Everyday Things to do and See on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

It's January or maybe February in the northern hemisphere. The holidays are over, and suddenly snow isn't quite so merry. The cold seems more biting than crisp. This is when I dream of beaches and tropical breezes to transport me to that summer siesta I crave without wishing months of my life away. That dream might take me to Grace Bay on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos.

Providenciales, called Provo locally, was rated the best beach destination in the world by TripAdvisor in 2011. I have my own favorites elsewhere, but I won't hotly argue the point. The electric-blue waters surrounding the islands, technically part of the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean, are simply stunning. The Turks and Caicos are geographically part of the Bahamas Islands group (or vice versa), but--resorts aside--the T&C have an upscale, much less developed and tacky feel than many parts of their Disneyfied northern neighbor.

Complete Carnival on the Caribbean series

The series of travel essays detailing our misadventures on an April, 2013 Carnival cruise of the western Caribbean is complete. See them all here:

• Skirting Cuba 
• Underground in the Mayan Riviera 
• Belize City, Bannister Caye and the Barrier Reef
• Mounting Casualties on the Barrier Reef
• Dodging Rays in Grand Cayman

Carnival on the Caribbean - Dodging Rays in Grand Cayman

The busiest city in the Caymans is populated by stingrays and nervous tourists. We moored this morning off Grand Cayman, the last destination of our week-long Carnival cruise. The Liberty used a more organized system of sequenced tender times to get people onshore this time around, and it resulted in an efficient exit. The line for a sticker denoting our tender grouping moved fast enough for people to actually stay in it.

Our scheduled excursion was not until afternoon, so Stacey and I had a couple hours on our own. For US$5 each, we hopped on a bus from the Georgetown port terminal for a ten-minute ride to the famous Seven Mile Beach on the west side of the island. Buses wait for absolute capacity before departure, so we lost some quality time as the driver scouted for possible singletons to fill the one remaining seat. It was hot and cramped in the van while we waited, but I wasn't going anywhere with a substantial lady in the aisle jump-seat next to me.

Carnival on the Caribbean - Mounting Casualties on the Barrier Reef

Who would think a cruise ship excursion could be a full contact sport? Our port of call today was Roatán, Honduras, largest of the Bay Islands at the southern end of the 1000-kilometer-long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The Liberty was late in clearing customs as it waited for a sister Carnival liner to dock in Mahogany Bay. Stacey and I waited patiently in line at the embarkation deck for clearance to exit. That's evidently a mistake on a cruise ship, because when the path to the gangplank opened, a crushing mass of opportunistic humanity surged in front from the sides of the line. I can't call them vultures, because those scavengers politely wait their turn at the kill. My family would never survive in the event of martial law.

After disembarking, visitors who booked shore excursions were herded into another of those generic tropical malls. I noticed the stores and even at least one restaurant were exactly the same as those in Belize City. The duty free shop has been the same in all three ports, with the unimaginative moniker "Dufry." I half expected to see the same staff. We navigated through this promenade of uniformity to the excursion staging area.

Carnival on the Caribbean - Belize City, Bannister Caye and the Barrier Reef

We moored this morning, a 10-minute tender ride off of Belize City. Today's main agenda was snorkeling on the barrier reef that runs the length of Belize, the second longest reef in the world, which has been on my wish list of destinations for a very long time.

We were picked up by a catamaran boatside. Everyone was issued the standard fins, snorkel and goggles. I was pleased to see the equipment was in good condition and very clean, which is not always the case for some operators. We were also issued a mandatory inflatable vest, though experienced snorkelers could deflate it upon entering the water. We tested equipment on the way to the reef while some couples writhed to Bob Marley, whose music is stuck in a loop track at a single station that broadcasts throughout the Caribbean.

Carnival on the Caribbean - Mayan Riviera

I counted back all my trips to Mexico and realized this is my tenth visit to the country between work and play. I recall the tour guide at Teotihuacan during my first trip back in 1985 saying "Once you've visited Mexico, it's in your heart, and you'll always return". He missed his calling in fortune telling.

Though we landed at the port of Cozumel, our excursion today was on the mainland near Playa del Carmen. The "Amazing Secret River" is a limestone cave system with an underground freshwater river located in Río Secreto Natural Reserve. This day trip didn't even exist the first time we visited the Yucatan, as the cave network wasn't discovered until 2006. That's incredible considering a few million tourists visit the area every year, and caves aren't exactly rare in limestone terrain. But once you've seen the thick, scrubby jungle of Quintana Roo State, it's easy to understand why. A stroll in the woods is neither easy nor pleasant. Tourists generally don't stray far from the beach either.

Carnival on the Caribbean - At Sea

Today is our first full day at sea on the Carnival Liberty. We're currently rounding the western end of Cuba, which is about as close as most Americans ever get to a good cigar. The distance almost looks swimmable, but I see no other boats.

Titanic, How you don't want your cruise vacation to end.

This is our first cruise vacation in over 15 years. Time has dulled my perspective on the things I dislike relative to a beach holiday or road trip. Most notably, it is hard to escape the noise of the "carnival" occurring on top of the boat or the crowds of people. After a while I lose interest in the same quarter mile loop that strategically leads through the smoky casino. More subtly, travel is about experiencing something new, and cruise ships are strictly designed to provide comfortable familiarity for a largely American customer base, just in excess. The biggest risk of travelling by cruise ship for someone who wants to expand their world view is in not actually travelling anywhere.

Upcoming - Carnival on the Caribbean

I woke up this morning to -6°F (-21°C) in southern Ontario. It's that time of year when many people in the northern hemisphere begin to crave a little sunlight and warmth. Starting tomorrow evening (January 4th, EST), I'll post the first of a five part weekly series on our 2013 cruise through the western Caribbean. We "visited" the Mayan Riviera, Roatan (Honduras), Belize City, and Grand Cayman on the beleaguered Carnival cruise line.

"There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth." - Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn

Carnival Liberty. April 23, 2013 off Belize City.