zubee23

They bring lots of food to the island! You use your card the same way you do on the ship for drinks, snorkeling etc. There is a little straw market there that I believe you need cash.

BTW, if you walk or take a little trolley to the lagoon area there's another place set up for food and drinks. It doesn't get quite as busy as the area right by the tender.

The shared taxi drivers know the drill. They will tell you what time to meet, and where, to head back to the ship.

Be aware of the time and you should be fine!

They don't take cash.

They automatically add the tip to snack bar/alcohol purchases.

Port Lucaya's Marketplace is across the street from the Grand Lucayan. Lots of places to buy food and drinks there.

Yes. The casino is in front of it.

Grand Lucayan does not include towels! Bring your own!

You can use the same Batelco phone card that you buy in Nassau in Freeport.

2 insides - 2 bathrooms! It's a winner for me!

Agree with tomtravel! Bring your own towels. We were there Nov '14.

Have fun! Relax! Have a Bahama Mama!

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IF the OP is coming on Amtrak -

IF the OP is going into Penn Station -

then tell the taxi driver to take you the Manhattan Cruise Terminal -

BUT you want to be let off at the West Side Highway at 47th street.

Then you just have to cross the street to the lower level of the terminal. You don't get caught up in all the traffic dropping off at the upper level.

Yes, deck 9 balconies have a fridge. Coffeemaker, too.

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That's how we do it! Easy breezy! I hate being in the cab, watching the meter keep going up, when I'm just sitting in traffic approaching the ship.

When we've done a one or two night CTN, we've take the M42 bus from Grand Central Station to Circle Line and walked a few blocks to the ship! We cab it from Grand Central Station when we're going on a longer cruise. We're lucky we can leave the car home and take Metro North to NYC.

Make sure you post this on the roll call board, too!

Will it be low or half tide the day you're there? Gold Rock Beach is at its prettiest then. Is the tour taking you somewhere for lunch? You need to try some Bahamian fare!

Have a wonderful time!

Freeport is way different than Nassau. The port area is industrial although there are now shops and a Señor Frog's. You need to take a shared taxi to get out of the port area. Port Lucaya is where people usually head to. That's where some of the major hotels, the casino, straw market and Unexso (dolphins) are located. Port Lucaya is where the Grand Lucayan ($15. Day passes), Billie Joe's Conch Shack and the public beach are all located here.

Another popular area is Taino Beach. This is where the Junkanoo Beach Club and Tony Macaroni's are located.

Gold Rock Beach is further out by the National Park. Venturing there usually involves a ship's shore excursion. Bishop's and Banana Bay are two popular restaurants out that way.

If you're interested in snorkeling, Check out Paradise Cove's website http://www.deadmansreef.com.

Hope this is helpful!

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OMG! Don't stay on the ship in Freeport! Head to Paradise Cove for snorkeling!

Here's their website: http://www.deadmansreef.com/

Contact them and they will arrange to pick you up at the port. Look under "cruise ships" on their website. Adult fare is $35 for round trip transportation, equipment and a beautiful beach! For $6 extra, they'll throw in hot dog lunch. IMHO, I would rather pay extra for some Bahamian food! They have a bar, gift shop and a shady deck.

Junkanoo Beach Resort in Freeport (Not Nassau) is about 20 minutes from the port. The shared taxi (really a van) will cost $14 round trip per person. The beach was $2 a person for admission. After that you could rent chairs etc. Check out the website. It gives you pictures and info. The free public beach by the Police Station in Port Lucaya will cost you $10 per person round trip. Again, that's a shared taxi. The public beach doesn't have any amenities however Billie Joe's Conch Shack is there! It's just down the beach from the Grand Lucayan.

Shared taxis are right outside the port. There will be a person organizing - asking where you are going. They pile people into the taxi - really a

van. They will sell you your return ticket when you get dropped off. It will be across from the Grand Lucayan. Ask the taxi driver to point you in the direction to buy your wristband. It's at the security shack just past the casino.

Have fun!

Both nice beaches but Paradise Cove is geared for snorkeling.

Are you going with Captain Les, Lil B Fishing? He and his wife are the best. If there is any way to get your fish cooked, he would make it happen!

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Freeport's Junkanoo Beach Resort is on Taino Beach. Taino Beach is a long stretch of beach that also has Tony Macaroni's.

website for Junkanoo Beach : http://www.junkanoobeachfreeport.com/

Paradise Cove is the other direction from Freeport. It's on Deadman's Reef. You snorkel from the beach. There's a shaded deck, takeout restaurant featuring local food and drinks and a gift shop.

website for Paradise Cove: http://www.deadmansreef.com/

We used a credit card for bar purchases. You can take a shared taxi from the cruise port to get to Port Lucaya. It's $10 p/p, r/t. You walk past the casino and look for the security booth to purchase your Grand Lucayan daypass wristband. You can come and go as you please. Bring a towel.

We felt it was worth it. The beach and pool were lovely. There are restrooms and plenty of chairs. Nobody hawking braids or timeshares. Very peaceful. We were there just before Thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful time!

I would ask the fishing boat captain. He or she may know. Are you on a cruise or staying on Grand Bahama?

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Ferry ran between Taino Beach and Port Lucaya not Freeport Harbor. Not sure if it's still running. The cruise ship docks in Freeport Harbor. You can take a shared taxi to Taino Beach from Freeport for $7 pp each way. $5 pp to Port Lucaya.

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Kind of hit or miss in my experience. 2013 cruise on the Gem did but not this past Nov 2014. I think it was Malting's that had it in 2013. I did look for it on the Freestyle Daily but didn't see it. Of course, I may have totally missed it, too!

I would do it in a heartbeat, if I could.

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Great review! Totally agree! Cabins are smaller than NCL's other ships. That being said, you're not on the Sky for a very long cruise! We did a 4 night that, I think, we paid $99. plus port charges. Considering I wasn't cooking or cleaning, I was more that happy to enjoy myself!

Wish we had the Sky cruising out of NYC. Would love to do 3 & 4 night "cruises to nowhere" for Sky prices!