Grand Turk/St Thomas excursions- yea or nay

[meidda]

Would like feedback on these excursions. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Grand Turk

Ultimate Snorkeling Adventure

Gibbs Cay Beach & Stingray Encounter

Mangrove Clear Kayaking & Snorkeling

Reef Snorkel and Stingray Safari

 

St Thomas

Kayaking at Peter Island

[SmokinActuary]

DW, DD and myself did the Gibbs Cay trip and it was interesting, but I don't know if I would do it again.

 

Tasting fresh caught conch was a treat though.

[barbels]

We did the gibbs cay and snorkelling excursion and absolutely loved it. It was the highlight of the cruise. If you want the experience of being in the water with more than 20 friendly sting rays of all sizes then take this tour. The boat used was new and shaded and the crew was great.

[Fishndawg]

Considering Gibbs Cay as well. These two opinions are exact opposites! Others?

[bed7ford]

My personal experience (extensive) has shown me that shore excursions booked through cruise ship are expensive and much time is wasted. If you simply take a taxi to where you want to go it's cheaper. Regarding St. Thomas, the best snorkelling beach is Coki Bay. Taxi round trip is $20.p.p.

Leave 1 hour earlier than you want to as traffic can be heavy there.:)

[seaisme]

Would like feedback on these excursions. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Grand Turk

Ultimate Snorkeling Adventure

Gibbs Cay Beach & Stingray Encounter

Mangrove Clear Kayaking & Snorkeling

Reef Snorkel and Stingray Safari

 

St Thomas

Kayaking at Peter Island

On Grank Turk, we book the day package at the Grand Turk Inn. Nice (small) private beach...to-die-for lunch...and just a nice way to get away from the crowds. It was a perfect day for us.

[Laserjock]

Seaisme...what is the day package at Grand Turk Inn. I could not find any info about it on their website. Is the small beach private for the Inn, and is it good for snorkeling?

[SmokinActuary]

Considering Gibbs Cay as well. These two opinions are exact opposites! Others?

 

I wouldn't say they are the exact opposites. I did it once, it was fun, but would I do it again? No. But the raw conch was excellent.

[bed7ford]

Sapphire Beach is good but you need sandals or snorkel fins as some sharp stones in water where you enter. Otherwise, and particularly if children are included, Coki Beach is safest but has more people. The vendors on the beach sell all kinds of things and are very funny, many Rastas, and sometimes music. More going on than Sapphire which is quieter but very beautiful. All a matter of taste. Be sure to allow 1 hour extra to get back to ship due to heavy traffic sometimes.

[seaisme]

Seaisme...what is the day package at Grand Turk Inn. I could not find any info about it on their website. Is the small beach private for the Inn, and is it good for snorkeling?

It's grandturkinn.com

 

while the beach is public, it's out of the way so no one other than inn guests use it. There really wasn't any good snorkeling there. We wanted a day by ourselves, and to just float in the beautiful clear water. No one but us. And the owners are so attentive to you. They came over several times to bring us ice-cold bottles of water, and to just check and see if we needed anything. They supplied us with floats as well. If you want quiet, do-nothing, by-yourself-kind-of-day, it's for you.

 

For anyone who really wants activity on Grand Turk... You have the complex at the port, with rows of hundreds of beach chairs lined up side by side. There's really nothing else on the island. There's a lighthouse at the tip of the island. That's about it. Plan on making it a beach day. For those who love sea shells, when you exit the pier, turn RIGHT and walk down the beach. Don't stop at the first shells...keep walking. You will come upon a huge array of shells. Plus you can get an awesome picture of your ship in port...with huge shells in the forefront...ship in the back.

 

Enjoy. We won't be back to the Inn until next January, but already we're counting the days!

[seaisme]

It's grandturkinn.com

 

while the beach is public, it's out of the way so no one other than inn guests use it. There really wasn't any good snorkeling there. We wanted a day by ourselves, and to just float in the beautiful clear water. No one but us. And the owners are so attentive to you. They came over several times to bring us ice-cold bottles of water, and to just check and see if we needed anything. They supplied us with floats as well. If you want quiet, do-nothing, by-yourself-kind-of-day, it's for you.

