The perfect Bahamas cruises take you away from the on a regular basis, transporting you to theme park-like non-public islands and beach-lined paradises. Cruise selections embrace new and jazzed-up ships crusing an array of brief and weeklong Bahamas itineraries. Cruising to the Bahamas is really easy, chances are you’ll even have the ability to go with no passport.
Household-friendly traces, reminiscent of Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line and Carnival, supply cruises targeted on the Bahamas all 12 months. So do newcomers Virgin Voyages, with its adults-only sailings, and Margaritaville at Sea, providing brief two-night hops and longer cruise-and-stay packages The winter and early spring seasons herald a handful of itineraries on premium traces like Movie star and Holland America.
The one cruise traces that don’t repeatedly sail Bahamas cruises are the luxurious traces. However don’t fear, lux lovers: Most of the ships we included on our record of the very best Bahamas cruises supply suites that include concierge companies, non-public enclaves or particular spa privileges. If a luxurious cruise to the Bahamas is your purpose, take a look at the highest suite choices on a mainstream or premium line.
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Whether or not you’re on the lookout for a fast and low-cost getaway or every week on the seaside, listed below are the very best Bahamas cruise itineraries to start out your search, so as from shortest to longest.
2-night cruises on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise from Palm Seashore, Florida
Although cruising is new to the Margaritaville journey and hospitality franchise, the brand new cruise line Margaritaville at Sea is actually a rebranding of the previous Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. Its refurbished ship, Paradise, initially debuted within the Nineteen Nineties for Costa Cruises.
One Jimmy Buffett-themed makeover later, the ship is an ideal match for the laid-back vibe of the Bahamas. Seize a drink or a chunk to eat from the 5 o’Clock Someplace Bar & Grill, strive your luck on the Par-A-Cube On line casino and luxuriate in loads of leisure together with the musical manufacturing, “Tales from Margaritaville: Jimmy’s Ship Present.” There’s a youngsters membership, a teen membership, a spa and two swimming pools stocked with seaside balls and inflatable parrots.
The 2-night cruise itinerary consists of sooner or later in Freeport the place you possibly can store, hit the on line casino, get pleasure from water sports activities or chill on the seaside. The ship provides shore excursions, or you possibly can discover independently. Margaritaville at Sea additionally provides cruise-and-stay itineraries of both 4 or six nights (together with the 2 nights onboard the ship). These packages allow you to select between two companion lodges in Freeport, the place you’ll keep two or 4 nights on land, then hop again on the ship in your return night time at sea.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise carries round 1,300 passengers in an assortment of inside and ocean-view cabins, throughout 176 sq. toes, which is bigger than the typical for these classes on most mainstream ships. Ten suites with balconies are additionally out there with 524 sq. toes of area.
Who ought to go? Clearly, Parrotheads are gonna need to do that ship, with all its Jimmy Buffett-inspired themes and decor, but it surely’s additionally a great trial run for anybody on the fence about cruising. Pricing additionally makes this an ideal cruise to get pleasure from an escape with out spending a fortune. We discovered weekday sailings that start at $99 per particular person.
Associated: Greatest Bahamas cruise ideas for first-timers and repeat guests alike
3- or 4-night cruises on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas from Miami
This itinerary could also be the very best total brief Bahamas cruise. Each the three- and four-night cruises have stops at Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s large non-public island — Excellent Day at CocoCay. These two stops mixed give cruisers the chance to get pleasure from water sports activities, spend a while on the seaside and expertise a little bit of Bahamian tradition.
Freedom of the Seas has loads of onboard enjoyable to occupy vacationers of all ages on sea days. It is loaded with top-deck slides and water options, specialty restaurant selections and extra leisure choices than you possibly can absorb on a brief cruise. Carrying round 4,000 cruise friends, Freedom of the Seas is large enough to impress with out being overwhelming.
Plus, logistics for cruising out of Miami are easy sufficient for even first-time cruisers. From flight selections to pre- or post-cruise lodges, it is a metropolis that caters to vacationers, particularly the cruising ones.
Who ought to go? From first-timers to veteran cruisers, anybody on the lookout for a brief, however fun-filled hop to the Bahamas ought to give Freedom of the Seas a glance. Households with youngsters of all ages will discover leisure and actions for toddlers to teenagers. {Couples} hoping to flee the kiddos can do this additionally — the adults-only Solarium is a dreamy spot to loosen up. And whereas the suites on the ship aren’t the two-deck selection discovered on a number of the line’s newer ships, you continue to have some fabulous suite choices in case your intention is a luxury-level cruise.
3- or 4-night cruises on Disney Want from Port Canaveral, Florida
It has been a decade-long anticipate Disney to construct a brand new ship, however Disney dreamers have lastly had their want granted. Even higher, the brand new Disney Want cruises to the Bahamas. Designed to be the right complement to a go to to Orlando’s Disney theme parks, these brief cruises go to Nassau and Disney’s non-public island, Castaway Cay. The four-night itinerary provides a sea day to benefit from the ship.
The ship is designed to immerse cruisers within the numerous Disney worlds by know-how, some new to the fleet. An onboard augmented actuality recreation turns the Disney Cruise Line Navigator smartphone app right into a digital spyglass that lets cruisers take part in a fantasy journey with Disney and Pixar characters. The AquaMouse waterslide combines a splashy tube trip in a two-seater raft with a pre-adventure story instructed by screens inside the start of the trip. Diners on the Worlds of Marvel restaurant participate in an interactive Avengers-themed expertise by movies and particular results.
