Grand Bahama

The Diving

Grand Bahama's strongest case as a destination is underwater. UNEXSO, the Underwater Explorer's Society, has been running dive operations from Port Lucaya since the 1960s and is one of the most respected dive centers in the Caribbean. The signature programs are a shark dive at Shark Junction, close-proximity encounters with free-swimming Caribbean reef sharks with no cage, and a dolphin program involving open-ocean swims with semi-wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The reefs off the south coast offer a range of sites from shallow snorkeling to wall dives.

Lucayan National Park and Gold Rock Beach

East of Freeport, Lucayan National Park contains one of the longest known underwater cave systems in the world, with more than six miles of mapped passages. Ben's Cavern and Burial Mound Cave are two of the accessible entry points. The system is open to certified cave divers and to snorkelers in specific sections.

Above water, the park's Gold Rock Beach is the best reason to drive east of Freeport. A tidal creek separates a dense stand of Caribbean pine from a wide beach facing the Atlantic. The beach is long, frequently empty, and set within a landscape that looks different from any other part of the Bahamas. It requires a drive of about 25 miles from Port Lucaya but the combination of the national park setting and the beach quality makes it worth the trip.

Sweeting's Cay and other small cays also sit in this eastern stretch of the island. See Grand Bahama The Cays for detail on reaching them.

Port Lucaya and Cruise Development

The main tourist area sits along the south coast waterfront. Port Lucaya Marketplace is an outdoor complex of shops, restaurants, and a marina, built around a central square where live music plays most evenings. Port Lucaya is the second-largest cruise port in the Bahamas. Recovery has continued since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, though businesses in the marketplace have experienced traffic decline tied to the Grand Lucayan Resort closure.

Grand Bahama's cruise traffic has expanded significantly. Celebration Key, Carnival Corporation's private cruise destination, opened in July 2025 and welcomed approximately 2.5 million guests by its first anniversary in July 2026. The facility accommodates up to four ships simultaneously with a capacity of over 13,000 guests daily. The pier extension, completed in summer 2026, supports about 200 additional annual ship calls and 700,000 extra guest visits annually. Twenty Carnival Cruise Line ships from 10 U.S. homeports call regularly at Celebration Key, with three- and four-ship operating days becoming routine beginning September 2026. Princess Cruises and AIDA Cruises joined the rotation later in 2026. Year two operations are projected to welcome approximately 3.5 million guests. Celebration Key supports over 2,500 direct Bahamian jobs and is projected to generate $3.2 billion in incremental government revenue and $9.7 billion in incremental GDP impact over 20 years. The facility features the largest freshwater lagoons in the Caribbean and a mile of white sand beach. Most Celebration Key passengers, however, remain within the facility itself, with fewer than 1,000 of the approximately 7,000 daily flows venturing into greater Freeport.

MSC Cruises is developing a separate $450 million cruise terminal project in Freeport Harbour, announced in February 2026, with new berths, retail, dining, and entertainment facilities available to all cruise lines. A 20-acre MSC Beach Club is also planned at the Grand Lucayan Resort site for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests, projected to welcome over one million additional guests annually.

Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and other major lines serve Port Lucaya and Grand Bahama. Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas replaced its Canada/New England itinerary with a Baltimore-to-Port Canaveral routing that includes Nassau and Grand Bahama, with nine-night sailings departing September 25, 2026. The Lucaya resort area has seen recovery since 2019, with several major hotels operating in the district.

Nearby Cays

Grand Bahama has one notable cay accessible as a day trip. See Grand Bahama The Cays for full detail.

Peterson Cay is a small national park cay approximately 1.5 miles off Grand Bahama's south coast, east of Freeport, managed by the Bahamas National Trust. The draw is the surrounding reef: accessible snorkeling and diving in a protected setting, with no facilities ashore. Reached by a 15-20 minute boat ride from Freeport/Lucaya via local charter operators.

