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Grand Turk - Beach chair scam!!!!


bamboozel
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34 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

It’s not a hike lol. It’s about a 1/4 mile down the beach, no more than a 10 min walk. 

 

 

Apparently you did not see the Google maps post, 2200' is more than 1/4 mile, actually 400' short of a half mile. For someone with walking difficulties, I would not recommend walking

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47 minutes ago, bamboozel said:

The scum bags won't let you move any chairs including the free ones!!! People tried and they were yelled and screamed at and the guy put their chairs back. 

As for the guy that said calling it a scam is a bit of a stretch ...It's a SCAM. I have been here four times before and never ever paid for a chair on the beach. They are suppose to be FREE!!!

 

 

It's only a scam if you let yourself be scammed. All of the beaches on Grand Turk are public so vendors can set up wherever they please. Carnival and Margaritaville can't do anything about it. If you follow these boards it's been fairly common knowledge for the past few years that the Green umbrellas provided by Margaritaville are free, and the different colored ones set up in front are not. It's your choice. If you didn't know that, then consider it a lesson learned. Again, Carnival or Margaritaville have NO say over the vendors on the beach. :classic_cool:

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12 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

Apparently you did not see the Google maps post, 2200' is more than 1/4 mile, actually 400' short of a half mile. For someone with walking difficulties, I would not recommend walking

Apparently not but still, it’s a very short walk! No one said anything about someone having walking difficulties. 

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Just now, coevan said:

 

 

well kind of

Not really, no mention of walking difficulties just that she didn’t know if she could walk that far which means what? She can’t walk 4 miles? 1 mile? She did not specify. It’s literally just down the beach so most people could easily walk that, shorter than walking around the ship depending where you are going. 

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Here are the latest drink and food prices at Jack's Shack. Still a great beach area, and because it is public you can put a towel down and sit for FREE, or you can choose to rent an umbrella from them. Your choice. :classic_biggrin:

 

IMG_1302-XL.jpg

 

IMG_1304-XL.jpg

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1 minute ago, Enggrl said:

Not really, no mention of walking difficulties just that she didn’t know if she could walk that far which means what? She can’t walk 4 miles? 1 mile? She did not specify. It’s literally just down the beach so most people could easily walk that, shorter than walking around the ship depending where you are going. 

 

You are certainly passionate about this walk.

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2 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

Yikes. $14 for a cheeseburger and fries?  That's airport pricing!

 

It's gone up dramatically the last couple of years. With the hurricane damage, loss of revenue, and their popularity, can you blame them? :classic_cool:

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On 2/6/2019 at 5:49 PM, moondog73 said:

We feel Grand Turk has always been a waste of a stop.  Amber Cove is a waste too.  Some many nicer islands  to visit

I haven't been to AC, but if all we did at GT was get off the ship for shopping, Margaritaville, or the crowded beach area in front of the ship I would agree it would be a wasted stop for us too (other than a way to be on a ship since they don't do cruises to nowhere anymore).  Fortunately, if you are willing/able to explore the island has less crowded beach areas, good snorkeling and diving, or a port with a less crowded ship.

 

We found it easier to avoid aggressive vendors than Nassau and liked that we could walk to an inexpensive day at Jack's rather than a pricier excursion at Freeport.

 

23 hours ago, schazzy said:

We did a island tour last time we were in GT (2017) and had no problems with the locals and vendors, but I guess things change. We were planning on just doing a beach day here on our upcoming cruise, but now I'm not so sure. It sounds like Jack's Shack will be our best option if we want to still do that, for those you suggest it: how far of a walk is it? My MIL will be with us, and I'm concerned she wouldn't be able to walk down that far, is there any other way to get there?

 

23 hours ago, coevan said:

it's a hike, maybe 1/2 mile, if you stay close to the water it's easier than walking on soft sand. You can get a cab from the port, $5 

 

56 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

The walk down to Jack's Shack from the pier was not very far for my wife and I in December - it took maybe 15 min, and that was with her or me stopping every now and then to take a photo or three. I would estimate it to be just under half a mile (plus another quarter mile just getting off the ship and pier, ha ha!)  If your MIL is able to walk on soft sand, she should be OK, just take your time.

