Freeport, Grand Bahama Island - What to Expect

If you are taking at cruise to the Bahamas, your ship may be stopping at Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. The cruise port is located in an industrial area and is a disappointing sight to wake up if you do not know what to expect. If you only plan to do one optional excursion during your cruise, this would be the day to do it since there is not much to experience here out of the ordinary.

If you have not booked an excursion, you should still get off the ship and explore. The port area has some shops set up but they are not really worth exploring as you will find similar items to purchase in town. Instead, you should get in line for a taxi. The taxi area is easy to find - it is where the crowd of people will be standing. The taxis here are actually large, run down vans. They'll cram about nine people into a van and your adventure will begin. The drivers drive fast and leave their passengers wondering if they'll live to see their destination. After about a half hour ride, you will arrive at the Port Lucaya area. The trip will cost you $4 per person.

Port Lucaya is an area full of restaurants and small shops with pushy owners. If you plan to do any real shopping on your trip, you may want to wait until your day in Nassau. However, this is a great place to purchase a drink inside a coconut if you would like to try one. The Port Lucaya area will probably take you around an hour to explore.

After that, you should be prepared to spend a day at the beach. There is a public walkway to the beach right across the street from the entrance to Port Lucaya. If you can't find it, though, you can always pretend you're a guest of one of the hotels and sneak through to the beach on the other side. All of the usual beach activities are offered here. There is parasailing and jet skiing, etc. This area can get very busy on nice days, but if you turn to your right and walk down the beach you will eventually come to some more deserted sand that you can have all to yourself. It may have just been the weather the day we were there, but the water was very calm with hardly any waves so it makes a great place for kids to swim. As two college-aged girls, we did get tired of the local men approaching us but never felt as though we were in danger.

When you are ready to get back on your ship, simply find another taxi around the Port Lucaya area. There will be taxis everywhere in the afternoon and the majority will be returning to the cruise port. Don't feel obligated to meet your original taxi driver at a time he specifies when he drops you off as there will be many to choose from whenever you wish to leave.

Overall, the day at Freeport made for a great, relaxing day at a beautiful beach but we were initially thrown off since we didn't know what to expect. With this information, you should have a non-stressful day there during your vacation.