Exclusive Grand Turk Experience

Grand Turk Island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the island nation of Turks and Caicos. San Salvador Island or Samana Cay in the Bahamas is traditionally considered the site of Columbus' first landfall in 1492, but some believe that studies of Columbus' journals show that his descriptions of Guanahani much more closely fit Grand Turk.

This guided island drive tour will show you the highlights of Grand Turk Island. On this Grand Turk excursion, you will visit the island's top attractions, including the former United States Air Force Tracking Base and a replica of Astronaut John Glenn's Friendship 7 space capsule, which splashed down off the island's coast in 1962 following the United States' first successful manned orbit of the earth.

You will also see several 18th-century churches, beautiful Bermudan-style buildings, and salt ponds. You'll have the option to visit the National Museum (not included, approximately $5 US per person) if you would like, or explore the picturesque downtown area instead. In this peaceful town, you may see wild horses and donkeys freely roaming the streets.

There will be a brief photo stop to see a working lighthouse that has been in service for more than 150 years. Built in London in 1852 and shipped to Grand Turk, it was assembled in hopes of saving the salt trade. Standing sixty feet, it was designed by Alexander Gordon, who designed lighthouses throughout the British Empire. If you are interested, you can go inside the lighthouse for an additional fee (not included, approximately $3 US per person). Keep your eyes out for the wandering donkeys that can often be found nearby.

You will also have an opportunity to visit "The Salt House", a recreated 17th-century salt pan that chronicles the history of the salt and slave industry.

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San Juan Old and New Tour

Escape the crowded cruise line tours and take our Old and New San Juan City Tour with an experienced guide. An old walled city with more than 400 years of history, in contrast to a modern resort city, is the backdrop for your orientation of this thriving and interesting city.

In the new part of town, you will travel through the Condado area. Here you will see the luxury hotels, casinos, nightclubs and many restaurants that make this the most popular place in town after dark.

San Juan's Old Town tells hundreds of years of history in its restored and renovated buildings, homes and fortifications. It is divided by narrow streets, many still paved with cobblestones. Photo opportunities abound as you pass the Governor's Palace, San Juan Cathedral, Capilla de Cristo, Fort San Cristobal and travel along the coast road to El Morro, where you will have a photo stop from the street.

As you drive along, look down every street for hidden plazas and the beautiful 17th-century Spanish ironwork on the restored old homes, and blue-black glazed cobblestones lining the narrow streets of the Old City. At the end of the tour, you will be returned to the port.

Guests on ships docked at the Pan American pier (across the bay from Old San Juan) have the option of ending their tour in Old San Juan for shopping and sightseeing. Those doing so are responsible for their own transportation back to the Pan American Pier.

Shopping, Sightseeing & Beach Day Excursion in St. Maarten

Two countries on one island for almost 400 years. Wouldn't you love to know how they do it? Come along on this St. Maarten excursion for an Island Drive and Beach Tour with a twist. You'll visit parts of the island usually not seen by cruise guests.

Departing the cruise terminal, you will drive through part of Philipsburg towards Cole Bay and Belle Vue. Making a photo stop at the Harold Jack lookout point high on a hill overlooking the sea, clouds permitting, you will have fantastic views of the neighboring islands of Saba (the home of Kong in the original King Kong movie) St. Eustatius to the south, and British Anguilla to the north. You will also begin to see Simpson Bay and its lagoon as you crest the hill.

This St. Maarten tour continues on to Marigot, the French capital, which is a quaint French village with a Caribbean twist. Sidewalk cafes serving cappuccino overlook mega-yachts, framed by palm trees. Gourmet restaurants sit in the shadow of a 200-year-old fort, and bold tropical prints in the open-air markets mix with the latest fashions from French boutiques. You will have some free time to experience this wonderful blend.

Then it's on to Orient Bay. This sweeping two-mile long, white-powdered sand beach is protected from the Atlantic waves by a reef, and the bottom has a very gradual slope. It is the island's most popular and busiest beach. On this St. Maarten excursion, you will have approximately 1.5 hours to swim, beach walk, or relax on the white sand.

You will also have the opportunity to purchase lunch or indulge in a tropical drink in paradise at a local restaurant located on the east end of the beach.

Returning to Philipsburg through the center of the island, you will have the option of being dropped off downtown for shopping or taken back to the pier.

Guests departing downtown will need to arrange their own transportation back to the cruise pier at their own expense via taxi, water taxi or walking.

Please Note: The tour will also make photo stops with scenic views of Orient Bay. The clothing-optional beach at Club Orient, the naturist resort, is located at the east end of the beach, approximately 10 to 15 minutes from Bikini Beach, where you will be visiting. Although most guests in the Bikini Beach area will be wearing swim attire, be advised that you may encounter topless and possibly nude sunbathers anywhere. This St. Maarten excursion may operate in a different order due to traffic conditions or crowds at the venues. On Sundays, most shops and restaurants on the French side are closed. All stores are closed on the following national holidays: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Kings Day, Carnival Day, Labor Day, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Emancipation Day, Constitution Day, St. Maarten's Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Guests booking on these days will have the option to window shop or spend more time at the beach.

Skyline Drive & Island Overview Shore Trip

This is a two-hour orientation tour of St. Thomas, with stops at some of the island's highlights and exciting views of the island itself.

St. Thomas is a mountainous island with one long ridge of hills running east and west through the center of the island, with smaller ridges branching off. The island is thirteen miles long by four miles wide, encompassing a little over 31 square miles. The highest point is Crown Mountain at 1,556 feet.

St. Thomas has a history that dates back to 1500 B.C. and the Ciboney people. They were replaced by the Arawaks and then the Caribes, long before Christopher Columbus first saw the island in 1493 on his second voyage to the "New World." Unfortunately, almost all signs of the pre-Columbus days have been lost to time.

Most of the structures and ruins that remain date from the 16th and 17th century and include Blackbeard's Castle (Skytsborg), Fort Christian and Bluebeard's Castle (Tower Fort). During your scenic orientation drive, you will be able to see them on nearby hilltops.

Riding along the crest of St. Thomas on "Skyline Drive," visitors are treated to vistas of Charlotte Amalie town, harbor as well as Hassel and Water Islands to the south; the Atlantic Ocean, Magens Bay, and Inner and Outer Brass and Hans Lollick islands to the north; and the chain of cays leading to St. John and the British Virgins to the east.

On this St. Thomas excursion, your driver/guide will make stops at various scenic overlooks as traffic/safety allows. You will pass by Drake's Seat, believed to be the spot where Sir Francis Drake himself watched for enemy vessels. A stop will be made at Mountain Top, where you will take in the most amazing views from the balcony of the shopping arcade, and if you choose, purchase a "world-famous" banana daiquiri.

At the end of the two-hour driving orientation, you will have the option of being dropped off in downtown Charlotte Amalie to experience its world-famous shopping or be taken back to the cruise ship dock.

Please Note: Guests departing from downtown will be responsible for their transportation back to their destination. Depending on the number of guests participating, tour will be conducted in vans or open-air safari buses.