Miami to Bahamas Tour

Crystal clear waters, stunning beaches, fun in the sun and on the water, total relaxation. That’s what comes to mind when you think Bahamas.

In a nutshell:

Bahamas consists of many islands, some are private some are not. A one day tour will take you to one island only. It takes a while to get there from Florida but, if you like cruises, the trip will be part of the fun. If you can spend at least a night there, do it.

Before telling you the particulars of this tour we’d like you to keep this in mind:

There are the big cruise companies (think Carnival, Norwegian, etc) and small ones. The big ones offer larger ships, are more organized (and will most likely resolve any issues that could arise more efficiently) and sail from Miami and from Fort Lauderdale (a city 45 minutes away from Miami Beach)

The small cruise companies typically depart from Fort Lauderdale only (the port there is called Port Everglades) and their ships, though still large, are smaller and less impressive.

As with the one-day trips to Orlando and to Key West, if you decide to go to Bahamas and return the same day, you should know that most of your day will be spent traveling.

This is what will happen when you book a one-day trip through one of the small tour companies:

The bus to Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) will pick you up around 5:30am from your hotel.
You’ll arrive at the port around 6:30am
There, you’ll have to present your passport and do the boarding procedure.
By 7:30am you should be having breakfast on the ship (this is usually complimentary complimentary)
At 8am your ship will depart. It will take it 3.5 to 4 hours to arrive to Bahamas
Getting off the ship will take around 20 minutes
Once you’re out, you won’t be in the beautiful paradise of your dreams, but in a port, 15 minutes away from where the fun is.
You and the rest of the passengers will hop on shuttles that will drive you to a resort. And now we’re talking. The resort will be beautiful and your day in Bahamas will have officially started. This will be around 12:30pm
Typically, your one-day package will include free access to the resort facilities. That means, you will be able to use their pool and pool towels, and access their private beach.
By 6pm you must be back at the meeting point to be picked up and taken back to the ship.

Why does this matter? Because you might be thinking you’ll be spending a full day in Bahamas but you are not. The day will go by very fast.

What to do?

If going and returning the same day is the only choice you have: DO IT anyways. It’s still worth it.
If you can afford to spend at least one night in Bahamas, we recommend it. That way you can spend more time and plan some activities.

More details about the one day tour:

Pick up and drop off at your hotel: typically around 5:30am. You’ll be back at your hotel around 1am.
Duration of the tour: traveling time is around 4 hours each way. You’ll have about 5/6 hours to spend in Bahamas.
Breakfast and dinner are usually included.
The ships don’t depart every day.