Grand Turk

 Friday, February 21, 2025

The Eurodam wasn't due to dock in Grand Turk until 11:30 am which made for a more leisurely morning. I met Jon and Michelle for a "pre-breakfast" at the buffet and then Jon left to meet Bob for a game of pickleball. I had a bowl of the most delicious mixed berries! Besides my poached eggs, this was one of my daily breakfast choices. Often I would include Greek yogurt and maybe a little bit of granola as well. As the cruise progressed the ratio of berries to grapes got less and less. By the end it was pretty much just green grapes.

After eating, Michelle and I went to the library for her to pick out a book and then we sat in the padded loungers on the promenade deck. Many walkers were out for their morning exercise and sitting there was a great place to "people watch". Because the Holland America Navigator app allows access to the NY Times website I was able to start my day just as I do at home...doing my puzzles. Wordle, Connections and Strands are my favorite and the only missing part of my usual routine that I missed was being able to share the results with my son. (It is a good day when I do better than him!)

Around 9 am I got a message on the Navigator app from Bob that he and Jon were in the buffet. Bob hadn't eaten anything earlier so he had breakfast and Jon had 2nd breakfast. When I got there I went to get a couple of poached eggs and was surprised to see that they also had crab cakes! I ordered my eggs on top of the crab cakes with hollandaise sauce on top. It was only the 3rd day of the cruise but I predict that may be one of the tastiest things I eat during the entire three weeks!

When we could see we were getting close to land we went back to the room and gathered our stuff to go to the beach. Bob and I went to Jon & Michelle's cabin and we turned on the TV to the bow camera station to watch as the ship docked. The Caribbean Princess docked shortly after. 

The Caribbean Princess was docked right next to the Eurodam.

At 11:30 an announcement was made that the ship had been cleared and the four of us left immediately to get off. We were anxious to find some chairs in the shade and I was surprised to find that the section nearest the dock had been filled by loungers with clam shell covers to rent. We had to walk down the beach near Margaritaville where we did snag four free chairs under some very small palm trees. By the time the Princess passengers came ashore there were almost no free chairs available.

Our tiny slice of shade.

The weather was quite warm so it didn't take me long to get in the water. My feet sank into the soft sand as I waded in and as hard as I tried to stay upright, I fell landing on my backside. I just stayed down and sort of scooted my way into the deeper water where I could float on my inflatable noodle. The water felt heavenly and I floated out towards where our ship was docked. About then, a fish bit my finger...hard! It startled me and I let out a loud scream! I looked at my finger and could see that it had drawn blood! It was probably just one of the small striped fish I had seen swimming in the water but folks around me probably thought I had been attacked by a shark from my reaction!

Bob and Jon didn't want to swim but did want to explore. Michelle and I worry because we never know what the two of them will do when they go off on their own. The last time we were in Grand Turk the two guys took off and Jon came back with his hair braided!

A flashback to 2019!

Michelle and I enjoyed relaxing in the chairs and with our T-Mobile cell service we were able to text and use data. The guys were gone a long time and Michelle and I went back into the water to cool off. She also walked over to the Starbucks in the cruise center looking for one of the destination mugs that she collects. They had no Grand Turk mugs, but she did find one from Jamaica which she bought. (They told her that they had received those mugs by mistake.)

After quite some time we were getting irritated that they guys had been gone so long and neither were answering the texts we sent. When they finally did return we learned that they had walked all the way to the opposite side of the island! 

The guys used the conch shells they found on the beach to spell out our names...Mary & Michelle (who Jon calls Shell) 😘

Our chairs were no longer in the shade so the four of us returned to the ship. We hadn't had any lunch (although we had eaten breakfast twice! 😄) and Jon suggested we get pizza. Jon went ahead to order while Bob and I went back to our cabin. I took a very quick shower and changed out of my swimsuit. Since we had dinner reservations at 5:30, the four of us split a couple of the small pizzas. The guys also got salads.

I noticed on the activity schedule that a ping pong tournament was to be held at 4 pm near the lido pool. The guys decided they would play but no one else showed up. The sport's director saw a couple of Chinese women (mother and daughter maybe?) and convinced them to join the tournament. The four of them played while Michelle and I watched.

A funny photo of Bob as the ball misses the table.

The tournament was over in time for us to get dressed and get to the MDR for our 5:30 pm reservation. Since we didn't have an assigned table for the cruise we never knew if we would be seated on Deck 2 or on the upper level on Deck 3. I don't think we ever had to wait more than a minute or two however. Since the Eurodam wasn't scheduled to leave Grand Turk until 7 pm, the dining room was much less busy than the previous night. 

I was excited to learn that the entertainment on the main stage was to be the Island Magic Steel Band. They had been on a Panama Canal cruise we had taken in 2018 and I knew how good (and unique) their music was. Instead of playing the traditional steel drum music they performed classical and show tunes and we thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Our evening ended with a card game in the Crow's Nest.

