Paradise Cove Day Pass with Pickup from Freeport

Meetup was conveniently located in the cruise terminal. Chair rental was included in our booking and they had them setup already together on the beach. I didn’t reserve an umbrella ahead of time and they ran out of them before I could get one once there. However, the staff was so accommodating and when another group finished brought one to us. The water and views were beautiful. You do have to swim out pretty far to get to the good snorkeling (water was pretty shallow and they provide waist floats if you prefer to help with the swim). Some in our group saw turtles, stingrays, an octopus. There is also a cute gift shop on site which I personally thought was better than the ones at the port. On the way there they asked the group collectively what time we wanted to be back to port and had us back in plenty of time before the ship left.

Pick up and drop off was smooth. They used a taxi service. Not a luxury vehicle, no air conditioning but opened windows and it was fine. Got to Paradise Cove and we waited in line for a while and it seemed very unorganized. They give you tickets to take over to another counter and pick up all of your supplies and the guy at the counter was pretty rude. They had no more umbrellas, but they only had like three umbrellas out, so they probably need to purchase more umbrellas. The food was an expensive for $11-$13. You got a cheeseburger and fries or chicken strips and fries the food took a really long time to cook, and the people cooking. The food were rude and made sure you knew they took tips. They tried to accuse one of our people of breaking the snorkel mask-all he did was put it on on and the strap broke. The actual snorkeling and the water was fantastic! Some of the most beautiful water we’ve ever seen if you want to see a lot of fish you cansee that closer up in the water but if you want to see turtles and stingray and bigger fish, you have to go out pretty far towards the rocks or even beyond the rocks. I definitely wouldn’t pay for the full days inclusion we just did the snorkel only and that was fine and honestly to add food onto wasn’t really wasn’t that much more expensive. Unless you really want to take out a kayak or a paddleboard, but you can also rent those individually. It was nice because it really wasn’t crowded.

The excursion location was beautiful. The activities were limited because they didn’t have enough paddle boards or kayaks. They ran out of goggles. The staff was less than courteous and there was zero organization.

Paradise Cove is beautiful and we loved snorkeling there. The reef is a long swim out but worth the swim getting back to the shoreline. We did think it was a little unorganized getting there, getting checked in once there, and finally getting to our chairs with our gear. Transportation to the reef was a very old van that had ceiling pieces falling on us. All that to say- swimming and snorkeling Paradise Cove was super cool. They just need to tighten up some organizational things.

Such a fun snorkeling experience. For just a short swim offshore, we got to see sea turtles, all kinds of reef fish, and lots of coral. Loved it!

Our pickup was on time, our guide Nathan was very friendly. Once there we basically had the whole beach to ourselves. The price included a chair, lunch, snack, drink plus another alcoholic drink. Recommended.

The name speaks for itself! Paradise Cove is a hidden gem with amazing snorkeling right out front. Barry has done an amazing job of protecting and conserving the reef. Before you head out, you check in and can choose a package. There are boat tours, guided snorkeling tours, self guided snorkeling tours available for a small fee. We chose the self guided tour for $10/person. They offer equipment rentals, food, and both non alcoholic and alcoholic beverages including fresh coconut water. There are bathroom and changing facilities as well as areas for rinsing feet and a shower to clean up. They have a giant connect four game on a cover deck with plenty of seating areas to hang out and a beautiful gift shop. The snorkeling was top tier! We went out to the drop off and spotted thousands of fish, 2 stingrays, and 5 sea turtles. If you prefer more shallow water snorkeling, Barry installed an artificial reef where you can find a huge variety of wildlife. In every pocket, crevice and hole there were fish, lobster and crabs. You can find sea turtles munching on sea grass in the shallow part of the beach as well. We found 4 swimming back in from the drop off. We spent about 4 hours snorkeling and hanging out and could definitely have booked an extended stay. There were probably 3-4 groups of visitors while we were there, but it felt like we had the ocean to ourselves. The area is so vast, we never swam into any one.

We arrived after 1 pm and had to sign in and attend a mandatory briefing that we found to be a waste of our time as we are experienced snorkelers. This all could have been taken care of on the bus instead of wasting our time which was limited. It is not a 4 hour tour. We were back on the bus by 3 pm. Don't pay the extra money for food, paddle board and kayak as it isn't worth it. The food is reasonably priced so that was a plus. Lounge chairs were included but we could not find anyone to help us and the beach was super tiny and not sure there was anymore room for chairs. It was very rocky to get out to the artificial reef which was limited with things to see. I wish we hadn't wasted our money on this trip.

We had a great time at Paradise Cove. Found the bus off the port easily upon disembarkation. Mr. Parker, who drove the bus, was friendly and knowledgeable. Upon arrival at Paradise Cove, you check in, get your gear, and attend a brief safety meeting where they go over the do's and do not's of snorkeling in the different zones. We swam all the way out to the rocks and beyond, which is a workout. The snorkeling is very good in all of the zones. We saw all kinds of fish, sea turtles, and even a shark in the deeper water. There were some small jellies in the water which they warned us about but none of us got stung. After snorkeling, we hung out on the beach for a while. Drinks are very reasonably priced ($2 sodas, $5 beers). We would definitely go back! Only caveat to this excursion is there is no lifeguard, so it's swim at your own risk, and like I said it is a workout so someone in bad physical condition could have some problems, but anyone in basic good heath/weight/cardio would do fine.

Great spot smaller than I expected but super friendly and great snorkeling with the caveat that you have to swim in very very shallow water to get to the best spot which is being the rocks where its deeper water. Also watch the tide as if the roses going out you need to be a good swimmer even with fins as its a tough swim all the way round against the tide. But overall I would highly recommend it if you like to swim or snorkel