Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has received approval to add a
second vessel cruising to Grand Bahama from the Port of Palm Beach.
Bahamas Paradise said that next year it will add the Costa
Cruises ship neoClassica. The neoClassica will leave Costa's fleet in March.
The port commission voted 5-0 to approve the line's plan,
which will result in daily cruises to Grand Bahama starting in April 2018. The line currently
sails to Grand Bahama every other day.
Bahamas Paradise operates the 1,500-passenger MV Grand
Celebration on a schedule that departs the Port of Palm Beach in the evening, spends all
day docked in Freeport the following day, and returns overnight to the Port of
Palm Beach. The ship sailed for Carnival Cruise Line as the Celebration from
1986 to 2008.
The ship will do the same
itinerary to Grand Bahama as the Grand Celebration.
The port projects that with two ships offering two-day
cruises at 60% occupancy, it will attract 765,000 passengers.