Flying has never seemed as much of a gamble as it does lately. Will your plane leave on time? Will your flight get canceled? Worse, will the door fly off? (Ok, that was a fluke, but still.) It was the uncertainty of airline travel and curiosity about American ferries (I’ve liked them fine in Europe) that recently led me to accept a hosted stay at Resorts World Bimini in the Bahamas.
The hotel partnered with Balearia Caribbean on a weekend Summer Nights deal that bundles a roundtrip ticket on the ferry and a one- or two-night stay at the property, starting at $299 per person. We sailed on Friday morning and returned home on Sunday evening after two very full days on the island. Here’s what my quick getaway was like.
Getting to and from Bimini on the Balearia Caribbean ferry
Balearia Caribbean sails Friday through Sunday (and occasionally on Monday and Wednesday) from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, about a 30-minute drive north of Miami. Overnight parking is available across the terminal for $20 a day, so depending on the number of nights you plan to stay, I recommend driving rather than taking a ride share.
Travelers with carry-on luggage can proceed to the x-ray machine and check-in counter, where they’ll receive a wristband and wait for the boarding process to begin. Ferries typically leave Fort Lauderdale at 9am (ours left at 10am that day) and return from Bimini at 7pm, lasting approximately two hours. It’s surprisingly nice, too. There’s complimentary Wi-Fi (just make sure to log in as soon as you board because there’s a limit on the number of users), a full bar and a café—plus, there’s live music on the morning route to Bimini. The tipsy party vibe really set the mood for a weekend in the Caribbean.
Balearia offers Economy and Premium classes; we were booked on the latter. Premium includes priority boarding and disembarkation as well as a meal and a non-alcoholic drink. The $30 upcharge (depending on when you book) is worth it to be among the first on and off the ship.
On the way home from the Bahamas, we intended to fly back on a seaplane but stormy weather interfered with our plans, so we booked a last-minute seat on the evening Balearia. The 7pm departure was later than we’d hoped, but no one around us seemed to mind the time. In fact, people were happily enjoying the very last bits of vacation, sipping wine from their window seats and scrolling on their phones. Docking and customs in Fort Lauderdale took no more than 15 minutes and, if you parked in the garage, you were on the road in 20.
Staying at Resorts World Bimini
Balearia Caribbean shares the cruise port in North Bimini, which puts guests within walking distance from the hotel. For context, guests who fly into the island arrive in South Bimini and will need to take a water taxi, so the two-hour ferry is still more convenient. Plus, there’s a trolley to take you from the port to the property—Disney-style. Just follow the crowd because chances are that everyone is going to the same place.
The four-star Resorts World Bimini is part of the Hilton brand. It has several restaurants, including a tasty sushi bar in the lobby, two large pools—the rooftop pool is adults-only and blissfully quiet—a number of bars and a buzzy casino that opens at 10am every day. Just offsite is RW Bimini Beach, where you’ll find more pools, rows of waterfront cabanas, restaurants and bars. It’s open to hotel guests when cruises aren’t in port, which is seldom these days, unfortunately. We did get a chance to poke around and saw it transform from a low-key poolscape to a DJ-fueled pool party, complete with bikini-clad dancers and giant inflatable floaties. It was a vibe, just maybe not the one I was interested in, having just arrived from Miami.
Is taking a ferry to the Bahamas actually worth it?
I flew on a small plane to Bimini years ago and felt much safer this time taking the ferry, though the ride was considerably longer. It’s an easy trade-off, plus the port is much closer to the hotel than the airport, which saves you a bit of time. A trip to the Bahamas can get expensive, but the Summer Nights package helps you do it on a budget if you plan accordingly—some dates are pricier than others, and booking in advance will always save you money. For a quick and easy tropical vacation that spares you from schlepping through the airport or dealing with the latest tech failure or weather delay, this ferry/hotel combo might be the move.