Excursion or Not

[erlyvon]

Is it worth paying for an excursion or better to explore the area on your own & spend time on the beach?

[crewsweeper]

If you have never been to GT, the best way to see the island, IMO, is to take a taxi tour.  If you've been there and want to explore more on your own, do the hop on/hop off tram or rent a jeep (golf carts are fun but slow and in ill repair).  Been there, done that.  Hang out on the beach at the cruise pier or take a taxi up to John's Oceanview north of town for less crowds, goo food and great service.

[CoW mAn]

I say save your money, the free beach is pretty awesome
 

 

[pacruise804]

Thanks for your video.  Do you remember how early you were back on board that they wouldn't let you off again?  There is someone asking on either the first time cruiser or ask a cruise question boards about if you can come and go in ports which most replies have been that you can as long as you are back in time.  I never thought about them not letting you back off the ship at a certain point and would hate for a party to be separated thinking they could get back off the ship and join up again.

 

Other posts I've read about Grand Turk is that the island is around 3 miles long, so there is probably a little more than you can see, but it is a tiny island.  It is part of Turks and Caicos, so maybe there are shuttle boats to a larger island with an airport - I'm guessing not everyone who goes there arrives on a cruise ship.

 

You didn't mention Jack's Shack.  About 1/3 mile along the beach is another popular spot for tourists.  It's not as crowded as the main beach area, and is still free to walk the beach and go in the water.  We paid $10 for an umbrella and 2 loungers for the day.  It's a nice option for those who don't want as much noise/crowds.  They also have an online coupon for a free rum shot, plus a few labradoodles (Topher and Calypso - I think that's their breed) that enjoy visiting the tourists (along with a few strays that hang around too).  Drinks and food are extra - plus anything you would buy in the store, but there was no pressure to buy anything.  Some of the drink names might be questionable if you have children with you, but it's pretty easy to avoid the bar signs.

[cruiseapril]

We did an inexpensive tour of the island in the morning by taking

a taxi into town, walking around, and going to the museum, and

then taking another taxi back to the Margaritaville pier.

We then spent the rest of the day at the pool and beach at the

M. pier.

[CoW mAn]

On 2/7/2019 at 8:32 AM, pacruise804 said:

Thanks for your video.  Do you remember how early you were back on board that they wouldn't let you off again?  There is someone asking on either the first time cruiser or ask a cruise question boards about if you can come and go in ports which most replies have been that you can as long as you are back in time.  I never thought about them not letting you back off the ship at a certain point and would hate for a party to be separated thinking they could get back off the ship and join up again.

 

I think it was like an hour before having to be back on board, also I didn't really speak to anyone about it - they might have let me off if I had asked but I would have been swimming upstream against the current of substantial crowds coming back on board