Who's been to Grand Turk recently?

[cruisewiththekids]

I read over on the Ports of Call board that locals have moved all the Carnival lounge chairs from the beach and are now making passengers pay for chairs/umbrellas? Can anyone shed some light on this?

[simplelife]

When we were there in July, chairs were out on the beach with no one collecting.

 

 

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[happy cruzin]

Not the case when we visited in June. Going again next September - but I doubt it has changed.

 

 

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[versuco]

We were just there in October, plenty of free chairs available.

[cocoaloco]

On the Vista. No problem with free loungers. Place is still a real paradise

 

Only thing I did not like was having to sail away.

 

If you want to have a really great water adventure in Grand Turk walk just past the loungers to the tent that says "white sands" and go out on a snorkel trip with Capt. Donavan. You will see (and touch) a very docile shark, snorkel over the great wall, and kiss the barb of a stingray !:)

[RuthlessBoss]

I read over on the Ports of Call board that locals have moved all the Carnival lounge chairs from the beach and are now making passengers pay for chairs/umbrellas? Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

What right would locals have to be able to remove private property?

[pohlerbear]

We were there in August The locals were in full force. We got chairs but no umbrellas because they had us convinced you had to pay for them. They were all over but we were firm and left us alone.

 

That being said, the beach was dirty with bottles in the sand and in the water. There was also a lot of trash around the back of Margaritaville. We also witnessed someone return to their unattended belongings to find they had something stolen.

 

We still had a fantastic day but it wasn't as nice as our first trip. I really don't understand why they don't have security advising people not to pay for umbrellas and chairs. I get that it's a public beach so they can't keep the locals out, but they should do a better job of informing the cruisers not to fall for the trap.

[TinkyPatz]

Was there on Friday, free chairs and umbrellas if you can grab one!

[cruisewiththekids]

Here's a link to the post that prompted my question. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422119

[luv2travel06]

I read over on the Ports of Call board that locals have moved all the Carnival lounge chairs from the beach and are now making passengers pay for chairs/umbrellas? Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

 

We were just there. There is a sign on the pier letting you know about vendors approaching you on the beach. The chairs are free unless you use one set up by a vendor past the port area. We always use the beach to the right of the pier as you face the beach as it is generally quieter, especially if just one ship is in port.

 

 

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[Doggielover68]

Plenty of chairs in October. There were vendors however who were setting up their own chairs in front of the first row of carnival chairs (after people had already sat down in the free chairs) and were charging people to get the new front row seats.

 

 

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[ScottsSweetie]

Plenty of chairs in October. There were vendors however who were setting up their own chairs in front of the first row of carnival chairs (after people had already sat down in the free chairs) and were charging people to get the new front row seats.

 

 

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Yes, this is what we saw 2 weeks ago. There are lots of chairs with green umbrellas that say something like Grand Turk Cruise Center (or something like that) - these are the free ones. The vendor chairs and umbrellas are markedly different. We had no trouble finding free chairs even though we didn't get off the ship right away when we docked.

[Meari]

Yes, this is what we saw 2 weeks ago. There are lots of chairs with green umbrellas that say something like Grand Turk Cruise Center (or something like that) - these are the free ones. The vendor chairs and umbrellas are markedly different. We had no trouble finding free chairs even though we didn't get off the ship right away when we docked.

 

This is exactly what I saw. I was just there on 17 Nov. If you choose the green "Grand Turk Cruise Center" umbrellas, they won't say anything to you. If you choose any of the other colored umbrellas, they will swoop down on you. It looks like they even borrow some of the free chairs and put their umbrellas over them because at the end of the day, they removed their umbrellas and put the chairs back in line with the green umbrellas. :eek:

[bakersdozen12]

That being said, the beach was dirty with bottles in the sand and in the water.

 

 

You must not have ventured out far enough along the beach, because what you described is not what the beach at Grand Turk is like. Maybe by the pier, but not where we were, down towards Jack's Shack. The below pictures were taken this past July. It was pure heaven.