 

For anyone who really wants activity on Grand Turk... You have the complex at the port, with rows of hundreds of beach chairs lined up side by side. There's really nothing else on the island. There's a lighthouse at the tip of the island. That's about it. Plan on making it a beach day. For those who love sea shells, when you exit the pier, turn RIGHT and walk down the beach. Don't stop at the first shells...keep walking. You will come upon a huge array of shells. Plus you can get an awesome picture of your ship in port...with huge shells in the forefront...ship in the back.

 

Enjoy. We won't be back to the Inn until next January, but already we're counting the days!

Laserjock...just e-mail them about the day package. I forget the cost...but it was worth it.

[seaisme]

here's a post from someone who also enjoyed the Grand Turk Inn...you might want to go to the Grand Tuk site on the cruise critic board to find more reviews...

 

"We’re going to the Grand Turk Inn,” I told the driver, as Don and I entered the taxi in Grand Turk, our first port of call on our Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

“Oh, you’re going to spend the day with Sandy,” the cab driver said in his lilting island accent. “She is a very nice lady.” He gave us a running commentary of the very unremarkable landmarks we were passing.

 

Instead of going to Margaritaville, the typical destination for cruise ship patrons in Grand Turk, I’d made arrangements for us to visit the Grand Turk Inn. This quaint inn is run by Sandy and Katrina, two feisty, semi-retired Australian sisters. They first came to the United States as swimmers at Cypress Garden’s mermaid show. One subsequently married a European baron and became a Baroness. The sisters had operated a bed & breakfast in the Florida Keys until that became too commercialized and homogenized. They retired to Grand Turk, but found retirement not to their liking; hence the Grand Turk Inn.

 

Sandy and Katrina bought a 150 year old house on the main street that was built as a Methodist Manse. It has a wide porch under a sloping roof, and dormered windows upstairs. The Inn is painted white and aqua, and surrounded by a white picket fence. Directly across the street is a beautiful beach, with not a soul on it. The Inn has a view of turquoise water that will make you drool, white sands, and blue, blue skies.

 

We had the use of one of the guest rooms, to store our gear and change, and a shady patio. A wrought iron staircase led up to a large sun deck with incredible, palm-framed views of the ocean, but it was, even at 10:00 in the morning, too hot to spend much time up there. Don stretched out on the sofa to nap, but not me. I gathered my book, snorkel gear, and beach bag and crossed the street. Sandy, our hostess, accompanied me, to make sure I had everything I needed.

 

“Where’s the best place to snorkel?” I asked her.

 

“Well, you won’t really see too much around here. Do you see that dark blue band out there?” Sandy pointed into the distance. Probably a mile or two offshore, between the turquoise waters and the horizon, I could see the deep blue water.

 

“That’s the famous wall drop—the ocean floor drops to 7,000 feet deep! That’s where you really see beautiful fish.”

 

That was a bit far for me to swim, but I didn’t care. For a while I just lay on my beach mat, reading my book in the sun, while I twirled my toes in the warm white sand. Every page or two I looked up to enjoy the beautiful views. When I got too hot, I swam; the water temperature was perfect.

 

I couldn’t resist trying out my brand new snorkel gear (a Christmas present); even if there wasn’t much too see.-- a few silver and black fish, and one yellow one. The water was so clear, the ripples of the sand below were clearly visible. I saw what I took to be a beautiful, smooth black stone—maybe a chunk of marble? Even tho’ dive literature cautions against removing archeological “finds” from their sites, I dove down and snagged the tempting object off the floor of the ocean.

 

I took a close look at my treasure--A lens from someone’s sunglasses!

 

Don crossed the street to the beach, and stuck his toes into the water—enough to say he’s been “swimming” in the Caribbean. Sandy brought us over cold bottles of water.

