Grand Turk: My Perfect Beach Day

We stepped off the ship and immediately kicked off our flip-flops — the cruise center opens straight onto a flawless crescent beach. Margaritaville is right there if you want it, but we turned left and walked 10 minutes to Governor's Beach instead. Zero crowds, powder sand, and water in seven impossible shades of blue.

Rented snorkel gear and swam out to the drop-off. The wall starts at just 25–40 ft and plunges to 7,000 ft — I floated above it feeling deliciously small while a spotted eagle ray (wingspan at least 5 ft) glided past like a stealth bomber. Schools of horse-eye jacks swirled around us in silver tornadoes. Even saw a reef shark (4–5 ft) cruising the blue — far below and totally uninterested in humans.

Afternoon was spent doing absolutely nothing except floating on noodles and eating conch two ways: cracked (fried) and ceviche-style with orange slices. The conch salad was so fresh it practically jumped back into the sea. Washed it down with Turk's Head beer while a cruise ship (not ours) sailed past on the horizon looking like a toy.

The pros: you can have a perfect beach day without spending a dime or leaving sight of the ship.

The cons: the cruise center itself is very "built for cruisers" — escape it and you're golden.