Grand Turk Cruise Port Guide: Tips and Overview

2022 Updated Grand Turk Cruise Port Guide: • Grand Turk Cruise Port...
IMPORTANT: FOR THE FREE UMBRELLAS, CLAM SHELLS, & BEACH CHAIRS, FIND THE ONES THAT LOOK LIKE THE EXAMPLES DISPLAYED ON THE SIGN AT 0:51 IN THE VIDEO. THE UMBRELLAS HAVE THE "GRAND TURK CRUISE CENTER" LOGO ON THEM.
Grand Turk is a little island with a lot to offer. In addition to some of the best diving in the world, there is also the Grand Turk Cruise Center area for those who prefer spending the day shopping, swimming at a pool, or sunbathing on a white sandy beach.
The cruise terminal (which caters to Carnival Corporation cruise lines like Carnival, Princess, Holland America, and P&O) has a pier that can accommodate two ships at the same time. No tender is required. The beach, shopping, restaurants, and a pool are just steps away.
Grand Turk Golf Cart Rental: • Grand Turk: Golf Cart ...
Grand Turk Snorkeling: • Grand Turk: Snorkeling...
Grand Turk Cruise Center Website: www.grandturkc...
More Cruise Port Guides and Walking Tours: www.thejellybe...
#TheJellyBeans #CruisePortGuide

[@TheJellyBeans]

We've published an updated video from our most recent visit to Grand Turk! kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJXSZHmqgrGWl7c

[@Rkg1205]

Tip: go the the right once off the ship...it’s quiet, tons of clam shells & chairs to lounge in and its closer to the mini food spot. The left of the port gets SUPER crowded.

[@mssanbaby4474]

Thank you!

[@cococalgal]

I like these videos because they're very precise, right to the point, and I love the smooth talking voice that is easy for me to understand and listen. 👍🏿

[@Amanda11304]

Loveeee Grand Turk! The water was beautiful!! Jack's Shack was amazingg! Drinks were strong and really good! I need to go on another cruise 😍

[@JohnSAitken]

I'll be there on the 21st of December 2018. If you want you could join me as I'm traveling by my self and there is two bunks in my cabin on The P&O ship Azura , starting on the 15th in Barbados,

[@W3Slots]

Amanda Ellen my type of fun 🥰🥰💕💕

[@carmenjackson4597]

The flow rider was not running when I went christmas time. It was beautiful weather. The water is beautiful and did get to see plenty of fish. December 2019 we had a great time!!

[@TheJellyBeans]

Glad you enjoyed your visit!

[@marisagholz]

If you keep going to the left you get to governors beach, is what the local called it, there is an old fishing ship that washed onto the shore. It has an amazing beach and great snorkeling. You can climb on the old rusted ship. I would recommend renting a bike or paying for a taxi. It is about a mile or 2 away from port

[@TheJellyBeans]

You're right! We had a great time at Governor's Beach the last time we went. We rented a golf cart to tour the island and stopped at the beach on the way back. Lots of fun! (Although it's recommended that you not get near/on/in the ship 😉)

[@cindycarey5277]

I was glad to come across this video. There was a discussion on Cruise Critic last week about the lounges. Some said all were free, others said that just the ones with green umbrellas were free and you need to pay for the others. It was stated that if you refused to pay a local for a lounge, threats are made. So most people just ponied up the money.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hi, Cindy! The umbrellas that are free are the green/teal ones you can see in the photo at the 1:03 mark in the video. They have the "Grand Turk Cruise Center" logo on them. If you want one of the other ones (which the locals sometimes put closer to the water than the free ones), you'll need to pay.

[@gbeez2303]

Hi . Me n hubby just got off the carnival sunshine and we just wanted to THANK you for ur very informative vids. we found it vveryyyyyyy helpful espcially ur secrets on the ship vid. so again.. Thank you!!!

[@TheJellyBeans]

That's awesome! We're so glad you enjoyed your cruise and found our videos to be so helpful!

[@ExtraChocolate80]

I just got off the carnival Sunshine with family (7/15/18 - 7/20/2018), it was my first cruise. Margaritavilla was awesome!! 😎 I went to the north side of the beach and was pulled in an inflatable tube by a tow boat lol. 🙂

[@davey6693]

This is a great video I just stumbled upon. Very nice production and advice. Your subscriber numbers deserve to go way up.