 

 

 

 

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[cruisewiththekids]

bakersdozen12, where exactly are you on the beach? Is this somewhere between the pier and Jack's? Did you rent chairs further down the beach?

[4serenity]

Where to snorkel on Grand Turk? Which beach is best?

 

 

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[kctwinmommy]

Where to snorkel on Grand Turk? Which beach is best?

 

I'm sure there are plenty of opinions, but having just been there a couple days ago, my husband, son, and friends went right out by the ships. They said everything they saw right there was amazing! My husband has dived and snorkeled several times in other places and he said it was just beautiful. They did that since they just didn't want to go on an excursion or tour, since we had the cabana at Margaritaville. They went out there 2-3 times though. So if you're looking for cheap (AKA - FREE!) just go right there.

[p_mori7]

We were in G-T last February w/Sunshine...and I gotta say, it is a great beach...but...I also did see lots of debris (including broken glass) in the sand.

 

We walked from the pier all the way to Jack's Shack and back. Found a quieter spot about halfway and laid out our beach towels. Afterwards we went on an ATV ride that lasted a couple of hours with a local who had a sign out. They were very nice, The bikes ran well, and they were negociable on the price.

[GradUT]

We were on Grand Turk just a few weeks ago. The free umbrellas and chairs were well-marked and plentiful. The beach was pristine. And we wanted to go snorkeling with Captain Donovan of White Sands but he requires a minimum number of passengers (6 as I recall) and nobody else wanted to go out snorkeling on his boat but the 2 of us, so we couldn't go. Bummer.

[cruizinisthebest]

Here's a link to the post that prompted my question. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422119

 

Free chairs still plentiful. Was there in August. Don't know what these people are talking about.

[luv2travel06]

Where to snorkel on Grand Turk? Which beach is best?

 

 

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We didn't snorkel but we saw turtles swimming around as the ship was docking and could see some pretty cool fish right from the pier so there might be enough to see right at the main beach. Saw a video of a barracuda bite someone right there elsewhere on CC!!

 

 

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[Ohio Bucki]

I was in Grand Turk last week 11-17-16. There are free loungers with umbrella covers and free clam shells. the umbrellas were green and the clam shells were blue. Beyond that area there are loungers and umbrellas that I saw people paying for, not sure why there were lots of free ones, we were the only ship that day.

[beachbum53]

Although limited, there is some shade available. If you're among the first to disembark at G.T., head to the beach and grab a couple of the blue and white striped loungers that are under one of the shaded areas. You won't need an umbrella. While I can understand the locals trying to earn some extra money, I do wish Carnival would limit the number of locals trying to hustle the guests on the beach.

[It's a Ship!!!]

I was also there last week, and the locals have put their loungers with umbrellas on the front row. We went and sat down at a couple in the front row for about 30 minutes and no one said anything. Then when we got up to go in the water a guy came up and said it would be $20 for the 2 chairs. I guess he didn't see us earlier. We then got up and moved a few feet away to the free chairs. Just remember the Green umbrellas that say Grand Turk Cruise Center are free and any other umbrellas are set there by locals.

[abisha]

Was just there last week. The blue loungers that look exactly like ones on the ship are free along with umbrella. But beware! The locals were charging and scamming people 20 bucks per chair for all those in front row and some in second row. Those loungers and umbrellas looked different. We got there before the Conquest so the people getting off Conquest had no where to sit except for the untaken 20 dollar ones. Many of us were trying to warn them it was a scam and that ours were free. There were some heated arguments with the locals. I dont understand why they were allowed to do this and mix those chairs in with carnivals. We opted for third row because the rising tide did soak some belongings in first 2 rows.

 

The water was beautiful and clear. Some rocks to be careful of. Nice beach day. Some souvenirs in craft market building were relatively inexpensive.