Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Port Guide

caribbean port guide

Professor Melissa making use of the free beach off the Grand Turk cruise pier in the Grand Turk port area in front of a Carnival cruise ship

What to Do at the Grand Turk Cruise Center in Turks & Caicos

The Grand Turk Cruise Center in Turks & Caicos is a great cruise port, frequented by most of the major cruise lines, because it’s one that you can enjoy without an expensive excursion (see my post Five Things to Do in Grand Turk – Without an Excursion).

I also like that Grand Turk is not a tender port, which is always a plus for me, as I get impatient with the tendering process. Grand Turk is a favorite for many reasons, which I detailed in my Four Reasons to Love the Grand Turk Cruise Port post. Towels are not provided, so bring yours from the cruise ship.

Things to Do in Grand Turk

When I visit the Grand Turk cruise port, I usually use it as a free beach day, although it isn’t the best beach, compared to other ports, since it’s a bit rocky (so bring water shoes)! If you’re feeling more adventurous, or not feeling a beach day, this is a wonderful port to explore.

Related: Read about my experience with exploring Grand Turk in a golf cart

You can see all my Grand Turk cruise port posts below, but here’s a quick summary of my recommendations for the top things to do at the Grand Turk Cruise Port:

Rent a Golf Cart or if you want more horsepower, rent a UTV
Visit Jack’s Shack Beach Bar
I always bring my own gear and snorkel from the beach, but if you want to get further out into the water, Grand Turk offers some great snorkeling tours
If you want a day at the pool, Margaritaville is a great option
Clear Kayak drone photoshoot (I’m totally doing this on my next visit!)
Parasailing and kayaking
An affordable option for those who enjoy learning about the history and culture, or have mobility issues, is the Grand Turk Historical Tram Tour

Beware of the Grand Turk chair pirates if you want to enjoy a beach day. These locals try to rent chairs and umbrellas to cruisers, unaware that some are available at no charge. The complimentary ones are green with markings indicating they are free to use. Note that these are limited, so you may go without or pay to rent from a local if you don’t arrive early.

Note: If you’re an audio/visual learner, here’s a TikTok video I made that briefly explains the Grand Turk port experience.

Turks & Caicos Time Zone

Keeping track of time zones can get complicated when cruising, especially for itineraries where there can be multiple time zone changes on one sailing. Your captain will make announcements during the cruise to update you on these changes, but it’s good to be aware of these differences ahead of time when making plans for your stop at the port, especially for excursions.

Most cruise lines operate on “ship time” set to the time of its departing port, so for sailings off the eastern coast of the US, this is Eastern Standard Time (EST). Turks & Caicos has a complicated history of time zones, with multiple changes, and now operates on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).