New Gibbs Cay and Beach Review

[thekidsrcruisin]

Just back from visiting Grand Turk on Saturday June 5 with the Emerald Princess and we loved this port! My husband and I and two daughters, 7 and 9, booked the Gibbs Cay Stingray excursion through the ship and had a great time. The excursion was a little over 2 hours long and I highly recommend this for families, swimmers and non-swimmers alike. Afterwards, we went to the beach right at the cruise ship dock and found this very enjoyable.

 

There were quite a few people on the Gibbs Cay excursion, probably around 50 on our boat. We had about a 20 minute smooth ride out to Gibbs Cay, a small deserted island. The boat anchored in very shallow water, just steps away from the beach. When we got in the water, there were lots of rays swimming around. Some people fed them with fish and the tour guide held one so that everyone could touch it. We were standing in approximately 2 feet of crystal clear water and you could see the rays circling around everyone's feet. You could sit on the beach out of the water and see the same. After the rays started to dissipate, we swam out to a small reef. I'm really bad at judging distances, so I can't tell you how far out it was, but it was an easy swim for me (not in great shape) and my 9-year old. It was too far out for my 7-yr old and she went back to the boat with my husband. We didn't see a whole lot, but we did see a lot of anemones and parrot fish and angelfish. The highlight of our snorkeling was seeing an enormous stingray camoflage himself with sand near a reef and sit and wait for a snack. After about 30 minutes of snorkeling, we headed back to the boat for fruit punch and the ride back to the dock. The tour guides were very friendly and the whole excursion was very well run.

 

Upon our return to the dock, we decided to visit the beach for just a little while. The beach just to the right of the dock was very nice. The beach is free and there are lounge chairs set up and lots of sun and shade both. There is snorkeling equipment, floating mats, and clamshells for rent. The kids played in the water (very warm and very clear) and we spoke to some people who had been snorkeling in the water. They said the snorkeling was awesome and not too far of a swim. The beach was clean and not rocky at all. I haven't been to Governor's Beach, but if you are looking for a beach that is close and free, it would be hard to beat this one!

[iguanaeddie]

Thanks for the detailed report. Sounds like you all had a memorable experience.

Ed

[pokergirl34]

Thanks so much for your report!!! I am so happy to read this.