Friday, April 19, 2024

How to Visit Grand Turk, the Capital Island of Turks and Caicos

grand turk cruise

If you love snorkeling this boat rides will take you to great snorkeling spots where you can snorkel to your heart’s content. Located one mile away, governor’s beach has the whitest sandy beaches and clear blue waters in Grand Turk. Although it is normally secluded and very private, if there are more than one cruise ships docked, you might want to arrive early to get a nice area under the shelter of trees. The Turks and Caicos National Museum, located near the Grand Turk Cruise Center, offers visitors a chance to learn about the islands’ history.

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They love to interact with people, and you will get a chance to snorkel or even swim with them. At the cruise center, you will find a big beautiful swimming pool. Book a poolside cabana and enjoy private time away from the crowds and a dedicated waiter.

Spend some time in Margaritaville

As the only port in Turks and Caicos, the island really caters to cruise passengers. The modern Grand Turk Cruise Center, which was built in 2006, offers shops, restaurants, bars, and a giant swimming pool. It’s also a hub for tours and vehicle rentals and is a short walk from Cruise Center Beach, which — not surprisingly — gets quite busy when ocean liners dock. Here you’ll also find Jack's Shack, a popular restaurant to grab lunch. Complimentary beach lounge chairs are found fronting the complex, although depending on the number of ships in port, this area of the beach can become extremely crowded. Grand Turk is one of the few destinations in the Caribbean where a great beach can be enjoyed directly off the cruise ships.

Sights and Attractions at the Cruise Center

Visit the 18th-century prison and explore how prisoners used to be treated in the ancient days. Located on Front Street on old Cockburn town, Her Majesty’s Prison is a tourist attraction that shows the history of the Grand Turk, from architecture to culture and way of life. When cruising the eastern Caribbean itinerary, you will encounter many beautiful sand and sun beaches, and you can choose to be a beach bum on any of those Caribbean islands. You will learn everything on this historical event at the Friendship 7 space program exhibition located at the cruise center. It was built in 2012 to commemorate 50 years since the splashdown. There are beautiful monuments and murals erected at the exhibition.

grand turk cruise

The museum has a collection of artifacts that tell the story of the islands’ history, including exhibits on the Lucayan Indians, the salt industry, and the wreck of the Molasses Reef. A highlight is a replica of a traditional Caicos sloop used for fishing and transportation in the 18th and 19th centuries. After snorkeling, you’ll head to a secluded beach away from the crowds for some genuine island time.

Cork Burn town (pronounced as co-burn) is the capital of the islands, and it’s where all the administrative tasks of this British territory, take place. This Caribbean destination should be on your list of places to visit, it's stunning! Here are all the things to do in Grand Turk while on your cruise vacation.

grand turk cruise

And for those wanting a little more space and not as many people, this area is ideal. Head as far down the path as you can go and you’ll find a large group of loungers (near the whale sculpture) with hardly any other people — even on busy days in port. If you instead head to the left as you enter the port, you’ll wind through the buildings until you reach Margaritaville Grand Turk.

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Here is the best way to spend a day on this small beautiful island among Caicos & Turks, as well as noteable sites to see and places to visit. Most retail shops are limited to the cruise port as the island is not developed for tourism besides the occasional grocery store, electronics shop, or bar. The Grand Turk Cruise Center is a popular destination for several major cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, which owns and operates the port. Carnival Cruise Line has a long history with Grand Turk, with the first ship docking at the port in 2006. A recent addition is a beach on the right side of the cruise pier when walking off the ship.

Relax at the Grand Turk Cruise Center

Walk down the dock and you’ll enter the port area through a duty-free store. The main attractions are located on two main streets – Queen Street and Front Street, both of which run parallel to the beach. Turks and Caicos National Museum, Her Majesty’s Prison, and Cockburn Town Beach represent the main attractions. The Cruise Center Beach is of course the easiest to access and is quite nice, yet crowds can be overwhelming. Consider walking north up the beach a bit to get some more space to yourself. We believe that the majority of visitors would most enjoy spending their brief stop on Grand Turk in one of the following ways.

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Carnival Corporation’s Grand Turk Cruise Center consists of 18 acres of shopping, beaches and endless recreational activities located right where your ship docks. Humpback whales pass through the Turks and Caicos Islands from January to March each year. If you want to see the island and have a few thrills while simultaneously having time left over to lounge on the beach, a dune buggy excursion might just be your answer. You’ll see the Grand Turk Lighthouse, with its stunning overlook, plus there’s the Cliffhanger Lookout.

Great for those less adventurous or prefer to stay close to the cruise port. Pillory Beach is one of the quieter beaches located north of Cockburn Town. Away from the crowds at the other beaches, this is a place to come if you’re seeking solitude or somewhere quiet to read a book. If Christopher Columbus did first land at Grand Turk, this would have been the beach where he arrived. One of the main attractions at the Cruise Center Complex is an immense lagoon-like swimming pool.

Just a short 10-minute drive from the Grand Turk cruise terminal, you’ll find the charming Cockburn Town, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It’s a destination where history and culture come to life, making it a must-visit spot during your island adventure. Grand Turk cruise port is nestled on the pristine southwestern shores of Grand Turk, the capital island of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory located southeast of the Bahamas. Known for its sun-drenched beaches, vibrant marine life, and the laid-back appeal of island living, Grand Turk is a tropical paradise where unforgettable memories are made.

Transportation to other sites of interest on Grand Turk is available directly outside the Cruise Center. Here you’ll find taxis waiting, and rental car pickups take place here as well. On a cruise to Grand Turk, you'll discover that these islands are best known for conch (pronounced conk). Visitors will find this shellfish in all forms — curried, fried, stewed or in a salad — and at nearly every island eatery.

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