Anyone return here since the hurricanes recently???

Anyone return here since the hurricanes recently??? How was it??? Hope it was good for you!

From the pics I've seen from recent cruise looks decent. Never know though

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We just got back on Sunday from a cruise that stopped in Grand Turk last week on Wednesday (Carnival Ecstasy). We were told we were the First ship to stop there since the hurricanes.

The beach looked great, pretty much what I remember from before. They have planted tons of new palm trees (like a hundred or more?) as almost all were destroyed during the storm. We took a short walk left down the beach. Jack's Shack is open & Topher is still there digging to China. The people there were soooooo happy to have us back and have the tourism money coming in. I think they are hurting pretty badly. It was interesting talking with them about their stories on riding the storm out.

We did not walk right this time over the conch graveyard, but I understand from another passenger it's still there. They said there were some beautiful conches there with the pink in the middle, not just the totally bleached out/petrified conches. Typically we walk right off the dock, around the point, and snorkel off the beach. We were going to, but did not do that this time because we tried something we have never tried before and we were too tired to snorkel afterwards . . .

The FLOWRIDER !! It was so much fun !!!!!!! My husband & I are both over 50 years old and I'm not the most athletic person (think Ally McBeal walking into doors or falling when walking on flat surface : ), but I was able to do it. We did the long 1.5 hour session for $40 where you get the whole width of the flowrider and can boogie board plus standup 'surf' (as opposed to 1 hour for $30 where you get one side and only get boogie board, according to the literature). We each tipped them $10 (I don't know if that's a good tip or bad??). There were only 4 that stayed on the whole time (me, hubby, and 2 guys in their 20's) plus 4 others who came & went. With so few people, we had more time than we needed (or wanted! - we were sitting down taking breaks in between, and sometimes none were on it). The guys running it are super helpful making sure you are safe and helping you learn & improve. I started out falling immediately but was able to stay on for a really long time by the end, and was even doing tricks ! You "fall" pretty much every single time, that's the "dismount" procedure ;), but the surface is spongy, it's like falling on your mattress, it doesn't hurt (I don't even have any bruises or anything). For being one of the least expensive excursions you can purchase, it was TOTALLY worth it. I will definitely be doing it again next time we go to Grand Turk. But I think I will snorkel first then Flow Rider so I'm not too tired to snorkel afterwards.

Tips: Men wear a good fitting bathing suit not loose, I would recommend 1-piece for ladies. I would wear my least favorite swimsuit and wear a tshirt over it. Rushing water can pull things off. :eek:

https://carnival-news.com/2017/11/02/grand-turk-cruise-center-re-opens-with-visit-from-carnival-ecstasy/

https://www.facebook.com/carnivalcruiselinemiami/videos/1599587303413711/

(our cruise director)

angela12345,

How far around the point would be a good place to start snorkeling? Is there any shade?

Thanks,

We just got back on Sunday from a cruise that stopped in Grand Turk last week on Wednesday (Carnival Ecstasy). We were told we were the First ship to stop there since the hurricanes.

 

The beach looked great, pretty much what I remember from before. They have planted tons of new palm trees (like a hundred or more?) as almost all were destroyed during the storm. We took a short walk left down the beach. Jack's Shack is open & Topher is still there digging to China. The people there were soooooo happy to have us back and have the tourism money coming in. I think they are hurting pretty badly. It was interesting talking with them about their stories on riding the storm out.

 

We did not walk right this time over the conch graveyard, but I understand from another passenger it's still there. They said there were some beautiful conches there with the pink in the middle, not just the totally bleached out/petrified conches. Typically we walk right off the dock, around the point, and snorkel off the beach. We were going to, but did not do that this time because we tried something we have never tried before and we were too tired to snorkel afterwards . . .

 

The FLOWRIDER !! It was so much fun !!!!!!! My husband & I are both over 50 years old and I'm not the most athletic person (think Ally McBeal walking into doors or falling when walking on flat surface : ), but I was able to do it. We did the long 1.5 hour session for $40 where you get the whole width of the flowrider and can boogie board plus standup 'surf' (as opposed to 1 hour for $30 where you get one side and only get boogie board, according to the literature). We each tipped them $10 (I don't know if that's a good tip or bad??). There were only 4 that stayed on the whole time (me, hubby, and 2 guys in their 20's) plus 4 others who came & went. With so few people, we had more time than we needed (or wanted! - we were sitting down taking breaks in between, and sometimes none were on it). The guys running it are super helpful making sure you are safe and helping you learn & improve. I started out falling immediately but was able to stay on for a really long time by the end, and was even doing tricks ! You "fall" pretty much every single time, that's the "dismount" procedure ;), but the surface is spongy, it's like falling on your mattress, it doesn't hurt (I don't even have any bruises or anything). For being one of the least expensive excursions you can purchase, it was TOTALLY worth it. I will definitely be doing it again next time we go to Grand Turk. But I think I will snorkel first then Flow Rider so I'm not too tired to snorkel afterwards.

