By Yasmin Popescu

yasmin@nasguard.com

The Balèaria Bahamas Express says they have increased the number of bins being offered on their ferry rides between Freeport to Fort Lauderdale.

Speaking with the Area Manager Pilar Boix in a telephone interview, she said that her company was unaware of the demand for the bins when they started and that is why they only provided 20.

The number has since been increased to 50 being offered to persons as they purchase their tickets for their round trip voyages.

However, Boix noted that at present passenger numbers have been reduced since the beginning of the new year.

After getting off to a rocky start, she said, they are hoping for a chance to show their service.

Boix said she has worked with the Spanish shipping company for a number of years handling the boats in the Spanish Mediterranean, which operates routes between Spain and the Balearic Islands.

Entering the market here to fill a void left by Discovery Cruises, this new ferry service faced many criticisms with comparison with their predecessor.

A number of persons complained about the fact that their luggage was taken care of with Discovery, but they are asked to take their luggage onboard themselves, which Boix agreed does happen because they have limited personnel.

But she said for a fee this service has been added. So when checking in, with the additional fee, the luggage can be put on board.

On the complaint that the boat's going too fast during rough weather making it more difficult for passengers, she said, they do slow down whenever they have bad weather.

However, she added, they have only had three to four days of bad weather since they began service in December. She noted that this slow down also increases the time in which the passengers travel. But, she said, they want to offer a nice trip for everyone.

Boix added that they welcome all suggestions which they will use to give better service.

She said that they are only starting with this service to Freeport and if it is successful, her parent company is looking to expand the services with another boat to Nassau and even going further south.