Paradise Cruise Line Grand Classica Grand Bahamas Island Return Heralded Success

Bahamas1 1 | eTurboNews | eTN
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line Grand Classica

After a 16-month hiatus, the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line recently boarded her first passengers in Palm Beach, Florida, and, with the first month anniversary of operation fast approaching, the service is being heralded as a success.


  1. Special summer offers at the island’s top resorts are boosting visitor arrivals.
  2. The family-owned and operated cruise line’s flagship vessel, Grand Classica, sailed from the Port of Palm Beach on July 24.
  3. It reached Grand Bahama Island on July 25 marking the return of the line’s popular two-night “micro-cation” cruise vacations.

Ian Rolle, Chairman, Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board attributes some of the success to the product being offered by our partners, Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach and Grand Lucayan. “Now that the cruise line has resumed operations, travelers are feeling even more confident and excited about the opportunity to get back to the Bahamas and Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach and Grand Lucayan are delivering a truly memorable ‘micro-cation’” he said. “Protocols that are in place to ensure the safest possible environment for passengers” he continued.

Bahamas2 2 | eTurboNews | eTN
Marco Gobbi, Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort, Meshell Britton, Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board, Chrisanne Aston, Fragrance of the Bahamas

Francis Riley, Chief Commercial Officer of the cruise line concurred; “All crew are 100% vaccinated but we are currently accepting both vaccinated and unvaccinated guests. That said, we are following strict protocols regarding advance testing prior to embarkation and following CDC recommendations in order to ensure a safe, clean onboard experience. In that regard, masks must be worn in all indoor areas of the ship, except when a guest is eating or drinking.  Masks are not required in outdoor areas such as the pool deck, outdoor dining, bars, etc.,” he said.

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 round-trip cruises.”

During the hiatus, special training programs were offered by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Industry Training Department, to Frontline hotel workers, Taxi Drivers, as well as other tourism industry stakeholders, ensuring strict compliance to the visitor’s health & safety. In anticipation of the cruise line’s return, member properties of the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board provided offers to potential visitors.

Mr. Marco Gobbi, General Manager of the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort, stated, “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 too, – around 10% because of 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 (breathe of) fresh air come in!” Gobbi further stated that, “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).”

On hand 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.

Potential travelers are encouraged to visit the Cruise Line’s website for sailing procedures and to book their trip to Grand Bahama Island.

https://www.bahamasparadisecruise.com/sailing-procedures.php A variety of special offers and promotions are also now available.  For information or to book a cruise, visit www.BahamasParadiseCruise.com/. Follow Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line on Facebook at Facebook.com/BPCruiseLine, Instagram @BahamasParadiseCruiseLine, and Twitter @BPCruiseLine.

For more information about travel to Grand Bahama Island, visit www.grandbahamavacations.com .

About Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board

The Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board (GBITB) is the private sector marketing and promotion agency for Grand Bahama Island.  The GBITB is mandated to support economic growth for tourism stakeholders on Grand Bahama Island. 

Activities include the development and execution of various marketing and promotional initiatives designed to enhance and increase Grand Bahama Island’s awareness and profile in the market.  The Board’s membership includes a wide range of tourism related businesses including the accommodation sector, restaurants, bars, attractions, transportation providers, artisans and retailers.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor

Linda Hohnholz has been writing and editing articles since the start of her working career. She has applied this innate passion to such places as Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University, the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center, and now TravelNewsGroup.

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