Long review and recommendations for a great day!

[mandyc3383]

I know how helpful reading everyone's tips and reviews are for me, so I wanted to return the favor. I cruised on Carnival Pride in August that included a stop at Grand Turk.

 

First, this is not a tender port, so when you exit the ship you have a fairly short walk to the cruise terminal. Very easy access! The cruise terminal has a few typical tourist shops such as a jewlery store, Del Sol, Piranah Joe's etc. This is also where the Margaritaville is located. In front of the shops lays a nice beach that a lot of the cruise ship passengers use since it is conveinent and close.

 

We decided not to book any excursions for this port and instead went off on our own. I had read about renting golf carts through Nathan here on CC so we set out to find them. You must walk straight back through the terminal and all the way out of the gate. There will be a guy there with golf carts set up to rent. The price was $80 for the day... not bad at all. You fill out a form with your personal information and drivers license number if you wish to drive and then you are free to go. The man in charge gave us a map of the area to help us find our way.

 

We cruised along the streets looking at the small town. There is still a lot of destruction from the Hurricane that came through. You could see many people were rebuilding their homes and such. I was surprised at the amount of stray dogs roaming the streets. The area is a bit run down, as to be expected. It was a world of difference from the cruise terminal and the actual town, also as to be expected.

 

After touring the area a little bit we came up on the backside of the island where there was a lovely view and ended up at the new Conch World Museum. A tour from the boat was unloading and the tour guide yelled over and asked if we would like to join in. We paid $15.00 per person whereas the tour price through Carnival was $35.00 I beleive.

 

You begin the tour in the gift shop and walk through small buildings where you hear about the Conch and how important it is to the island. You also hear a little about the history of Conch farming and how exactly the museum came about. You then get to meet Jerry and Sally the two Conks that are on display at the Museum. The guide attempts to coax them out of their shells to say hello. Now, this was an ok tour. It was informative, but not overly. I felt a little rushed through the buildings so I didn't get to read or see much that was on display, which wasn't a whole lot. If I had paid the Carnival price for this tour I would have been beyond dissapointed, but we took it for what it was and moved on. I wouldn't do it again or recommend it unless you are interested in Conch or really searching for an activity to do on the island.

 

We drove to the Bohio beach resort. It was easy to get to and the locals are more than happy to help you find your way. You pull right through the gates and pick a place to park. There was a bathroom, rental hut, and food stand there for use. There were a few people there but we we walked a little ways down the beach and picked a spot. We mainly wanted to snorkel here. Our friends are novice snorkelers and my bf and I have never snorkeled. As a side note, I am so thankful that I didn't take a snorkeling excursion for the first time because I would have wasted my money and time. Getting use to how to snorkel was something I needed to do at my own pace and if I had been with a tour group I think I wouldn't have enjoyed it. Anyway we saw a few colorful fish and a stingray. There was some coral in the area but nothing overly colorful. It was nice but I am sure people who snorkel alot would expect more. The bottom was very rocky and I would absolutely recommend water shoes. I brought them and the others did not and were sorry.

 

We moved on to Governor's Beach next where we attempted to snorkel but there really wasnt much to see. I think we saw one small fish there. The bottom here is soft sand. We spent most of our time here sitting along the water's edge collecting sea glass. There was so much sea glass and it was so relaxing.

 

After this beach we returned the golf cart and went to Margaritaville. There was lots going on there and a lot of people in the pool. We went inside for some lunch and a couple drinks. The food was great and we ordered some drink that was soooo good!

 

Grand Turk has beautiful water and some great beaches to relax at! Margaritaville was a little expensive, as to be expected but worth it in my opinion. The golf cart rental made the day! There is no way we would have been able to participate in all the things we did without it.

[lahoban]

Thanks for the great review!

[Scallop]

Yes, thank you, we will be there in 2 weeks. We are going to do the dune buggy tour.

[GinDon]

Your review is just what I've been looking for! We are golf-carting it next month, and I have made notes of your experiences. Sounds like it was a well balanced, fun day. Can't wait to get there!