 

Tips: Men wear a good fitting bathing suit not loose, I would recommend 1-piece for ladies. I would wear my least favorite swimsuit and wear a tshirt over it. Rushing water can pull things off. :eek:

 

https://carnival-news.com/2017/11/02/grand-turk-cruise-center-re-opens-with-visit-from-carnival-ecstasy/

 

https://www.facebook.com/carnivalcruiselinemiami/videos/1599587303413711/

(our cruise director)

Thank you so much for the info!! Great news on Jacks Shack and Topher!!! I was worried for them and

his "famous" establishment.

Angela .... Thanks so very much for reporting back after your shop in Grand Turk! :)

Angela. Thanks. That is great news. Glad you enjoyed the flowrider.

We just got back on Sunday from a cruise that stopped in Grand Turk last week on Wednesday (Carnival Ecstasy). We were told we were the First ship to stop there since the hurricanes.

 

The beach looked great, pretty much what I remember from before. They have planted tons of new palm trees (like a hundred or more?) as almost all were destroyed during the storm. We took a short walk left down the beach. Jack's Shack is open & Topher is still there digging to China. The people there were soooooo happy to have us back and have the tourism money coming in. I think they are hurting pretty badly. It was interesting talking with them about their stories on riding the storm out.

 

We did not walk right this time over the conch graveyard, but I understand from another passenger it's still there. They said there were some beautiful conches there with the pink in the middle, not just the totally bleached out/petrified conches. Typically we walk right off the dock, around the point, and snorkel off the beach. We were going to, but did not do that this time because we tried something we have never tried before and we were too tired to snorkel afterwards . . .

 

The FLOWRIDER !! It was so much fun !!!!!!! My husband & I are both over 50 years old and I'm not the most athletic person (think Ally McBeal walking into doors or falling when walking on flat surface : ), but I was able to do it. We did the long 1.5 hour session for $40 where you get the whole width of the flowrider and can boogie board plus standup 'surf' (as opposed to 1 hour for $30 where you get one side and only get boogie board, according to the literature). We each tipped them $10 (I don't know if that's a good tip or bad??). There were only 4 that stayed on the whole time (me, hubby, and 2 guys in their 20's) plus 4 others who came & went. With so few people, we had more time than we needed (or wanted! - we were sitting down taking breaks in between, and sometimes none were on it). The guys running it are super helpful making sure you are safe and helping you learn & improve. I started out falling immediately but was able to stay on for a really long time by the end, and was even doing tricks ! You "fall" pretty much every single time, that's the "dismount" procedure ;), but the surface is spongy, it's like falling on your mattress, it doesn't hurt (I don't even have any bruises or anything). For being one of the least expensive excursions you can purchase, it was TOTALLY worth it. I will definitely be doing it again next time we go to Grand Turk. But I think I will snorkel first then Flow Rider so I'm not too tired to snorkel afterwards.

 

Tips: Men wear a good fitting bathing suit not loose, I would recommend 1-piece for ladies. I would wear my least favorite swimsuit and wear a tshirt over it. Rushing water can pull things off. :eek:

 

https://carnival-news.com/2017/11/02/grand-turk-cruise-center-re-opens-with-visit-from-carnival-ecstasy/

 

https://www.facebook.com/carnivalcruiselinemiami/videos/1599587303413711/

(our cruise director)

Glad to hear about your experience.

Keith

The main port area and the beach look great. You’d be hard pressed to know anything happened. Jacks Shack also looked great.

The rest of the island is in rough shape. We rented a golf cart and basically drove the entire island. Downed power lines EVERYWHERE, I assume they were all dead but it was a little unnerving. Per the guy we rented from, they got power back 2 weeks ago. Houses completely destroyed. Everyone was extremely friendly but it was very sad to see the damage.

The main port area and the beach look great. You’d be hard pressed to know anything happened. Jacks Shack also looked great.

The rest of the island is in rough shape. We rented a golf cart and basically drove the entire island. Downed power lines EVERYWHERE, I assume they were all dead but it was a little unnerving. Per the guy we rented from, they got power back 2 weeks ago. Houses completely destroyed. Everyone was extremely friendly but it was very sad to see the damage.

