Larger fast-ferry to sail Lauderdale-Bahamas route
Jaume I offers economy and superior-class seating and has more amenities, including a bar-cafeteria and retail shop.
A bigger, nicer ferry soon will sail between Fort Lauderdale and Freeport, Bahamas.
Balearia Caribbean plans in comingweeks to replace the Pinar Del Rio vessel with the 600-passenger Jaume I fast-catamaran.
Jaume I arrived in Freeport on Thursday fromSpain and must pass technical inspections before it can enter service fromtheUnited States.
Balearia Caribbean is a division of Spanish ferry operator Balearia Group.
Port Everglades spokeswoman EllenKennedy said Balearia’s passenger numberswere up last year. The ferry operator carried 145,723 passengers through the seaport in fiscal 2015, port records show. Balearia said business grew 15 percent in that budget year.
“They also do a significant business inmoving cargo to the islands,” Kennedy said.
Jaume I can carry about150 more people than Pinar Del Rio.
That means it’ll be better equipped to meet growing passenger and cargo demand on that route, Balearia said.
In comparison to the no-frills Pinar Del Rio, the bigger fast-ferry offers economy and superior-class seating and has more facilities, including a bar-cafeteria, retail shop and baby care services.
The fast-ferry operates four days aweek from Port Everglades Terminal1, departing at 8 a.m. and arriving in Freeport at noon, according to itswebsite, ferryexpress.com. Returning, it typically leaves Freeport at 6 p.m. to arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 10 p.m.
The ferry route is popular with Bahamians traveling for shopping trips to South Florida and also with locals seeking a short vacation or getaway.
Excluding a few months last year, Pinar Del Rio has operated between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas since the service launched as the Bahamas Express in December 2011.
Balearia’s fast-ferry service sought to plug a hole at the port left by Discovery Cruise Line, which ceased operations there in September 2011. Discovery had offered day cruises, cruise-and-stay packages and a ferry service between Port Everglades and Freeport since 1987.
Between late-February and mid-September 2015, Balearia operated the 1,000-passenger BahamaMama cruise-ferry on the route. That larger vessel offered 48 cabins, economy and first-class seating, a casino, duty-free shopping and several food and beverage outlets.
Last September, BahamaMama quietly left Port Everglades en route to Europe to operate a new Spain-to-Morocco route, port officials had said.