[mandyc3383]

It was a great day! At the end of the cruise all four of us rated each port and decided we had the best time in Grand Turk compared to the other two ports.

 

GinDon... Just a little info about the golf cart. The golf cart holds 4 comfortably. Two in the front and two in the back facing backwards. Our golf cart backfired a few times making a rather loud noise. The first time it did it, it took us by total surprise and sounded like we were being shot at. Just a head's up especially if you will have children with you. The golf cart is so conveinent because you can take it just about anywhere and park it anywhere. There is a small space in the back to put your belongings. We also had to put some gas in the tank before we returned the cart. There are like only two stations on the island. It came out to be about $5 for a gallon. We just put a gallon in.

 

Scallop... We were origionally going to do the Dune Buggy tour but decided to go out on our own. We try to balance out our ports that way since we like to take excursions but also like to explore solo. Let me know if you like the tour please... I would love to know for future reference.

 

Oh and if you guys are stopping in Freeport Bahamas... DO NOT go on the Jeep Excursion. All four of us and most of the people on the excursion found it to be way overpriced for what you get and bit dissapointing that we spent our whole day doing it.

[GinDon]

mandyc3383: Do you remember about how long you had the cart out? Sounds like you did a lot. We are in GT only from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hope that gives us enough time to explore.

[ohitssunshine]

It was a great day! At the end of the cruise all four of us rated each port and decided we had the best time in Grand Turk compared to the other two ports.

 

GinDon... Just a little info about the golf cart. The golf cart holds 4 comfortably. Two in the front and two in the back facing backwards. Our golf cart backfired a few times making a rather loud noise. The first time it did it, it took us by total surprise and sounded like we were being shot at. Just a head's up especially if you will have children with you. The golf cart is so conveinent because you can take it just about anywhere and park it anywhere. There is a small space in the back to put your belongings. We also had to put some gas in the tank before we returned the cart. There are like only two stations on the island. It came out to be about $5 for a gallon. We just put a gallon in.

 

Scallop... We were origionally going to do the Dune Buggy tour but decided to go out on our own. We try to balance out our ports that way since we like to take excursions but also like to explore solo. Let me know if you like the tour please... I would love to know for future reference.

 

Oh and if you guys are stopping in Freeport Bahamas... DO NOT go on the Jeep Excursion. All four of us and most of the people on the excursion found it to be way overpriced for what you get and bit dissapointing that we spent our whole day doing it.

 

 

The golf cart sounds like a great idea. Could I fit 3 kids (14, 11, 9) on the back? If its normal size I am thinking I could. I would hate to break up and spend double on 2 carts!

[smokester]

Im wondering the same thing , can you fit 5 on a cart? Will Nathan let you? We are a party of 9 & if we have too, we will rent 3 golf carts. Also, did you call ahead & reserve the cart or were there plenty available? We will the there Christmas week, thinking we might be better off to reserve in advance. :confused:

[mandyc3383]

GinDon: You are able to take the cart for the entire time you are there. The price is for the day so there is no specific return time. We were docked in Grand Turk from 7am to 2:30pm, so you should have plenty of time.

 

Ohitssunshine: The golf cart is standard size. I guess it depends on the size of your children. When you get to the golf carts have your children sit on the back seat and see if they fit comfortably. That way you will know from the get go if they will fit or not.

 

Smokester: Again, it really depends on the size of the people in the cart. If you are talking about 3 children in the back, then yes I think it is possible. If you are talking about 3 average size adults, no I don't think it would be comfortable, especially if the adults are carrying items such as backpacks with them. Nathan wasn't there when we rented the cart... I beleive it was an employee of his. We did not call ahead to reserve the golf cart because I am a bit weary about giving out credit card information over the phone to people I don't know. Although many people on CC have done it from what I hear and haven't had a problem yet. We were one of the first groups of people off the ship and we immediately headed for the carts. I didn't see anyone making a mad dash for the carts, except for us. lol However, I don't know how many people reserved them as well.