Discovery Cruise Line

This cruise line went out of business in September 2011. Beware of web sites that still sell tickets for this ship. When you get to the terminal it is a ferry run by another company.

Now this is by no means a luxury cruise or premium sailing experience, but it is a good, inexpensive escape from everyday life. I recently went on this ship with some friends to spend the weekend in Freeport, and we had a great time. We got on the boat around 7:30 a.m. where we were greeted with a buffet breakfast and mimosas. Then we had about 4 hours of all you can drink cocktails and sunbathing, which was very relaxing.
We chose to spend the weekend on the island, but you can also do this as a day cruise where you get back on the boat in the evening after spending a few hours on land. Whenever you choose to get back on the boat, they have more cocktails and a dinner buffet awaiting you. Definitely a good value for the price we paid!

First of all being a frequent user of the Discovery I would like to answer some of the negative comments. First of all the Discovery DOES NOT got to Nassau it goes to Freeport. The ship has been upgraded and well maintained over the 10 years I have been traveling on it. Though it is not your upscale cruise line, you also don’t pay over $ 1000 to be on it. Would we rather fly to Freeport, absolutely but with the airfare as high as it is this is the least expensive. We always rent a cabin to park our belongings in and to have a place to go after dark. I have never had a unfavorable smell problem. The cabins can be loud but did you take a cruise so you could sleep on it? My biggest compalint would be the continuous loud speaker announcements. My husband and I have personally won in the casino many times. More so than at the casino on the island. We have been going to Freeport for over 25 years. It is our home away from home. There have been numerous ships and catamarans that have tried this trip over the years and they have all failed. Discovery must be doing something right.

Nothing nice about this cruise ship! diesel vapors will fill your lungs and burn your throat with toxic fumes for most of the trip, it disgusting, sicking and actually dangerous for your health.
I honestly feel sorry for the crew who is stuck on this hell hole.

On 12÷31÷201 we embarked on The Discovery Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale Fl. All was well until our arrival in Grand Bahamas Island five hours later. This is when it all started the bus driver announces that all of the guest from the Lucaya Reef village a 3-​star hotel were upgraded to the Radisson 5-​star resort. Great for those that did not pay the 5-​star price as we did. As we approach the front desk the ladies offer us a room on 2^nd floor, again not what we paid for. We paid for Ocean View deluxe. We requested to speak to a manager then and they were skirting around the subject. As we are collecting our belonging, we overhear the same front desk attendant telling another Our Lucaya Reef guest; that they were upgraded to an ocean view 4^th floor. I was in shock, so they paid 3– star prices and get a better room that we did. We again requested a supervisor no one was available. We then went to room 212 which had no internet service. After calling the front desk to get an IT person in the room to fix it no one showed up for over an hour. We again called the front desk and we were told they were working on it. We decided to go back to the lobby and finally a manager was available. Her name was Mrs. Anya Delancey, she listened and was concerned that discovery cruises was selling a closed property Our Lucaya Reef Villa had been under remodel for months. All she had available was a double bed room on 10^th floor at the time. She gladly moved us to that room again we paid for a deluxe king ocean view bedroom. We tried contacting 12/​31/​2010 Discovery cruises and unfortunately their offices were closed due to the holiday. So I then sent an email to discovery customer service from the hotel lobby. Today is ¼/​2010 and no one has called as of yet.
Discovery cruises has deceitful business practices, as of today they continue to sell 5 star packages. Taking advantage of the consumer, and being opportunistic. Knowing very well; that everyone will be upgraded to 5 star when they arrive in GBI. Due to the fact that the Lucaya Reef Hotel is closed, and will not reopen for months. This is great for those that purchase the 3-​star package; what about those that paid in excess of $ 200.00 per night for the 5 star. What upgrade do they get? Those that paid less get a better room than they do?
So today I called Mr. Khans office he is listed as the General Manager of Discovery Cruises. His assistant Lorena stated that all she could offer us is an apology, and that we will not get a refund for the difference between a 3-​star ocean view and 5– star ocean view which is about $ 200.00 per night. She stated that we were upgraded for dinner service onboard and that should be sufficient for us. This woman needs to take some courses on phone etiquette and customer service. Again that tells me what type of customer they are accustomed to dealing with. I filed a complaint with BBB, and the Attorney General Office. I love the fact that they shift the blame to the Radisson hotel; she stated that the same company owns both hotels. I’m appalled at the fact the tourism board the Bahamas will allow this to happen on their island? Also at the fact that in the State of Florida has no regulations against this type of deceptive sales techniques? So Mr. Hans’s assistant, comments that we should have booked a room at the Lucaya Reef Village, which was the only thing she was right about.

