Golf Cart Rental Advice for Grand Turk?

[hawkinsh]

We will be on the Carnival Celebration the last week in July (2024).  I am thinking about renting one of the 6 passenger golf carts in Grand Turk and exploring the island at our own pace, but I would love to hear from you guys who have done this before.  I have a few questions.

 

#1 -- Thought we would go out of the port to rent because it seems cheaper.  If you have done this, was it hard to figure out where to go to get the cart?  Was it a long walk?  

 

#2 -- Who did you rent from & would you recommend them to a friend?

 

#3 -- How did you know how to navigate the island?  Did they give you a map of the roads?

 

#4 -- From research, it seems like the island is pretty safe for tourists.  Is that how you felt?

 

#5 -- As you stopped along the way, how did you pay for things to eat and souvenirs?  Did you have US $$ or use credit cards?  Is haggling part of the culture?  

 

I know this is a lot, but being on a huge ship and a new'ish to cruising,  I am concerned that I need to plan ahead, and maybe even rent/reserve before we arrive.  So I am getting all the info I can.  Exploring a country on our own is a bit of a scary thing, but this seems like a great island to start.

[Mangrove Snapper]

We were on Grand Turk last month with the Carnival Legend.  We didn't rent a golf cart so I can't speak to that but I can say that the island felt really safe and we really enjoyed our time there.

 

For shopping and eating - US dollars is the official currency of Turks & Caicos.   We used both cash and card there. 

[mitsugirly]

We rented a golf cart in the past (not recently) and explored all over the island. It's super easy to navigate and not very big at all. We just took the main road up to the lighthouse and explored some areas, then stopped at some beaches. HERE is my review when we did it. We felt very safe.

[hawkinsh]

1 hour ago, mitsugirly said:

We rented a golf cart in the past (not recently) and explored all over the island. It's super easy to navigate and not very big at all. We just took the main road up to the lighthouse and explored some areas, then stopped at some beaches. HERE is my review when we did it. We felt very safe.

Thank you.  I had already found your link in someone else's post.  I enjoyed reading it and it was informative and helpful.  Do you have any idea if Governor's Beach is still as quiet?  I have read in some places that they the chair rentals, but we are planning a day similar to your . . . knock around then finish the day at Governor's Beach.  

 

One other question.  You mentioned a cooler with drinks.  How did you have that?  Did you bring all of it off the boat, or bring an empty cooler and fill with drinks and ice along the way?  I am trying to decide if it would be worth bringing along a small collapsible cooler.

[mitsugirly]

On 2/23/2024 at 9:15 AM, hawkinsh said:

Thank you.  I had already found your link in someone else's post.  I enjoyed reading it and it was informative and helpful.  Do you have any idea if Governor's Beach is still as quiet?  I have read in some places that they the chair rentals, but we are planning a day similar to your . . . knock around then finish the day at Governor's Beach.  

 

One other question.  You mentioned a cooler with drinks.  How did you have that?  Did you bring all of it off the boat, or bring an empty cooler and fill with drinks and ice along the way?  I am trying to decide if it would be worth bringing along a small collapsible cooler.

 

Sorry I do not. It's been several years since we have been there and not sure if they have upgraded with any restaurants or has chair rentals now. 

 

Hmmm, I don't remember having a cooler. What part did you read that in?

[hawkinsh]

24 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Sorry I do not. It's been several years since we have been there and not sure if they have upgraded with any restaurants or has chair rentals now. 

 

Hmmm, I don't remember having a cooler. What part did you read that in?

You mentioned having sodas with you.  Maybe I just made an assumption.

[mitsugirly]

16 hours ago, hawkinsh said:

You mentioned having sodas with you.  Maybe I just made an assumption.

 

I honestly don't remember if we brought some with us off the ship or we stopped somewhere to get some along the way. I do have a collapsible soft cooler that I used to take with us at times, so it's possible I brought them with us. I wish I could remember for you.  

[tetleytea]

When we visited Turks & Queso (as I was told to call it), I looked up an operator online and reserved it.  It turns out it was this guy's only golf cart.  He was not well off financially, and our business was his world.  The cart was a clunker, but it got us around the whole island.  I've had easier places to navigate (as in Skagway, Alaska.  There is only one road), but we only got lost very briefly.  It was okay.  I felt very safe there compared to, say, Jamaica or Dominican.  I think we paid for everything with credit card.