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Bahamas Carnival Cruise launched for Bahamas Carnival 2017

BlueMonkey Bahamas launches its Bahamas Carnival Cruise for Bahamas Carnival 2017

Nassau, BahamasBlueMonkey Bahamas officially launches its 2nd Bahamas Carnival Cruise 2017 for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival 2017.

The Bahamas Carnival Cruise is an All-Inclusive weekend sail-away from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival weekend, May 5 – 8, 2017.

The weekend package includes a 4 day / 3 night cruise from Miami on board the Carnival Victory, along with a VIP Carnival Package that contains a Carnival Costume, Souvenir and Goodie Bag, Ground transportation and much more.

Bahamas Carnival 2017 is offering attendees an entertainment and culture rich experience that the Bahamas and its Junkanoo Carnival is steadily gaining notoriety within the Carnival circuit for.

One reason why Bahamas Carnival has grown in popularity in such a short time is the proximity of host city Nassau, to major cities across North American and the ease of travel from those cities as well as cities in Europe and the Caribbean and the quality of accommodations that can be found in Nassau.

Hoping to attract even more persons to Nassau for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, BlueMonkey Bahamas is offering its 3 night weekend cruise that it hopes would attract even more persons including the budget conscious feters to Nassau.

BlueMonkey Bahamas principals Stephan Rolle and Crystal Bleasdell say “the Bahamas Carnival Cruise adds another method for people to get Nassau for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and that is our goal, to get more people to visit the Bahamas and participate in Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival.”

Adding “for many, cost is the major factor in deciding when and where to travel and travel isn’t cheap. For Bahamas Carnival 2017 weekend, airfare, hotel and ground transportation could easily cost over $750 per person, and that’s not even including the price of a carnival costume. So what we were able to do is create a cost effective package that includes transportation to Nassau, accommodations on the luxurious Carnival Victory, a carnival costume all for under $750. You really can’t beat that.”

“Additionally, what we’ve found to be a great selling point for the Cruise; someone that lives in Florida or along the US East Coast can leave work Friday afternoon, hop on this Cruise, party in the Bahamas for the weekend and be back at their desk Monday morning. That puts the Bahamas Carnival 2017 in a very good position that not many other Carnivals across the region can offer its visitors so we in the Bahamas must take advantage of that.”

Bleasdell added that she has traveled to Barbados, Miami and New York for Carnival and has had friends come to her native Trinidad for Carnival; “and travelling and organizing things like events and costumes for Carnival can be very stressing and time consuming, we hope this package would eliminate that stress so visitors can just come here and have fun.”

Sail on Carnival Victory to Bahamas Carnival 2017
Carnival Victory

The cruise departs on Friday, May 5, 2017 from Miami on board the recently refurbished Carnival Victory which can accommodate nearly 3,000 passengers.

While on board the Carnival Victory, guests can expect world class service that the Carnival Cruise Line is known for with an array of entertainment and food options. Rolle who had a chance to tour the Victory in July said the ship was elegant and just right for the Bahamas Carnival Cruise.

“I was able to tour the Victory and check out the cabins, the dining areas, pools and other public areas. I think people who are coming on the Cruise will enjoy this ship; this ship has it all.” he said.

Rolle also added that cruisers will be able to enjoy all the amenities of the Victory including their choice of Cabin from the budget friendly interior cabins to the  super sleek grand suites.

Also a part of the VIP Package is Welcome Aboard Party – Bahamas Carnival Style. The party will feature entertainment to get cruisers ready for Bahamas Carnival. “All that fun and we’re not on the road yet Carnival so the cruise plus the Road Fever is definitely a win.”

“Guests will have the full Bahamas Carnival experience” said Mr. Rolle. “Not enjoy Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, but they will also have an opportunity to experience ‘Da Cultural Village’ where they can purchase local food and souvenirs and also experience the Road Fever After Party.”

According to BlueMonkey Bahamas, entrance to both Village and After Party is included in the cost of the package. The 2016 Road Fever After Party featured performances by Tarrus Riley, Bunji Garlin, Fayann Lyons, Puzzle and more.