Don’t be confused by the word «cruise» when looking into this company. I will never book something without consulting Unilocal again! It was not a total nightmare, but definitely I would have loved to know what I was getting into prior to going on this «cruise».
I admit getting to the Bahamas was not that bad: With the exception of having to listen to the staff sing Happy Birthday 20 X’s (you get a free birthday cruise), the breakfast was pretty good and there was plenty of food. Free drinks, playing wii, walking on the deck, not so bad. The pool has been locked off and emptied for years, and the rest of the boat has never been updated since its purchase.
The hotel that was with the package that we bought– being a couple miles away from everything is quite costly and no fun. The ride back was the worst! Because it was cold, we couldn’t sit out on the deck, and while you cannot account for the weather, being a cruise this should have been taken into consideration– because there was nowhere for people to just sit and relax– every single room had music BLASTING so people who wanted to rest were laying in the hallways sleeping as if we were in some strange city full of homeless people, and while I write this, understand, I could not blame them I was considering doing it myself at one point.
Yes, there are cabins for rent, but their cost of $ 100 + is totally not worth it. They are smaller than any water closet I have ever seen, and some of them are slightly wider than the bed that is in them, and extremely old looking.

Discovery Cruise Line is ghetto fabulous! It’s not fancy, it’s not new, and it’s not classy. But it is fun, friendly, frugal, and fantastic!
In most things in life, you get what you pay for. With DCL you get what you pay for, and then some. For $ 100 per person, all taxes included, you get a trip to Nassau, Bahamas from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL. While on the ship, your food, entertainment, and even alcoholic beverages are all included. Shore excursions are extra, or you can opt to take a taxi to the nearby beach where you can enjoy the sand and surf free of charge. The ship is older, but has a pool, casino, lounge, and restaurants.
You can pay an extra $ 50 or so for a cabin, which may be desirable for the trip back. You can always relax in one of the public areas without being hassled, but it is nice to have a home base where you can chill, especially when it gets dark.
I found the service to be comparable to that of other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Some DCL staff members were outstanding in their friendliness and willingness to cater to your needs.
You can also pay to stay overnight by getting a hotel package deal, but the day trip alone is a lot of fun.
DCL is a great option for anyone on a budget or who is just looking for a quick trip. It’s a fun and special way to celebrate birthdays, too!

They did a great job of pulling the wool over your eyes here!!! They make this cruise seem like it is a phenomenal experience, however it is just the opposite. The food was barely ok. They tell you that you will have a certain amount of hours in the Bahamas, but what they don’t tell you is that once the ship arrives in the Bahamas, you go through all the red tape to get off of the ship and get back on the ship… you really only have about 2 hours on the Bahamas.
The «live band» was actually some underpaid kids that were working there that they taught to hit the drum on beat with the syncronized music. The ship was old and outdated. There were just too many other things to list here on Unilocal!
All I can say is that if you have never been on a cruise, BEWARE!!! If you get on this ship, you may get off and never want to take a cruise again!

Do not take this cruise!
My boyfriends mother told us about a $ 99 round trip booze cruise to the Bahamas. The ad says it costs not one cent more. Well, that’s a lie. Upon entering the boat, we looked up what there was to do. Breakfast was being served so we went to one of the dining rooms. The food was actually ok. Next we saw they were playing iron man 2 so we checked it out. Turns out their theatre is actually a room with 2 small TVs and a bunch of Grey hound style seats. It would have been so bad but there’s Bahamian people sleeping all over the room. Seeing as there was no privacy we decided to rent a room. $ 75 bucks later we were in a room smaller than my bathroom!
Later we were trying to figure out what we would do when we docked. They passed out a paper with ‘excursions’ on it. Turns out if you don’t book one of their activities, you have to pay $ 10 for a taxi to the more touristy part if Freeport. But we would have been appeased if we would have at least had some time on the island. We were supposed to have 4 hours on the island, instead we barely got an hour!!!
This trip is a bust and basically a ferry boat for poor Bahamians. If you’re not into watered down free booze and employees who want tips for absolutely everything, then look into another cruise.

