Freeport Snorkeling Excursion Reviews

We originally signed up for the Sail and Snorkel trip. We were asked while registering if we would be willing to just snorkel if they couldn't get enough people for the sailing trip, we said yes. At first we were extremely disappointed that not enough people signed up for the sail and snorkel, but once we got to the place they told us that we were actually going out on the sail boat because it was such a small group! That turned the whole trip around. We sailed out to the reef and had about an hour and a half to snorkel around. The captain and instructor were amazing. The fish were beautiful and so close! It rained while we were out there but we felt it made the trip that much more exciting. I highly recommend. Read Less

Booked independently with Seahorse Sail and Snorkel. Not as advertised. They had way too many people. They claim to be less crowded than ship excursions but we were joined by nearly 40 people from the ship and another dozen from Atlantis. Poor equipment - my vest leaked. When I asked about their "money back guarantee" they argued with me and didn't call me back the next day as promised. A week later they emailed me for feedback. I provided feedback again and was finally offered a 25% refund. I will never book with them again. Read Less

Took small bus to other side of island for Deadman's Reef (at Paradise Cove) Snorkeling and Beach Escape. We arrived at low tide and snorkeling was a swim from the beach to the reef - 1/4 mi. Snorkel, fins & mask provided; flotation belt extra. Grand Bahama Island has sea turtles, rays, and many different fish and coral. Beach did not have a lot of sunbathers. Best snorkeling I have ever done due to low tide giving me very close proximity to the sea life. Hope to return there again. Read Less

A great 3-hour snorkel trip with Pat and Diane's Excursions. Super easy to book online and meet up at the port. Great rates in comparsion to ship tours. You pay the day of in case of itineray change or inclement weather so there's no risk if cancelled beyond your control. It was a small tour of less than 20 people, with about 1 hour to snorkel. Saw lots of tropical fish and sting ray. Enjoyed some refreshments on the boat after. Highly recommend! Read Less

Highly recommend Pat & Dianes snorkeling Read Less

Great, very helpful, the staff was professional, yet down to earth. Everyone went way beyond doing everything possible to make sure we enjoyed our snorkel adventure. We say so many fish and it was very reasonably priced. Read Less

Great snorkeling location and fun ship with slide. Read Less

First one was cancelled but we went on the second one. Read Less

Crew on and off the ship were fantastic. We had a great time and would definitely recommend this trip to others. Read Less

awesome. so many cool fish and the staff rocked! Read Less

Sea Safari Snorkeling, the water was crystal clear, we saw interesting and beautiful marine life, guides and hostess were very friendly, kind and hospitable. It's a must do when visiting the Bahamas. We can't wait to do it again, our family Loved It! Read Less

Good time. Nice, knowledgeable guides. Read Less

Paradise Cove- I found this location on the internet. Get off the ship early to miss the large tours and people getting pictures done. It was $24 transportation from ship and back. My son and I brought our own equipment and my husband got a Free chair and umbrella and coke. We used the free floatation belt. Cost for 3 people was $103. After safety talk, we swam for over an hour. I fell coming out of the water on the hard sand rock area. Given Ice for bruised hand and my son got stung by fire coral by mistake by the tide. Bus driver was nice. I recommend this experience to anyone who can swim and don't like the large resort areas. Read Less

One of the best snorkeling trips ever. Went to Paradise Cove and Deadman's Reef with Dwaine and Eddie as our guides. It was fantastic to see a live reef and be in the beautiful water of the Bahamas. Read Less

The port is heavily industrial but buses will get you to the beaches. We independently booked an excursion to Paradise Cove (it was not offered by NCL). Snorkeling was some of the best we've ever done and I definitely would like to go back again. Operator provided round trip transportation and was very diligent in ensuring every cruiser was accounted for and got back well before sail away time. Read Less

We did a reef snorkel with a beach break. It was fantastic. The water was a little choppy but they threw in some food and we saw a lot of fish. The reef was clean and the water was clear. And after they took us to a private beach area. That was great as well. There was a little market right at the beach to buy all of my souvenirs, they had a trampoline in the water and a park for the kids to play at. A bar and buffet as well as some ping pong tables and volleyball nets. It was all very neat and clean and well organised. I loved it and would book it again in a heart beat. Read Less

Wind was high and not safe to go into water. Read Less

We were supposed to beach snorkel at Deadman's Reef. A very nice bus picked us up and the driver was very personable and gave us a nice commentary on the drive to the beach. The wind had come up by the time we got there and they advised against going into the water. They offered to reduce our charge to $20 each to cover the taxi ride, an excellent rum punch, and a beach chair. I thought that was reasonable. We stayed until noon when the wind increased again and the sand was blowing. Very nice, clean beach with very accomodating employees. Read Less

Paradise Cove / Dead man's Reef check out there website! Very nice and friendly people, beautiful beach and a great reef reachable from the beach, with LOTS of colorful tropical fish. all at a very reasonable price $35 per person including transportation from and to the ship. probably the best thing to do in Freeport, highly recommend it! Read Less

