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Just offshore (opposite Port Nassau) is the world-famous Atlantis Paradise Island (privately-owned resort and residential property). Approx 40 mi (65 km) to the northwest of Nassau is Berry Islands' largest island - Great Harbour Cay, and the nearby-located cruise line private islands Coco Cay (RCI-Royal Caribbean, originally named Little Stirrup Cay) and Great Stirrup Cay (NCL-Norwegian). In December 2018, to The Bahamas government received bids for cruise terminal concession. Nassau Cruise Port terminal serves major passenger shipping companies as a port of call. This explains why these port cities are used as seasonal turnaround ports for homeporting (roundtrip itineraries) by many major cruise companies with ship deployments in the Caribbean.
Nassau Cruise Port Guide Info
Additional 7 acres/2,8 hectares were leased by The Bahamas government. Nassau is The Bahamas' main/principal and largest seaport as well as the country's capital city - located approx 310 mi / 500 km east of Florida USA. Port Nassau (locode BSNAS) is on New Providence Island's northeastern coast. The city has population around 275,000 and total area approx 80 mi2 (207 km2). Nassau Cruise Port is the cruising gateway to the historic, vibrant city of Nassau, and the busiest transit port in the world. The port, which is the economic hub of the downtown core, has been revitalized into a visual masterpiece.
Royal Beach Club Bahamas (Royal Caribbean) on Paradise Island
Currently, Nassau Cruise Port Ltd is owned 49% by Global Ports Holding, 49% by the Bahamian Investment Fund and the remaining 2% are owned by the Yes Foundation (Youth Entrepreneurial Service). Construction works are currently scheduled to start in October 2021 and be completed by May 2023. In June-August 2021, for the first time, RCI-Royal Caribbean homeported here a ship (Adventure OTS) for 7-night roundtrips from Nassau to Cozumel Mexico, Freeport (Grand Bahama) and CocoCay.
Freeport, Bahamas
In this newly-formed consortium, Global Ports Holding PLC (subsidiary of Global Ports Holding BV / wholly-owned subsidiary of GIH-Global Investment Holdings) owns 49%, Bahamian Investment Fund owns 49%, and 2% are owned by Yes Foundation (Youth Entrepreneurial Service). In August, the consortium (Nassau Cruise Port Ltd) signed a 25-year concession deal for the Port's Prince George Wharf. The Consortium invested ~USD 300 million (EUR 271M / GBP 240M) in expanding the cruise port's capacity and enhancing the passenger terminal and downtown touring experience. The project was announced in March 2020, approved in April 2021 and completed in 2023 (opened on May 27th). The city's main shopping street (Bay Street) is a block from the cruise terminal.
MSC Cruises temporarily closes Ocean Cay (Bahamas) for renovation and expansion
The building offers a lot of services for tourists like information and brochures. There a lot of possibilities for shore excursions, offered by the cruise ship companies or organized by your own. In late-February 2019, a 3-party consortium won the bidding for redevelopment and management of Prince George Wharf and the cruise port's related areas.
The cruise port concession bid won a consortium part of which is Global Ports Holding PLC (subsidiary of Global Ports Holding BV / wholly-owned subsidiary of GIH-Global Investment Holdings). Nassau cruise terminal is at Prince George Wharf, located on the island's northern coast. The port city is a unique mixture of modern resorts and British colonialism heritage, with numerous historical sites and amazing beaches, the most popular of which are Junkanoo Beach, Cabbage Beach, and Cable Beach. In close proximity to the cruise port are also Saunders Beach, Love Beach, and Jaws Beach. Royal Caribbean offers day excursions to Pearl Island (5 hours each) themed as "Beach Escape", "Beach Escape & Snorkel" and "VIP Cabana for 2".
The complex will be exclusive (for RCI cruise tourists only) and visited as a "beach day" shore excursion option (via private tours) from Nassau. The port has capacity to handle up to 6x cruise vessels simultaneously, including 3x of the world's largest (RCI's Oasis/Icon classes) and max daily capacity 30,000 tourists. Passenger ferries provide regularly scheduled shipping service from Nassau to the surrounding islands, and mainly to Paradise Island.
In Nassau are registered most of the cruise vessels (both large and smaller-sized) as The Bahamas is the preferable flag-state for major cruise shipping companies. The project's Phase II included constructing new venues - a museum, a passenger terminal, a 3500-seat amphitheater, a living coral exhibit, as well as several venues for dining, retail shopping (including locally-made merchandise) and live entertainment. In mid-March 2020, RCCL-Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd announced plans to build a second (after St Johns Antigua) Royal Beach Club (private resort property) at Paradise Island's western end.
Bahamas Port Officially Breaks All-Time Cruise Passenger Record - Cruise Hive
Bahamas Port Officially Breaks All-Time Cruise Passenger Record.
Posted: Sat, 02 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Bimini Islands, Bahamas
Nassau's main seaport is Prince George Wharf, which also serves cruise liners. Shipping and transportation around the Family Islands is primarily by mailboats homeported at Potters Cay. High-speed ferries to Exuma, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells are available daily. Before the COVID crisis, Nassau Cruise Port's annual passenger record was 3, million (2019). This number was surpassed in 2023 when the Port handled ~4,5 million cruisers.
Graycliff Hotel is not very large and offer day passes (around USD 100 per person). The hotel has several dining rooms where guests can order the hotel's famous pizzas (around USD 20). Near is the Grayliff Chocolate factory offering free samples in its gift shop.
The project's Phase I included the extension of the docking pier, building two new marinas (yacht berthing facilities) and also upgrading the existing structures. The development project was announced in March 2020, approved in April 2021 and was completed in 2023. The largest festival is Junkanoo - a colorful street parade of people in bright costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, whistles and cowbells. The celebration is held on January 1, July 10 and December 26, beginning in the early morning hours (1 AM) and ending at ~10 AM. Located on the island of New Providence, Nassau is the capital and economic, administrative, and cultural center of The Bahamas. Nassau Cruise Port's expected annual revenues are in the range USD million.
Port Nassau cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Nassau, Bahamas, New Providence Island. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.
The new cruise terminal will be also integrated into Bay Street and downtown. By the concession deal, the Consortium invested ~USD 300 million (EUR 271M / GBP 240M) in expanding the cruise port's capacity and enhancing the passenger terminal as well as the downtown touring experience. By berthing capacity and annual cruise shipping volumes, Nassau is currently ranked the world's 5th-largest cruise port - following Florida's PortMiami, Port Canaveral/Orlando, and Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, and Cozumel Mexico. The following timetable provides valuable information and keeps track of the future cruise shiparrivals from all major cruise lines.