Island Magic first started out playing traditional reggae music on the steel drums but transitioned into a full show featuring classical and show tunes. So unique and so talented!!

Grand Turk

February 6, 2023

Leaving the curtains open a bit overnight let us wake naturally to the morning sunlight. By then, land was in sight and the ship was getting close to Grand Turk. When we left the room for breakfast, the Nieuw Statendam was being tied up at the dock.

A little before 8:00 we turned on the bow cam TV channel and noticed people walking down the dock. We figured the ship had been cleared so we went down and walked forward to get to the gangplank on Deck A.

The cruise center is located at the end of the long dock. A quick walk through the duty free shop and we were on the beach. The only way to get there quicker would be to jump off the ship and swim since the ship is literally docked at the beach. There are various gift shops and food stands but we didn't stop at any.

We had our pick of the free lounge chairs and found two that might have a small bit of shade during the day. The beach was much less crowded now that all of the rental chairs had been moved further down the beach. A couple of guys did hang around where we were sitting and tried to entice people to pay for one of those chairs. It was surprising how many people did not realize that the chairs closest to the ship were free for passengers to use. Once we got settled in, Bob made me switch chairs because he was worried the coconuts on the palm tree above my head would fall!

There was a pleasant breeze so I was in no hurry to get into the water. Bob took a walk down the beach to explore and came back with two conch shells. They had holes in them where fishermen had scooped out the insides and then tossed the shells onto the beach. A certain six year old grandson back in Minnesota will be thrilled to get one of these!

Once the sun got higher in the sky, I was ready to cool off in the water. The water temp was a little cooler than Half Moon Cay which meant it was way below Bob's tolerance level. I took my noodle and just floated...practically in the shade of the ship!

Out of caution, I decided we should go back to the ship around noon. Bob had already developed a dark tan, but I have to be more careful with my pasty white Minnesota skin. We changed and went to lunch at the buffet where I joined Bob in getting my food at the stir fry station. They have a variety of meats and veggies and will stir fry your selections in a wok while you wait. 

The previous evening we had gotten a notice in our cabin that for $25 each we could participate in the Luggage Direct program. Our luggage can be set outside of our cabin on the last night of the cruise and we won't see it again until we arrive back in Minneapolis. Also the ship would take care of getting our boarding passes for our flight.

According to the information sheet, most airlines participate, including Southwest Airlines which we were flying on. Since SWA doesn't have assigned seats, I was concerned how the process would work with getting a decent boarding group. I was planning to check in at exactly the 24-hour mark while we were at Half Moon Cay on Friday, but if the ship took care of the boarding pass, how would that affect our boarding position? We made a trip down to guest services, but didn't get any definitive answer.

Bob went to play pickleball and I decided to explore the ship before we sailed from Grand Turk. I started by going to the pickleball court and then just kept going up on higher decks. I was at the very top deck (14) when the captain decided to blow the ship's horn! Talk about LOUD!!!

Sea View Pool at the back of the ship.

Lido Pool with roof open.

Seating at the Lido buffet.

Crow's Nest

Private cabanas at The Retreat

This is one place you do NOT want to be when the horn blows!

After my photo taking tour, I went back to the cabin and sat on the balcony. The view of the blue water was so beautiful and with the balcony in the shade it was quite comfortable. But...once we sailed, the ship turned and I was in full sun. The temp went up immediately and was too hot to remain outside.

After our poor experience last night, we decided to skip the MDR and we knew we didn't want to go to either BB Kings OR the Rock Room. So at 5 pm we went to the performance at the Lincoln Center Stage where the musicians were performing works by Brahms.

We went directly to the buffet afterwards and had a nice dinner...mahi-mahi and chili rellenos. Both were main courses being served in the MDR but by eating at the buffet I didn't have to choose one or the other...I had both! Bob's highlight of the meal was finding rum raisin ice cream for dessert.

It was too early to go to the theater so we went back to the room. Our timing was perfect! Bob went out on the balcony and realized that the full moon was just beginning to rise! It was a big orange ball as it came up from the horizon!

The evening entertainment on the World Stage was another performance by the Step One Dance Company..."Musicology." This was a show we hadn't seen before. To get the full effect of the technology effects, we chose seats about half way up facing the center of the stage. Getting those seats required arriving over a half an hour before the show began. The theater filled up quickly and by showtime there were no seats left. Bob and I passed the time by playing Spider Solitaire on our phones.

The dance performance along with the technology effects was impressive, but I still miss the musical performances we used to see on HAL cruises...a combination of singers and dancers with background sets. And even further back in time there would have been a live band.

Leaving the theater on deck 3 (the upper level of the theater) sends you right through the smoky casino. To avoid that, we ducked outside on the promenade deck and walked the length of the ship outdoors.

