Royal ship going to Bimini -- is this common?

[Pellaz]

I'm on a charter music cruise in January on Freedom of the Seas out of Miami, and our one-and-only port-stop is Bimini.   And yes, I'm aware that you could almost drive a golf ball from Miami to Bimini.  I've flown above them and you can easily see Bimini and Miami at the same time from the air.  🙂  

 

Does Royal go there often?  I don't see Bimini discussed much.  It's....not a very big place.  We were hoping we'd get to go to CocoCay when we were promised a "brand-new destination for the cruise!"   Alas, not this year.  

 

If anyone has experience with Royal stopping there, any ideas as to what excursions will be offered?  I'd like to do some snorkeling if there's anywhere decent to do so.   If there's a way to check on possibly-available excursions on RCCL's website without being able to access the booking, please let me know.  Note:  we won't gain direct access to our bookings on Royal's website until two or three weeks before sailing.  

 

I expect we'll be doing a lot of circling around and making curly-ques in international waters after leaving Miami and arriving at Bimini at the midpoint of the cruise.  Those who keep an eye on ships' AIS will likely get a chuckle out of all the meandering.  The 60 bands onboard can only perform in international waters.   🙂  

 

 

[PWP-001]

1 hour ago, Pellaz said:

I'm on a charter music cruise in January on Freedom of the Seas out of Miami, and our one-and-only port-stop is Bimini.   And yes, I'm aware that you could almost drive a golf ball from Miami to Bimini.  I've flown above them and you can easily see Bimini and Miami at the same time from the air.  🙂  

 

Does Royal go there often?  I don't see Bimini discussed much.  It's....not a very big place.  We were hoping we'd get to go to CocoCay when we were promised a "brand-new destination for the cruise!"   Alas, not this year.  

 

If anyone has experience with Royal stopping there, any ideas as to what excursions will be offered?  I'd like to do some snorkeling if there's anywhere decent to do so.   If there's a way to check on possibly-available excursions on RCCL's website without being able to access the booking, please let me know.  Note:  we won't gain direct access to our bookings on Royal's website until two or three weeks before sailing.  

 

I expect we'll be doing a lot of circling around and making curly-ques in international waters after leaving Miami and arriving at Bimini at the midpoint of the cruise.  Those who keep an eye on ships' AIS will likely get a chuckle out of all the meandering.  The 60 bands onboard can only perform in international waters.   🙂  

 

 

 

In a word:  NO.

 

When you were promised a "brand-new destination for a cruise" I'm pretty sure that RCI hasn't called on this port previously.

 

Given that Bimini is a small island with limited infrastructure, I can understand why it wouldn't be somewhere Royal normally includes as part of their itineraries.  Genting/Resorts World built the pier originally to facilitate regular high speed ferries from South Florida to bring gamblers who would stay in the Hilton branded property that was built as part of the casino.  That all didn't work out as planned, and it seems that the hotel is not properly being taken care of either.

 

Enter Virgin Voyages and what I believe was a substantial investment in the Resorts World's Beach Club which is the main focus when a Virgin Voyages ship docks.  That's probably where you'll enjoy any music events on shore, if an event is planned.

 

To further answer your question, the water is normally so absolutely crystal clear, that you could probably read the words from an open book resting 10 feet down!  Snorkeling is ideal.  I'd expect them to offer excursions that include the typical "on the water" activities, such as snorkeling, wave runners, fishing, SCUBA, and maybe even some catamaran sailings.  If you're interested in exploring all of the island, there should also be a "golf cart rental" and "bicycle rental" excursion where you can rent either.  They're pricey if rented directly on the island, but given the capacity of your ship, they may all be committed to the ship for excursions.  The delay of excursions on the website probably indicates that RCI is still working out contracts with the locals.  Expect the offerings to go fast when they become available.

 

As for the charted course, I'd gather is will be full speed from The Port of Miami until they hit International Waters for the casino to open.  Then they'll just idly head for the island enjoying the fuel savings of the itinerary.

 

It's been a few years since I've been over to Bimini, but I'm pretty sure (and hoping) there's NOT a Diamonds International!

