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Why does Carnival go to Grand Turk so much?

waytoodeep03

By waytoodeep03,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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waytoodeep03

waytoodeep03

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An overwhelming majority of cruise itineraries go to Grand turk. 

 

I even saw a transatlantic cruise on jubilee from europe that sure enough has a single stop in grand turk. 

 

What is the deal with this place? I went to grand turk about 7 years ago and it was pretty boring. I remember a lighthouse and a beach

We were done in about 1 hour.. 

 

What is the deal with this island on so many itineraries? 

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

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its close to FL, easy, and has a big pier. I agree, not a ton to do. We've been there a half dozen times at least. Usually get a chair at the beach, hang out and go back to the ship early. Some decent snorkeling out to the big drop off which is cool. 

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cruizergal70

cruizergal70

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1 hour ago, waytoodeep03 said:

An overwhelming majority of cruise itineraries go to Grand turk. 

 

I even saw a transatlantic cruise on jubilee from europe that sure enough has a single stop in grand turk. 

 

What is the deal with this place? I went to grand turk about 7 years ago and it was pretty boring. I remember a lighthouse and a beach

We were done in about 1 hour.. 

 

What is the deal with this island on so many itineraries? 

Carnival goes all around the world.  England,  Spain, Rome, Iceland,  Hawaii,  Alaska,  Panama, Honduras,  etc. 

 

You need to choose other itineraries. 

 

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sanmarcosman

sanmarcosman

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1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

Owned by Carnival.

Not so. The cruise pier was financed by CCL.

Source: cruisehive December 16, 2021

 

" The Grand Turk Cruise Center (GTCC) is financed and operated by Carnival Corporation. While the cruise line would have liked to return earlier, Mardi Gras has been scheduled here on December 7; some work still needed to be carried out to ensure the island was 100% ready to receive guests again safely.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line: “We are delighted to bring Carnival Freedom back to Grand Turk and to offer our guests the opportunity to experience all of this port’s beauty once again. On behalf of Carnival, I would like to thank the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and all our partners on the ground in Grand Turk for working with us to make this opportunity possible.”

 

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sgttami

sgttami

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One of the reasons I like Grand Turk is that the casino is open while in port so if it's not a beach day, I can hang in the casino.  Sometimes, even if it is a beach day, I'll still hang in the casino  (LOL)

 

I will say that I think it was on every itinerary I've done on Carnival from NY and Baltimore in the last 8 years (except the Canada/New England).

 

Never really thought about it....till now!

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Guest BasicSailor

Guest BasicSailor

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12 minutes ago, sgttami said:

One of the reasons I like Grand Turk is that the casino is open while in port so if it's not a beach day, I can hang in the casino.  Sometimes, even if it is a beach day, I'll still hang in the casino  (LOL)

 

I will say that I think it was on every itinerary I've done on Carnival from NY and Baltimore in the last 8 years (except the Canada/New England).

 

Never really thought about it....till now!

Wonder if Nassau was in the itinerary as well 😉

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jerseygirlinAZ

jerseygirlinAZ

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We've never been to Grand Turk.  Doing a snorkeling and stingray excursion.  My daughter turns seven on this cruise and this excursion was her choice.  We're looking forward to it.

 

Also going to Nassau and Amber Cove so there's that.  (This was not the original itinerary when we booked, but, well, covid.)

 

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Pellaz

Pellaz

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As cruise line-built ports go, Grand Turk is one of the best IMO.   Much better than RCI's Falmouth (blech) and somewhat better than Labadee.   An easy beach day, but there's also some island history for those who want to dig deeper (John Glenn recovery, plus one of Adm. Lord Horatio Nelson's few defeats).  

Until the markets tanked and my 401k got hit, I was considering retiring on Grand Turk.  <sigh> 

 

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Joebucks

Joebucks

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Why does any business highlight any product or service? It makes business sense. Which often is due to cost and/or revenue generation. 99% of cruisers are not going to Grand Turk "too much".

 

Personally, I love it. My #1 gripe of any port is having to get an expensive taxi to be able to enjoy yourself. Grand Turk doesn't require much money or effort to start enjoying yourself. It really is an ideal spot.

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waytoodeep03

waytoodeep03

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14 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

Carnival goes all around the world.  England,  Spain, Rome, Iceland,  Hawaii,  Alaska,  Panama, Honduras,  etc. 

 

You need to choose other itineraries. 

 

.. Yea i did. Literally an England and Spain transatlantic cruise that just so happens to make a stop in... You guessed it... grand turk. 

 

Which is the whole reason for the thread. When even the European cruises have to make stops here it brings up questions as to why and what is so special about this place 

 

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mondello

mondello

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Maybe the schedule dictated they extend the trans-Atlantic an extra day to avoid conflict with the regularly scheduled cruises using the home port. More likely, they add a port to counter-balance so many sea days.

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jerseyjjs

jerseyjjs

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15 hours ago, sgttami said:

One of the reasons I like Grand Turk is that the casino is open while in port so if it's not a beach day, I can hang in the casino.  Sometimes, even if it is a beach day, I'll still hang in the casino  (LOL)

 

I will say that I think it was on every itinerary I've done on Carnival from NY and Baltimore in the last 8 years (except the Canada/New England).

 

Never really thought about it....till now!

Baltimore doesn't go to Grand Turk.   A 7 nighter out of Baltimore goes to HMC, Nassau and.............FREEPORT!!!

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cyntil8ing

cyntil8ing

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11 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

Baltimore doesn't go to Grand Turk.   A 7 nighter out of Baltimore goes to HMC, Nassau and.............FREEPORT!!!

This is not true. I've been to Grand Turk twice from Baltimore in the past, and there are a bunch of future Legend cruises that stop there. 

Screen Shot 2022-06-15 at 12.37.31 PM.png

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