Grand Turk Island Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos
Turks & Caicos Isl

757 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Carnival Cruise Line (104 Cruises)

Carnival Freedom

Carnival Freedom

2980 Passengers
110000 tons
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Carnival Magic.

Carnival Magic

3690 Passengers
130000 tons
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Celebrity Cruises (32 Cruises)

Costa Cruises (38 Cruises)

Costa Fascinosa.

Costa Fascinosa

4108 Passengers
114 tons
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3 January 15 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
3 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
7 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa Pointe A Pitre
450-628-6241 Call us
7 January 15 days Round-trip from Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
450-628-6241 Call us
10 January 15 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
10 January 7 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
10 January 8 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
10 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
17 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
17 January 15 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
21 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa Pointe A Pitre
450-628-6241 Call us
21 January 15 days Round-trip from Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
450-628-6241 Call us
24 January 7 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
24 January 15 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
24 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
24 January 8 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us
31 January 14 days Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Costa Fascinosa La Romana
450-628-6241 Call us
31 January 15 days Round-trip from La Romana, Dominican Rep
450-628-6241 Call us

Cunard (17 Cruises)

Explora Journeys (18 Cruises)

Holland America Line (79 Cruises)

Cruise HAL Holland America Line ms Eurodam ship

ms Eurodam

2104 Passengers
86273 tons
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Cruise HAL Holland America Line ms Rotterdam ship

ms Rotterdam

2668 Passengers
99935 tons
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Cruise HAL Holland America Line ms Zuiderdam ship

ms Zuiderdam

1970 Passengers
82820 tons
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MSC Cruises (129 Cruises)

msc meraviglia cruise ship

MSC Meraviglia

4500 Passengers
167600 tons
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MSC World Atlantic.

MSC World Atlantic

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Princess Cruises (170 Cruises)

Cruise PCL Princess Regal Ship

Regal Princess

3560 Passengers
142299 tons
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Cruise PCL Sky Princess ship

Sky Princess

3660 Passengers
144650 tons
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Star Princess.

Star Princess

2600 Passengers
108977 tons
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Sun Princess.

Sun Princess

2000 Passengers
77441 tons
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Royal Caribbean Cruises (58 Cruises)

Virgin Voyages (63 Cruises)

Cruise Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady ship

Resilient Lady

2770 Passengers
110000 tons
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Cruise Virgin VoyagesValiant Lady ship

Valiant Lady

2770 Passengers
110000 tons
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A few hundred metres from shore, the submarine plateau drops away sharply: the wall plunges at once toward depths exceeding 2,000 metres. This legendary "wall" makes Grand Turk one of the tropical Atlantic's most renowned dive sites. At the surface, the main island of the Turks and Caicos stretches ten kilometres of flat land, slumbering salt ponds and roaming donkeys, heirs to the time when salt sustained the entire archipelago. Ships dock without shuttle at a jetty over 300 metres long, at the island's south.

The Cruise Centre and Its Immediate Beach

At the foot of the gangway, the cruise centre groups shops, complimentary pool and restaurants around a white-sand beach reserved for passengers. Chairs and umbrellas are rented on-site, the water stays calm nearly year-round, and those wishing to plan nothing spend a full day here without spending a dollar on transport. A kilometre and a half north, Governor's Beach adds a quieter option, considered the island's finest sandy expanse, with its casuarinas and translucent water.

Cockburn Town, Memory of Salt

Some five kilometres from the dock, the tiny capital unfolds its wooden houses with battened shutters along Duke Street and Front Street. The salt ponds extending behind the town made Bermudian fortunes from the 17th century onward; stone walls and rusted sluices are still visible among the flamingos. The Turks and Caicos National Museum, housed in an old residence, preserves the archipelago's centrepiece: the wreck of Molasses Reef, the known oldest European shipwreck in the Americas, dated to the early 16th century.

The Lighthouse and the Donkeys at the Island's End

At the north point, some twenty minutes by taxi from the dock, the cast-iron lighthouse prefabricated in London in 1852 stands guard above the low cliffs. The admission charge remains modest and trails circle the point; the site offers a fine view of Atlantic rollers and, January through March, the passage of humpback whales following the island toward their breeding grounds. Along the way, one inevitably meets the wandering donkeys and horses, descendants of the salt ponds' pack animals, now unofficial mascots of the territory.

Beneath the Surface, the Deep Blue

Local dive centres exploit the wall with outings timed to ship schedules; black corals, hawksbill turtles and eagle rays frequent the first tens of metres. Non-divers are not left behind: snorkelling excursions reach shallow reefs, and semi-submersible outings show the fauna without getting wet. In season, whale watching is done directly from excursion boats.

Key Points for Your Visit

ElementDetail
MooringGrand Turk Cruise Centre jetty, no shuttle
Governor's BeachRoughly 1.5 km north of cruise centre
Cockburn TownRoughly 5 km, short taxi ride
Currency and LanguageUS dollar; English

An Island That Lives at a Slow Tide

Grand Turk fits in one day: a beach at the ship's foot, a capital the size of a village, a museum that tells five centuries of wrecks and salt. Luxury here is not measured in marble but in simplicity—that of a territory remained aside from major circuits, where donkeys cross the main road and the blue wall awaits, just a few fathoms away, those who wish to see deep.

Frequently Asked Questions

At a jetty over 300 metres long at the south of the island, with no tendering. At the foot of the gangway, the cruise centre gathers shops, a free-access pool and restaurants around a white sand beach reserved for passengers. You can spend the whole day there without spending a dollar on transport.
Not necessarily, and that makes this call unusual. Chairs and umbrellas are rented on site, the water stays calm almost year-round, and the setting is far from artificial. Those who want to see the real island, however, need a taxi: the capital is five kilometres away.
A few hundred metres offshore, the underwater shelf stops dead and the face drops straight down toward more than 2,000 metres of abyss. That legendary wall makes Grand Turk one of the most celebrated dive sites in the tropical Atlantic, and it begins just beyond the reef.
Governor's Beach, a kilometre and a half north of the quay: casuarinas, translucent water and far fewer people than the cruise centre beach. It's a short taxi ride, or a walk that's manageable on an overcast day and much less pleasant in full sun.
The tiny capital lines Duke Street and Front Street with wooden houses and swinging shutters, about five kilometres from the quay. Behind the town, the salt pans that made the Bermudians' fortune from the 17th century still show their stone walls and rusted sluice gates, among the flamingos.
The Molasses Reef wreck, the oldest known European shipwreck in the Americas, dated to the early 16th century. The museum occupies an old house in Cockburn Town and takes under an hour to visit. It is the archipelago's centrepiece, and few visitors know it's there.
They are descendants of the days when salt supported the whole archipelago: they hauled loads between the salinas and the quays. Today they wander freely over ten kilometres of flat land, and drivers need to take care. Don't feed them.
If you have the time, yes. This cast iron lighthouse, prefabricated in London in 1852, stands guard at the northern point, about twenty minutes by taxi from the quay. Admission is modest, trails circle the headland, and the view over the Atlantic rollers is splendid.
From January to March, yes, from the northern point and from the water. Humpback whales pass through the channel alongside the island on migration. Outside that window there's no point hoping: it's a question of season, not luck.
The US dollar, which simplifies everything for a North American traveller, and cards work at the cruise centre. Keep cash for taxis and the small shops of Cockburn Town. English is spoken: the Turks and Caicos are a British Overseas Territory.