Bahamas Weekend Cruise: Advice from a First Time Cruiser

 It's that time of year again - GIRLS TRIP!  Leanne and I have gone on a yearly summer trip since 2007.  Trips have varied from grand hiking adventures, to long distance road trips/sightseeing, to quick weekend adventures. This year, we tried something new - A cruise.  With little time for the trip, we wanted to find a long weekend adventure that would maximize our time together.  We found that there were multiple 3 night cruises out of Florida that visited the Bahamas.  Leanne and I (both age 41) had never been on a cruise before. I was skeptical - I don't like crowds, day drinking, gambling or a lot of time in the sun, and based on my understanding of the typical cruiser - it wasn't going to be my favorite trip.  I was completely wrong.  I LOVED our cruise and I can't wait to do another.  

Drinks at Radio Beach in Bimini

Our Cruise

We had a few options for cruise lines that fit our dates, destination, and length choices.  In the end, we chose a Celebrity cruise.  I relied on friends experiences, online reviews, and reddit boards to find a cruise line that catered mainly to adults and wouldn't have a frat-party atmosphere.  We chose a three night cruise that went to two islands - CoCo Cay and Bimini.  The cruise departed and returned to Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades cruise port - just 10 minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale airport. While cost for this starts as low as $280 a person, we upgraded to a room with a balcony and "concierge class".  With taxes, it cost me $595.  I later added internet, gratuities, and a couple drinks which was $200 more in total.  

Our Ship: Celebrity Reflection

Our room on Celebrity.  We loved our deck!

Transportation

I left on Friday morning 7 am from Boston and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:30 am.  Leanne flew in separately (from Los Angeles) on a red eye. We took a Lyft from the airport to the Port.  This should be a 10 min drive but our driver got lost and then got blocked by a train and we ended up having to use our limited Spanish to help him navigate there which took a total of 45 minutes.  As a result of this frustrating experience, I used a taxi to return - and sure enough it was 10 minutes from the Port to my gate. The taxi ride and Lyft were both about $18.

Boarding the Boat

Once at the port, Luggage Guys (I'm sure there's a name for this) will take your bag and put it on a trolley to take to the ship.  You'll need to know your room number to do this.  You also have the option of carrying your items directly on yourself.  We carried our day packs with us.  After dropping bags, you pass through a security checkpoint which includes a metal detector and passport check.  From there, we walked the gang way and went straight to our stateroom (we were room 9296) where your "SeaPass cards" are waiting for you.  Housekeeping doesn't have the room fully ready until the afternoon but you can drop off items.  Once you have your SeaPass card, you report to your muster station (on your card) and get a quick safety check in.  From there, your free to roam the boat!  

Room service (included)

Food

Our cruise ship had multiple places that fell under complimentary dining.  This included the main "fancy" dining room, a large buffet style cafeteria, and a few small grill areas.  However, in addition to this - there were multiple other specialty restaurants, bars, and snack spots. We loved the food - especially the main dining room.  Because we had a higher cost room, we got a special lunch on the day of boarding which otherwise wouldn't have been included.  As for drink, we did not get any drink packages.  Instead, we chose to pay out of pocket for drinks.  This consisted of an alcoholic drink with dinner and an cocktail by the pool.  

Delicious multi course gourmet meals in the main dining room

Ship Activities

The boat offered games, shows, casino, shopping, music, dance, and spa.  We took advantage of most of the "free" activities including the pool and hot tubs, evening shows (dance, comedian, and broadway shows).  Since this three night cruise spent two days docked at different islands, we didn't have a lot of time on the boat.  

We saw a show every night in the theater on Celebrity Reflection

Islands

Our ship docked at two islands and spent the day at each.  The first was a private island owned by the cruise company - CoCo Cay.  The second was Bimini.  I enjoyed them both but they were a different experience.  Here are my thoughts:

CoCo Cay 

Imagine an all inclusive resort that you're visiting with a day pass.  This is CoCo Cay. There are multiple beaches, many pools, grills and snack stations, and everyone there is from the boat.  We had fantastic weather at CoCo Cay and it was a wonderful experience.  We split out time between the large pool with the swim up bar and the beach - lounging out by a sandbar.  The food was open air grills with typical American fair - hot dogs, burgers, taco bar, and fruit.  It was family-friendly style food and while I'm sure the fries could have been saltier - it was consistent and hit the spot.  This island felt safe, fun, and accessible to all.  We did not pay to do any of the "extras" including the water park, excursions, or adult-only beach.  I'm glad - we had plenty to do.

View of CoCo Cay from our balcony

Poolside drinks on CoCo Cay

Bimini 

Bimini is a small island that is inhabited by locals and frequently visited by cruise ships.  Cruisers can pay to access a private beach, but we instead signed up for an excursion - snorkeling with sharks!  Unfortunately, weather - rain and wind - delayed our snorkeling trip and then it was canceled late morning.  Not wanting to lose the day, we decided to explore the island.  We left the ship and walked into town (10 min walk).  We looked for a taxi which discovered were mostly unmarked white vans.  We paid $5 a piece (plus a tip) to have the taxi take us to the other side of the island to Radio Beach.  Here, we walked out to the "shipwreck", then returned to the beach and set up for the day.  

Weather improved and we eyed the empty seaside shack of "Shadows Coconut Bar".  I was dying to try an authentic coconut drink.  When he arrived, I rushed to get one but unfortunately he was out of coconuts.  Darn!  No worries, I got a pina colada.  Later, we walked over to the beach front bar and got the coconut drink I'd hoped for! Taxi's were available to return the entire time so about an hour from departure, we grabbed a taxi back to the town and walked back on the ship.  

Shadows bar at Radio Beach on Bimini

Hanging out in the perfect ocean water with my coconut drink!

Walked to this shipwreck right by Radio Beach on Bimini

Overall Reflection

I had low expectations for my first cruise.  I'm not a fan of laying on the beach, crowds, heavy drinking and long hours in the sun. So perhaps it was surprising that I enjoyed this cruise so much!  I kid you not, I was hours returned from the trip and I was already researching other cruises.  Haha!  The great part of this travel is there is very little decision making.  The all inclusive nature makes for no worries about your food is coming from, and what you're going to do.  I think it would be especially fun to do it with a group too!  I hope to go on another cruise soon!

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