Thats what we planned on doing but haven't rented one yet.

Curious if you booked your golf cart prior.

Was thinking we'd just wing it and rent when we get there.

We want to see the Island, conch grave yard and Jacks shack for sure.

We did an Island tour last year and they were doing alot of road work.

It's going to be sad to see all the destruction.

I saw the before and after of Katrina. Devastating for sure.

angela12345,

 

How far around the point would be a good place to start snorkeling? Is there any shade?

It's not far at all once you're around the point, if you go more than 1000 feet, you've past it.

There's trees for shade back off the beach. When we snorkeled there on the last trip (not this trip last week but a little over a year ago), there was an area with permanent small 'umbrella' type structures (like the size of a regular umbrella) down by the beach near the path up to the Helipad. They were just past the 3rd reef shown in the drawing. I would doubt they are still there since the hurricane ??

If you go to snorkel around the point, you will also be walking through the "conch graveyard" before you get to the point. Even if you don't go to snorkel, it's worth walking this way just to see it. So many conches, there are conch shells laying on top of conch shells (or there used to be before the hurricanes). I'm going to copy another's post... "Please think carefully about taking shells, and ensure it is something that will be valued, not just cast aside once back home, as in that case it would be much more valuable remaining in the natural environment. If every cruise ship passenger (nearly 1 million per year visit Grand Turk) takes shells, it can have serious consequences for the future."

If the tide is too high, or you aren't comfortable walking around the point, the satellite view shows there's a 'path'/dirtroad. Go to the right off the ship dock, pass all the beach chairs & stuff set up there, then go up through the trees. I haven't been that way, so no idea if there's any type of wall there preventing that. We have walked back to the ship by way of the Helipad and up that road before though. The road by the Helipad takes you up to the main entrance into the cruise center.

Satellite view on Google Maps ... https://goo.gl/maps/xfJUDjjwP8J2

Boaby Rock Point more info https://www.visittci.com/grand-turk/boaby-rock-point

We brought our own snorkel equipment we bought from Costco, they have it every year, usually sometime after Christmas in the spring. It's US Divers brand snorkel sets that have everything for $40. Kids sets were less, but I don't remember the kids set price. They even had them on clearance at the end of the spring/summer season at our Costco this year (clearance prices at Costco end .97). They come with panoramic mask with easy equalization soft purge, dry-top submersible snorkel with silicone mouthpiece, Pivot-Flex fins, and carrying bag. It seems to be very high quality for amateur gear with lots of premium features. We also bought inflatable snorkel vests from a dive shop, we liked having them in Grand Turk as the water is not completely flat like some other ports we have sailed to.

http://www.costcoweekender.com/2015/...co-907491.html

http://www.costcoweekender.com/2015/...co-907495.html

P.S. If anyone does the FlowRider, take off your jewelry first, including rings and necklaces ! I didn't lose anything but the guys working said it's happened before (I took off everything but my wedding set which takes a good amount of time, work, and butter to get off). Also, please note, that we did not get hurt at all, but like any sport (or even just walking for me ; ), it is certainly possible to get hurt on the FlowRider.

Thats what we planned on doing but haven't rented one yet.

Curious if you booked your golf cart prior.

Was thinking we'd just wing it and rent when we get there.

We want to see the Island, conch grave yard and Jacks shack for sure.

We did an Island tour last year and they were doing alot of road work.

It's going to be sad to see all the destruction.

I saw the before and after of Katrina. Devastating for sure.

We did book in advance but pretty late as our itinerary was up in the air for a bit. I think it was about 3 weeks out when we booked. I’m not sure if they had any available for walk ups or not, we rented from a smaller guy who had 3 and he said all of them were booked.

If you do, walk out of the taxi stand (big brown wood thing) and take a left. Walk about a block down at though the security gate that’s the actual port exit then all the golf cart people are right there :) took us awhile to figure that one out!

We just got off the Splendor today and stopped at Grand Turk on Friday.We originally thought about getting a golf cart but with still a lot of damage all around the island we decided to just go to Jacks.The beach area looks pretty good but you can still see a lot of damage to roofs,fences,trees etc at the beach.

While talking to them at Jacks,one of them just got back power Monday and others a week or 2 earlier.Internet was mostly down so using a debit or credit card was iffy so have cash if going there.They were streaming music from a cellphone at the bar to try and give it some sense of normalcy.

We still had a great time with everyone there and watching Topher dig his way around the beach.Like said before,they were very happy to have ships coming back into port and life getting back to as normal as it can be .