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, Pellaz said:

I

If anyone has experience with Royal stopping there, any ideas as to what excursions will be offered?  I'd like to do some snorkeling if there's anywhere decent to do so.   If there's a way to check on possibly-available excursions on RCCL's website without being able to access the booking, please let me know.  Note:  we won't gain direct access to our bookings on Royal's website until two or three weeks before sailing.  

I

 

I am booked on Enchantment of the Seas for April 20, 2023, out of Baltimore that stops at Bimini for one day. 

 

The tours on the planner are Reef Fishing, Sapona Snorkeling Adventure, Eco Conch Tour, Kayak Adventure Tour, and Stingray Tour.  The other five activities include resort hotel and beach access which include various levels of beach, food, drink, or cabana access.

 

I hope this helps.

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

 

Enter Virgin Voyages and what I believe was a substantial investment in the Resorts World's Beach Club which is the main focus when a Virgin Voyages ship docks.  That's probably where you'll enjoy any music events on shore, if an event is planned.

 

The Resorts World Beach Club is specifically mentioned in a few of the RCI Tour Excursions for the cruise I mentioned in another post.

[PWP-001]

5 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

The Resorts World Beach Club is specifically mentioned in a few of the RCI Tour Excursions for the cruise I mentioned in another post.

It's funny how the hotel bills it as theirs, but on days Virgin is in port, it's Richard's.  I think I've even read on the Resort website that there are blackout dates when resort guests can't use it.

[radarcruiser]

We were there on Celebrity last month.  We did the “free” beach the shuttle takes you to.  The young entrepreneurs there wanted $60 for two chairs and an umbrella. Could only talk them down to $50 so we passed.  Beers were $11.  We blew that and took a taxi to Joe’s Conch Stand for some tasty conch and cheap(er) beers at a local shack.  Not much to look at, but the food was outstanding.

[willing292]

we were in Bimini this past spring on the Enchantment.  It is a beautiful, sleepy island.  We rented a gold cart for the day, and spent our time, drinking beer at the beach, and taking pictures of the incredible clear, blue water.  

[orville99]

2 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

In a word:  NO.

 

When you were promised a "brand-new destination for a cruise" I'm pretty sure that RCI hasn't called on this port previously.

We have two RCL cruises in 2023 that make port stops in Bimini. It has been on their short cruise schedule this year as well from at least two Florida ports.

[ONECRUISER]

Was there 2 times this yr, scheduled stop. New norm, Royal, Celebrity and Virgin been stopping there for while now

Edited December 5, 2022 by ONECRUISER

[island lady]

Currently on Serenade out of Tampa.  She has been doing the Bimini run for this season for a few  weeks now.   Will be there in a couple of days.  

[davekathy]

6 minutes ago, island lady said:

Currently on Serenade out of Tampa.  She has been doing the Bimini run for this season for a few  weeks now.   Will be there in a couple of days.  

BTW, Bon Voyage. I missed you before you and Bucky left. 🍷

[Moonarino]

Went on a "short" 5-day the past May (on Carnival) and we were switched from Nassau to Bimini about a week before. Bimini is NOT Nassau, not even close, and the Nassau stop was one of our prime selection criteria for that cruise, since we hadn't been there in a good while.

 

The Bimini port is fairly new, so no not common, and I can't remember seeing it on any Royal cruise in any of my shopping adventures. Maybe it will improve over time as it brings in more revenue. For us in May it was a major disappointment.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Moonarino

[Pellaz]

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

 

In a word:  NO.

 

When you were promised a "brand-new destination for a cruise" I'm pretty sure that RCI hasn't called on this port previously.

The promise was made by the charter company.  Since we've already visited pretty much every Bahamas and Caribbean port EXCEPT CocoCay, we were really hoping this would finally be our chance.   AND....we got Bimini.  It was like getting switched from Nassau to Freeport.  😮  

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

Enter Virgin Voyages and what I believe was a substantial investment in the Resorts World's Beach Club which is the main focus when a Virgin Voyages ship docks.  That's probably where you'll enjoy any music events on shore, if an event is planned.

They haven't routinely planned any music events during the port-stop in the past.  With 121 total performances onboard (each band performs twice), pretty much everyone appreciates the downtime...including the bands.  

