Just Back...

[herb]

We plan on going to Jack's Shack this time too. Been to Margaritaville twice, and we want to see something different :)

[WillieD13]

Just back yesterday. We did not make it up to Jack's shack as we had intended, by the time we got back from our excursion, our legs were way too tired to walk that far. We took the "Ultimate Snorkel" excursion in the morning, which is an excellent trip, particularly if you are a non or weak swimmer, or inexperienced with snorkeling, they handle that well, and it is not difficult. We had 2 stops, one by a reef in about 8' - 15', then out by the wall (about 20 yards in from it) where it was 20' - 25', or 7000' if you swam a few yards further. Lots of fish and interesting coral. Yes, you do have to wear the life vest, but no, you do not have to inflate it. I sucked all the air out of mine, so I was able to get down to the bottom, so if you like to actually dive, you can. Get yourself a good underwater camera, there is plenty to see. After the excursion, we stopped and bought a couple t-shirts for the grandkids, then made a brief stop on the ship to drop off our masks, snorkels and fins, and get a quick bit to eat, then went back ashore, took a short stroll along the beach to the south (to the right of the pier), until our legs said enough, so came back and poked a bit more through the stores. They are a bit commercialized, and in some cases rather pricey, but you can get some decent souvenirs if you look around. We then went to Margarittaville, where I got my M-ville t-shirt, and we wandered around a bit. It was fun watching kids wipe out on the Flow-Rider. We then spent a few minutes in the pool. By then it was after 2:00, and most people had gone back to the ship, so we had the pool almost completely to ourselves. The beach looked lovely, and everyone we talked to who spent time on it said it was delightful, even the sunburned people, and there were plenty of them. It was a very nice stop, it is just too bad we did not have a couple more hours there, or we would have done some beach time too.

[nybumpkin]

Your friend is absolutely correct - those drinks were strong (but very, very good) and only $6.00. We had the "Rum Punch", which they actually mix, themselves, at the bar. There are other drinks they make as well, in addition to the beer. If we'd have had one more of those Rum Punches we'd have been crawling back to the ship. :)

I still can't believe I had three of those rum punches - wow, were they good! I did stop at the duty-free shop to buy a bottle of the local Bambarra Rum. DH's brothers now want to sample it, so somehow I have to make the bottle last to Thanksgiving.;)

[jc4me]

Great review! Assuming that the weather is good when we go, we may take the walk down to Jack's ourselves. None of us are drinkers, so I'm assuming that they have soft drinks to purchase as well. We have snorkeled at the pier before and loved it. Grand Turk is the only place I have ever seen lionfish in the wild...I was thrilled, but I didn't touch :eek: We have purchased a clamshell to take with us. It folds up pretty small and has a carrying case, so hopefully it won't be too hard to carry.

 

Once we took the Ultimate Snorkel excursion but it was pouring rain and windy and the current was so strong that it took all of your effort to just stay off of the coral. It was far from our most enjoyable shore excursion. I figure that we can see some great sights right from the shore and if we can swim right out to the wall - I want to try that! I'd also love to be able to pick up a few conch shells to bring home. I know that some people don't think that is the right thing to do, but I don't see any harm in taking a shell...I pick up shells at the beach all of the time. If they aren't picked up, then they just get smashed to bits by the waves.

 

Can't wait!

[OCruisers]

:D Great Review! Thanks so much!

[NMCRUISERS]

Thanks for all the information!!!

[reno3]

I still can't believe I had three of those rum punches - wow, were they good! I did stop at the duty-free shop to buy a bottle of the local Bambarra Rum. DH's brothers now want to sample it, so somehow I have to make the bottle last to Thanksgiving.;)

Do they sell the Bambarra Rum only in Grand Turk?

DH always likes to buy the local "item' that you can not buy anywhere else:D

[WillieD13]

Do they sell the Bambarra Rum only in Grand Turk?

