Freeport Snorkeling Excursion Reviews

We booked an all-day excursion of snorkeling andd beach party with the very efficient Diane. A very pleasant gentleman met us t the dock and drove us in a bus to Port Lucaya - we stopped beside the road on the way to town to purchase 2 conchs for our lunch. Once at the port, we paid and boarded the Sunshine. Captain TK took off in a hurry to get us to the reef. We all got in the water and the snorkeling was fantastic. Lots of brightly colored fish. Dante and someone else were in the water to help all the novices get a good look at the fish while TK and Laura were on lookout from the boat. Unfortunately, it again began to pour down rain. Now, I don't mind getting wet, duh! uthis rain hurt like needles poundiing you and the seas got so rough that the snorkels kept filling, Definitely not optimum conditions. We all got back aboad and the broke out the bahama mama's. TK took us to Peterson's Cay - a private island with a picnic shelter. The rain stopped for awhile and TK showed us how to get the meat out of the conch. Dante made a delicious conch salad while Laura got bbq chicken heated over an open fire and served up the corn and sweets. Back on the boat - another downpour! Even with the blasted rain, the crew was so fantastic that we had a marvelous time. I'll go again next time I'm in Freepport and hope for better weather. I highly recommend this excursion.

Provider: Independent Operator

We definitely liked Freeport a lot better. People were more laid back and friendlier. It was a slower paced which is good if that is the type of vacation you are looking for. The marketplace that you pass when you get off the ship has free wifi.

Provider: Independent Operator

Only two bad parts, its rough walking into water to snorkel its a reef.The second worst part is it ended. This is a really good excursion.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Our first excursion for snorkeling and private beach got canceled and we didn't find out until after the fact. We where the only two signed up for it. So we went to one of the desk out side and signed up for a 90 min. snorkeling excursion for $59 each. They provided transportation both ways. The water was very ruff but that was ok as we really wanted to snorkel. Once we where in the water you couldn't tell. They took us out about a mile, we jumped in and they threw bread in and the fish all came at once, it was awesome. The other people that went on the tour only stayed in for about 20 minutes and my husband and I stayed in for only 40 minutes as we felt bad everyone waiting on us. They didn't want us wandering very far from the boat either. But that was ok as we saw a lot of fish. I will post photo's if the review let's me.

Provider: Independent Operator

Awesome snorkeling trip. Pick up at port. Lots of fish and great visibility. Great staff. Left from Port Lucaya area.

Provider: Independent Operator

Loved it! Our guide Michael was wonderful. He was friendly, fun and informative! Great snorkeling, good lunch (try the conch fritters) and enjoyed the informative nature walk.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

We booked the Peterson Cay Kayak and Snorkel Tour with a private tour company and had a blast (and saved money). The tour guide made our trip comfortable, gave us info about Freeport during our van ride and helped us kayak against the wind! Snorkeling was awesome and he stopped at a cool beachfront restaurant for lunch on the way back. It was worth it!

Provider: Independent Operator

25 min van ride to private beach at "Deadman's Reef". $35 per person includes the transport, entry, snorkeling equipment & flotation belt. $3 per person for a beach chair. $6 per person to get a lunch ticket. Short education on the reef, coral, & fish life, and then use the beach as you wish. Great location, & great deal for the money. We had a breezy day, but still took advantage of the snorkeling to see some great fish & coral. On a nicer day this would have been a top notch excursion!

Provider: Independent Operator

We took the excursion that gives the free camera. We actually had a blast (even after my wife got over the fact we were a further distance from the beach than she liked). Travis and Ben were the captain's of the ship and both young Bahama gentlemen that seemed to have as much fun trying to throw each other in the water as actually driving the boat. Sally was the Admiral who kept the 2 young guys under control. The kept everything fun even though the weather was really cool. The little market right at the port was more than we expected and we were told they are trying to build it up more which is great.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

For the price and what we expected didn't match. We took the sailing/snorkeling and paid extra for sailing which really didn't happen. My advise is to just take snorkeling. Snorkeling is the same no matter where you go,we have snorkeled in Cuba and Aruba prior. Remind you that we are not professional snorkelers just like to do that on our holidays.

Provider: Celebration Cruise Line

We booked through the cruise ship because we had heard that Freeport wasn't an ideal place to go when you are on your own. The trip was through Reef Tours and we were very pleased with it. The snorkeling was phenomenal. We also liked K-Ron and Terry who were funny and made it even more fun. Highly recommend it.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

The Sea Safari Snorkel was nice, the staff on the snorkel boat were fun, friendly and made sure everyone was having fun. The ocean was a little choppy therefore I got a sick but again the staff was super helpful and nice.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

great boat, very stable, easy to get on/off, staff was great, reef was fantastic, lots of coral and fish. Only complaint was they had way too many boats visiting this reef...very crowded.