We didnt stop at Margaritaville but all things there seemed to be a go as we walked by.

angela,

Thanks for the info. We're mostly concerned about just having some shade to get out of the sun for a bit. Sounds like we will enjoy this section.

Thanks for sharing! :)

Angela, thanks for your report and also the map of the point.

Depending on sea conditions, one of those reefs is where the snuba expedition (booked through the cruise line) will take you. It was nice.

When I was last there at the point, a sign by the beach stated that land was for sale. (!)

The main port area and the beach look great. You’d be hard pressed to know anything happened. Jacks Shack also looked great.

The rest of the island is in rough shape. We rented a golf cart and basically drove the entire island. Downed power lines EVERYWHERE, I assume they were all dead but it was a little unnerving. Per the guy we rented from, they got power back 2 weeks ago. Houses completely destroyed. Everyone was extremely friendly but it was very sad to see the damage.

What was the company you rented the golf cart from? We have a reservation for one Dec 1 but have read in other threads that they are closed.

We did not walk right this time over the conch graveyard, but I understand from another passenger it's still there. They said there were some beautiful conches there with the pink in the middle, not just the totally bleached out/petrified conches. Typically we walk right off the dock, around the point, and snorkel off the beach. We were going to, but did not do that this time because we tried something we have never tried before and we were too tired to snorkel afterwards . . .

The FLOWRIDER !! It was so much fun !!!!!!! My husband & I are both over 50 years old and I'm not the most athletic person (think Ally McBeal walking into doors or falling when walking on flat surface :

https://carnival-news.com/2017/11/02/grand-turk-cruise-center-re-opens-with-visit-from-carnival-ecstasy/

https://www.facebook.com/carnivalcruiselinemiami/videos/1599587303413711/

(our cruise director)

Hi! I had information a few years ago on the conch graveyard, but misplaced it. Could you tell me how to get to it and if it is worth going? Thanks. And what is Flowrider?

What was the company you rented the golf cart from? We have a reservation for one Dec 1 but have read in other threads that they are closed.

We rented through Max Kart Auto Rentals

http://www.maxkartautorentals.com/

Website is kinda janky (he’s newer) but I had zero complaints, golf cart was older but worked fine and payment is via PayPal which made me feel better in the event of any issues (but again there were none)

Angela, thanks for your report and also the map of the point.

Depending on sea conditions, one of those reefs is where the snuba expedition (booked through the cruise line) will take you. It was nice.

When I was last there at the point, a sign by the beach stated that land was for sale. (!)

Wouldn't that be marvelous to have a place in paradise ?!?!

Hi! I had information a few years ago on the conch graveyard, but misplaced it. Could you tell me how to get to it and if it is worth going? Thanks. And what is Flowrider?

I think it's totally worth walking over to the 'conch graveyard' and it's super easy to get there. When you come off of the cruise dock, turn right and walk down the beach past where they have the lounge chairs and stuff set up, just keep walking down the beach. You will walk thru the 'conch graveyard' as you walk towards the tip/point of the island. It's only 1/3 mile if you go all the way to the point. Here is a google satellite view and the 'snorkeling spots' map from above, as well as one of Mitsugirly's pics showing where the conchs are in relation to the ship (she does fantastic pictorial reviews) ...

https://goo.gl/maps/xfJUDjjwP8J2

Here I am on the FlowRider. Basically it sends water at a very high speed across a small area that mimics what it is like to surf on the ocean. You can ride a boogie board/knee board AND/OR you can ride a standup/surf board, depending on which option you choose. It is crazy fun and it's not very expensive (compared to other excursions costs). We did 1.5 hours for $40pp plus we tipped them (see more details in above posts).

angela,

Thanks for the info. We're mostly concerned about just having some shade to get out of the sun for a bit. Sounds like we will enjoy this section.

Here is a pic of the shade trees. Fair warning: you might have to share your shade, hehe (see pic)

Here is looking at the beach and water from the permanent small 'umbrella' type structures (like the size of a regular umbrella) down by the beach near the path up to the Helipad. Don't know if they are still there since the recent hurricane, this pic was from 2016. If you're under one of these 'umbrellas' looking toward water, snorkeling is back towards the right in between there and Boaby Rock Point.

Thanks for sharing!

Happy to help ! : )

Wouldn't that be marvelous to have a place in paradise ?!?!

I was actually considering retiring there, since our snuba divemaster said a decent-sized ranch (or bungalow)-style house, fully furnished, was about $115,000 there by Cockburn Town.

The hurricane damage is causing me to reconsider, though.

Thank you for the info.