The Bahamas · Cruise port guide
Bimini, Bahamas
The closest Bahamian island to Florida — 80 km from Miami — with a docked berth, a beach club and a very small island to explore.
Port basics
Getting ashore
Ships dock
Berth to town
Alice Town, the main settlement, is a short walk or golf-cart ride from the pier.
Time in port
Typically 6–9 hours, sometimes with a late departure
Cruise season
Calls year-round
Currency
Bahamian dollar (BSD), at parity with the US dollar; US dollars accepted everywhere
Language
English
Time zone
Eastern Time (UTC−5, UTC−4 in summer)
Nearest airport
South Bimini (BIM) — On the adjacent island, reached by a short ferry
These are the patterns Bimini normally operates on. Berth assignments, tender arrangements and time in port vary by ship, line and day, and we confirm the specifics for your sailing once we know the dates.
About Bimini
Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas, about 80 km east of Miami — close enough that on a clear night the glow of the Florida coast is visible. That proximity is why it appears on the shortest sailings of all, sometimes as the only stop on a two-night trip.
The island is genuinely small: North Bimini is roughly 11 km long and a few hundred metres wide in places. Alice Town, the main settlement, is a single main street with a handful of bars, and golf carts outnumber cars. A group can see most of it on foot.
Ernest Hemingway spent several summers here in the 1930s and used it as a base for big-game fishing. The connection is still heavily marketed, and Bimini remains a serious sport-fishing destination, particularly for bonefish on the shallow flats.
The Bimini Road is the island’s curiosity: a line of rectangular limestone blocks on the seabed in about five metres of water, discovered in 1968 and periodically claimed as evidence of Atlantis. Geologists identify it as natural beachrock. It is an easy snorkel either way.
Going ashore in Bimini
Within reach on foot
- Alice Town and the King’s Highway, walkable from the pier
- Radio Beach and Blue Water Beach
- The Dolphin House, a mosaic building made from salvaged materials
- The Bimini Museum and Hemingway memorabilia
What the port is known for
- The Bimini Road, a submerged limestone formation in shallow water
- Snorkelling the wreck of the Sapona, grounded since 1926
- Bonefishing on the flats — Bimini is a celebrated sport-fishing base
- The Healing Hole, a mangrove spring reached by boat
How ships berth here
Ships berth at the Resorts World Bimini pier on North Bimini. Some lines operate a dedicated beach club adjacent to the berth; others let passengers walk into Alice Town.
Access and mobility
The pier and beach club are step-free. Alice Town is flat, though pavements are limited and golf carts share the road.
Weather and when ships call
Warm year-round, 22–27°C in winter and 28–32°C in summer. Closer to Florida than the rest of the Bahamas, so winter cold fronts reach it more often.
Cruise season
Calls year-round
Typical itinerary length
Bimini usually appears on 3–5 nights The Bahamas itineraries. Sails year-round.
Ports often paired with Bimini
Itineraries that call here usually call at these too, so it is worth reading them together when you are comparing weeks.
Nassau
The Bahamian capital and the most-called port in the world, with a rebuilt terminal that opens directly onto the historic town.
Freeport
A Grand Bahama industrial harbour with beaches and Lucaya a short drive away — the closest Bahamian port to Florida.
CocoCay
Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Berry Islands, with a pier, the Caribbean’s tallest waterslide and a very large freshwater pool.
Ocean Cay
MSC’s private island in the Bimini chain — a rehabilitated industrial sand-dredging site, now a marine reserve, with overnight calls.
Explore further
The Bahamas cruises
Short sailings from Florida to Nassau, Freeport and the cruise lines’ private islands — the easiest first cruise for a group.
Cruise ports in Bahamas
Every Bahamas port we cover, with seasons, berthing and shore access.
All cruise ports
Browse every port guide by region, country or name.
Bringing a group to Bimini?
We hold five cabins or more together as a single block, quote it once, and let each household book and pay separately. Tell us roughly when and how many.