A Day in Port: Grand Turk

Turks and Caicos are British Overseas Territories. Grand Turk is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The capital city, Cockburn Town is located there. The cruise port on the Islands is located in Grand Turk. It was opened by Carnival Cruise Lines in 2016 and is a 13-acre complex located on the southern end of Grand Turk. The Grand Turk Cruise Port can be busy at times because of hosting up to 3 cruise ships at a time. A port schedule can be found here.

This cruise port has an excellent web site that can, as a result, answer almost any question. Find that site here.

Maps:

A map of the island of Grand Turk can be found here. A great map of Turks and Caicos can be found here.

Attractions:

Inside Port:

• FlowRider: This water attraction is great for bodyboarding and knee boarding. Access is available only as an excursion booked through your cruise ship. It is conveniently located inside the cruise center complex, adjacent to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Bar and Restaurant and the swimming pool. It looks like fun and gets good reviews on both TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic.
• Swimming Pool and Beach:  There is no charge to use the pool, beach, and loungers. Snorkel equipment, beach floats, and shade clamshells can be rented at the Beach Rental Hut on the beach. Private air-conditioned pool cabanas are also available for rent through your cruise line. The pool is big, beautiful, and also features a swim-up bar. Sun-Ray Beach is one of the best cruise port beaches in the area.
• Excursions are plentifully in this port and can be booked through your cruise ship or similarly through independent tour companies.

Outside of port:

The Salt House: The Salt House is located on the edge of the town of Salina, a little east of Cockburn Town. They also have a great gift shop and museum. Learn how important the salt industry was to this island for nearly 300 years.

Turks & Caicos National Museum: This is the national museum of the Turks and Caicos Islands. If you are into history you will indeed love this quaint museum. It is a 10-minute ride from the cruise port.

Grand Turk Lighthouse: Erected in 1852, the 60-foot lighthouse was built in England, shipped to the Islands and later assembled on Grand Turk. You can no longer go into the lighthouse but there are trails around it and it is a popular picnic destination.

Snorkeling: This is a popular sport on Grand Turk. Local beaches know for snorkeling are Governor’s Beach, Pillory Beach and White Sand Beach. Grand Turk has beautiful, bright tropical sunlight, so be sure to use waterproof sunblock on every snorkeling trip. I took a snorkeling and catamaran adventure and booked thru Princess Cruises. Seasoned snorkelers may have been disappointed, but it is good for first-time snorkelers. The place where we snorkeled was next to 2 other boats. In order to attract fish, our crew actually fed the fish to get them to come near us. The catamaran ride was a load of fun, with lots of delicious rum drinks and plenty of island music. All the employees on the boat made sure everyone had a great time.

Beaches: There are a number of incredible beaches on Grand Turk. Moreover, they are all open to the public and are free. Governor’s Beach is one of the best and is located between the cruise center and Cockburn Town. Pillory Beach, a little north of Cockburn Town is less crowded that Governor’s Beach. The big draw here is the reef that sits roughly 400 yards from the shoreline.

Gibb’s Cay: This is an island off the eastern edge of Grand Turk. Its nickname is Stingray City and as you can imagine, stingray’s are the main attraction. You can only get here by boat and for that reason, you need to plan ahead. While you are in Grand Turk be sure to book an excursion if you are into stingrays!

Food:

In short, fresh fish and conch are local favorites. You can eat at the cruise center or take a cab to Cockburn Town, which is just a short drive.

In the cruise center:

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville: What’s not to like about white sand beach, large beautiful pool, swim-up bar, live entertainment, open-air patio seating, and a full-service restaurant and bar. Did I mention it is right in the Grand Turk Cruise Port center? I ate there and enjoyed a great rum and coke and some jerk chicken. It was a little hokey but fun!

Jack‘s Shack: Okay, not technically inside the cruise center but it is only 500 meters (or 537 yards) north on the beach. Very casual and certainly very fun. They are only open when there are cruise ships in port.

Outside the cruise center:

• Birdcage Bar & Restaurant: located in the Osprey Hotel – Duke Street | Cockburn Town, Grand Turk.
• Guanahani Restaurant & Bar: Waterfront, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk.
• Sandbar: This is a casual, open-air restaurant. Duke Street | Cockburn Town, Grand Turk

Drink:

The island’s go-to drink is rum punch: made with dark rum, coconut rum, orange and pineapple juices and finally, a touch of grenadine. Above all, it is delicious!

Turks Head Brewery is a local favorite.

Shopping:

At no surprise, there are plenty of shopping opportunities in the cruise center. Most of the shops are geared towards tourists, including some upscale jewelry, Grand Turk souvenirs and in addition, a small collection of locally made items.

Transportation:

Just outside the cruise center, you will find taxis in addition to rental car pick-ups. Grand Turk taxis do not have meters, however. Confirm your trip and price with your taxi driver before departing the port. Be aware that driving is on the left and seat belts are mandatory.

Golf:

• Provo Golf Club: This is one of the best and most challenging courses in the area. Club rentals are available.
• Waterloo Golf Club: 9-hole, par 27 golf course located just a few hundred yards from the Cruise Ship Center. However, they do not have a web site, the link is to their Facebook page. Phone = 649-946-2308

* Getting a little seasick on this cruise? Be sure to check out my post on How to Prevent Seasickness by clicking here.