The 2017 cruise will be the second year that BlueMonkey Bahamas offers its Bahamas Carnival Cruise and according to Ms. Bleasdell, the support and interest this fair has grown tremendously. “The interest has been spectacular, we’ve gotten calls and emails from all over the Caribbean and the United States, we’ve completed several bookings so far with the majority being from persons that sailed with us for the 2016 cruise.”

Bahamas Carnival 2017 revelers

One cruiser from the 2016 Cruise was Kimberly Jordan of Georgia, said she and her friends had a great time. “The experience was great! We were looking for a new experience and saw the ad on Facebook. The package was reasonable so this was a great chance to take in the quick cruise to the Bahamas and play mas.” According to Jordan, she and her husband will make to voyage for the 2017 cruise, “we’ve already paid our deposits and told all of our friends. Bahamas Carnival 2017 won’t miss us” she said with glee.

Tyrell Charles, of Florida, said she too had a great experience and was looking forward to returning for Bahamas Carnival 2017. “In May, I came with 2 of my friends and we all had a blast. Because Nassau is so close, we can see ourselves doing this again, we already plan to and we’ve already started inviting more friends to come along with us. The cruise itself was nice, lots of fun but the real highlight was Junkanoo Carnival, it was great. We were in Rhythms Band and their costumes were amazing, they and BlueMonkey Bahamas took great care of us; overall it was a great experience and I will definitely recommend it.”

Tiko Cox of Miami said he can’t wait for the 2017 cruise. “I visit the Bahamas often; I have family over there but I have never seen that side of the Bahamas. The cruise was awesome and the road march was vibes!”

Ms. Bleasdell explained that through partnerships with local carnival bands, BlueMonkey Bahamas was able to supply the costumes needed for revelers on the Bahamas Carnival Cruise. “For the 2016 cruise, we were able to meet our need for costumes through partnerships with Euphoria, Fusion and Rhythms Carnival Bands and we were so grateful for their assistance; we have to congratulate them; every cruiser spoke highly of the quality of their costume and the experience they had on the road. For the 2017 Bahamas Carnival Cruise, we hope to expand this so more the carnival bands can participate in the Bahamas Carnival Cruise.”

Sean Burrows of Euphoria said he was excited to participate and was looking forward to the partnership once more; “the Bahamas Carnival Cruise is a great idea; it gets more people to Nassau for Junkanoo Carnival so I applaud Stephan and Crystal and BlueMonkey Bahamas for what they are doing.” Burrows added, “in order for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival to be successful, we need people from outside of the Bahamas to participate, once they’re here, as band owners, we’ll do the rest to keep them coming. I had a group from Miami on the cruise and they’re excited to return; they’ve even messaged us directly asking when our costumes for 2017 will coming out.”

Fusion band leader, Trevor Williams said, “my belief is simple, ‘the more the merrier.’ To make Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival bigger and better, we have to expand our reach and what BlueMonkey Bahamas is doing is excellent in that regard. We can focus on what we have to do here, making beautiful costumes and creating an experience that people will love and want to come back for and they can use their expertise to do what they have to do to get people on the ship and here for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, it’s a win for everyone involved. Moving forward, we will definitely be looking to partner with BlueMonkey Bahamas again.”

bahamas-carnival-2017-group-revelers

Rolle said he is excited from the 2017 Bahamas Carnival Cruise, “I think this is great for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and the Bahamas. There is room for improvement with Bahamas Carnival but it is taking steps in the right direction. At the end of the day, this is a win/win for everyone; a cost effective way for visitors to get to Nassau for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival and a win for the local Carnival Bands who now have more persons that they can sell their costumes to so I’m happy for BlueMonkey Bahamas to be a part of this.”

Ms. Bleasdell said she encouraging persons in the Bahamas to share the Cruise and Bahamas Carnival with their friends and family abroad. “Speaking from my own experience, this is what drives Crop Over in Barbados and Carnival in Trinidad; people come back home to play mas (participate in Carnival) or they invite the people that they met in college or both and as a result, Carnival keeps growing and growing.”

According to Ms. Bleasdell, registration is now open and is urging persons to book early. “We’re urging people not to wait until last minute to book. Things can happen, so book early. We know everyone may not have all the money to pay the full price of the cruise so we’ve created flexible payment options for persons to take advantage of.”

South Florida Caribbean News

The SFLCN.com Team provides news and information for the Caribbean-American community in South Florida and beyond.

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