Our Freeport experience

[martdm]

Since there was so little to draw from on this forum prior to our visit, I thought I'd report back our experiences in hopes it might help someone else. Unfortunately, I don't have much to tell that hasn't already been shared.

 

I agree that the port area itself is rather industrial looking with the exception of the brightly colored small circle of vendor stands and a few larger buildings that are billed as a straw market. While most had pretty much the same touristy type items, a few did have items of interest such as wood carving or other art. I did buy a small print from the art gallery in one of the larger buildings that was rather interesting.

 

We took a cab to Port Lucaya. The cabs are easily accessible from the pavilions directly across from the ship's gangway (all of which are well marked with the locations serviced by each particular pavilion), the cost $5 per person, and it's about a 10 minute ride. Going there was fine in a shared van with some other folks...coming back was rather uncomfortable with 8 of us in an older style limo.

 

The Port Lucaya Marketplace has a large selection of shops, with most catering to jewelry/designer goods shoppers or those looking for typical tourist souveniers. On each end of the marketplace are straw market type open air stands selling assorted goods such as t-shirts, bags, baskets, casual jewelry, etc. We spent about an hour and a half wandering but didn't find a whole lot of interest.

 

Across the street in the hotel complex are some more upscale shops selling specialized goods such as cigars. There were a few restaurants that looked like they might be a nice place to stop but most were closed due to the inclement weather. Likewise, the beach at this area was rather quiet and we did not stay long due to the on and off downpours that had been going on since mid-morning.

 

We didn't stop into the casino but it looked rather large & seemed nice from what we saw from the windows as we walked past. They had a good crowd, again due to the weather I suppose.

 

Anyway, that's the rather dull long and short of it. I guess my best advice regarding Freeport would be to keep your expectations low and unless your only interest is shopping, book an excursion if you can find one that interests you. We found very little of interest while exploring on our own (although we didn't have as bad a time as the honeymooners from our cruise who rented a jeep, went exploring, got stuck in the sand somewhere, & missed the ship).