The Grand Turk Cruise Center in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos is a popular cruise port destination, frequented by all the major cruise lines, and it’s one of my favorites. Here’s why.
- It’s not a tender port – I know tender ports are a necessary evil in the cruise world at certain ports that are too shallow or have too narrow of channels to accommodate the bigger ships. Still, I like to pack in a lot during a port day, and tendering to and from the port eats up precious time. Plus, I’m impatient and hate all the waiting. At Grand Turk, you exit onto the dock directly, it’s a short pier, unlike some that can feel tediously long, like Nassau.
- You don’t need an excursion – I’m the kind of cruiser who likes to ball on a budget, and that means minimizing costs, particularly with excursions, which can get pricey and add up quickly, especially when you’re booked on an itinerary with multiple port stops. Grand Turk has a gorgeous beach right off the pier, making for the perfect (free!) relaxing beach day. No excursion is needed, and paying for a taxi to take you to a beach is unnecessary. Check out my Five Things to Do in Grand Turk – Without an Excursion post.
- It’s clean and safe – Some ports (I’m looking at you, Ocho Rios and Nassau) get a bad rap because of pollution and/or aggressive vendors and locals who descend upon cruisers right at the port to hassle and harangue them for all manner of things… from hair braiding to the sale of trinkets and other, uh, more illicit goods and services. That’s not the case at Grand Turk. If you stay in the port area and enjoy a beach day, you don’t have to run the vendor gauntlet, although there are often locals at the beach who will try to sell you chair and umbrella rentals for the day (note: these prices are almost always negotiable, so always try!).
- It has a pink Starbucks – Believe it or not, Turks & Caicos has only ONE Starbucks in the entire country, and it’s right at the port! This distinctive pink Starbucks just opened in 2019 and the color is vibrant, unique, and perfectly fits the Caribbean vibe. Note to Starbucks fanatics… this location does not accept the app. The port area also includes all the other standard jewelry stores and trinket shops cruisers have come to expect at all ports.
