the traveling Pirate

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The Social Pirate and Krewe set sail and went to the Bahamas for New Years Eve December 2024. A great adventure was had by all!

You can travel by plane but pirates prefer to go by sea. There are 2 options we've used to go the Grand Bahama:

1. Balearia Fast Ferry - This Ferry leaves Port Canaveral in Ft. Lauderdale and takes about 3 hours. It is a very comfortable ride and the boat has a couple of bars with food & bevrages. The one catch is that the ship departs Ft. Lauderdale in the morning, so to make the 8:00 departure, we stayed in Ft. Lauderdale the night before. We stayed at the Rodeway Inn and had a good time in the restaurant/bar and even enjoyed a band. Note that if you have a car in Ft. Lauderdale, parking at the Port of Everglades is $25 / day.

2. Margaritaville Ship - Sail Jimmy Buffet style. This option was even cheaper than the Balearia Ferry. You enjoy a day on the ship and then wake up the next morning in the Bahamas. The typical trip is a 2-day round trip with a short amount of time in the Bahamas. However, you can make your arrangements to stay extra time in the Bahamas before returning on the Margaritaville. To book a "sail and stay" trip, you must call to make your reservations. 

Our Pirate Krewe stayed at Tiano Beach. There are 2 options - the main Tiano Beach Resort or their lower priced Flamingo Bay Hotel & Marina. Staying at either location gives you access to the fabulous resort's pool. The pool is also home to the Grotto Cave Bar built of coral rock. You can access the bar from the pool or the "dry side." Say hello to the Grotto's friendly bartenders, Alfie, Bucket and Gary. 

The Tiano Beach Resort & Flamingo Bay are separated from the Freeport action by water. The drive to the market square is a distance, but it's only minutes by water. The hotels offer a free ferry that runs every hour.

If you want to stay closer to the action, check out the Pelican Bay Hotel. The pool isn't as grand as the one at Tiano Beach Resort. But if you don't stay there, you can purchase day passes.

Freeport offers great beaches with pristine water, pool time, water activities, some of the best bonefishing in the world, fabulous cuisine and nightlife.

Our Krewe rang in 2025 at the big celebration at the Lucaya Market Square. The free entertainment included a band, fire maiden, fireworks and a surprise Junkanoo procession. The Krewe thinks Freeport is a great place to celebrate New Years!

The social pirate highly recommends trying the cracked conch salad. The locals crack the conchs at the time of preparation and chop it into a salad with lime, tomatoes, onion and peppers. Think ceviche. You won't get anything as good in the states where harvesting conch is not allowed and conch we find has been frozen and imported.

FISH FRY

Every Wednesday, there is a fish fry at Tiano Beach. Eat with the locals and then take in the line dancing after dinner. 

OTHER RESTAURANTS / BARS

Our Krewe enjoyed dinner at Elmos. We also enjoyed spending time at Rumrunners at the Market Square and Bones Bar on the water.