For what it is, a cheap way to get to the Bahamas with some pretty good deals, Discovery Cruise Lines does it’s job.
If you are expecting a luxury cruise liner, move along and look elsewhere.
The ship only holds about 1,200 people. Since the Bahamas is only about a 4 hour trip, and they have almost daily trips, I wouldn’t expect a huge ship. The downside, and I mean really down, is that since the size of the ship is small, you will feel every wave (even if it’s only 1 foot, LOL). They do give dramamine to passengers who get sea sick, and almost everyone got at least a little leg weary. At least barf bags are free: o)
The trip does come with a free meal at the buffet, but again don’t expect too much. It will get you full, but they serve better food at Hometown Buffet.
We were able to get round trip tickets with 2 nights hotel for $ 130 a person. As previous people have mentioned, there isn’t much to do on the Grand Bahamas, but they do have a casino, decent shopping, and excellent food if you know where to look. The people are super friendly, but it’s more of a getaway destination rather than a party town.
Will try and update the review later for things on the Grand Bahamas.

not bad for what you pay. is not luxury but for one day trip is pretty good. service, crews everything was OK
only thing is that Grand Bahamas has not many things to do or see. it looks just like a part of FL.

HORRIBLE!!! I would give it ZERO stars if that was an option. The «cruise-​ship» itself is OLD, DIRTY and SMELLY. Unlike a real cruse ship it has no amenities except these smoke smelling sitting areas that consist of old chairs and tables. People are laying everywhere as they puke their guts out from a combination of horrible seasickness due to its small size and the dirtiness. It looks like a hobo town. The crew is rude and miserable. You are treated as a second hand citizen and customer service does not exist. PLEASE do not WASTE your money on this floating toilet. You are better off spending your hard earned dollars somewhere else.

I was tempted to give this cruise liner 2 stars, but it’s hard to say «Meh, I’ve experienced better,» when it’s really the only cruise I’ve been on. I can be generous and give it 3-​stars, especially from my budget-​conscious & modest expectations.
It all started when my girlfriend was called by a halfway scam travel agency saying she had won a «free» vacation to the Bahamas. As Eve convinced Adam to eat the forbidden apple, so did she live up to her female legacy and convince me that we won this vacation for «free.»
Long story short, there were a handful of hidden fees and charges that all added up to make it a mediocre ship, for an awesome overall trip (the 3 nights, 4 days in the Bahamas was fun) at a budget total price tag. The trip was probably about $ 600 (minus airfare to Florida and misc. expenses) Yeah, we’re smarter now. Of course when you add in both of our airfares, the money spent on 2 nights in Fort Lauderdale roach motels, and the money spent on dining, bottles of liquor, and etc., it probably came out to a roughly $ 1,400 trip, which was still a respectable value.
Our cruise departed from Fort Lauderdale on an early Friday morning, and upon boarding, we found it to be a collection of people that regularly frequent this cruise liner as a sort of water taxi, to go by ground-​level to the Bahamas. Many use this cruise line to even just shop for the day and come back the next day! A minority of people were shmucks like us, who fell into it as a vacation.
Anyhow, with that being said, I must say that the cruise did have a lot of staff that kept us all entertained and some of their comedy routines on this 4-​hour journey to the Grand Bahamas Island even poked fun at their own lowliness. The only thing free on the ship was the buffet-​style meals which were a notch BELOW that of elementary school lunch quality. Some of the deli meats even had mold on them, probably from being frozen and thawed multiple times for too long. These guys must be paying the Dept. of Health off.
All the cocktails cost money for us, luckily for us, we had access to our own bottles in our carry-​on so that we could drink from our own stash. I was stupid enough to ATM money aboard the ship for a $ 16 ATM transaction fee! Yeah, they understand that people can not swim back to a Floridian bank!
The games and contests were decent and entertaining, we got a few laughs outta them. I love how people cooed and gave their «oohs» when I announced I was from Detroit in a roll call. The deck had a great view out to sea, though this was more thanks to God Almighty than it is to their cruise line. The interior had a pool area that was always too busy to use and loaded with kids, and there was a café/​lounge where it was cool to just chill and chat with people.
All in all, this is just a glorified water taxi to a now somewhat desolate Bahamian island (the Grand Bahama Island). If you are in Florida and want a cool 1 – 2 day trip, try to snag a deal from these guys and don’t expect too much on the ship, but just go to enjoy the Bahamas for cheap. For a real cruise where the luxuries and amenities of the ship are important to you, you may want to look into a more prestigious service such as the Royal Caribbean, or at least Carnival. I must say that in all the vacations I’ve had in my life, this still ranks in the top 3 because it was with the woman I love! And we always make the best of situations! Well. Usually.