 

We still had lunch on the cool patio to look forward to. Sandy and Katrina served us stuffed pea-pods, salads and club sandwiches, and the most delicious lime pie ever! While we ate, they chatted with us about life on the island. The ship with groceries and supplies comes in only once a week, they told us, and islanders know to head over to the grocery store that day to get the best selection. Sometimes things are just not available for weeks or months at a time.

 

Sandy and Katrina had had more luck than I with artifacts. They showed us two cannon balls they’d uncovered while working in the garden, and lots of pottery shards.

 

It was a pleasant, low-key utterly relaxing day.

 

(I’m happy to say my snorkeling experiences improved. I saw beautiful coral and tropical fish of all varieties at The Baths in Virgin Gorda, and brought home some white sand dollars I found while snorkeling in Half Moon Cay, but nothing matched my archeological find from Grand Turk! )

 

 

 

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[PT Cruisin]

You do not have to make Grand Turk a beach day unless you really want to.

 

Yes, there are the excursions from the ship. Yes, there is the cruise complex at the port with Margaritaville but I'd like to expel the myth that there is nothing to do in Grand Turk but diving, snorkeling, and sunning!!!!

 

Because my scuba trip was canceled and I overslept and missed the ultimate snorkeling trip...I went with plan "C" on my Jan 2008 Zuiderdam trip. I rented a motor scooter outside of the cruise complex (and BTW golf carts are also available) --to explore the island with a friend

 

To me, seeing and photographing the free roaming cattle/horses/donkeys, beautiful beaches down sandy paths not often seen by tourists and the beautiful areas and cliffs surrounding the lighthouse at the opposite end of the island from the port were things I will never forget.

 

I also cashed a traveler's check at the local bank and bought beautiful stamps at the post office. Both experiences in itself!!! The post office has an incredible stamp collection.

 

I also fulfilled a life's dream in Grand Turk by having a few lessons on the newly set up trapeze on the beach, run by Josh and Dany of Acro-Adix Trapeze. Even though I visited there by motor scooter, it is just a short walk on the beach at the end of the line of beach chairs by the volleyball net. Worth a vist to watch even if you don't participate!!!!

 

My day in Grand Turk was one of the best days of my life and it didn't include shopping, sunning, snorkeling or scuba!!

 

Donna

(pics below)

[PT Cruisin]

5 more pics...

in GT12 I am hanging from my legs with my arms extended getting ready for the "catch" from one of the acrobats. I decided to save the "catch" for my next trip to Grand Turk :). I'll fess up -- my arms were a little tired from touring the island for 3 hours by motor scooter as it was my first time on one, did this before the trapeze.... and....I'm over 50!

[Laserjock]

Interesting idea on renting a golf cart and just exploring the island. How is traffic there? Can you stop off at Margaritaville and get one to go and drive around? :rolleyes:

 

Also, are there beaches for snorkeling that you might get to by golf cart that you otherwise would probably not find?

 

Sorry for the questions..never been to GT and just curious.

[wenderbender]

How much was the trapeze? It looks like fun. Was there an age requirement? My kids might like to try. :eek:

[retiredldo]

In St Thomas grab a ferry to St Johns and then the taxi to Trunk bay outstanding snorkeling and about one half of what the cruise charges for the same trip Or you can rent a car in st thomas, we have done so many times, drive to Megans bay area in the am, stopping at drakes seat etc. Head back by the ships pull in and park for lunch and to get out of the sun for a bit, then head over to saphhire beach that is a fun trip

We never use the ships tours, almost always rent a car and yes fully aware about all the noise about being back on time etc,

Pete

[PT Cruisin]

Laserjock - There is a recent thread about renting the golf carts in the Ports of Call-Grand Turk forum. You may want to check there for additional information. The scooter I rented was from "Tony" who had a trailer with scooters and golf carts outside of the cruise complex. To find him you need to walk through the complex which contains Margaritaville and shops, to the street, turn left and walk a very short distance.

