Grand Turk

This is the second time we've been scheduled to dock in Grand Turk.  The first time, however, we were not able to dock at the last minute due to sea conditions, so we were relieved when we heard the announcement that debarkation could commence!   Like many ports, you get off the ship and walk through a large, touristy area with many shops and a few restaurants & bars.   Other than this area, and a very small "downtown", Grand Turk is very small, without much development.  Andrew had read that many people rented golf carts to get around, so we booked one in advance.  We picked it up just outside of the port area, got our brief instructions (stay to the left!), and were on our way.  

More of those beautiful Caribbean waters!

Andrew in our snazzy rental.  He did very well driving on the left!

In about 10 minutes, we were "downtown".  Downtown consisted of a few shops and some historic buildings.  The main feature of Grand Turk is the water, and some of the best diving in the world.  Maybe next time!   We continued past downtown and headed to the north end of the island.

Donkeys are wandering around everywhere.  

The lighthouse at the norther tip of the island. 

Us

Main Street

Highway.  Stay to the left!

Governor's Beach - amazing sand! 

Wreck in Governor's Beach

After we tooled around the whole island for about three hours, we planned to stop at Jack's Shack before going back on board.  Jack's Shack is only about a 5-minute walk from the port, so is quite well known with the cruise crowd.  Just before we made it there, however, our golf cart made a horrible noise, spit out a bunch of black junk, and came to a standstill along the side of the road.  When we picked up the golf cart, we were given a series of phone numbers and the instructions "If something happens with the golf cart, just call us & we'll come get you."  I assume, based on the pre-printed materials, that this happens fairly routinely.  Oh well, in about 15-minutes, we had traded our disable golf cart for a jeep and were back on the road.

Broken down!

Last stop in Grand Turk was Jack's Shack.  Nothing too fancy, but a beautiful view...

Jack's Shack - this is pretty much it, plus a BBQ off to the side.  Note to anyone looking for a start-up opportunity - this place had some beautiful beach in front, and charged no less than $8/drink.  With practically no overhead and a captive cruise audience, I think you could make a killing!  

Rental vehicle #2.  Looks nicer than the golf cart, but it wasn't.  The passenger seat back would not stay in a vertical position so you either had to hold yourself up or look at the sky.  

View of the two ships in today from port.

View of the cruise terminal.  Of note, on either side of the gangway, are beautiful beaches that are free!  

Now we're back on the ship and scheduled to set sail in about 10 minutes.  Grand Turk was our last port on this cruise, and we have one sea day tomorrow before returning to Miami on Saturday morning.