my Grand Turk experience... just back

Just got back on sunday. We were on Carnival Elation. I was told we were the third ship to dock at the new port since opening this April. We did NOT book any excursions but had a great time doing our own thing. When you leave the ship you will see a complex that has been built. There is a nice gift shop with mostly liquor, perfumes, tobacco etc. The complex is still being developed and will be very nice in time. We walked thru the complex looking for transportation and found plenty..... be patient. We took a van ride to Governors beach for $3.00 each. Gov's beach is only about a three minute van ride and is walkable if you don't mind walking some gravel roads. When you leave the ship..... Gov's beach will be to your left approx 3/4 mile. At Gov's beach there are bathroom facilities, beach chairs and snorkel rental....... actually they were giving out chairs and snorkel gear free of charge that day!! I have been to nicer beaches but the water is beautiful and I thought the snorkeling was great from the beach. I saw baracuda, parrot fish, yellowtail snapper many other varieties.....conch shells etc. When you get to the beach..... go to your right and snorkel the dark shaded areas.... the further right the better. There are also trees close to the beach that will provide shade if needed.

After wearing ourselves out in the water I noticed that the trolley was loading to head back to the ship. I asked the driver how much for four people and he told me $2.00 each..... pretty cheap transportation both ways.... also I did notice Vespa Scooters for rent at Gov's Beach and wished I would have rented one. When we got back to the port area we went in to Jimmy Buffet's and got Margaritas and nachos. JB'S is pretty cool with a giant pool, nice decor and music. We thought the service was a little slow but hey.... they are probably still trying to figure staffing needs out so be patient. The margaritas were OK..... nachos great but a little expensive no big deal. Overall our Grand Turk experience was excellent. I predict in a year or two that this will be an awesome place. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks for the info. So, you think that going to Governor's Beach is a good idea. Others seem to suggest that the beach where the ship docks is just as good. People I am traveling with will want to snorkel. Would going to Governor's Beach be better for them? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

Governor's Beach. When you get to Gov's Beach look for dark shaded water and snorkel. When you are on the beach walk to the right (away from the ship) several hundred yards. There is a HUGE area (dark shaded water) that had really good snorkeling...... lots of room. Hopefully you can get cheap transportation like we did. I did not snorkel right off the dock. The space looked limited. You will enjoy!!!!

Thanks for the info. Still trying to figure out what we will do in GT for the day. This info really helps... :)

I was on Grand Turk last Friday on Elation. I did the ultimate snorkel excursion. Two stops. Beautiful reefs, not a lot of fish when compared to other popular snorkeling spots. The swells and current were a bit rough at both stops.

Grand Turk is a very small island. It has a population of less than 3000 and less than 100 hotel/motel rooms. It is not anticipated to change much based on Carnival's building of the pier. There will be a few more shops opened but do not expect much of anything else to change.

This is a beach stop similar to Half Moon Cay, and if I have to guess Carnival will use it that way when HAL has HMC occupied.

The beaches and water are beautiful, great snorkeling and diving, but please do not expect much change here, there simply is not the infrastructure or population to support it.

(Note: I posted this same reply on another thread but I think it is OK in both places.)

Did you happen to notice the cost for scooter rental? Is there a lot of traffic? Thanks!

I too am just back from the Elation and Grand Turk. We snorkeled from the beach right near the pier. I would not say this is the best snorkeling we've had. We ended up going down the beach (away from the ship) quite aways before we saw fish bigger than minows. Once we did find that area, we saw parrot fish and others. We didn't see much corral though.

AlexOK,

Did you happen to notice the Scooter Rental Company name or talk to anyone who knows the cost of rental? Thanks

Thanks for the information.

How was Half Moon Cay?

Thanks for the info! We cruise the Elation starting next weekend and will stop in Grand Turk. We plan to do a Sting Ray encounter which I think it just going to this little island, snorkeling, and touching sting rays in shallow water. Probably not my ideal thing but DH insists we do it. I'll choose the activites on the other islands.

Thanks for the info on Grand Turk. We are going there on the new Crown Princess in September. Have never been to Grand Turk before (obviously) so I am looking forward to reading what I can about it. Sounds like we might want to do a short tour around, then hit the beach for snorkeling and then Margaritaville.

