By John Sage

While Grand Turk lacks accessible boat docks that disabled visitors can use, the flat nature of this small island makes it wheelchair-friendly enough for disabled cruisers to have a great time!

Because the island is only 7 miles long, Grand Turk does not have quite the accessibility infrastructure that other accessible Caribbean islands have. That means no wheelchair accessible vans and no elevator at its National Museum.

I gave Grand Turk a 3 Star Sage Accessibility Rating because it has a step-free pier and port exit and step-free attractions to visit.  It did not receive a higher rating because electric wheelchair users will be unable to get around the island due to a lack of wheelchair accessible vans. If you do have an electric wheelchair and want to see the island, the Grand Turk accessible train shore excursion may be your best bet.

View Grand Turk accessible shore excursions

Best Aspects of Grand Turk Disabled Access

Accessible pier exit and accessible port exit – If you’re a wheelchair user, mobility scooter user, or slow walker, at a minimum you can get off the ship and experience some fun in the sun!  To exit the pier, you will go through the step-free Duty Free shop shown on the left.  If you want to leave the port, you can do so by using the road leading to the north.  In the photo on the right, note the speed bump near the guard shack.

Small island – Grand Turk is only 7 miles long so it’s possible to see much of it in a single day.  You can easily travel to the lighthouse on the other end of the island and get back in a short period of time.

Mainly flat – Grand Turk disabled access is fairly good near the coastline where the terrain is flat (shown in the photo on the left).  In the center of the island, there are some hills that can make getting around in a wheelchair challenging (photo of a hill near the Cruise Center shown on the right).

Most of Cruise Center has ADA standards – The Cruise Center has a wheelchair accessible ramp leading to an accessible bathroom.  Every shop that I saw there had a ramp to enter it.

Dry island – Grand Turk only receives 21 inches of rain a year so you won’t have to worry about getting stuck in the mud!

Accessible lighthouse – Grand Turks’ historic lighthouse at the north end of the island has a step-free entrance to the grounds followed by a gravel path or a grass route if you prefer that.  If you travel early in the year, you may see migrating whales in the distance!

Worst Aspects of Grand Turk Disabled Access

No accessible boats for disabled guests to use – This is one of the most frustrating things I’ve encountered in all of my accessibility research in the Caribbean.  There are accessible boats on the island (shown on the left) but Carnival Corp has signed an exclusive contract with them. 

That would be okay, except they don’t allow disabled guests to use them!  That’s right…no accessible boat excursions offered by Carnival, Holland America, or Princess!

No accessible piers for disabled guests to use – Carnival Corp owns the only boat pier on the island (shown on the left), but doesn’t let any disabled guests go on any of their boat tours.  There are no other piers on the island due to the shallow water, so all other boat tours require going over about 50 feet of sand and then 50 feet of water to reach the boats anchored off the beach (shown on the right…that picture was taken from the closest paved spot I could get my wheelchair to them).

No truly accessible beaches within walking distance of Cruise Center – The sandy beach at the Cruise Center (shown on the left) is wide with no wooden walkways to reach the water.  The small beach in town has a seawall that is a few feet higher than the sand (shown on the right).

Cruise Center has accessibility challenges – There are some routes to get around the pool that have steps, although these can generally be avoided.  A more problematic area is a wheelchair ramp that leads down to sand rather than to a paved area (shown on the right).  A wheelchair user obviously didn’t design this ramp!

Cruise Center is a manufactured Caribbean experience – Some people love a vacation of margaritas and Bob Marley.  Others prefer more authentic experiences of the local culture.  The Grand Turk Cruise Center is owned by the cruise lines and is fairly manufactured Caribbean experience. 

If you want to learn about the local history and experience the local culture, you’ll need transportation to reach other parts of the island.  The shuttle buses that many cruise passenger use are not wheelchair accessible (photo shown on the left).

No elevator to upper floor of National Museum – The upper floor of the museum has exhibits on local culture and there is no elevator to reach it.  Don’t worry too much as the ground floor exhibit on the Molasses Reef shipwreck is totally worth the visit!

View Grand Turk accessible shore excursions