12-Hour Ferry From Miami Area

US2U's Bahamas day cruise from the Miami area: about 12 hours door to door, from $284 per person.

Overview

This tour turns the Bahamas into a day trip by pairing a Miami area shuttle with a same-day ferry out of Port Everglades. Pickup is confirmed at booking, the crossing is made on an air conditioned ferry with a guaranteed seat each way, and the route serves either Bimini or Grand Bahama. Once the ferry docks, the hours ashore are entirely unstructured: no guide, no schedule, just free time until the return sailing and the shuttle home. Door to door, the day runs about 12 hours.

It suits self-directed travellers with valid passports who want a taste of the islands without an overnight stay. Reviewers consistently describe the ferry itself as comfortable and the crossing as smooth. The scale is the counterweight: up to 299 travellers per departure, queues at check-in and immigration, and a return leg that can stretch the day.

It does not suit anyone expecting a curated excursion. Island activities are excluded from the fare, require separate booking and an additional fee, and depend on availability, guest minimums and weather. Reviews also make the arithmetic plain: once the crossings, transfers and border formalities are subtracted, actual beach time runs to a few hours rather than a full day. Travellers who want more should consider an overnight instead.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Miami area pickupA shuttle collects travellers from a confirmed point in the Miami area. The exact pickup is confirmed at booking.
2. Transfer to Port EvergladesRoad transfer from Miami to the Port Everglades ferry terminal for check-in.
3. Ferry to the BahamasAir conditioned crossing with a guaranteed seat, sailing to either Bimini or Grand Bahama. Food and drink can be bought on board.
4. Free time on the islandNothing is scheduled ashore. Optional activities and beach clubs are booked and paid separately at your own cost.
5. Return ferrySame-day sailing back to Port Everglades. The listing warns that immigration waits on both sides can run long.
6. Drop-off in MiamiThe shuttle returns travellers to the Miami area once the ferry docks.

What To Expect From The Tour

The crossing itself is the easy part. Scale, timing and how much you arrange on your own are what shape the day.

• Passport is mandatory. The Bahamas is an independent nation, not part of the United States, so every passenger needs a valid passport or US passport card. Full details for each traveller, including name, date of birth, citizenship and passport expiry, must be entered at booking. The operator authorizes no refunds or chargebacks when those details are missing.
• Pace the long day. The trip runs about 12 hours door to door, and several reviewers counted only a few hours of actual island time once check-in, border queues and the ferry crossings are subtracted. Choose one or two priorities for the island rather than a long list.
• Big-boat group feel. Departures carry up to 299 travellers, so the day feels like a ferry load rather than a small tour group. Reviewers still call the seats comfortable and the crossing itself pleasant; the squeeze comes at check-in, boarding and immigration.
• Plan your island time. Nothing ashore is organized or included. Reviews describe travellers arranging their own day, whether a paid beach club, a rented golf cart for getting around Bimini, or the walk to a free public beach. Deciding before you sail protects the limited hours.
• Budget for extras. The fare covers the ferry, taxes, port charges and pickup, and stops there. Reviewers describe paying separately for food and drink on board, for entry at some beaches, and for add-on excursions such as swimming with pigs. Bring a payment card or cash.
• Expect evening delays. The listing warns that border staffing shortages can stretch waits at Bahamas and US immigration. Reviews report the same friction, from passport control queues on the return to a boarding delayed by hours. Keep the evening after the trip free of fixed plans.

Common issues. The dominant complaint is arithmetic: several reviewers said the crossings, shuttles and border formalities left them only a few hours on the island. Everything beyond the ferry costs extra, with reviewers describing separate charges for beach entry and excursions, including one sailing where the swim-with-pigs trip was cancelled on the day. The return leg draws criticism too, from long passport control queues to a delayed boarding, and one reviewer found the onboard Wi-Fi and most charging ports dead. From the listing: the trip is not wheelchair accessible, is not recommended for pregnant travellers or people with back problems, and no refund or change is possible inside the 24-hour window.

Before The Ferry