We are going there on the new Crown Princess in September. Have

We will also be on the Crown Princess in September, stopping in Grand Turk. Will you by any chance be on the Sept 3 sailing? This is our first Princess cruise, and our first stop at Grand Turk.

We're going to be on the Sept. 3 Crown Princess. We spent a week on Grand Turk about 15 years ago. It was so quiet we didn't see another tourist for the first three days! The island has some of the best diving we've seen in the Caribbean (and we've seen tons). If you dive, contact Blue Water Divers. If they're as good now as they were back then, you're in for a treat. They tend to dive early, so it should work with the docking hours. We're just planning on snorkeling. Haven't decided about the excursion or on our own.

I have some crazy Grand Turk stories. Will share at the Cruise Critics gathering!

We will also be on the Crown Princess in September, stopping in Grand Turk. Will you by any chance be on the Sept 3 sailing? This is our first Princess cruise, and our first stop at Grand Turk.

YES!!!!!! We are on the Sept. 3 sailing. Come join us on the Sept. 3 roll call. we are a nice group.

We're going to be on the Sept. 3 Crown Princess. We spent a week on Grand Turk about 15 years ago. It was so quiet we didn't see another tourist for the first three days! The island has some of the best diving we've seen in the Caribbean (and we've seen tons). If you dive, contact Blue Water Divers. If they're as good now as they were back then, you're in for a treat. They tend to dive early, so it should work with the docking hours. We're just planning on snorkeling. Haven't decided about the excursion or on our own.

 

I have some crazy Grand Turk stories. Will share at the Cruise Critics gathering!

Come join us on the Sept. 3 roll call. We are a nice group.

Thanks for letting me know about the Cruise Critic gathering! Sounds like fun! I'll look for the roll call.

Just back from the Legend. Left NYC on May 28-29. We made a stop at Grand Turk. We did the Trolley, Gov. Beach and Snorkel. Booked as an excursion, I think it was about $34 each. On a side note the lounge chairs of the beach nearest the boat were all set up and free, those on the excursion had to schlep or chairs from a pile on to the beach. Also the Trolley was swapped out by a bus since it was not running properly, in the time that took we could have easily walked to Gov. Beach since it was walking distance. The Folks we had dinner with hired a cab and rented the snorkeling equipment for much less for both of them for a total of $26. However I was happy with the snorkeling saw all kinds of cool fish.

My wife and I also had a snack at Margaritaville. Margaritas were $9, Beers were over $5 and nachos were $9. The jewelry in the stores was also priced very high. Not the best stop in our opinion.

If you go to www.margaritavillcaribbean.com and find the missing shaker of salt, you can print out a coupon for a free margarita or small soda at any Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in the caribbean. Hmm...let's see. Margarita or small soda???:rolleyes: Careful, it keeps jumping around. However, I will give you this hint: it shows up in one of the stores, although not the same one each time.

Where did you snorkel? We are interested in snorkeling from a beach if possible.

Hey, great posts here, guys - thanks for the tips! This will be my first October cruise, as well as my first out of NY. Is the second week of October relatively good, or will we be a-bouncin'?

Looking forward to more Grand Turk stories - keep 'em coming!

We snorkeled at Governors Beach a quick walk or cab ride from the port. Save some money and don't bother with the excursion when you are on the beach and snorkeling you can still see the ship. The area to the right of the beach in the darker water is were I saw the most interesting stuff, fish, rocks, shells etc. This was my first time snorkeling so everything I saw was great. Have fun...

We are doing the Sept 29th sailing on Crown and I am excited to see the island. We are also looking for snorkeling and from everything we have read it looks like Governors Beach it is.

Hey Tweety,

Thanks for that tip! I have my coupon printed out for our cruise on 8/06 aboard the Elation...

Leave it to a fellow Long Islander to find the good deal.. actually we moved a year ago, but lived there a lot of my life...

Thanks!!

Thanks for the hint about the free drink coupon...printing it out now:)

I am interested if anyone did the hop on hop off buses. I am traveling with my mom and want to know about mobility issues.

Hey Tweety,

 

Thanks for that tip! I have my coupon printed out for our cruise on 8/06 aboard the Elation...

 

Leave it to a fellow Long Islander to find the good deal.. actually we moved a year ago, but lived there a lot of my life...

 

Thanks!!

Glad I could help. :D