Tourism Recovery and Arrivals

Grand Bahama surpassed one million total arrivals in 2025 for the first time in over 22 years, reaching approximately 1.1 million visitors. Air arrivals increased 20% year-over-year compared to 2024 and exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels by more than 30%. Year-round air service from Toronto and Montreal, along with seasonal service from Calgary, Halifax, and Ottawa during peak periods, brings more than 45 weekly flights from Canada. Growth benefited hotels, short-term rentals, restaurants, and on-island service providers. The Grand Lucayan Resort, Lighthouse Pointe, and Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach reported stronger performance in 2025. Port Lucaya restaurants and southern beach areas saw steady traffic tied to cruise schedules.

Tourism growth is constrained by limited airlift capacity and insufficient hotel inventory for peak demand periods. September and October traditionally experience slower tourism months.

Cruise arrivals drove much of this growth. Carnival Corporation's Celebration Key, which opened in July 2025 as a $700 million investment, welcomed approximately 2.5 million guests by its first anniversary in July 2026 and is expected to reach 3.5 million in its second year. The pier expansion completed in summer 2026 adds two new berths and now accommodates up to four ships simultaneously, welcoming over 13,000 guests daily. This capacity enables roughly 200 additional annual ship calls and 700,000 extra guest arrivals yearly. Starting September 2026, three and four-ship days became routine at the destination. Princess Cruises and AIDA joined the rotation later in 2026 alongside the 20 Carnival Cruise Line ships calling from 10 U.S. homeports. Celebration Key features a mile of white sand beach and the Caribbean's largest freshwater lagoons and has created 2,500 direct Bahamian jobs with $3.2 billion in incremental government revenue and $9.7 billion in incremental GDP impact projected over 20 years.

MSC Cruises is developing a cruise-pier complex and beach club in Freeport with an estimated $450 million investment ($400 million for the cruise berthing area and pier complex, $50 million for beach club and retail village refurbishing). The Bahamian government and MSC signed the agreement in January 2026, with the announcement made public in February 2026. The project includes a welcome plaza, retail, dining, and entertainment venues designed to increase visitor flow and strengthen Grand Bahama as a cruise destination.

Six Senses Grand Bahama is expected to open in 2026 with approximately 70 guest accommodations, featuring branded residences, a spa, and multiple dining venues.

The Grand Lucayan Resort is undergoing redevelopment. Concord Wilshire Capital, which owns the property, commenced demolition on April 14, 2026. The redevelopment includes an MSC Beach Club, Ancient Waters Cruise Resort, casino, mega yacht marina, and a championship golf course, designed to revitalize Freeport and the surrounding area.

Value

Grand Bahama is generally more affordable than Nassau and significantly more affordable than Harbour Island or the upper end of the Exumas. Lower hotel rates and lower restaurant prices, combined with direct Florida access (approximately 50 miles), make it a reasonable choice for budget-conscious travelers who want Bahamian water and marine activity without resort-district pricing.

Safety

The U.S. State Department maintains a Level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" travel advisory for The Bahamas as of July 28, 2026, citing violent crime, armed robberies, burglaries, and sexual assaults. Canada also recommends exercising a high degree of caution due to high crime rates. Most crime occurs in Nassau and Freeport, with incidents reported in resort areas, cruise terminals, and tourist districts at all hours. In Freeport specifically, stay alert and maintain situational awareness. Avoid isolated areas far from ports. Use licensed taxis and recognized tour operators for transportation. Petty crime including pickpocketing and bag snatching is widespread throughout the Bahamas.

Boating in The Bahamas is not well regulated; injuries and deaths have occurred. Avoid renting jet skis from independent operators. Since August 2024, six U.S. citizens have been hospitalized from jet ski accidents, and three required emergency medical evacuation to the U.S. Three sexual assaults involving jet ski operators were reported in 2024. U.S. government employees are prohibited from renting jet skis and personal watercraft from independent operators on Grand Bahama and New Providence. Operating a fishing boat without a Bahamas Port Department license is prohibited and carries penalties up to $100,000 in fines and three years imprisonment.

Firearms and ammunition are illegal and strictly enforced, including in carry-on bags or luggage. Violent crime in the Bahamas is highly localized and generally far from usual tourist resorts and cruise-approved shore excursions. Gang-on-gang crime is the primary security threat; most murders and armed robberies historically occur in non-tourist areas of New Providence.