Review of 7-day Eastern Carribean Cruise on Carnival Magic (9/15)

[RebelAthena]

On our next day, we docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and this was, by far, my least favorite port, but not for the reasons you’re probably thinking. At our three other stops, we were the only ship in port; however, we learned the night before arriving in PR that we would be one of THREE ships docking in San Juan. As such, we ended up docking at 6:30AM and had to be back on board by 3:30. While San Juan is beautiful and historic, NOTHING IS OPEN at 6:30AM (and really, who wants to be up, fed, and ready to get off the ship at 6:30 AM?) We ended up leaving the ship around 8AM and were greeted with rush-hour traffic; to make things worse, there was a scheduled visit by a high-ranking governmental official that day and traffic was in gridlock. Feeling a bit at a loss, we ended up strolling into Old Town San Juan and visiting a Starbucks (WHICH HAD AWESOME MAPS!). After meeting up with the rest of my family, we took an uber XL to Castillo San Felipe del Morro; it was worth the $7 (yes, only $7) to get everyone there without griping and without being in a puddle of sweat (I’m from the south, but good gosh the humidity in San Juan was oppressive). We enjoyed our time at del Morro; it is gorgeous, shady, breezy, and historical. We all got in plenty of walking! We then ubered to Castille de San Cristobal (yes, it is walkable, but when you have kids in bad footwear (not my children!), you make accommodations). NOTE HERE: the entrance fee to one will get you into both locations, so save your receipt! I was less impressed with this second location, but it put us in a great spot to wander around Old San Juan and return to the ship on time. Evidently there is a taco truck that hangs out close to the port, and the food is cheap and FANTASTIC. My nephew – a picky eater for sure – ate three different tacos. So, we returned to the ship, and I wanted a pre-dinner nap ...

 

2 hours later, I wake up and . . . we were still in port. What the what? Turns out a Carnival excursion ran exceptionally late, and we were obliged to wait for the group of 16 passengers. I think had our hours been different and traffic not so terrible, I would have ventured downtown or to the Bacardi factory; we were concerned, however, that we would get caught in traffic returning to the port, and the ship would have sailed without us.

 

Before I get to Grand Turk – WHICH WAS THE BESTEST – I want to mention our dining experience (late dining). To be sure, we really loved our servers, the food was good enough, and the entertainment was fun . . . but our table was never set properly. We were ALWAYS missing glasses or plates or something; when I finally asked (because none of the other tables seemed to be shorted), I was told by our server that they were “short” on whatever it was that was missing . . . but I never understood why it was _our_ table that was never set properly. Just a thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RebelAthena]

Our final port day was at Grand Turk. I know, I know that some folks think of this as nothing more than a tourist trap with palm trees, but it is the reason that I booked this itinerary. We sailed into port about noon, and the views from the boat were simply spectacular. Yes, the interior of the island is in a bit of a rough shape (think Fiji beaches meet the industrial feel of the Bahamas), but I was not put off at all.

 

 

From my research, I’d learned that renting a golf cart and exploring the island was affordable, low risk, and offered the opportunity to visit where others would not.

 

It was the absolute right call.

 

I know that there are threads devoted to golf cart rental on Grand Turk, and I’ll add my thought here: I used WetMoney rentals, and I have no regrets. I made a reservation for two golf carts via email, and, when we arrived, the golf cart keys were being stowed in his pocket for safe keeping (i.e., not being rented to others). There was no “confusion” about price or extras; there was no hassle. It all seemed completely above board and painless (the wait in the sun was a bit much, but really, I was on GRAND TURK, guys!). I was pleased with the quality of the golf carts, though the one I was driving had very little “umph.”

 

First, you must know that, as far as I can tell, the island was mined for salt for centuries and, as a result, the interior of the island looks very bad; the island is also home to a substantial population of wild donkeys. My research revealed that these animals could be a little aggressive (kicking and biting), but we actually encountered donkeys would wanted to be petted (we also observed a donkey in his “amorous” state, and, whoooo boy, let me tell you that was an education for the kids and adults alike); as a result of these roaming donkeys, there is donkey poop everywhere, so just be prepared.

 

Second, you will drive on the left side of the car and the left side of the street; the traffic was not bad at all, and it was an adventure driving all over the island. I will say that you will share the roads with other golf carts, tourist buses, trucks, and roving bands of ATVs . . . so, just stay in your lane, get passed when needed, and keep trucking along. The island felt friendly, and I felt safe the entire time.

 

Third, the island has some really, really spectacular views and beaches. We first visited the lighthouse – which wasn’t much to see – but it was a great place for pictures, to watch folks zip line, and to get refreshments/use the restrooms.

 

 

We then headed to Pillory Beach. **Note here, I encourage you to use a GPS map to find the beach, because the standard paper maps that were readily provided didn’t include the sandy road that one must traverse to get to the beach.** So, we did have a bit of excitement when we got separated from the second golf cart (I had the map and they did not . . . and they weren’t following very well), but we found each other, though we ended up losing about 30 minutes of time in the process.

 

Y’all. Y’all. Pillory beach. There are no words. When you drive over the sandy road (next to really yucky ponds of water and the school (we saw school children – it was so cool!)), you’ll be dubious, and you’ll be dubious when you see the trash where you park the golf cart . . . but then you will turn the corner and see one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sand was soft, the water was clear, and, though there was a beach club there, the beach population was very sparse. The snorkeling wasn’t great – though we saw lots sea life, coral, and shells – but it was just an incredible place. YOU NEED TO WEAR WATER SHOES (there are shells and broken coral that will cut your feet). Though there was no covered pavilion like in USVI, there were restrooms, a spigot to rinse feet, and a bar associated with the beach club (reasonably priced and they will run a tab). The couple of hours we spent at the beach were simply marvelous, and it was very sad to leave.

 

 

 

 

Our drive back was uneventful, and we used our remaining time to eat and drink at Margaritaville. It was expensive, but it was a nice way to end the day (though it was SO LOUD). We returned to the ship right at back-on-board time, and we were sad that the cruise was coming to an end.

 

[Houst]

I hope you made it home? 🙂