What to do in Grand Bahama

For those who plan on visiting the Bahamas, an often-overlooked way to add a little spice to your vacation is through the various island tours and excursions offered through Discovery. These packages cover a wide selection of activities and attractions such as snorkel trips, glass bottom boat tours, swimming with dolphins, kayak tours, or bonfire beach parties all at exceptional prices. It's easy to find the right package to suit anyone's taste and get the most out of your Grand Bahama vacation.

On a side note, do we have any visual basic programmers in the house who might be able to recommend any authoritative texts on the matter?

The Mondays

Looks like the weather is finally clearing up, hope everyone had a great weekend despite the rain. Originally I had planned to make it out to the beach and get some grilling done, but of course it wasn't until I was back in office that the sun decided to make its appearance. Hopefully some of you still have opportunity to make the most of the now-beautiful weather and enjoy some of the local entertainment South Florida has to offer.

Also, I'm pleased to report my passport has finally arrived, and none too soon. The whole process took 15 weeks, so I'd highly recommend getting it over and done with as soon as possible. While you can still travel on Discovery without a passport for now, we'll be requiring one for travel after 2008 along with all the other cruise lines. Essentially by next year a passport is going to be your only means of leaving the country, so the sooner you have yours in-hand, the better.

Pelican Bay at Lucaya

In my personal experience dealing with prospective clients over the phone, most people tend to fall into one of three categories when hunting down a vacation package; they tend to either want the best value for the money, the top of the line offering, or they're not sure what they're looking for at all. In the case of the latter, it often falls to me to do a little detective work to determine the clients' wants and needs, followed by making recommendations based on my own personal experience. This is the part of the job which often yields the most satisfaction. Nothing is more rewarding than having a client call you back after staying at a hotel you personally recommended and telling you how wonderful the experience was.

As such, I'd like to take the time to personally recommend the Pelican Bay hotel to any would-be travelers who are thinking of visiting Grand Bahama but aren't too familiar with the area. The property is best described as a European boutique hotel. It has a very elegant yet cozy feel to it, perfect for a weekend vacation with your sweetheart. Plus, there's the convenience of being right next door to the Port Lucaya Marketplace and the Isle of Capri casino, and right across from the ocean. Being in one of the most popular locations on the island, visitors to the hotel have all of the island's amenities right at their fingertips. The best part is the price; Discovery Cruise Line offers promotional fares almost year-round at the Pelican Bay. Consider giving it a shot the next time you want to get away to the Bahamas for a weekend.

Taking Fluffy to the Bahamas

I was recently asked what the requirements were for bringing pets into the Bahamas. Most passengers assume they can take their animals in and out of the country via cruise with ease, and are surprised when they learn there's a whole host of procedures and regulations to follow. The animals are required to have all their shot paperwork, and must be pre-approved by the Bahamian Department of Agriculture before boarding. They also require tickets (just like their owners), and a kennel to travel in. The kennels are kept in authorized-personnel-only areas of the ship.

Despite the amount of effort required, many passengers still travel with their pets. Though I'm not sure Fluffy gets quite as much out of the vacation as his human counterparts, it does however say a lot for the mentality that pets are "part of the family."

Also of interest today, we're looking at adding a basic search engine to the homepage which visitors can use to search the site for various topics of interest. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for people to find information about Discovery as quickly as possible, and I think a site search would aid greatly in the process. If you have any thoughts on this matter or on other potential website improvements, drop a comment and you'll be sure to get a response.

Free passes for kids to various South Florida / Bahamas attractions

In addition to cruising aboard Discovery, many travelers choose to complement their vacation package by frequenting some the local tourist attractions, both here in South Florida and in the Bahamas. Discovery is now offering families free admission for kids under 6 with the purchase of an adult ticket to some of the most popular attractions.

South Florida destinations include:
Butterfly World
Lion Country Safari
Mai-Kai Restaurant
Miami Seaquarium
Parrot Jungle Island

Bahamas destinations include:
Bahamian Getaway Island Tour
Glass Bottom Boat
Fantasia Snorkel Tour
Unexso's Dolphin Close Encounter

If you're looking to make the most of your vacation experience, bundling these various attractions with your Bahamas cruise is a great way to diversify your trip. This offer won't last long, so check it out before it's gone.
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Help us build a better site

If you've come this far, you've probably been through the Discovery Cruise Line website a few times in the process of finding out more about our services, and we'd love to hear your thoughts about the experience. Were there any parts of the site you disliked, whether it be layout, wording, a picture, or whatever? Were there any parts you particularly enjoyed? Things you'd like to see added?

Feel free to post your feedback, and when the next major site overhaul occurs, your input may directly affect the design process!

Got a friend? Take them to the Bahamas with you, for free.

Discovery Cruise Line is now offering a two for one promotion on a 3 day / 2 night stay at the Port Lucaya Resort & Yacht Club in Freeport, Bahamas. Starting from $149.98 for two, this package includes your round trip cruise (coach class) to and from the Bahamas, as well as two nights accommodations at the resort. A $25 per person Bahamian Departure Fee, $10 per person security fee, and hotel taxes additional.

The resort itself is situated right across from the beach, and next door to the Port Lucaya marketplace. For those unfamiliar with the area, Lucaya is one of the best locations for daytime water sports, Casino action, tours, shopping, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. All that the island has to offer is within a minute's walk of the resort in any direction, all for a price that can't be beat. This promotion won't last long, so grab a friend and make your reservations today!