Want carries 4,000 passengers, in staterooms and suites designed to make cruising with youngsters easy. However by no means worry grownup Disney followers, you may discover your spot onboard as effectively. From the Star Wars-themed Hyperspace Lounge to the Quiet Cove adults-only solar deck, Disney manages to cater to grownups, in addition to youngsters.
Who ought to go? That is clearly the very best Bahamas cruise for lovers of all issues Disney, however that features Star Wars and Marvel followers.
Associated: Greatest shore excursions for Bahamas cruises
4-night cruises on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Woman from Miami
But it surely’s the ship itself that units the scene for two,700 sailors, as Virgin calls its passengers. You’ll discover distinctive staterooms (with balcony hammocks), brash crimson livery and one-of-a-kind onboard actions, reminiscent of onboard tattoo parlors, drag reveals and ‘80s-themed health lessons.
Who ought to go? That is the very best Bahamas cruise for the non-cruiser who’s both younger at coronary heart or simply younger and desirous to celebration aboard this glitzy ship. Should you’re simply offended by loud music, round the clock partying or sexual innuendo, this isn’t your Bahamas cruise.
4-night cruises on Movie star Silhouette or Summit from Fort Lauderdale or Miami
Should you’re on the lookout for a Bahamas cruise that’s a bit extra upscale, Movie star Cruises provides a collection of four- and typically five-night sailings between November and April from South Florida ports aboard Movie star Silhouette and Movie star Summit. Ports of name embrace Nassau together with both Bimini or Key West, each of that are enjoyable ports and yours would be the solely ship in port at both of them.
Summit is among the many line’s smaller ships and carries simply over 2,000 passengers, whereas the last decade youthful Silhouette has a capability approaching 3,000. Both ship provides a quieter selection for a Bahamas cruise when in comparison with the big-ship, mass-market traces that cruise there year-round. Suppose posh resort greater than theme park. Neither ship has slides or extravagant water play options. Youngsters are welcome and the road has a youngsters’ program onboard, however total, the ship is geared towards {couples}, with the typical age onboard over 50.
Who ought to go? Movie star’s ships are finest left to lovers of a much less frenetic model of cruising. They are perfect for women’ getaways, with a ritzy spa and plenty of locations to sit down and go to each indoors and out on the pool deck. Cruisers on the lookout for an expensive Bahamas cruise expertise can take their escape from the world a step additional by selecting a set in The Retreat, which incorporates an unique solar deck, lounge and the Luminae restaurant, out there solely to suite friends.
Associated: Greatest time to cruise to the Bahamas
5-night cruises on Carnival Freedom from Port Canaveral
I’m an enormous lover of five-night sailings. They’re lengthy sufficient to scratch the cruise itch and brief sufficient to account for journey time to and from the port with out including any additional trip days. Plus, the marginally longer itineraries are much less in style with laborious partiers that may be disruptive on shorter Bahamas cruises.
Carnival Freedom carries slightly below 3,000 cruisers and has one thing to supply nearly everybody at an inexpensive value. Particularly, Carnival is thought for offering a number of free meals choices to select from — and the meals is sweet. The ship has top-deck water options, a Serenity adults-only solar deck, and a devoted comedy membership.
Who ought to go? This cruise is the very best Bahamas cruise for budget-conscious cruisers. In case your purpose is to get to the islands on a budget, strive Carnival Freedom. Aside from throughout peak December holidays, the five-night sailings on Freedom are priced nearly the identical because the four-night sailings.
8-night cruises on Carnival Dream from Galveston, Texas
Not all Bahamas cruises sail from ports in Florida. Carnival Dream has a capability of slightly below 4,000 and operates a enjoyable itinerary from Galveston that features stops at Nassau, Freeport, the Half Moon Cay non-public island and Key West. As Key West continues to downsize its cruise ship capability, any cruise that calls there appears like a bonus.
You may discover loads of points of interest on this ship to fill three days at sea. For meals, you possibly can nosh at not one, however two Man Fieri eateries — Man’s Burger Joint and Man’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse. The Cloud 9 Spa is idyllic and there are spa staterooms in each class that embrace limitless entry to the thermal suite and hydrotherapy pool.
I really like that Carnival Dream has some inexpensive cabins that don’t match the traditional description. For instance, the Inside with Image Window is extra like an obstructed oceanview cabin however is priced as if it has no view in any respect. Additionally within the inside class are rooms with solely higher and decrease bunks — a few of them with porthole home windows. These might be a enjoyable room for a single mother or father cruising with one little one.
Who ought to go? That is the very best Bahamas cruise for anybody on the lookout for a weeklong cruise that does not break the financial institution however nonetheless provides loads of onboard enjoyable and a broad vary of stateroom choices.
Backside line
The perfect Bahamas cruises supply one thing cruisers can’t fairly get sufficient of — whether or not it’s seaside time or celebration time. Whereas brief sailings are nonetheless the most well-liked providing amongst Bahamas itineraries, there are alternatives for nearly each cruising model. The secret is discovering the cruise that matches your model, your most popular actions and your trip price range.
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