[@gregm1955gm]

Nice job narrating this island. Very detailed. I like it

[@kristens333]

Fabulous video!! I love the production and the narrators voice.

[@W3Slots]

This is my first choice when it comes to a cruise further away from me (Vegas/Cali). My friend and her fam went on this exact cruise and they sent pics of them in the water right by the ship. This is a great video and I cannot wait to go🙌🏽🥰

[@reneepayne6968]

Your video is so very informative & specific about what is on this island. Absolutely excellent and thank you so much❗💯🎯😎💙🌴

[@TheJellyBeans]

Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lauriegrube007]

Thanks! Very helpful-- we will be at the Grand Turk Port in December of this year!

[@JohnSAitken]

What date in December? I'm there on the 21st

[@PaulCashman]

The locals ARE, unfortunately, allowed to charge for the first two or three rows of chairs and umbrellas closest to the water, presumably because it is technically a public beach. As long as visitors use the GTCC chairs and umbrellas, they are indeed free. Carnival's website states that if you recover a conch shell at Grand Turk, you can bring it onboard as long as it does not have any remaining animal matter inside and does not smell. That lone Royal Caribbean ship (the Independence) listed on the GTCC timetable was OUR sailing -- a full-boat music charter. It was a one-time occurrence and Royal had to make special arrangements with Carnival for the visit. We were all really happy with it.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Glad you enjoyed your visit!

[@louis1424]

Dude I love this place my family is there to I used to dance in the church the group was named the fabulous boys

[@AdventuresAhead]

I’ve been watching your videos and they are awesome!!! Very good content!! Keep ‘em comin’!

[@Daswdaswd]

i live here and you make it sound very very nice thank you

[@theswampfox3821]

Great video cause a lot of people bought umbrellas 30-45$ from the locals thinking they work there

[@tuvolhiggs9960]

The Swamp Fox 3 they are the umbrellas closest to the water are privately owned the shipwreck and canons were also not submerged by Carnival they are ship wrecks from the old days

[@QualityChildcare1]

Fabulous tips! I just subscribed.

[@Qu33nStrawberry]

Thank you for this!! 🙏🏽

[@penelopepitstop762]

Very helpful video, thank you!

[@TheJellyBeans]

Glad it was helpful!

[@boatlover1875]

Nice video! As information, the web site you provided indicated that they now charge for clam shells, floats and snorkel equipment. Under port information. Kind of reminds me of Amber Cove.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Boat Lover There's a bit of a discrepancy between the site and the island. The website FAQ has always listed the charge for clam shells, but you can see from the sign in the video that the island shows them being free and we've never been charged. They definitely charge for snorkel equipment and floats, which is why we bring our own. 😀 If you experience anything different with the clam shells when you visit, please let us know. THANKS!!!

[@boatlover1875]

Great, thanks for the quick response! I'm tired of making my Dermatologist rich! I will let you know, we will be there in mid-August.

[@vishekmadhok3485]

Boat Lover

[@normanwhite6677]

Thanks for the video, very good presentation. We'll be there this July.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hope you enjoy your visit to the islands!

[@chatterfun6162]

Liked your video. Very informative and great for planning.

[@katykat3364]

At the cruise center, you can rent cabanas by the pool for the day. As far as I know, you have to book in advance. It was a really great convenience to have one and gave my family privacy when we wanted it. The one downside about them is how other cruise-goers don't realize or don't care that the cabanas are for private use, and will simply walk on the decks and camp out with their stuff. We constantly had to tell people to leave- some got angry at us! There should really be better signage or a lockable gate!

[@TheJellyBeans]

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

[@jeannearc9879]

Good tip

[@indiarobertson7988]

great video this was so helpful

[@Ivanation305]

Very helpful thanks!

[@Dr.HouseMD]

Had to set the speed to 1.25x but still very helpful.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kimmiejenkins432]

Very helpful

[@649shellyy8]

I live hereee🥳

[@W3Slots]

Shelly Moore I'm coming to visit!!! 😂😂

[@tobywinter1]

lucky lady

[@quentinp4538]

Hi there, I’m wondering if you can go exploring outside of the cruise area? Is it allowed?

