Grand Bahama Celebrates Return Of Grand Classica

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line marked a major milestone in late-July, resuming commercial operations and welcoming passengers back onboard after an extended pause.

The family-owned and operated cruise line’s flagship vessel, Grand Classica, sailed from the Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island, marking the return of the line’s popular two-night ‘micro-cation’ cruise vacations.

To ensure the health and safety of all passengers and crew, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has implemented extensive cleanliness protocols, and is adhering to all policies outlined and required by the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.

According to CEO Oneil Khosa, “guests onboard can now enjoy a clean, safe, enjoyable, close-to- home Bahamas vacation, with a full sailing schedule of back-to-back two-night roundtrip cruises.”

Member properties of the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board provided special offers for potential visitors to take advantage of, in anticipation of the cruise line’s return.

Taxi Drivers, Straw Vendors and Tour Operators were also excited to welcome the arriving guests, as they have been preparing since July 2020 for this long-awaited day.

Special training programs were offered by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Industry Training Department, ensuring strict compliance to the visitor’s health & safety.

Marco Gobbi, General Manager of the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort, said that: “We are happy about the return of this important partner for us. We have seen an increase of Day-pass packages, and our occupancy increased a little bit – around 10% due to the program ‘Cruise and Stay.’ This has been a tremendous help to our business that was struggling to maintain a reasonable occupancy. It is like a (breath of) fresh air come in.”

Gobbi continued: “We hope that Grand Classica will return soon at the pre- covid business levels, allowing us to reach a certain level of bookings, that will help us to remain open in the upcoming low season (September to December).”

To further enhance the welcome back experience for visitors, the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board partnered with Fragrance of the Bahamas – The Perfume Factory to manufacture a personalized hand sanitizer for arriving guests. The antiseptic spray sanitizer contains 75% alcohol, effectively sanitizing skin surfaces and killing 99.9% of germs. The sanitizers are 20ml / 0.68 fl. oz misting spray, with a signature tropical scent and unique slim credit card shape, designed to comfortably fit into your back pocket.

For more, go to https://www.bahamasparadisecruise.com/sailing-procedures.php or visit www.grandbahamavacations.com .