 

EDIT: Google Maps says it is 2200 ft from pier to Jack's Shack, straight line.

 

The drinks weren't all that great at Jack's and were relatively expensive, so I wouldn't go out of your way just for that.  We just plonked ourselves nearby down on the sand, because we can sit on loungers on the ship.

 

The water down there is very nice, and the beach much less crowded.  We'll be back in May, and we'll probably bring snorkel gear to just bob around in the waters there (nothing serious expected, but more fun than no gear).

 

@schazzyOne person's hike is another person's short walk.  My memory was around 1/3 mile if you walked the beach.  It was a pleasant walk for my husband and I (easier on the packed sand near the water), but neither of us have ambulatory issues.  Only you know what your MIL can handle.  My understanding from the GT forum is the roads are not pedestrian friendly, and I'm not sure how easy it is to get there from the road since we walked the beach.

 

There is a coupon on their website for a free rum shot (you get what you pay for, but it's sorta fun), and hubby and I split a dark and stormy for around $11 with tip.  Not cheap, but not much worse than the ship.  We also rented an umbrella and 2 chairs for $10, so under $25 the two of us had a nice day snorkeling from the beach, napping in some shade, and much quieter than the "free" area.

 

@ProgRockCruiser We haven't snorkeled a lot yet, but I was pleasantly surprised how much life was in the water fairly close to the shore.  It was worth bringing our gear 🙂 

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The food pricing was high to us too, but we didn't end up being hungry enough to eat.  Since it is vacation/tourism I expect higher prices (have you seen the prices at large sports/concert arenas?!).  It wouldn't have bothered me to contribute a little more to the economy and try something if we were hungry.

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23 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

Someone said it was a HIKE! Lol 9 miles is a hike not a stroll up the beach which is less than 1/2 mile. 

 

 

Maybe start a non-profit.  It can be your full time gig.

 

In my world "a hike" is slang for a long walk, it isn't talking about 9 miles up a mountain.

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1 minute ago, ray98 said:

 

 

Maybe start a non-profit.  It can be your full time gig.

 

In my world "a hike" is slang for a long walk, it isn't talking about 9 miles up a mountain.

Not too sure wth you are even talking about. Start a non profit? For what? Trying to be funny or smart I guess. 

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21 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

Not really, no mention of walking difficulties just that she didn’t know if she could walk that far which means what? She can’t walk 4 miles? 1 mile? She did not specify. It’s literally just down the beach so most people could easily walk that, shorter than walking around the ship depending where you are going. 

 

Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to create a debate on the walkability, I guess it's my fault for not being more specific about my MIL's physical health. She's in her early sixties and has previously had surgeries for knee and foot problems, she has difficulty in climbing more than a few stairs, when we were on the Miracle last year, walking from the the MDR at the aft to the main show lounge forward, sometimes she could go the whole way fine and sometimes she had to stop and sit for awhile. So, going from the answers I have received so far, I'm pretty sure it's going to be too far for her to walk.

 

Thank you to all who helped.  

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3 hours ago, Enggrl said:

We are on the 16th sailing on the Conquest and we are going to GT. I love it there, the guys from the dive and snorkeling company are awesome. We have had the same guy a couple of times and it’s feels like we are going back to see old friends. 

I am assuming you do not go with ship excursion. Do you have a name/location to recommend on shore? I'll be there in April, probably alone and would like to go out with someone rather than just going from shore by myself. At least need a buddy. Have done the wall and it was fantastic but I would also like to see the rays and conch.

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Just now, 2wheelin said:

I am assuming you do not go with ship excursion. Do you have a name/location to recommend on shore? I'll be there in April, probably alone and would like to go out with someone rather than just going from shore by myself. At least need a buddy. Have done the wall and it was fantastic but I would also like to see the rays and conch.