DH always likes to buy the local "item' that you can not buy anywhere else:D

 

That is correct, and you can't miss it. As you come into the Duty Free shop from the plaza (heading back toward the ship), there is a stand right inside the door, smack in front of you, with nothing but Bambarra Rum on it, Silver on the left, and Gold on the right. As of 7/13/10, Gold was $20 for a litre. I didn't buy Silver, so don't know that price. They also had it in fifths, but again I did not get that price.

[reno3]

That is correct, and you can't miss it. As you come into the Duty Free shop from the plaza (heading back toward the ship), there is a stand right inside the door, smack in front of you, with nothing but Bambarra Rum on it, Silver on the left, and Gold on the right. As of 7/13/10, Gold was $20 for a litre. I didn't buy Silver, so don't know that price. They also had it in fifths, but again I did not get that price.

Thanks, I have made a note of it:D

[texancruzer]

We were there last November on HAL cruise...... we did a wall dive with Blue Water Divers and it was phenomenal !!!

 

The bottom is almost all sand from shore and then you hit spotty reefs and then almost solid reef at varying heights.....then BAM you see the drop off. It actually drops down to 8000 feet (our guide informed us of this !) While the reef had some nice fish and corals - the side of the wall is totally awesome. We dove to a total depth of 50-55 feet (about as deep as I go) and swam all along the wall about 10-15 feet down. It was amazing. Grand Turk is really beautiful as far as the beach and water goes.....but truly not much else there on the island. If you are looking for a really quiet place to chill out - this is it !

[notes4theheart]

After the excursion, we stopped and bought a couple t-shirts for the grandkids, then made a brief stop on the ship to drop off our masks, snorkels and fins, and get a quick bit to eat, then went back ashore, took a short stroll along the beach to the south (to the right of the pier), until our legs said enough, so came back and poked a bit more through the stores.

 

Did you bring your own gear or did the tour provide a set to keep? I'm looking into buying my own set of gear, but seeing as we will be doing this excursion, if we get to keep the gear this purchase would be unnecessary.

[notes4theheart]

 

 

We went to our chairs but immediately went into the water. PERFECT beach. Water was pretty calm. Crystal clear, with different shades of blue, green, and turquois. SNORKELERS- we snorkeled right there from the beach and it was really great. There are large rocks that run parallel to the shore just feet into the water and there were tons of fish to see, with perfect visibility. We kept going further out (literally straight out toward the docked ship) and we came to the "wall", which is a 1000 foot dropoff!

 

May I ask how far from the beach you must swim to reach the wall?

[Jugador30]

That is correct, and you can't miss it. As you come into the Duty Free shop from the plaza (heading back toward the ship), there is a stand right inside the door, smack in front of you, with nothing but Bambarra Rum on it, Silver on the left, and Gold on the right. As of 7/13/10, Gold was $20 for a litre. I didn't buy Silver, so don't know that price. They also had it in fifths, but again I did not get that price.

 

Do you know what the difference in product was between the gold and silver? I am assuming it is just the gold is better quality? I will be there there in September and plan to pick up a bottle or two of the local speciality at each of the ports we stop at.

[WillieD13]

Did you bring your own gear or did the tour provide a set to keep? I'm looking into buying my own set of gear, but seeing as we will be doing this excursion, if we get to keep the gear this purchase would be unnecessary.

 

I have been snorkeling since I was a kid, so I have my own mask, snorkel and fins, which I took with me (big canvas tote bag for the stuff and the towels), and my wife borrowed my mother's. You do NOT keep the ones they loan you, they just stuff them into the "sanitizer" (a 35 gal galvinized steel trash can full of some soapy looking solution), and put them back in their stock. It looked like decent enough, if basic, equipment, and if you do not otherwise have a use for snorkel gear, theirs seems to serve the purpose. However if you plan to do snorkeling elsewhere/elsewhen, then either go to a dive shop and spring $75 - $150 for quality equipment, or go to Walmart/Target and spend around $30 for some basic, but decent stuff. Note: the excursion snorkels do NOT have a purge valve, or a "dry" top. The ones you buy probably will.