Bob made a quick trip up to the lido to get his nightly cup of tea and we sat on the balcony looking at the moon. (Sounds romantic, doesn't it!!) At the same time we both saw a large, fuzzy light in the sky just above the horizon. Bob quickly went into the cabin to grab his binoculars and just like that it disappeared. The past few days the news reports have been focused on the Chinese spy balloon crossing the U.S. so it makes you wonder what else might be in the skies!

Grand Turk

Friday, November 15, 2019

In a reversal of our normal routine, Bob's alarm went off at 6:50 am and he headed out the door to breakfast first. I followed shortly after. Jon was the last one to show up...he had gotten up early and gone to the Sunrise Stretch session in the fitness center.

The view from our faux porthole (aka the television).

The actual view.

This was the day the guys had been looking forward to. After booking the cruise, Jon decided he wanted to get scuba certified so he could dive. He had taken the confined water sessions in Georgia, but just the previous weekend had finished up his certification by doing the open water dives in the Florida Keys.

Bob and Jon left the ship to meet their dive group on shore at 8 am. Michelle and I stayed at breakfast a little longer and then packed up our beach stuff and went to shore. About the distance of a football field from the ship is the cruise center built by the Carnival Corporation. The center has various stores, eating venues and a Margaritaville with a large pool.

There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas, but only the ones owned by the cruise center (with the green umbrellas) were free. Enterprising individuals looking to make a few bucks have set up their own chairs and umbrellas at the water's edge which they will gladly rent for the day.

Michelle and I grabbed a couple of the free chairs in the back row. It was entertaining to watch others who would come and get settled into a chair in the front, thinking they had just made a great find. Once they had gotten comfortable, the chair hawker guy would come along and tell them they had to pay.

Sittin' in the cheap seats.

We had just sat down when Michelle looked up and saw the guys walking down the pier towards the beach. I yelled at Bob to get his attention and they came to where we were sitting. They had gone back on the ship to drop off their gear after their dives had been cancelled due to rough seas and poor visibility. It was quite a disappointment that they didn't get to dive.

As they had done the previous day at Half Moon Cay, the guys took off walking down the beach to see what they could discover. Michelle and I took the inflatable noodles and floated in the water. A mom with a little girl was very jealous when she saw them. She said she had looked in all of the gift shops at the cruise center for some type of inflatable and ended up paying $10 each to rent two little tubes.

There was a drop-off in the sand right at the water's edge which made it difficult to get in and even harder to get out of the surf. There were just enough waves to knock you off your feet as you tried to navigate up the steep area. Michelle and I were entertained by watching a group of ladies fall down over and over trying to get up onto the beach. (If only I would have had my GoPro handy!!)

When the guys returned they didn't say much except they had helped support the economy of the island. The four of us headed down the beach in the opposite direction. We walked until the beach gave out but the guys climbed the embankment and continued. Michelle and I turned around and went back.

A replica of John Glenn's Mercury Friendship 7 capsule which splashed down in Grand Turk in 1962.

Michelle and I stopped and bought "pina cooladas" (fruit smoothies) and went back to our chairs. By the time the guys got returned, we had finished our drinks and were getting ready to go in the water. Bob and Jon were still commenting on how they had helped the economy but not giving any details. It wasn't until Jon took off his hat that we discovered their little joke. Jon had paid to have his hair braided!! Sometimes I think those two need "adult" supervision.

Side note:  Jon was actually a student in my 10th grade geometry class during my first year of full time teaching. Although we have become good friends since, I can say there were many times that he tried my patience with his antics in school! 

Our day in Grand Turk was a short one, with all aboard time set for 2:30 pm. Before going back onto the ship, we walked over to the Margaritaville and checked out the pool.

The crew at the cruise center take that yellow line pretty seriously.
Throughout the day we could hear them blowing their whistles to warn the offenders.

Damp towels and cool drinks were always available when we returned from a port.

Lunch was hot dogs and burgers from the Dive In and we ate sitting by the midship pool. Afterwards I went outside and watched as the ship pulled away from the dock. I debated about staying outside for awhile longer, but opted to take a shower and a nap while Bob was out of the cabin playing pickleball. By the time he got back, I was dressed and almost ready for dinner.

A comedian, Scott Harris, was on the main stage for the evening entertainment. His routine was centered around old people jokes much like the comedian from the previous week, but a little more entertaining. One part of his act that really got the audience involved was where he was say the beginning of an old advertising slogan and the audience would finish. Bob and I knew all of the slogans, but Jon is 10 years younger and was stumped by some.

Our game of Wizards was played in the Lido buffet. We were losing an hour of sleep by turning the clocks one hour ahead so we didn't stick around for late night snacks.

What a goof. He was paying the price for his silliness though. The braids were so tight he had developed a headache!