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

To further answer your question, the water is normally so absolutely crystal clear, that you could probably read the words from an open book resting 10 feet down!  Snorkeling is ideal.  I'd expect them to offer excursions that include the typical "on the water" activities, such as snorkeling, wave runners, fishing, SCUBA, and maybe even some catamaran sailings.

Ahhh, NOW we're talkin'!  🙂

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

 The delay of excursions on the website probably indicates that RCI is still working out contracts with the locals.  Expect the offerings to go fast when they become available.

No, the delay is because, since it's a charter, we will not be given access to Royal's site directly until a few weeks before sailing.  We know what stateroom we have and our payments have been sent to the charter company, but beyond that we can't access Royal's site until we are given our reservation info from Royal. 

 

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

As for the charted course, I'd gather is will be full speed from The Port of Miami until they hit International Waters for the casino to open.  Then they'll just idly head for the island enjoying the fuel savings of the itinerary.

lol, we'll have basically a day and a half between Miami and Bimini, both ways.  We'll be doing a lot of circles and figure-eights.  Maybe the Captain will get creative and draw a pattern for AIS trackers to see.  

Since we've had issues with winds affecting the pool-deck stage ("the largest open-air structure at sea"), slow sailing will help with erecting the stage and minimizing winds across the deck.  In 2020, when the winds on our course were too strong to build the stage, the Captain sailed "with the wind"...and in the wrong direction...so they could build it.  Royal billed the charter company $20,000 for the extra fuel expense. 😮  

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

It's been a few years since I've been over to Bimini, but I'm pretty sure (and hoping) there's NOT a Diamonds International!

Oh, that's silly.  There's ALWAYS a Diamonds International.  😄  

8 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I am booked on Enchantment of the Seas for April 20, 2023, out of Baltimore that stops at Bimini for one day. 

 

The tours on the planner are Reef Fishing, Sapona Snorkeling Adventure, Eco Conch Tour, Kayak Adventure Tour, and Stingray Tour.  The other five activities include resort hotel and beach access which include various levels of beach, food, drink, or cabana access.

 

I hope this helps.

It does indeed!   Thanks so much!   I'm not sure what a Sapona is, but if it involves snorkeling I'll know to bring my own gear and my GoPro.  

2 hours ago, Moonarino said:

Went on a "short" 5-day the past May (on Carnival) and we were switched from Nassau to Bimini about a week before. Bimini is NOT Nassau, not even close, and the Nassau stop was one of our prime selection criteria for that cruise, since we hadn't been there in a good while.

Huh, it's not often you hear people praising Nassau as a port stop.  

2 hours ago, Moonarino said:

The Bimini port is fairly new, so no not common, and I can't remember seeing it on any Royal cruise in any of my shopping adventures. Maybe it will improve over time as it brings in more revenue. For us in May it was a major disappointment.

It was a disappointment to me, certainly.  I'd have paid the $150 for a daypass to the waterpark at CocoCay -- once, anyway, since I love waterparks  -- and hearing that we were going to Bimini instead was quite a let-down.  I haven't been to CocoCay since my first cruise in 2010, and I remember the snorkeling back then, before all the new stuff, was terrific.  

 

Oh, well.  

[island lady]

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

BTW, Bon Voyage. I missed you before you and Bucky left. 🍷

 

Looking forward to Bimini.  Bucky has been there many times (before it was cruise ship visit port), but this is my first.  I do understand it is a tiny...tiny little spit of land, but will still be nice to go somewhere other than the same Nassau, Coco Cay, Nassau, Coco Cay...and repeat.  😉  

 

Sitting at the dock with Oasis at "Theme park of the seas" here in Coco Cay right now with Oasis.  Noticed rain on the horizon, but we had already done our "walk around with Coco Loco in hand" with a quick bite of early lunch at Chill grill.  Has been raining cats and dogs since 1 pm.  Happy to get back to the ship before it came in. 

 

Ahhh....enjoying a nice SB while your bro naps (yeah, sign of Mr. Bucky getting a bit long in the tooth).  😄 

[cruisegirl1]

I have a jewel of the seas cruise booked for later this month, with a stop in Bimini.

 

The 5N cruise  includes Bimini, two sea days and Cozumel. We are looking forward to  Bimini as a new, stop, and Cozumel for a delicious local lunch and snorkeling. 

