So, this morning Club Orange breakfast was at 8am, even though it was a port day, we would not be getting to Grand Turk until 10am. We figured the majority of in transit passengers that had to re-do the Covid test, would go early at 7:30am, tour or not. We were among the first through the Club Orange door when they opened 5 minutes early. There were several more people coming in that we have not seen yet. One couple sat across at the next high top table, and began talking to us. One of us was wearing a 2013 GWV t-shirt, and that has to be what sparked the interest. They were from the Neptune floor, and this was their first breakfast in here. They complained that their room was much smaller than the Neptune suites on other ships. But what they were incensed about was the fact that they had brought two bottles of wine with them, like they always do. This time, the bottles were confiscated, because they were told a new rule has begun that forbids those two bottles now. Furious, they had to give them up, to be picked up at the end of this trip. Has anyone heard about this change which supposedly began on March 27th?
We were later than we expected to the test room on deck one, but we were not the last to come at 9am. The antigen test was quick, and the end result was NO PHONE CALL in our room ½ hour later. Thank goodness! One more test, and we should be home free.
We would not be the only ship in town, as the Carnival Sunrise was already docked in Grand Turk. Never heard of this ship, so we did a little digging. It was formerly the Carnival Triumph, which was revamped, and named the Sunrise back in 2019. Apparently, this was the ship that lost power for several days, and not everything was working. Specifically……the toilets in the cabins. So it became known as the "poop" ship. No wonder the reason for coming out with a new name. She is bigger than us with 101,509 gross tons and holds up to 2984 guests. The lounges on the beach were filling up as we were still taking our time docking.
It was really cloudy when we arrived, but soon a strong breeze seemed to blow the clouds away. Many people were snorkeling in the rather shallow water, and we sure hope they used a ton of sunscreen. That is a good way to get the worst sunburn, since you spend so much time swimming with your back exposed. Those new t-shirts with UV protection are a great idea as well.
We headed in the same direction we always walk, covering the area to the right of the largest duty free store. Diamonds International was the first shop, but it was so crowded, we came back later. Further down the beach, we did not see the sea glass hunters sifting the sands for a possible treasure. We ducked in and out of stores, but really, they were crowded. Masks were required to go inside, but outside, it was not. Most folks did not wear them.
We did buy a Jimmy Buffet t-shirt on the way to the pool and Flowrider attraction. It sure was fun watching some young boys trying their luck at the ride. Most used what looked like a skateboard and did pretty well. But once the wave took hold of them, the pressure of the water flipped them sideways, head over heel. Embarrassed? Probably, but they went back for more.
On the beach, we strolled all the way to the loading pier and beyond a bit. Walking in this sand was different from yesterday's powder-packed beach. You tended to sink deeper in the loose sand, and had to be careful of broken bits of coral and rocks on the water's edge. It did get better the further we went. Once we hit the edge of the complex, we got hit by the hair braiders and lounge renters. Of course, we said no thanks and they were fine with that.
Near the end of this beach is Jack's Shack, which had chicken or burgers grilling. You could smell the aroma for a mile away. Going all the way to the loading pier, we went under the pier, took some photos, and headed back. This is always a good place to stop and relax in the sun for a while. We met a nice lady from Ontario who recognized us. She and her family had come over from the Rotterdam, and were sailing with us now. We chatted for some time, then she thanked us for writing the blog that helped her with some info. That's what we love to hear.
As we headed back, another couple of folks from the N. Statendam asked questions about the world cruise. Of course, it was the t-shirt. Although they were not readers of Cruise Critic, they were curious about the longer trips. One last visit was with "Overhead Fred", who introduced his wife. They had been on the previous cruise, and also passed two Covid tests to be on this one. It sure looked as if rain was coming, so we headed to DI for that charm, which was a conch shell. This time, they were located in a bowl with the bracelets, free for the taking.
Back on the ship by 1:30pm, we had completed our three hour tour. Time for the reward of two Affligem beers, ham & cheese sandwiches and fries to share. It is seldom crowded here in the Grand Dutch Cafe, but there was a continuous stream of customers. We heard through the grapevine that it is possible that the Volendam may be used as a Ukranian refugee vessel soon. What a wonderful gesture that would be for the displaced people. We bet other cruise lines will follow, since many of the ships are not in operation yet.
The Carnival Sunrise left the pier well before us. Then we followed by 5pm, sailing south towards the Dominican Republic and the port of Amber Cove tomorrow. The Captain mentioned that we would be doing a speed of 8 knots….a crawl. Guess we are fairly close.
Dinner was back in the dining room with coconut crusted pork meatballs….steaming hot and good. Salad nicoise followed with mains of lasagna and veal wienerschnitel. We shared the entrees. Dessert for one of us was one scoop of rocky road ice cream. So good…..
Farewell to Grand Turk, our final stop here.
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Report #102 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Tuesday March 29, 2022 Sunny With Clouds 80 Degrees