The Catamaran Snorkel was great! I have never seen so many fish at once. The staff on the boat was friendly and they made it very relaxing. The reason I give 2 stars to the excursion is the transport to and from the catamaran. When we got off the excursion there was nobody there to meet us and take us back to where we had gotten off the bus. We were able to find our way back to the bus stop but the bus never showed up. Ever. We ended up having to find our way back to the ship ourselves Nothing like being in a foreign country and being forgotten! I was very disappointed. Read Less

We had been here for before and I will say it has improved in the past couple of years. There are a lot more stands right when you get off the ship as well as a new Fat Tuesdays and Senor Frogs, which are nice options if you want to get off the ship without having to take a cab anywhere. I don’t believe there are any beaches within walking distance.We independently booked an excursion here to Pat & Dianes Sea Safari Snorkeling – 3 hours. Info is here: http://www.snorkelingbahamas.com/This excursion was excellent from start to finish. Pat met us to check in, drove us in a nice a/c van, to Port Lucaya to meet the boat. Very simple process to check in and get on the boat, with a quick class on using the equipment. I liked that they have several lifeguards in the water with you, and also make everyone wear life vest around the waist – unless you are planning on “diving” under the water in which you can take it off. They also had fairly priced drinks and food onboard. The snorkeling was beautiful and crystal clear waters. An incredible experience and the fish will surround you as throw out the fish food. Boat also had a slide into the water, which the husband loved. And a rock climbing wall which the kids onboard loved. The staff were all very kind and gracious and helped ease any worries. We then got back to Port Lucaya and we had the option to stick around the shops for a bit before getting back on the shuttle. The staff communicated everything clearly on where/when to ensure you got back to the ship. Read Less

We snorkeled with Pat & Diane's snorkel and had a great time! It was easy to find the bus for our excursion when we got into Freeport. We took a 15 minute bus ride to their dock and then a quick boat ride out to the coral reef. Lots of beautiful fish. We were finished with the excursion by noon which left us time to walk to the public beach and shop in the market. I was disappointed with the shopping. The prices were high and the items were not that unique. I can find the same things in Myrtle Beach! The beach wasn't that great either. We loved the snorkeling, but would not bother going back to Freeport. Read Less

The tour was advertised as snorkeling and beach at Paradise Cove for $75 per person. The group of around 15 people were loaded unto a bus and taken to a beach about 30 minutes from port. The group was then given a 30 minute instructional talk on snorkeling on dead man's reef-- what dangers lurked in the water and what to watch out for. The instructions scared me off -- but my husband went for it. (I have snorkeled many times before) The snorkelers were taken as a group to the reef with the instructor. A guy on a jet ski followed to rescue anyone in trouble. So this was a very structured, safe activity. I stayed on the very small, but beautiful, beach area. There was a small snack bar and gift shop on shore. The whole tour, including transport, lasted around 4 hours. Read Less

Our first port of call was Freeport. There is not much to do around the port area expect for a small straw market and two bars (Señor Frogs and Fat Tuesdays). We booked a snorkeling excusion with Barry from Paradise Cove. Each person paid $35 for transportation to and from the port, and snorkeling gear. This excursion was worth every penny! We snorkeled out about 500 feet to a giant reef with lots of beautiful fish. We even saw a stingray and barracuda! We were picked up at 9:00AM and we returned back to the port at 12:30 ( second shuttle left at 2:30). We then took a cab from the port to the Grand Lucayan marketplace. Two of our friends shopped while the other two bought a day pass at the Grand Lucayan Resort ($15 per person). The resort was beautiful. We were allowed access to the beach, pools, and hot tubs. Read Less

I had read some pretty terrible reviews on CC about Freeport, so I was bracing myself for the worst. To our surprise, we actually preferred Freeport to Nassau. When you get off the ship, there's no vendors yelling in your face, and the area to wait for you excursion is right off the port. There were lots of colorful shops and restaurants around the sea port, but we never did do any shopping. We were only in Freeport from 7-2, so our options were kind of limited as to what we could do. Again, I really did my research, and decided to book an excursion not through Carnival. I read a lot of reviews about Paradise Cove/Deadman's Reef snorkeling (www.deadmansreef.com), and booked it because it was only $35/person for snorkeling gear, and transportation to and from the ship. We met our driver at 8:00. We left by 8:30 and took about a 20 minute bus ride to Paradise Cove. Along the way, our driver gave us a little tour and background info on the city of Freeport. When we got there, we got our snorkel gear and a little safety briefing. Then they turn you loose to snorkel on your own. They do offer a boat ride out to the reef for $5 I believe. Neither of us are really strong swimmers, but swimming out to the reef wasn't too bad. The reef was gorgeous, and I'm kicking myself for not buying a waterproof camera. On our way back to shore, we even saw a turtle! It was really cool. After snorkeling we rented beach chairs for $3/person and laid out. We ate lunch at the Red Bar which was super inexpensive (we both got burgers and drinks for $16 total). At 12, the driver took us back to the ship since he knew we had to be back on the boat by 1:30. Read Less