 

m

[Engineroom Snipe]

49 minutes ago, Pellaz said:

It does indeed!   Thanks so much!   I'm not sure what a Sapona is, but if it involves snorkeling I'll know to bring my own gear and my GoPro.  

 

 

I cut and pasted the info for you here: The time of the tour is stated to be two hours so I am figuring they spend 30 traveling out, one hour on the wreck, and thirty minutes back. Not absolutely positive about the time but it is a typical vacation tour dive example.

 

 

Overview

Snorkel around one of the most famous shipwrecks in the Caribbean, the S.S. Sapona, and then sip a rum punch on the boat ride back.

 

Highlights

• Boat out to your destination as you learn about the history of the S.S. Sapona, a cargo steamer that ran aground during a 1926 hurricane, along the way.
• Gear up and dip into the water to snorkel around and inside the remnants of the shipwreck, which sits 20 feet below the water’s surface.
• See coral heads, sea fans, and plenty of tropical fish living inside the ship.
• After exploring the protected artificial reef, climb back onboard and relax with a delicious rum punch as you enjoy the sounds of island music and entertainment from your Bahamian crew.

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Engineroom Snipe
Add duration of excursion.

[island lady]

37 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I have a jewel of the seas cruise booked for later this month, with a stop in Bimini.

 

The 5N cruise  includes Bimini, two sea days and Cozumel. We are looking forward to  Bimini as a new, stop, and Cozumel for a delicious local lunch and snorkeling. 

 

m

Mmmm...Panchos.  😋

[cruisegirl1]

13 minutes ago, island lady said:

Mmmm...Panchos.  😋

Haven’t been there in years. There are lots of other places to try. 
 

m
 

 

 

[Moonarino]

1 hour ago, Pellaz said:

 . . . Huh, it's not often you hear people praising Nassau as a port stop.  
 

Better than Bimini for us, but to each his/her own.

[Moonarino]

31 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Haven’t been there in years. There are lots of other places to try.

 

We've had some good lunches at 3-4 different places on Cozumel but I can't remember the name of any of those eateries. Tres Amigos has good beer. Lol. If you can get waited on.

[LeeW]

Sapona was a fun snorkel, although a fairly long boat ride out there.  Half of the concrete wreck is above water and a ton of fish around it.  Went there on Celebrity Infinity in October, partly to visit ports that Royal wasn't doing.  Would have hit Grand Turk but pier was still out.  Key West was still cleaning up from hurricane a week earlier.

[Engineroom Snipe]

21 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Sapona was a fun snorkel, although a fairly long boat ride out there.  Half of the concrete wreck is above water and a ton of fish around it.  Went there on Celebrity Infinity in October, partly to visit ports that Royal wasn't doing.  Would have hit Grand Turk but pier was still out.  Key West was still cleaning up from hurricane a week earlier.

A very descriptive update that states the facts, only the facts.   😉   Credit to Dragnet TV show in the 60's starring Jack Webb and Harry Morgan.

[joand452]

We were on Celebrity Apex in April, 2022.  Bimini was our "replacement" port when it was finally switched from Key West.  We never got off the ship.

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Looking forward to Bimini.  Bucky has been there many times (before it was cruise ship visit port), but this is my first.  I do understand it is a tiny...tiny little spit of land, but will still be nice to go somewhere other than the same Nassau, Coco Cay, Nassau, Coco Cay...and repeat.  😉  

 

Sitting at the dock with Oasis at "Theme park of the seas" here in Coco Cay right now with Oasis.  Noticed rain on the horizon, but we had already done our "walk around with Coco Loco in hand" with a quick bite of early lunch at Chill grill.  Has been raining cats and dogs since 1 pm.  Happy to get back to the ship before it came in. 

 

Ahhh....enjoying a nice SB while your bro naps (yeah, sign of Mr. Bucky getting a bit long in the tooth).  😄 

Sounds like your all set then. Rent a golf cart, grab a six pack of Bimini Twist IPA and enjoy the day. 

 

 

[twoflyers]

Try Stuart's Conch stand - best conch salad we've ever had,  and we've tried many.  Fresh, huge portion and ice cold beer - good prices.  I believe it's a bit closer to the port than Joe's'.  You can rent a golf cart and tool around instead of going to a disappointing beach or casino.