DanMan86

Thanks for info folks! Really helps me learn more about this port!

Any suggestions on where to park? Coming in the day of the cruise so no hotel needed. Can you prepay to reserve parking at the port itself?

First time at this port. I was wondering if you had the option to prepay and reserve a spot? I know the Florida ports want you to pay in advance. I'd rather go ahead and pay to have my space taken care of before we arrive.

Just sailed from Jacksonville. They allow people to start coming into port after 10 AM. Boarding usually starts later but you can enter the port. Carnival sent out an email that said boarding would begin at 12:30. I actually think they started earlier than that. The port itself is more of a mess than I had experienced there in the past. Our shuttle driver told us they stopped going by the staggered check in times and that was causing a lot of issues. We never had our arrival time checked once upon arrival. We were just told to go in. Both embarkation and debarkation was a traffic nightmare. Going in traffic was at a dead stop for almost an hour. A port employee told us they were having to shut down the port for awhile because they were at capacity inside. So all the cars were just stuck in line. Jacksonville police has been getting involved when that happens and telling people to leave and come back around 2:30 we were told.

The zoo is a great idea. Its fairly large and has a lot to see. The port doesnt have a lot around it but in Florida you can buy wine at any grocery store.

Our sailing just literally opened up staggered sign in today and 1 pm is the first. I highly doubt all the early slots got filled that fast. When I sailed PC in April, the times were available for quite a while before I saw them and I still got earliest slot. (I am platinum so doesn't really matter to me)

It could be a new change. For my upcoming sailing out of Jacksonville I was able to select 11:30.

They still have the staggered early boarding but it's first come first serve. They only allow a certain number of people to select each time slot. So I'm guessing all the early slots are taken for that particular cruise. As Platinum you should have no issues though.

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Carnival. Its not inhabited unless theres a ship docked there. Anything you want to do other than walk the island or enjoy the beach must be booked through Carnival. What you see on the site is what you get. It is a fantastic place and one of the best beaches you could ever visit though.

Love Busch but it tends to get very crowded and there's so much to see. It would be tough to get there with the traffic and deal with the crowds and manage to see everything before leaving. I-4 from Orlando to Tampa can be a mess. I would also suggest Universal Studios in Orlando. Much easier to get to and a very fun place as well.

Been to Nassau three times and never felt unsafe. All of those times we just wondered off into the city looking for things to do. The people are friendly. Like many have said just take usual precautions and you'll be fine.

There was just an announcement the other day that Carnival is building a new port on Grand Bahama. They will build near Freeport but it won't be in Freeport anymore. Opens in two years. Looks like the lines are leaving Freeport.

Definitely pick Nassau over Freeport. Visited Freeport in 2015 so im not sure about any upgrades but the area at the port was a disappointment. Just had a few shops at the time and a bar or two with nothing else within a short walk.

Does anyone know how much the cabanas are to rent? Do you rent them directly through Carnival? I never usually book anything through Carnival. Thanks for any and all information. First time to this island.

Carnival offers cabana rental on Half Moon Cay through their excursion section on the website. It's $280 to rent.

I've enjoyed using Springhill Suites Jax Airport. The breakfast buffet is really good. They do have a pool.

Cheers is not accepted on Half Moon Cay. You have to be on the ship itself to use the Cheers program.

I will be in Freeport for 1/2 day - do you think that's enough time to see the Park? Also, how did you arrange for taxi back to port?

I've heard taking a taxi can be expensive. It's about a 45 minute ride if I remember correctly. Some recommend just renting a car and going. That's usually about $80-100 for the day. You can get picked up if you book a tour through a company like http://calabashecoadventures.com . They provide transport from the ship and have different tours. The sightseeing takes about 6 hours so plan to be gone all day.

A taxi to Lucayan National Park is the #1 thing to do in Freeport in my opinion. The immediate area around the port doesn't offer much. You have to get outside of that area to see the good parts of Freeport.

It is $65 per adult, $33 per child.

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/bahamas/british-colonial-hilton-nassau-NASHIHH/attractions/cruiseship-info.html

Bottomless Bubbles is unlimited soda for about $35 total per person. Cheers is an alcohol package for $50 per day per person. I think the limit is 15 alcoholic drinks in 24 hours. As said above, there's no dinner packages.

Stayed at the Springhill Suites Jacksonville Airport for our cruise out of Jacksonville in 2015. It's near a lot of restaurants and has good breakfast itself. Ride to the port is only a few minutes. Rooms were clean, no complaints.