[@TheJellyBeans]

Definitely! Just make sure you bring your passport and ship's card with you. We've rented a golf cart to explore the island (one of our other Grand Turk videos) and many people enjoy walking outside to Governor's Beach because it's significantly less crowded.

[@GripBurr]

I'll admit the locals got me for $20 my first trip there for front row seats with umbrellas after that I've set em straight. But still get my beer from them

[@radiant2052]

Conch shells can get confiscated?! Thanks I didnt know that. I brought one back onto the ship last year- Bahamas, Carnival Ecstasy.

[@kaylabaldwin2806]

any recommendations for also wanting to do a tour

[@Jiambo]

I'm SOL. I was hoping to find a cruise out of Boston to somewhere more adventurous. Carnival will get me from Baltimore to Grand Turk and other cays. But I'm not looking for Sandy beaches and booze. I'm looking to do more adventure/exploring excursions. Royal Caribbean will get me to Bermuda which is...more of what I'm looking for. With its cave and what not. But the serenade of the seas looks a little boring. I thought the Caribbean would have islands similar Hawaii (more jungly) but it's all flat, boring islands lol. If I could get to the west carribean and see some Mayan pyramids etc. I'd be the happiest dude on Earth.

[@angiemanges7945]

Further south the islands are not flat. St. Thomas, St. Maarten/Martin, Barbados, etc.

[@angiemanges7945]

Been to Grand Turk twice, in 2017 and 2019 on Carnival. Wasn't that impressed, but all there is really time for is hanging around the beach closest to the boat. Narrow beaches that are cramped. Once inside, there's a nice pool area at Margaritaville with music and activities. There's also an outdoor "museum" of sorts giving information about one of the Apollo Space Ship 🚀 landings that occurred there, not sure which one but it's worth looking at. As you're walking toward the island from the boat, it's on the right, pool area is on the left. Once inside, you go from beach to solid concrete surface with a few high end pricey jewelry stores. There's no flea markets, handmade items or anything of that sort at the port.

[@cannyexplorer5357]

We always used go to Jacks Shack but on last visit last year we were so disappointed not by Jack and his wonderful staff but by the boat hire guy who has opened up next to Jacks. He kept docking his boats right in front of our chairs. He had no respect for the safety of people on the beach when he buried the boat anchors in the sand anyone could have been seriously injured if they did not see the sharp edges of the anchors. Jack unfortunately was not able to stop this and could only apologise when approached by his customers. Sorry we won’t be returning unless we hear this horrible person has ceased his actions.

[@Tinika_C]

Is the best way to walk to Jacks Shack along the beach or walk outside on the road? Thanks

[@TheJellyBeans]

We always walk along the beach. It gives us a great opportunity to get photos of the ships and also enjoy more of the beach (and beach sights) along the way. Also, the Cruise Center mentions there are no sidewalks along the road.

[@Tinika_C]

The Jelly Beans thank you for your reply. I never ventured that far down the beach to Jacks Shack but I’ll make my way down this year, I go back this August. Again thanks so much.

[@animalartist68artworld3]

Iam going here in June of 2018 and I am planning to go snorkeling at one of the worlds largest barrier reefs! I am going to Horshoe reef & Round cay. But it did say i will be near grand Turk wall! Any tips on where i should see it?

[@TheJellyBeans]

We've never done snorkeling at the Grand Turk Wall. We've always done it right at the beach of the cruise center. If you're interested in the Wall, there are several snorkel guides and usually an excursion that can take you there. Have a great time!

[@johnw.joinerpwks9409]

Do you have these videos for other stops?

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hi, John! Yes, we do have more Cruise Port Guides. You can view them all together here: kzbin.info/aero/PLa1wx6EZnXq_7G5dHR2qe-qiAkeijkI3x

[@debbiecooper1677]

we went in Feb of this year .. and the water was so choppy you couldn't enjoy it

[@46foryounger]

Debbie Cooper yikes I’m going in two weeks I hope the water isn’t choppy

[@susanneschmidtcruz7156]

From what I understand smoking is no longer allowed on Grand Turk. Is this true and also for Jacks Shack.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hi, Susanne! The government banned smoking in all public places and many enclosed spaces. You can read more at the TCI Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence post on Facebook: facebook.com/TCIDMHSD/posts/tobacco-control-law-commences-effective-1st-april-2016-the-tobacco-control-law-c/486903004837178/ According to various websites, Jack's Shack does not allow smoking in the indoors area, but does have a "designated porch" for smoking. Hope this helps!

