Taking a private island tour can be a great way of not only seeing what an island has to offer, but also to learn the culture and history of the people. Island Marketing Ltd offers great private tours in the Bahamas, however, you can not book it through your cruise line.
Booking tours and shore excursions through your cruise line does come with a nice benefit. If your tour is late coming back to the ship, they ship will wait for you. You also pay a premium to book through the ship, but many feel the security of not being left behind is worth it. Most of the companies that offer excursions have a reputation to keep and they do everything they can to make sure you are back at the port in plenty of time before your ship leaves.
Island Marketing Ltd is a reputable company operating in the Bahamas. If your ship can not make it to the port due to weather, they will refund your deposit. They offer private customizable tours in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island and in Nassau. They meet you right at the port with modern, air conditioned vans.
I used Island Marketing Ltd for a tour in Nassua and our family of 14 was 100% pleased with the tour. We saw the historical sites (Fort Fincastle, Queens Staircase, Parliament Square), a tour of the Atlantis resort, and he took us around the told us about the culture and history of the island. One of my favorite parts was we stopped at a local market on the water. A local took a conch from the water and made a Bahamian dish which we all were able to try. It was made with raw conch, a lemon, an orange, and some super spicy pepper. That is something you won’t get booking a tour with your cruise line on a tour with 40-50 people.
A 2 1/2 hour tour is $180 for up to 6 people. Each additional person is $30. A 4 hour private tour is $240 for up to 6 people, $40 each additional person. They would be a bit expensive for a group of 2 but only $30/$40 a person for larger groups. Nassau Tour Freeport Tour
Island Marketing also offers other shore excursions in the Bahamas and on St Maartin/St Martin, St Thomas, Belize, Calica, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Caymans, Montego Bay, Playa Del Carmen, and in Hawaii.
