The Bimini ferry

Who runs it

Baleària Caribbean. It's the only company running a ferry between Florida and Bimini.

Everything about it that changes is on Baleària Caribbean's route page: the sailing calendar, the times, the fares, the crossing time and the booking itself. The operator changes those when it needs to, so this page links to them instead of retyping them.

The one thing to know before you plan around the ferry: the calendar has gaps. There have been stretches with no sailings at all. Open the calendar for your dates first, before the room and before the flight home, and build the rest of the trip around what it shows.

Where it leaves from

Terminal 21 at Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale. The street address is 2021 Eller Dr., Hollywood, Florida 33316. Yes, Hollywood. That's the address the port gives for the terminal, so type it in as written.

Next to Terminal 21 is the Palm Parking Garage, a covered garage. Port Everglades' Terminal 21 page has the parking details and the current rates.

The port sits beside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, about six miles away by road, which makes it the airport to aim for if you're flying in to catch the ferry. From downtown Miami the terminal is about 26 miles by road. Brightline, a passenger train between Miami and Orlando, stops in Fort Lauderdale, and its station is about five miles from the terminal by road, so the last leg off the train is a taxi or a rideshare.

If you're starting from Miami, Miami to Bimini goes through the ways to reach the terminal from there.

Where it lands

The ferry docks at Fisherman's Village on Bimini Bay, North Bimini, beside Resorts World Bimini; the landing and the resort are about 0.3 miles apart. Alice Town is about 1.6 miles south of the landing, and Bailey Town is about 1.1 miles away. Keep those distances in mind when you pick where to stay.

You also step off in another country. Carry the documents in the section below.

The run from Terminal 21 to Fisherman's Village crosses the Gulf Stream: about 57 miles, or 50 nautical miles, as the crow flies.

Distances are computed from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Booking and resellers

Book on the operator's route page. That's the whole of the advice. It gets a section because several names that sound like the company are out there, and it helps to know what each one is.

Bimini Fast Ferry is a reseller's label. Type in biminifastferry.com and you land on a page at ferrytobahamas.com, which says in its own words that tickets are sold by I Love Ferry, S.L., a travel agency in Spain that works with the operator. You'd be buying a seat on Baleària Caribbean's boat through a middleman.

Bahamas Fast Ferry is just a domain for sale. Type in bahamasfastferry.com and you're forwarded to a page offering it to buyers.

Bahamas Ferries Ltd is a real ferry company and a different one. Its sailings run between Nassau and the Family Islands, so a Bimini search that lands on its site has reached the wrong operator.

Direct Ferries is a reseller, and one reason the Miami question keeps coming up. Its page for this crossing is titled "Miami to Bimini ferry", yet the text on that same page sends you to its Fort Lauderdale routes and to Baleària Caribbean. The title keeps the phrase alive in search results while the boat keeps leaving from Port Everglades. Miami to Bimini deals with that question in full.

Every outbound link on this page goes to the operator, the port, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Brightline or OpenStreetMap, and none of them carries an affiliate code.

Travel documents

The ferry lands you in another country, and the trip home is an entry into the United States by sea. For that, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page says a U.S. citizen can present a U.S. passport, a passport card, an Enhanced Driver's License or a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST). The same list also accepts a U.S. military ID when traveling on official orders, a U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling on official maritime business, and a Form I-872 American Indian Card or, where available, an Enhanced Tribal Card. U.S. and Canadian citizen children under 16, or under 19 when traveling with a school, religious or other youth group, need only a birth certificate (the original, a photocopy or a certified copy) or other proof of citizenship.

That's CBP's land-and-sea list, and it's the one that matters for the ferry. By air the list shrinks to a passport (or a Trusted Traveler card, a military ID on orders or a merchant mariner document), and children need a passport of their own.

The Bahamas sets its own entry rules through its Department of Immigration, and this page leaves them to it. Ask the operator, when you book, what it checks at boarding. The getting-there hub has a fuller documents section.

Questions and answers

Where does the Bimini ferry leave from?

Terminal 21 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The address is 2021 Eller Dr., Hollywood, Florida 33316, and the port sits beside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, about six miles away by road.

Is there a ferry from Miami to Bimini?

The ferry to Bimini leaves from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. By road that's about 26 miles from downtown Miami. Miami to Bimini covers getting to the terminal from Miami.

Who operates the Bimini ferry?

Baleària Caribbean, and only Baleària Caribbean. Bimini Fast Ferry is a reseller's label, Bahamas Fast Ferry a domain for sale, Bahamas Ferries Ltd a different company serving other islands, and Direct Ferries a reseller. Book on the operator's route page.

Is Bimini Fast Ferry the same as Baleària Caribbean?

It's a reseller's name. The domain biminifastferry.com forwards to ferrytobahamas.com, where the page itself says tickets are sold by I Love Ferry, S.L., a travel agency in Spain working with the operator. The boat is Baleària Caribbean's.

Where does the ferry arrive in Bimini?

At Fisherman's Village on Bimini Bay, North Bimini, beside Resorts World Bimini. Alice Town is about 1.6 miles south of the landing and Bailey Town about 1.1 miles away.

How long does the crossing take, and what does it cost?

Both are on the operator's route page, beside the sailing calendar and the booking.

Is there parking at Terminal 21?

Yes. The Palm Parking Garage, a covered garage, stands next to Terminal 21. Port Everglades' Terminal 21 page has the details and the current parking rates.

What documents do I need for the Bimini ferry?

For the return into the United States by sea, CBP accepts from a U.S. citizen a U.S. passport, a passport card, an Enhanced Driver's License or a Trusted Traveler Program card, among the documents on its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page, and a U.S. or Canadian citizen child under 16 can present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The Bahamas' own entry rules come from its Department of Immigration, so when you book, ask the operator what it checks at boarding.