TRAVEL Q& A
Floating Your Way to Freeport
Sunday, January 14, 2007; Page P03
Q We'd like to travel from Florida to Freeport, Bahamas, by boat. What are our options?
Mary Kelly
Vienna
With only 105 miles separating Florida and Freeport, the ocean has become a highway of cruising vessels. In addition, according to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (800-BAHAMAS, http://www.bahamas.com), the Grand Bahama Island city is the country's second-most popular destination (after Nassau) and the port of entry for the archipelago.
Cruise lines frequently service the Florida-to-Freeport route. Carnival, for example, has four-day cruises that depart from Port Canaveral/Orlando or Jacksonville and stop in Freeport before continuing on to Nassau. For a departure point closer to home, the Carnival Victory leaves from Norfolk and spends six days traveling to and around Freeport and Nassau.
If you want only Freeport, or wish to skip the big-cruise experience, Discovery Cruise Line has one-day cruises to the Bahamian port. The boat departs daily from Fort Lauderdale at 7:45 a.m., leaves Freeport at 4:45 p.m. and takes a little more than five hours each way. Round-trip prices for the same-day cruise start at $125 per person; add $20 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you need a cabin, tack on $55 to $140 per room. Finally, if you want to overnight in a hotel in Freeport, the company has a Cruise N' Stay program. Info: 888-213-8253, http://www.discoverycruise.com.harters (sail and power) are ubiquitous around Florida and the Bahamas, but not so much for trips between the two locations. Rebecca Riley, president of Fort Lauderdale's Paradise Yacht Charters (954-462-0091, http://www.paradiseyachtcharters.com), says the potentially high seas, iffy weather and a full day's journey can make for a long, difficult crossing. Instead, she suggests picking one place and exploring that area by charter, but traversing the ocean by cruise ship or plane.
Instead of joining a large tour group, can we get a reliable local like a student or retired person to guide us around Rome?
Janice Hughes Alexandria
In busy Rome, guides often have to yell over the noise while visitors push to see the attraction. In addition, the canned speeches can be vague and less than illuminating. To avoid these pitfalls, when choosing a tour, look as much at the group size and personalized quality of the tour as the guide's background. Indeed, even a licensed Roman guide is no guarantee of a good tour.
"I have heard official guides say, 'This is the Colosseum. It is very old,' " says Rob Allyn, an American who co-owns Through Eternity (011-39-06-7009-336, http://www.througheternity.com), a Rome travel company. An unproven tour guide might have a thick accent or shaky handle on the subject matter. (Italian law requires certain guides to be licensed, but many flout the rule.)
For a more insightful experience, sign up for a smaller, customized tour. (Caveat: These can be twice as expensive as group tours.) "Some tours are so detail-oriented it might be overwhelming for the casual tourist," says Francesco Brazzini, a travel consultant with the Italian Tourist Board in New York (212-245-5618, http://www.italiantourism.com). "But they do spend a lot of time going in depth." Through Eternity's guides, for example, are trained in art history, theater and archaeology. Itineraries cover Rome's highlights or cater to particular interests, such as Caravaggio or gladiators.
To step inside a Roman home, Minnesota's Italian Travel Coaching (651-768-0542, http://www.italiantravelcoach.com) organizes dinners that are served at local homes and prepared by an Italian chef who speaks no English. (Dinner guests help translate.)
The Rome Tourist Board (011-39-06-488-991, http://www.romaturismo.com) recommends contacting a Rome tour guide organization, such as Centro Guide Roma (011-39-06-639-0409, http://www.centroguideroma.net), which employs university-trained locals and teachers and might be able to find you a guide that matches your needs.
Have you ever heard of a craft/antiques shopping center that spans four states?
Katanja Hubbard
Houston
You stumped the National Crafts Association and the Art and Antiques League of America, but your shopping trek sounds similar to the U.S. 127 Corridor Sale, a giant yard sale that passes through five states -- Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. The so-called world's longest yard sale begins at the tip of Michigan in Brian, Ohio, travels south to Covington, Ky., and Chattanooga, Tenn., then over to the Lookout Mountain Parkway and finally to Gadsden, Ala.Now
in its 20th year, the event will be held Aug. 2-5, hardly enough time see the thousands of vendors who set up tables and tents along the 640-mile route. Nearby accommodations sell out, so book early. Info: 800-327-3945, http:/
