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Make sure you check out the legendary Billy Joe’s Beach Restaurant & Bar, a hotspot for both locals and tourists popular for its delicious conch, beer, and sweeping sea views. It is a beautiful area to walk around, filled with multicolored houses, palm trees, food and drink stands, arts and crafts stores, and places to sit and relax. The taxi rank and bus parking (which is usually a shore excursion meeting place unless indicated differently on your tour ticket) are located within the port complex, a short walking distance from your ship. Pirate’s Cove Zipline and Water Park is located on Taino Beach and is a very popular location if you are traveling from the cruise port. If you choose to go to this location, I recommend to book your taxi ride when you arrive in port and do not pay more than $20 per person ROUND TRIP for transportation to go to Pirate’s Cove. Pirate’s Cove also has free wifi, a bar, and food available for purchase.
Transportation in the Bahamas
Here you can keep yourself cool from the hot sun while having fun splashing around with your family. There are trampolines to play on, a long zipline to ride, and plenty of on-shore activities to be enjoyed. If you are keen on discovering the best snorkeling spots, there is not much better than checking out Paradise Cove. You can either book an excursion with your cruise ship, or if you are feeling adventurous, you can take a taxi there instead. Freeport is one of the most popular cruise getaways because there are so many things to do in Freeport that you cannot do anywhere else.
Carnival Cruise Line sets its sights on new Bahamas port of call - The Columbian
Carnival Cruise Line sets its sights on new Bahamas port of call.
Posted: Sat, 20 Apr 2024 12:57:44 GMT [source]
Where do cruise ships dock
Explore the park’s extensive sea cave system if you’re feeling adventurous. Paradise Cove is a great destination for snorkeling and is about a 25 minute drive from the cruise port. One must-try dish is the freshly caught conch, which can be enjoyed in various forms, such as conch fritters and conch salad. When it comes to local culinary delights, you’ll find that many restaurants on the island offer island-inspired cuisine with authentic Bahamian flavors. Ships find their docking homes at the Freeport Harbour, a 10-minute drive from downtown Freeport.
Shopping Opportunities
Additionally, it is advised to avoid cruising during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season from August to October. Grand Bahama Island is a paradise for food lovers, with its delicious array of local cuisine and best places to eat. The island is renowned for its traditional Bahamian dishes and seafood specialties. Explore the vibrant culture and natural beauty of Grand Bahama Island through a range of exciting activities.
Weather in Freeport
Fortune Beach is located a 30-minute drive from the Freeport Harbour cruise terminal. Within walking distance, you can visit the Bahamas Maritime Museum and stroll around Port Lucaya Marina dotted with colorful buildings, boats and yachts. Count Basie Square is where you can enjoy some live music and performances. This bustling place is a shopping paradise and one of the highlights of Freeport.
“As is fitting for our plans for Grand Bahama island, our vision for Celebration Key is quite grand, and we’re already thinking about the next phase of expansion and development,” says Carnival president Duffy. Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net. It is planning to open the new cruise destination in the summer of 2025. The Lokono Cove announcement was made during this week’s Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami Beach, which is bringing together the worldwide cruise industry for a week of talks and meetings.
Other popular beaches and beach resorts are Lighthouse Pointe at Grand Lucayan Resort, Paradise Cove Beach Resort and Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach. There are plenty of taxis waiting to take you to Port Lucaya and Lucaya Beach, one of the best beaches on Grand Bahama Island, located in Port Lucaya. But nighttime temperatures are cool and bring the temperatures of seawater down to the chilly level. A typical beach excursion costs about $40 to $50 per person including transportation. Some cost more if they add amenities such as snacks, lunch or beach umbrellas. The size and terrain of Freeport make for the perfect location to explore by bicycle.
Altogether, the destination will highlight a mile of pristine white sand beach and the largest freshwater lagoons in the Caribbean, according to the line. Celebration Key's Family Friendly Portal is designed for children of all ages. As the name suggest, this portal will be the first one that passengers encounter upon arrival at Celebration Key. The Welcome Portal will feature information outlining what’s on offer at the port, as well as live music and a giant sandcastle.
Local Currency & Tipping Customs
No matter your interests, there is something for everyone in Freeport, including white sandy beaches, cultural experiences, and delicious food. As mentioned before, the main things to do in Freeport are not close to the cruise port terminal. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the cruise industry hard, shutting it down completely. Carnival Cruise Lines was the first cruise line to restart its operations, sailing with a select number of ships at limited capacity beginning in July 2021. The final ship in the company’s fleet set sail from Seattle in May 2022. Other major cruise lines, including Norwegian, Celebrity, Disney, and Holland America, are sailing in some capacity and have plans for a full re-entry into the cruise industry.
Obviously, all cruise lines offer many and diverse shore excursions in Freeport, which include the most exciting activities and highlights of Grand Bahama Island. Norwegian Cruise Line has available 15 shore excursions, and Royal Caribbean has 16 excursions available. Freeport is a regularly visited cruise port of call in the Caribbean during the Fall-Winter season, with as many as 400,000 passengers and over 150 cruise ships visits in 2019. The new cruise ship port is being built on the southern part of the island, about 20 miles east of Freeport.
There are self-guided walking tours available online for free, allowing you to discover the city at your own pace. For those looking for budget-friendly options, there are plenty of affordable activities and cheap things to do while enjoying the beach in Freeport. You can relax on the white sandy shores, swim in crystal clear waters, or even try snorkeling. Exploring Grand Bahama Island is an adventure with numerous transportation options. Taxi drivers are readily available at the cruise dock and offer a convenient way to reach popular tourist destinations such as Port Lucaya, with its vibrant market and breathtaking beaches.
Paradise Cove offers kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, and beach volleyball. You can also rent snorkel equipment to explore Deadman’s Reef located a short swim from the shore. About 40 miles east of Freeport lies the East End, an area of Grand Bahama that’s more off the beaten path for tourists.
You can rent a car online with Avis, or walk to the kiosk of Island Jeep and Car Rental in the cruise terminal on arrival day. Celebrity Eco tours also has a shop in the cruise terminal where you can rent a car or a scooter. The cruise port terminal has a delightful ambiance, the area is very clean and immaculately kept. On the whole, Freeport is safe but it is advisable to use caution in crowded areas considering that there have been reports of tourists having purses snatched.
Carnival’s Celebration Key will be featuring a retail destination called Lokono Cove, named by Grand Bahamian Deidre Ramhming, who sent in the winning name in an island-wide contest. Freeport is known for its duty-free shopping opportunities, The Port Lucaya Marketplace being the most frequented. Be sure to know your duty-free shopping laws before you begin your spending spree. There are a number of ATMs including an RBC and CIBC ATM in the Port Lucaya Marketplace.
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