 

I must say that I was surprised to see the rental golf carts on the street but the speed limit in most of the areas was 20mph. The traffic was not bad at all, an occasional car or truck would pass us. Saw more donkeys, horses, cattle and bicycles on the streets than cars. The animals will pass right in front of you so be careful. The main street is wide enough and there are many shoulders to go onto if you want to be out of a car's way. Not like the streets I remember in Bermuda that had walls at their edge and made scooter riding hard for some of my friends and scrapped legs a "given".

 

It was an interesting way to explore the island. I was told by the person at "Tony's" that a loop around the island would take an hour without stopping but there were so many interesting things to stop and look at that it took us 3 hours.

 

There seemed to be many places where you could just stop and snorkel and if you found nothing interesting there -- you could just move on. It was easy to divert from the "main" street, go down a sandy path to the beach. Some of the paths had lots of twists and turns -- just don't know if every path that I took by scooter would be accessible by golf cart. At one point we became very adventurous and kept riding deep into an area which I believe may have been meant for the dune buggy excursion. We were "lost" for a total of 30 seconds. It is easy to get your bearings because of seeing the beach/ocean nearby. We did this without a map or navigation system :).

 

Next time I would get a map before a trip to make sure that nothing is missed in Cockburn Town and even to check out the more popular beaches. If there is more than 1 scooter or golfcart in your group I'd like to suggest that you make up a code such as "3 horn honks" when the person in the back wants to stop to take a picture or go down one of the many off the road paths. It sure saves a lot of yelling. You may have guessed already -- I was the person in the rear who wanted to stop and take pictures all the time!!! We decided on the "horn honks" very early on our trip.

 

My scooter rental was $55/scooter for all day. I don't know what the price of the golfcarts was from Tony.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Donna

[PT Cruisin]

Hi wenderbender,

I paid $20 for 2 "flights". I had planned to do at least 2 so I didn't check on the 1 flight cost, if there was one. I will try to find out for you. Additional flight time can also be bought.

 

The flight includes a lesson on a trapeze bar close to the ground and you are also in a very good (tight) safety harness all the time, with ropes guided by someone on the ground. And....there is a safety net also.

 

Josh and Dany of Acro-Adix Trapeze will be leaving Grand Turk at the end of April but will start up again there on November 1st. They teach trapeze in Whistler, British Columbia (Canada)during the other months.

 

I'm not sure of the minimum age requirement but they do teach children. I asked them about that while I was there. As far as the maximum age, I was happy to find out that I wasn't the oldest. I believe Josh told me the oldest man was in his seventies. I'm sorry I wasn't paying close attention to all the details - I just wanted to hurry up, climb the ladder and jump!!!! It was a blast.

 

You may want to check out some of acro-adix's "you tube" videos. They are so good. I felt very safe with them at all times. I will try to find out a minimum age for you but I'll guess that 6 and over would be "do-able". Just don't forget a video camera!

 

 

Donna

more pics...

[Laserjock]

Thanks PT...great info and I appreciate you taking the time to go through it.

 

I was thinking as I hit the post button that I probably should research the GT Port forum.

 

Thanks again!

[PT Cruisin]

Laserjock - You are very much welcome! I learned initially about the scooter rentals through the CC message board so I am happy to share my thoughts with other members. I just loved my little excursion!!!

 

Donna

[PT Cruisin]

duplicate post

[wenderbender]

Thanks for the info pt cruisin. That's not a bad price. It looks like they will be back just in time for our cruise.

[PT Cruisin]

more info for wenderbender from the acro-adix trapeze website

 

There are no age requirements for the trapeze - the youngest was 18 months and the oldest was 76 years old. You can check out more information at their website below. Please note that prices listed are for their trapeze set up in British Columbia, Canada which may differ from their Grand Turk school (located on the beach at the cruise port center), although I did pay $20 U.S. dollars for 2 flights in Grand Turk.

 

I'm sure your kids will have a blast doing this as I did!

Donna

 

http://web.mac.com/acro_adixtrapeze/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

[wenderbender]

Thanks pt cruisin. Glad to know the kids will be old enough. I would hate for them to be so excited, then disappointed when they got there if they weren't old enough. It does look like a lot of fun.