[@Susie6683]

@@TheJellyBeans thank you for your quick response.

[@fordracer1415]

Was smoking on the beach in November didn’t know you weren’t supposed to. Never got hassled for it

[@lauranewman7734]

We told them that we know the chairs were free and the continued to bother us !!

[@TheJellyBeans]

We've heard reports from others saying the same thing. As more and more people realize there are free beach chairs, umbrellas, and clam shells, they're likely getting more and more aggressive. Hope you otherwise had a great time on the island!

[@kaitlinnelson8830]

Oh my gosh I thought this was the worst port I've ever been to in my life. I hated it vehemently. They were So persistent "2 chairs one umbrella 15 dolla all day" I couldn't even hear myself think!!!

[@649shellyy8]

Kaitlin Nelson first person I’ve ever heard to say that they’ve had a bad experience here, we’re very welcoming and love our tourist. I must admit that some people do try to scam but I can assure you those are only the young men that work on the beach, next time try a shore excursion maybe a tour or something because we have a lot to offer in Grand Turk no matter how little we maybe... I’m going on my fourth cruise in a week (Carnival Horizon) and I’m so proud to say that our first stop is here (Grand Turk) I love my island dearly 😌

[@kevinestevez9679]

Wait don’t they have snorkeling equipment including in the cruise

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hi, Kevin! Snorkeling equipment is available if you book certain port excursions -- either through the cruise line or through a local company -- but we've never had a cruise provide snorkeling equipment otherwise. Hope this helps!

[@SharonAubrey]

I had heard the the chairs and umbrellas on the left side of the peer (facing away from the ship) were not free.

[@TheJellyBeans]

Hi, Sharon! That's a very common misconception... even among people who have visited the port. The umbrellas that are free are the green/teal ones you can see in the photo at the 1:03 mark in the video. They have the "Grand Turk Cruise Center" logo on them. The locals who are trying to charge will often put their umbrellas nearby or closer to the water to confuse visitors (the white, orange, and red umbrellas you see in the same photo). Unfortunately, most people believe they have to pay because the locals are VERY persuasive and there's nobody from the port countering the misinformation.

[@pvvol6571]

The Jelly Beans Are the umbrellas and chairs already set out on the beach? Do you have to set them out yourself?

[@TheJellyBeans]

The chairs and umbrellas are already set out on the beach. The clam shells we've used in the past sometimes require a bit of setup, but nothing too bad.

[@kevinestevez9679]

Are there any sharks there

[@TheJellyBeans]

Technically, since Grand Turk is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, there are sharks in the water (ocean). However, we have not seen any in the beach areas when we've visited.

[@anthonysturm358]

When I was there I was offered weed 3 different times by locals (I could only guess because I was carrying a black bag) later when we where scammed for a seat we found a starving dog under my seat throwing up and about to die. Looks beautiful from afar but close up its horrible

[@johnporter267]

Yeah terrible place. The worst weed I’ve ever smoked. Wouldn’t recommend

[@tobywinter1]

I hope you were able to find help for the dog

[@virginiamorton5115]

I hope someone helped the dog.

[@kralyağız09]

🇹🇷👍

[@ras124]

waters loaded with seaweed now

[@jennymacallan9071]

Just got back from Grand Turk. No seaweed but lots of rocks under the water. We walked a short distance away from the cruise center and found a quiet beach with smooth sand under the water. We did pay $20 for 2 umbrellas and 4 chairs, but it was really worth it.

[@ras124]

I hear ya!

[@jamarjuniel3643]

I would not want to go to that part of the beach looms way to crowded

[@TheJellyBeans]

The beach to the left of the dock as you're heading onto the island gets very crowded. However, the beach to the right is much less crowded. The water is quite a bit more rocky, but we still enjoyed it more than the crowded beach on the left.

[@JBfromKY]

Just went there two weeks ago. I found it to be a dump.