Rum, Sand and a Burger

Our first stop, Grand Turk. We docked at about 7am and were off the ship by 7:30.

The Cruise Port at Grand Turk

We signed up for the Rum Tour “Party Bus.” At first, we were a bit concerned about being to “old people” on a party bus, but like I told my wife, this isn’t Carnival. There is a chance that we might be the “fun” couple.

The Rum Bus

Turned out we were in the middle.

The Rum Bus wasn’t our first choice. The original plan was I was going to do a scuba excursion and she was going to do the lighthouse tour.

Covid threw the wrench into that plan. I needed to get in a couple of refresher dive classes (it’s been a long time since I have been underwater), I never got the classes scheduled, so no diving. The excursion she had scheduled was cancelled. So, we went for the Rum Bus.

According to the internet, the Turks and Caicaos archipelago is made up of 40 low-lying coral islands.

It seems that the main tourist area is on the island of Providenciales, we went to Grand Turk Island, which is a bit more austere.

When we got off the ship and went into the cruise port, I was really impressed by the port. It was very nice, most of the buildings seemed new or at least, well maintained. There were shops, a flowrider surf pool, a very large pool and the Caribbean’s largest Margaritaville.  

Grand Turk Cruise Port

Once we left the port, the scenery changed dramatically.

From what I understand, about 10 years ago the island was hit by several severe hurricanes. Much of the island has yet to be rebuilt.   

That said, we got to see some sites, drank several glasses of rum punch on the bus, enjoyed a rum tasting at the lighthouse, then went to Governors Beach for a 1 ½ hour swim.

We were back on the ship by 12:30 for a 1:30 sail-away.

Once back on the ship, we relaxed until our reservation at the Crown Grill for dinner at a private table for the 1st formal night of the cruise.

The Steak and Lobster in the Crown Grill

Great way to start off 2022, and I hope most of the troubles of the last couple of years is behind us.

Oh yeah, I did have  the Burger in Paradise at Margaritaville.