We go with Grand Turk Diving company and they pick you up right on the beach just down from the pier. They have a few different options and they have a FB page. They are very professional and very reasonable. 

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5 minutes ago, Enggrl said:

We go with Grand Turk Diving company and they pick you up right on the beach just down from the pier. They have a few different options and they have a FB page. They are very professional and very reasonable. 

Thank you. I will look them up.

Wait a minute! Is that "just down from the pier" 1/2 a mile, 2200', a hike, a stroll, tromp through soft sand, or easy run on the hard packed sand? All in good fun. Just couldn't resist.

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3 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Thank you. I will look them up.

Wait a minute! Is that "just down from the pier" 1/2 a mile, 2200', a hike, a stroll, tromp through soft sand, or easy run on the hard packed sand? All in good fun. Just couldn't resist.

Lol yes, or a short crawl for some if you have had too many at Margaritaville. 😂

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36 minutes ago, schazzy said:

 

Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to create a debate on the walkability, I guess it's my fault for not being more specific about my MIL's physical health. She's in her early sixties and has previously had surgeries for knee and foot problems, she has difficulty in climbing more than a few stairs, when we were on the Miracle last year, walking from the the MDR at the aft to the main show lounge forward, sometimes she could go the whole way fine and sometimes she had to stop and sit for awhile. So, going from the answers I have received so far, I'm pretty sure it's going to be too far for her to walk.

 

Thank you to all who helped.  

 

Thank you for the clarification, I hope you can find something you all can enjoy.  You might find some good options at the Grand Turk forum under the Ports of Call section.  Grand Turk is a subsection of the Caribbean ports of call.

 

insert silliness here:  If MIL is a good swimmer, you could get her some fins and have her enter the water close to the ships then meet the rest of you at Jack's 😄 

 

If nothing else, you can enjoy a less crowded ship 😉 

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1 minute ago, pacruise804 said:

 

Thank you for the clarification, I hope you can find something you all can enjoy.  You might find some good options at the Grand Turk forum under the Ports of Call section.  Grand Turk is a subsection of the Caribbean ports of call.

 

insert silliness here:  If MIL is a good swimmer, you could get her some fins and have her enter the water close to the ships then meet the rest of you at Jack's 😄 

 

If nothing else, you can enjoy a less crowded ship 😉 

 

LOL! Thanks! :classic_laugh:

 

Well, she can get around, it just involves sometimes having to sit and rest a minute, I know around the cruise center there will be places for her to do that, walking up or down on the beach I'm thinking not. So, either we can hang around Margaritaville, my FIL is a parrothead, so he'd enjoy that, or like @coevan suggested, we can take a taxi to Jack's or where ever. I'm sure we'll find something to do there. Plus, we are planning on doing a tour and beach thing in St. Kitts, so we'll get beach time regardless! 

 

Again, thank you to all who helped. :classic_smile:

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32 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

Taxi

Can the taxi actually drive onto the beach?  Would there be stairs to navigate?

 

Perhaps I should have been clearer:  the roads are not known to be pedestrian friendly so you would need a taxi, but I don't know how easy the beach access is from the road at the point the taxi would drop you off.

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3 hours ago, bamboozel said:

The scum bags won't let you move any chairs including the free ones!!! People tried and they were yelled and screamed at and the guy put their chairs back. 

As for the guy that said calling it a scam is a bit of a stretch ...It's a SCAM. I have been here four times before and never ever paid for a chair on the beach. They are suppose to be FREE!!!

 

Why do you need to move chairs?  I have been there 5 times in three years and have had zero problems, how cold that be?  Why is it a scam that locals have different color chairs that you have to pay for?  It is their livelihood, if you do not want the free chairs pay, or sit by the pool or spread a towel on the sand.  Scam? no sorry....

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2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

It's gone up dramatically the last couple of years. With the hurricane damage, loss of revenue, and their popularity, can you blame them? :classic_cool:

good point Jeff, and about the 4th time they have gotten whacked.

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