Grand Turk's inaugural season as a Caribbean cruise-ship destination saw some 136 cruise ship calls and 300,000 passengers arrive on the island -- numbers expected to rise in the next few years. Fortunately, the 5.7-hectare (14-acre) cruise-ship terminal is a fair distance away from the heart of Cockburn Town. The terminal was designed by the folks at Carnival Cruise Lines to resemble a colorful Bermudian-style village out of the early 19th century, much like Cockburn Town might have looked in the early 1800s. The center is planted smack-dab on Governor's Beach, with a 172m-long (565-ft.) main pier, hundreds of deck chairs along the beach, a huge Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (with lagoonlike pool), a main building with four vintage-style chimneys prominently on view, and shops designed to resemble the quaint wooden "salt houses" of the salt era -- many of which are locally owned and sell island crafts and gifts. It all lies mute and still until the arrival of a 2,000-passenger ship (currently 3 to 4 days a week on average), which shows up on the empty horizon just as the sun comes up -- a watery behemoth that gets eye-poppingly bigger as it approaches this tiny island. A miniature train takes arriving cruise passengers to Governor's Beach, or they can choose one of the myriad activities created for them: seeing Cockburn Town by beach buggy, horse-drawn carriage, moped, or shuttle taxi. Or they can participate in a shore excursion (scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding) available through local tour operators and purchased through the cruise line.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