[WillieD13]

May I ask how far from the beach you must swim to reach the wall?

 

Depending on what beach you use, probably 300 - 500 yards. A very long swim if there is any wave action, and since it is the ocean, odds are that there will be. You don't want to tire yourself out just getting out to the wall, and you need to consider that once you are done diving at the wall, and probably tired, you would still have to swim back to shore. Prudence dictates a boat.

[WillieD13]

Do you know what the difference in product was between the gold and silver? I am assuming it is just the gold is better quality? I will be there there in September and plan to pick up a bottle or two of the local speciality at each of the ports we stop at.

 

I can not speak to the quality of a comparison, only that the Silver is "light", i.e. no color/looks like water, and the Gold is "dark", i.e. gold colored (about the color of an average whiskey).

[smarks]

Hi, I am interested in Jacks shack and would like to know if you saw any golf cart rentals. Some on our trip have some mobility issues and it would make it easy for them to really enjoy. Thanks

[reno3]

Hi, I am interested in Jacks shack and would like to know if you saw any golf cart rentals. Some on our trip have some mobility issues and it would make it easy for them to really enjoy. Thanks

 

Try this

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1164845

[mikefromny]

We just got back from our Carnival Destiny cruise on Saturday. Wednesday we found ourselves at Grand Turk and from what I read here the only thing to do was Jack's. Boy we were glad! We were an extended family of 16, ages 6-72, and EVERYONE loved Jack's! It was by far our favorite day on the cruise.

 

The snorkeling was fantastic. A few feet off a beautiful beach and you're looking at tons of fish of different sizes and colors.

 

While the cruise pier seemed crowded, we practically had Jack's beach to our selves. Some relaxed up on the deck talking to Jack and Janet. Some snorkeled and some lounged under an umbrella on the beach. We all loved the Jerk Chicken!

 

If you are going to Grand Turk you must go to Jack's!

[BigJohn1968]

I have been to Grand Turk twice now and going again in November. I reccomend renting a golf cart and checking out the rest of the island. They can be rented just outside the cruise terminal. About $80.00 for the dat but totally worth it.

[cruisingallover]

good info.....thanks

[Nanatravel]

Thanks Jeff and Willie for all your first hand information about Jack's and snorkeling at Grand Turk. We were just there in June; our SIL and my Grandson both did 2 Scuba dive tours through Carnvial. Price for private tour was about the same. They loved it.

 

We rented a golf cart from Nathan and had a great time. Breeze was nice while driving but hold onto your hat! We stopped at the Lighthouse and ended up at Governor's beach on the way back to the pier. I don't know where a road would have been to take you to Jack's shack, so we missed it. You can not take the golf carts onto the Terminal grounds including the road or parking lot. For those with elderly guests with them, it would feel like a long walk in the hot sun. Some have said that Nathan has a van and will pick you up, but that service was not offered. He was sitting in a vehicle when we arrived. Maybe you can ask him. He is on cell phone, so you could call when you are near the parking lot.

[jms2362]

I have been to Grand Turk twice now and going again in November. I reccomend renting a golf cart and checking out the rest of the island. They can be rented just outside the cruise terminal. About $80.00 for the dat but totally worth it.

 

How far is Jacks Shack from the cruise terminal?

[pghsteelerfan]

How far is Jacks Shack from the cruise terminal?

 

It's about a 10 minute walk, if that. If you are facing the beach from the ship, you will see another smaller pier on the left (there is also a small pier on the right), past Margaritaville. Jack's is right before you get to that pier.

[debsjc]

What sorts of chairs/loungers are there at Jacks, and is there any shade?

 

I'll be snorkelling, but my mum will want a comfortable spot to relax on the beach :)