I have some questions for those that have been on a Carnival Cruise to Bimini and Nassau.

[Moondoggy51]

My wife and I are taking a Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas in November and when we reviewed some of the excursions at Bimini and from some of the reviews it appears that the excursions are a rip off.  The review of the excursion to Resort World with drinks and lunch said that the drinks were what they wanted to serve not what you might ask for at a bar, the beach was crowded and lunch was a hot dog. The excursion to the beach didn't sound good either as again, the beach was overcrowded and almost sounded like it was the same beach as the World Resort.  It was mentioned that there was a tram that you take but it's crowded as well and doesn't leave unless it's full.  So my question is this......

 

Is the beach they mention in the excursion the only beach to go to or is there another beach that's safe?  Also I had a bad experience in St Thomas with a tram taking forever to get to the beach and found out after the fact that had we taken a private cab we could have been at the beach in no time so is this the same sort of thing were you can take the tram but you're better off taking a cab?  One person who reviewed the World Resort excursion led me to believe that instead of going when the excursion is set to start that you should get off the boat early and get there early.  They said that' you'd have to pay for any drinks out of pocket before 11:30 but you're there and can claim your spot before everyone else gets there.  

 

What we really want is to go to the beach as fast as we can rent 2 chairs and an umbrella and be able to get food and drinks at the beach and enjoy the day.  Can anyone who has been there give me some advice on whether to go with an excursion or do it yourself?  What about the suggestion to go early.  It seems to me that the tram is the thing that holds you up and keeps you from making the most of your time.  Any help will be appreciated.

[lazydayz]

Trams are plentiful. Get off at the stop with taxis.  Take a taxi to Radio Beach. You can rent chairs there, and there are open air bars and restaurants, as well as some of the prettiest water you will ever see.  Hubby, three grands and I did this, and we all agree it is among our favorite port days.  Plus the money you spend is actually going to the locals. Win, win. 

[knagl]

The tram didn't take long at all in our December, 2023 visit, and there were multiple trams running constantly. We took the tram and then rented a golf cart to explore the island. We wound up at Radio Beach for a while, and it was fine. I think the advice in the post by lazydayz above is good.

 

I was really not impressed with Bimini and I'd be fine never going there again, but to each their own.

[jimbo5544]

We went there on Carnivals very first stop at this port.  Shortly after the covid start up.  Frankly cannot add a lot as they were openly scared to death that we were bringing covid to them.  Wanted to rent a cart and explore but they said they were all rented, even tho there were at least 30 or so in lot.  One weird day.

[Moondoggy51]

Thanks for the feedback.  This is what I expected although the info on the trams not being crowded was a bit surprising.  After Radio Beach was mentioned I looked it up and found similar suggestions on not taking the excursion.  TripAdvisor comments said to take the tram to the first stop which is the cab stand and take a $5 per person taxi to Radio beach early in the day and go from there.  We wasted soooooo much time at St Thomas riding the tram to all of these different stops before getting to Megan's beach that we felt cheated so that's why I asked about what to do at Bimini as we're not going to be cheated again.  Thanks.  

[lazydayz]

2 hours ago, Moondoggy51 said:

Thanks for the feedback.  This is what I expected although the info on the trams not being crowded was a bit surprising.  After Radio Beach was mentioned I looked it up and found similar suggestions on not taking the excursion.  TripAdvisor comments said to take the tram to the first stop which is the cab stand and take a $5 per person taxi to Radio beach early in the day and go from there.  We wasted soooooo much time at St Thomas riding the tram to all of these different stops before getting to Megan's beach that we felt cheated so that's why I asked about what to do at Bimini as we're not going to be cheated again.  Thanks.  

The tram at Bimini is totally different than what you experienced in St. Thomas.  This one really is for the port and surrounding property.  And you just use it to get to the taxis. 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

You can rent a golf cart for about $50-$60 (negotiable) near the pier and explore all the way from Resorts World down to the southern tip. Radio Beach is along the way as well where you can just park the cart and walk a few feet. But yeah, taking a taxi is cheaper overall and you can buy (relatively) cheap fast food from the various "shacks" near Radio Beach.