The boat from Miami to Bahamas is the most popular mode of transport for any Bahamas day trips. You can travel to the island with pigs (Big Major Cay) as well as viewing incredible scenes of nature and turquoise blue sea surrounding Pig Island Bahamas. However, as with every good thing, the boat from Miami to Bahamas comes with its downsides as well.
In this guide, we will let you know everything which will help you before boarding the Miami to Bahamas ferry.
Overview of the Boat from Miami to Bahamas
Here is an overview of what to expect on your one day cruise to Bahamas:
Here are some quick tips on the Boat from Miami to Bahamas
On a boat from Miami to Bahamas, you have two choices of destinations. You can choose to travel to the closest Bahamas island in relation to the United States, Bimini, which is the busiest of tourist islands outside of New Providence (Nassau), or you can opt for the further trip to Grand Bahama in the busiest cruise port of the country, Freeport, on your day trips to Bahamas from Miami.
If traveling to the closer of the two, Bimini, the ferry website says you should arrive by 11 am, though, we have found that time to be closer to noon. The journey to Freeport is also supposed to arrive before noon but rarely does that happen.
A boat from Miami to Bahamas sits ready to board in the port.
No matter what, you are looking at a 2.5-3 hour trip on any boat from Miami to Bahamas.
If traveling on a budget, it is smart to take the boat from Miami to Bahamas which stops in Bimini, drops passengers off, and continues to Freeport. Though, beware this makes the trip longer as well.
On any Bahamas day trip from Miami, expect to arrive back to Florida after sunset around 8 or 8:30 pm.
Where do the day trips to Bahamas from Miami by ferry leave from?
According to Baleària Caribbean’s website, the company suggests you arrive at the ferry port in Fort Lauderdale at 5:30 am — three and a half hours before scheduled departure.
What will I see on my Bahamas day trip by ferry?
Among the many things you will see on a boat from Miami to Bahamas day trip are wonderful white sand beaches, beautiful resorts, and lively and exotic sea coral. However, by taking the ferry, you will miss several key features of the Bahamas’ Exuma Cays that you would otherwise get the opportunity to see by taking an air tour. Among the things to see by flying to the Bahamas that you won’t see via ferry are:
- Pig Island Bahamas
- Bitter Guana Cay endangered iguanas
- Compass Cay sharks
- James Bond’s 007 Thunderball Grotto
- Colombian cartel underwater plane wreck
- Staniel Cay Yacht Club
. . . And much more!
The Compass Cay sharks are awaiting on your Bahamas day trip from Miami.
Some downsides of the Bahamas day trip from Miami by ferry
It seems from the ferry service’s online schedule, from the time you arrive at the Fort Lauderdale ferry port until the time you return to the port at night, you will have spent 11-12 hours of your day either at the ferry ports or traveling to/ from on your boat from Miami to Bahamas. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to go on your destination excursions and adventures after your ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Bahamas.
In small print at the bottom of the website, you are notified that the schedule can be changed at any time without notice. We wouldn’t want to spend any more Miami to Bahamas boat time on schedule changes.
The website says each vessel has on-board WiFi, though, their collection of bad reviews on TripAdvisor would warn otherwise (more on that below) on ferries offered as day trips to Bahamas from Miami.
The pigs of Pig Island can be reached via Miami to Bahamas ferry.
Alternate to the Miami to Bahamas ferry: Day trip via Plane
Aboard a private aircraft, which every seat is a window seat with the largest aircraft viewing windows in the world, you will be afforded the opportunity to see what astronauts call the most beautiful piece of Earth from space. If that can’t bring back the romance of flying, we don’t know what can.
There are many more reasons to take a one day cruise to Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale through the air, but the main reason is that we save you the time you wouldn’t have traveling by boat from Miami to Bahamas ferry. Imagine 11-12 hours in transport and in waiting queues.
Taking the ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Bahamas
Want to book a Swimming with Pigs tour to Pig Beach in the Exumas? Then be sure to contact one of our Swimming with Pigs Experts via our contact form.
