett

Posted
Posted
go to the tent between the pier and Jacks.. you will see a sign for white sands snorkel charters. Take the 3 stop tour with Capt. Donovan (Who owns the place) and your life will be changed forever. You will likely touch a very tame shark...snorkel over the Grand Turk wall... see the most fish ever ....taste fresh conch...and......... kiss the barb of a sting ray.... then come back and go to Jacks for a couple of Turks Heads.... tell Topher hi. Once again, your life will be changed forever....:)

 

^^^^this^^^^ :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
poobears

poobears

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately the kids and DH don't snorkel so that's out :( I tried to get DH to do it on one of our past cruises and it was a no go. I'm even willing to pay more for a private beach that has a limited capacity on it. I did see some new style snorkel masks online that fit your whole face so you can breath normal instead of keeping the snorkel in your mouth and they look really cool but they were back ordered (and expensive) not sure if that's enough to convince DH to give it a shot or not. I'm thinking no, it's just not his thing, he's more of a land mammal lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Domino D

Domino D

Posted
Posted

Too bad about the snorkeling, it really is a great experience there. For what it's worth we have been to Grand Turk multiple times and never found it to be overly crowded. I suppose it depends on how many ships are in port.

 

My sister took the island tram tour and really enjoyed it.

 

We once rented a gulf cart and drove around the island, then hung out at the beach. It was a fun way to see the island.

 

My son and I have done kayak excursions at other ports, and always enjoyed them.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
slwillwin

slwillwin

Posted
Posted
When we were in Grand Turk in Nov. last year we didn't have to pay to use the chairs but we did for the umbrella (only if you want one)and it was only $10. In my opinion it was worth it. But we did see more fish up near the pier at the free beach.

 

At Jacks last week, chairs free. Umbrella 10. A great beach. No busy at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OCruisers

OCruisers

Posted
Posted
A guidebook on your ports will tell you EVERYTHING there is. Libraries have them! Get on..read it...and you'll be assured of a good port day!

 

Problem with those guidebooks is ... while it's good general information about the place , they don't address questions cruisers have about various options offered by the ship/independents or what to expect when they first walk off the ship.

Information here on Cruise Critic or doing a Google search is much more up-to-date. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
september2010

september2010

Posted
Posted

We were there last week and I was really disappointed. We went to the beach just off the ship. It was crazy crowded. The beach was full of rocks and there was a sign that stated the chairs and umbrella were free. We finally found 2 chairs and an umbrella. 2 guys came by and said we owed 20$. Not the way I remembered it. Where is Jacks?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pellaz

Pellaz

Posted
Posted
I did see some new style snorkel masks online that fit your whole face so you can breath normal instead of keeping the snorkel in your mouth and they look really cool but they were back ordered (and expensive) not sure if that's enough to convince DH to give it a shot or not. I'm thinking no, it's just not his thing, he's more of a land mammal lol.

 

Search for "snorkel mask" on eBay and then look through the inevitable listings for snorkel and mask sets to find full-face snorkel masks. I picked up two of them, both for about $45 each including shipping. They work pretty well for snorkeling near the surface...not quite as well if you like diving a lot deeper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mumtopugs

mumtopugs

Posted
Posted
Is there really anything to do in GT other than packing in like sardines? Doesn't seem to be much to that port as far as beaches go unless you like the bar/party scene or chair to chair crowds. I'll be there with DH a 16yr old and a 17 yr old and everything I read about the port is how over crowded it is. I checked for a pool side cabana as soon as we rented the cruise for next march thinking that would at least give us a bit of a reprieve from the crowds but of course they were already sold out. Even the private beach reviews say they are over booked and crowded. We haven't been there before so don't want to stay on the ship.

 

 

GT is one of my very favorite ports. It's a small island. We rented a golf cart for like $75 and toured the entire island. There's a lighthouse at the far end with a cool cliff overlook. There are little beaches here and there down roads that you can barely see. We saw schools and locals and wild donkeys. It's a different, simpler life there. Might be good for the teens to see some

new things.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nickw

nickw

Posted
Posted

Last time I was at Jack's they didn't charge for using the chairs, as long as you were drinking. If I remember correctly there were still several small places to buy alcohol between Margaritaville and Jack's, but I don't recall seeing many chairs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Organized Chaos

Organized Chaos

Posted
Posted
Is there really anything to do in GT other than packing in like sardines? Doesn't seem to be much to that port as far as beaches go unless you like the bar/party scene or chair to chair crowds. I'll be there with DH a 16yr old and a 17 yr old and everything I read about the port is how over crowded it is. I checked for a pool side cabana as soon as we rented the cruise for next march thinking that would at least give us a bit of a reprieve from the crowds but of course they were already sold out. Even the private beach reviews say they are over booked and crowded. We haven't been there before so don't want to stay on the ship.

We were there in June and decided to do some last minute snorkeling. We're total amateurs at it, we hadn't snorkeled before the cruise. We first tried it at Half Moon Cay, but that was little more than a baron white-sand bottom with a couple fish. But Grand Turk was much, much better.

 

We went to the opposite side of the dock. If you're getting off the ship walking down the dock towards shore, we went to the right side (opposite Margaritaville). Right in front of the NASA exhibit is a smaller beach area with fewer chairs under some trees. When we were there, there were less than 10 people hanging out in this area. It was perfect. There are some large rocks you have to get over when you first get in the water here, but once you're passed them, it's not so bad. We saw fish, small coral, a live conch, & a couple crabs.

 

Even if your DH doesn't want to snorkel, maybe he can at least put a mask on (without the snorkel) and check out the marine life. This is what our son eventually did. He had trouble getting the hang of the snorkel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...