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This terminal hosts cargo and passenger ships, making it one of The Bahamas’ busiest ports. As mentioned before, the main things to do in Freeport are not close to the cruise port terminal. A beautiful botanical garden is located around 24 km/15 miles (a 30-minute drive) east of the port and was named after Wallace Groves who contributed to the development of Freeport in the second half of the 20th century. Mather Beach – Nestled between Smith’s Point Beach and Fortune Beach, this sandy beach has several local spots including Margarita Villa Sand Bar and The Sand Bar. 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.
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One of the most popular things to do in Freeport is to explore the Unexso Marine sanctuary. There is fun for the entire family here, as you can do anything from swimming with the dolphin, dive with sharks, shop, and enjoy tasty seafood. Horseback riding is one of the best things to do in Freeport for animal lovers. Book your excursion with your cruise ship to go to Pine Tree Stables to ride one of their well-trained horses.
Top Tours & Excursions In Freeport – Bahamas
Head to the main market for some cheap eats, or to central to some nice restaurants such as Tony Macaroni’s Conch Experience, Robinson’s seafood delight, and the Flying Fish Gastrobar. It doesn’t stop at the above dishes; there are endless options when discovering the local delectable Bahamian cuisines. We created this comprehensive guide to save you the trouble of doing all the research yourself. Keep on reading to learn everything there is to know about Freeport, Bahamas.
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Bahamian stew fish consists of fish boiled to a white and flaky consistency and often combined with onions, potatoes, lime, thyme, and other spices. Seafood reigns supreme in the Bahamas, and a particular delicacy visitors love to try is rock lobster, which is often found in the cracks and crevices of rocks and coral in the Caribbean. The water encircling Grand Bahama Island is some of the clearest in the world. One of the most popular excursions in Grand Bahama includes an encounter with dolphins. Experience these playful sea creatures at Sanctuary Bay, a natural 9-acre lagoon where over a dozen Bottlenose Dolphins live. Stand on a water platform a few feet deep for the chance to kiss and pet the dolphins.
Covid-19 advise for cruises to Freeport (Grand Bahama)
Garden of the Groves – 12 acres of local wildlife and plants, you can easily spend a few hours enjoying the ambience, water features and birds in this carefully maintained environment. With so many restaurants to choose from, it can be hard to pick just one. A few fun, beachy options include the fabulously named Tony Macaroni’s Conch Experience, a thatch-roof shack on Taino Beach with great basics like burgers, lobster and conch burgers — and Banana Bay on Fortune Bay Drive. Other cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International have one of their top cruises, Freedom of the Seas, reach the Grand Bahama Island. With dark and neon lighting slides along pools that have the best location for taking in the sun, this one is a great option as well.
Set on 12 acres (5 hectares), the garden features trails through lush vegetation, cascading waterfalls and sparkling fountains. Its main features are a Labyrinth and a picturesque hilltop chapel offering panoramic views of the coast. Garden Cafe & Bar, children’s playground and shops are available on-site. While there are locals that live on this island, they are all very friendly and want to ensure every tourist feels safe and welcome on their island.
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Where do cruise ships dock
Visit the Port Lucaya Marketplace for shopping and dining, indulge in delicious Bahamian cuisine, or enjoy water sports such as snorkeling and diving. Unlike other cruise ports, such as Nassau or Cozumel, where cruise passengers have a great choice of beach day-passes, in Freeport, there are only 3 places offering beach day-passes. Freeport may not be the best cruise port for passengers that enjoy exploring on foot sites close by where ships dock. But it is a marvelous cruise port if you appreciate botanical gardens, nature parks, and scenic sights.
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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. If you want to unwind on sandy shores, head to Gold Rock Beach for its pristine white sands and turquoise waters. Engage in beach activities such as sunbathing or building sandcastles with your family.
Other dishes include Bahamian "rock lobster," fresh grouper and bonefish accompanied by side dishes like peas and rice or johnnycake (simple bread). Wash it all down with the appropriately named, "Gully Wash," the Bahamian cocktail made with gin, coconut water and condensed milk. Grand Bahama Island is the fourth largest island of the Bahamas, home to some of the friendliest people in the world. Many visitors put in at Port Lucaya for the beaches, the live entertainment in Count Basie Square, and the busy marketplace. Outside the city can be found the Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama's first botanical garden, as well as Gold Rock Beach, which is at its most spectacular at low tide.
The project includes investments from the world's largest cruise shipowners - Carnival Corporation, and Royal Caribbean Group/RCG. For 2018, the shipyard reported a record year with a total of 29 cruise vessels scheduled for drydocks (over 2017's 23 ships). Generally, refit works include propulsion system (thrusters, azipods, stabilizers) and technical overhauls, hull treatments and repainting (hull blasting, silicone coatings), staterooms and public areas upgrades. An excursion to Paradise Cove is a great way to spend the day in Grand Bahama, particularly if you want some recreation with your beach lounging. Paradise Cove offers kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, and beach volleyball.
The Grand Bahama port in Freeport is known for not having attractions nearby the cruise terminal where cruise ships dock. The cruise terminal has many amenities and excellent services, which many cruise passengers passionately enjoy. But the top things to do and the best attractions in the port of Freeport are between 20 and 40 minutes away. Although the cruise terminal in Freeport has a number of attractions, namely restaurants-grills and shops, the city itself, most highlights and things to do are between 3 and 11 miles from where cruise ships dock.
Suppose the hot heat of the Bahamas has you craving a cold beverage, head down to the local Bahamian Brewery to try some of the local craft brews. This brewery is on a giant 20-acre property, with beer gardens and tours to teach you all about the brewing and distribution process. Since then, this park has become a must-see attraction with over ten thousand different plants, exotic foliage, rare tropical birds, local wildlife, and more.
It is served by Grand Bahama International Airport and also by domestic ferries with regularly scheduled itineraries to other Bahamian islands. Regular fast ferries connect to USA (Fort Lauderdale FL) operated by the Spanish shipping company Balearia Eurolinias Marítimas SA. Port Lucaya Marketplace is home to over 80 duty-free shops and specialty boutiques. Browse Freeport’s sprawling International Bazaar and the nearby straw market for unique wood, shell and straw creations. The art of Bahamian straw work dates from the early 1700s— for handcrafted items made locally, look for the Authentically Bahamian® brand. Cruisers traveling without children are also set to have their slice of Celebration Key - the Adult-Friendly Portal.
The Welcome Portal will feature information outlining what’s on offer at the port, as well as live music and a giant sandcastle. Carnival revealed that Celebration Key will be able to welcome two million guests each year. When it opens in 2025, the port's cruise pier will be able to simultaneously accommodate up to two of the cruise line's Excel-class ships -- which are currently the largest and newest ships in the fleet. The Excel-class currently consists of sister ships Carnival Celebration, Carnival Mardi Gras, and Carnival Jubilee, plus another, as-yet-unnamed ship just announced by Carnival. For those who love fish, Grand Bahama Island offers a variety of tasty fish preparations, from grilled to fried options. If you’re looking for some fried seafood delicacies, head to Daddy Brown’s Conch Stand – a highly-rated Bahamian restaurant that serves up mouthwatering dishes.
Port Lucaya Marketplace is a large, 9.5-acre open-air shopping facility that consists of dozens of colorful little buildings and tents housing clothing, jewelry, liquor, souvenirs, and other types of shops. The port of Freeport is also famous for its Grand Bahama Shipyard, often used by Bahamas-flagged cruise vessels for ship repairs, maintenance and drydock refurbishment works. Book with the concierge on your cruise ship, and make sure you ask for a better deal if you are going with your whole family.
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