Provider: Independent Operator

A nice boat, lots of fun & a very friendly staff. The water was a bit rough but still had a great time.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

We booked this excursion via the tourism hut in the port in Freeport. The 2 hour tour took almost 5 between waiting for transportation, waiting for more people to show up, etc. We had a 9:45 reservation, waited about an hour for the transportation guy to take us to the snorkeling center. He was getting ready to take another group but I spoke up (not entirely kindly). Then when we got to the snorkeling office (which provided the transportation) they hit us up for an additional 10 bucks a person for ride. Snorkeling platform (though it had engine and steering) had to be towed out to the coral formations. It worked as a snorkeling platform but we definitely understood why cruise lines were not booking directly with this operator. On a poor - fair - good - excellent scale I would call the snorkeling only fair. Tour operator fed the fish with loaf bread. This did two things. It got all the fish in one area (good, we could see fish) but pulled them off of the coral (bad, we didn't get to see them doing their normal thing).

Provider: Independent Operator

We were originally support to go snorkeling through the boat which got canceled ($70 each). Instead we did this privately and it worked out so much better ($50 each, $20 each savings). They drove us about 15 minutes to their boat. It was a glass bottom boat that they took us out in over the coral. We then go an hour of snorkeling (20 minutes more than through boat) and the coral was so close the the surface, it was so nice. After snorkeling the guide drove the boat by the dolphin expierence nearby, and docked right outside of their cages. It was great because we got to watch everything for free from 20 feet away. We were then taken on a short water tour of some nice homes before being brought back to the boat. It was definitely $50 well spent!

Provider: Independent Operator

nice snorkeling, but not good swimming

Provider: Independent Operator

HAD A GREAT TIME. CATAMARAN HAS A SLIDE INTO THE OCEAN AND A ROCK CLIMBING WALL. SNORKELING WAS GREAT

Provider: Independent Operator

Being so close to the fish was a lot of fun. Hard to use the mouth piece, after a while i just held my breath and didn't use it.

Provider: Independent Operator

Crew Members were good, They sold food on the boat and also had souvenirs for sale (cheap and just about OK) We didn't eat the food no reason to spend $$ when we were headed back shortly. We did bring our own water anyway - so we were good.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

2 stars out of 5

Provider: Independent Operator

The snorkeling trip was nice. Lots of fish. Water was excellent. I wish the guides showed pictures of the fish we could expect to see so we would knew what we were looking at. The only reason I knew what some of the fish were is because I had done snorkeling on other cruises where they identified the fish. After snorkeling you had the rest of the day to spend at the market, where they sell the same tourist junk like everywhere else, along with the overpriced jewelry stores. You can go the the beach also. The last bus leaves at 3:00 but there are taxis if you want to stay later. In December I did the Freeport bike tour. It was great but the weather was a lot cooler. In May, the heat would have been oppressive on the bike tour.

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines

Snorkeling, rock-wall climbing, slide into ocean, food and drink.

Provider: Independent Operator

For my dad's birthday, I researched some snorkeling trips that we could take, and I made sure that it was from the shore. I read on both CC and trip advisor that a good snorkeling trip we can go on was Deadman's Reef at Paradise Cove, which was for $35 pp including transportation. I had originally emailed him wondering what was the cost if someone did not want to partake in snorkeling, and a quick reply from Barry stated that the cost was the same, but that non-snorkeling person could have a free drink and lawn chair. SOLD! On the ride to Paradise Cove, it was stressed and stressed again that everyone had to sign the form for the manifest, and on the 25 minute ride, the driver gave us some history of Grand Bahama island. We passed through the industrial section, which included the communication, power, and dry docks. What saddened me was the destruction of Hurricane Wilma in 2005. LOTS of buildings were destroyed, including most of the units at Paradise Cove. We pulled into Paradise Cove, and waited in line to pay. We all decided to try Snorkeling (yay!) so we paid and received our tickets to pick up our snorkeling gear, which included a mask, snorkel, fins, and a flotation belt. We had a briefing on what to watch out for, and were informed that since it was low tide, we couldn't walk in the water because it might damage the precious corals. We suited up, and off we went! The reef itself is behind some rocks, and it took a while to get there, but the swim was nice. Once we got out, it was about 15-30 feet deep, and we saw LOADS of fish... Manta Rays, and my husband even said he saw turtles! nice! I had no idea that we could see that kind of wildlife right from the shore. Water temp was cold upon impact, but it was easy to get used to it. We swam for about an hour, and rinsed off at the showers. This was about 12 or so. On the way back, we went through a different route, and arrived at the cruise ship around 1pm. My dad and DH were tired, so they went back to the ship, and my mom and I wandered around the little shops. Most everything was very expensive (compared to Nassau) so we also went back to the ship. (which was good, because it started pouring shortly after we got back).

Provider: Independent Operator

We went on a snorkeling catamaran that had a slide and climbing wall. The crew was great and the snorkeling was amazing.

Provider: Independent Operator

Nautical Catamaran & Snorkel - one of the best reefs we've been to! Great staff. Wonderful experience!

Provider: Carnival Cruise Lines