A Bimini day trip

What a day trip is

Baleària Caribbean is the one ferry operator on the route, so whoever sells you the seat, a day trip by sea puts you on its ferry. By air, Tropic Ocean sells a seaplane day from the airport beside Port Everglades. In all three, then, the boat or plane leaves from Fort Lauderdale, even on a day trip bought in Miami; a package just does the driving.

It's also a trip abroad. You land in The Bahamas and come back through U.S. Customs the same day, so the documents matter. The getting-there guide's documents section lists them.

How long you get on the islands depends on the sailing or flight times. Those, like the price, are on each seller's own page, and they change, so that's the place to read them. Read the times before the price: they decide how much of Bimini you see.

Three ways to do it

Baleària Caribbean's own day trip

Baleària Caribbean runs the ferry from Port Everglades Terminal 21 in Fort Lauderdale to Fisherman's Village on Bimini Bay, North Bimini, the landing beside Resorts World Bimini. It sells a day trip of its own on that route, and its route page is the place to start for the dates, the fares and what the trip includes.

If you can get yourself to Port Everglades, this is the most direct way to do it by sea: one company sells the trip and runs the boat. Starting from Miami on your own? The Miami page covers the ways to Terminal 21.

The catch is the calendar. A ferry day trip exists only on dates when the ferry sails over and back the same day, and the calendar has gaps. Open it for your date before you plan anything else around the trip.

Bahamas in a Day, by seaplane

Tropic Ocean Airways runs Bahamas in a Day, a seaplane trip from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini and back on the same day. You check in at the Sheltair terminal at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, and the seaplane lands on the water at Bimini. Bahamas in a Day's site has the times and what the day includes, plus a list of add-on activities.

The same site names the North Seaplane Base, which is on North Bimini, the same island as Alice Town. The flights page has more on the base, and on the scheduled seaplane flights Tropic Ocean also runs.

Flying changes the paperwork. The list U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accepts from a U.S. citizen coming home by air starts with a valid U.S. passport, and children present their own. If you're bringing children, make sure each child has a passport.

Ferry packages with Miami hotel pickup

The ferry day trip is also sold from Miami as a package on tour marketplaces, with hotel pickup in Miami and the ride to Port Everglades included. Gray Line Miami sells one: when we checked, its listing described the ferry over and back plus a transfer both ways between Port Everglades and selected hotels in Miami Beach and downtown Miami.

It's the same ferry from the same port, with the ride from Miami wrapped around it, so the operator's calendar decides which dates a package can sell. If you're staying in Miami without a car, that ride is the reason to buy a package.

Before you pay

Check these, most of them on the seller's own page:

• For any trip by sea, packages included, that the operator's calendar shows the ferry going out and coming back on your date.
• For a package, where the pickup is and which hotels it covers.
• What the price includes. Look for transfers and a resort day pass in particular.
• Your documents for coming home: CBP's land-and-sea list by sea, its air list by seaplane. A U.S. passport is on both, and the getting-there guide has each list in full.
• What your carrier checks at boarding: Baleària Caribbean for the ferry and the packages, Tropic Ocean Airways for the seaplane. The Bahamas sets its entry rules through its Department of Immigration, and the carrier is the one to ask.

For a longer trip, the ferry and the flights each have a guide of their own.

• The Bimini ferry

  Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to Bimini Bay: the terminal, the landing, and where the days and fares are published.

• Flights and seaplanes

  The airlines that fly to South Bimini, the seaplane to North Bimini, and the boat ride from the airport to Alice Town.

Questions and answers

Can you do a day trip to Bimini from Miami?

Yes. Ferry packages sold from Miami on tour marketplaces include hotel pickup in Miami and the ride to Port Everglades, and Gray Line Miami sells one. Baleària Caribbean's ferry and Bahamas in a Day's seaplane leave from Fort Lauderdale, so on your own the day starts with getting there.

Can you do a Bimini day trip from Fort Lauderdale?

Yes. Baleària Caribbean's own day trip leaves from Port Everglades Terminal 21, and Tropic Ocean Airways' Bahamas in a Day leaves from the Sheltair terminal at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International.

What are the ways to do a Bimini day trip?

Three. Baleària Caribbean sells its own day trip on its ferry from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale; Tropic Ocean Airways runs Bahamas in a Day, a seaplane day from Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International; and ferry packages with hotel pickup in Miami are sold on tour marketplaces. Bahamas in a Day's site has the times and what the seaplane day includes.

Do you need a passport for a Bimini day trip?

For the trip home, a U.S. passport is on both of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's lists, so pack one. By seaplane, children present their own passport too. By sea, on the ferry or a package, CBP's land-and-sea list applies, and the documents section of the getting-there guide has both lists. For The Bahamas' own entry rules, ask the company that carries you what it checks at boarding.

How much does a Bimini day trip cost?

The price is on each seller's own page: Baleària Caribbean's route page for the ferry day trip, Bahamas in a Day's site for the seaplane, and the tour company's listing for a package. Check what it includes before you pay.

How long do you get in Bimini on a day trip?

That depends on the sailing or flight times, which each seller publishes on its own page. Read them before you compare prices, since they decide how much of the day you spend on the islands.