Any recent Bimini experiences?

[imluvncruzn]

We were just in Bimini last week.  We walked to the end of the pier and past the security shack.  On your right hand side right past the security shack is golf cart rentals.  They all have Sue & Joys decals on the front of the golf cart.  We rented a 4-person golf cart for $60 for the day including gas.  No information, ID, or contracts.  The golf cart came with a wire cable and lock to put around the steering wheel when you park and leave it.  The key to the ignition also opened the lock.  There's not much to see on Bimini.  We headed south (right out of port area) and went as far south as we could.  There's a very cool lookout at the southern most tip of the island.  We saw jellyfish, crabs, and stingrays.  Also on the southern end is a very small open air market selling tshirts and beach bags and the ferry which will take you to South Bimini Island.  We left there and headed back toward the ship.  There's one main road that will take you the full length of the island but there's a shortened back road that runs along the beach on the side closest to the ship.  We took this road back toward the ship and came across Radio Beach.  An absolutely stunning beach.  Lots of jellyfish but I had done some research and discovered that Bimini has what is called "Moon jellyfish".  They have a pattern that looks like a flower in the midde of them.  They do not sting.  We were nervous to swim so I decided to pick one up to see if they stung and they did not.  You can see the ship from this beach.  Soft sand and crystal blue water!  Also lots of conch shells on this beach.  We did not see any restroom facilities.  After leaving there we continued heading north and eventually this road curves back to meet the main road.  We continued past the port area to the North end of the island.  This end was much more developed with nice houses and rentals.  We followed the tram into the beach parking lot (it'll be on your left).  There were several other golf carts there so we parked and went onto beach 360.  At the entrance to the bar there is a sign that says "Private Property".  I walked right through and down to the beach.  The rest of my group went down a small hill to the side of where the lounges and umbrellas were and right down to the beach.  Carnival sells this beach pkg for $64.99 for two which includes one drink, an umbrella, and two chairs.  We laid out our beach towels and enjoyed this beach for free.  It's nice but IMO not as nice as Radio Beach.  When I tell you this island is small it really is the smallest island I've seen in 31 cruises.  You can walk from side to side. There is also a day pass at the Hilton for $12.50pp that gets you access to the hotel pool.  This is a huge property.  The hotel and pool area are very far away from Beach 360 and the resort pool near the beach.  By the way, they were guarding the resort pool and not allowing guests in unless they paid $40 each.  Not much to see on Bimini.  We were back on board by 12:15pm but we enjoyed the golf cart and would probably do that again if we stopped there again.  

Edited September 9, 2021 by imluvncruzn

[Mike_DeA]

On 8/27/2021 at 10:30 PM, barbatkins said:

Was there a casino at the Resorts World?  How far from the port area?

Yes, there is a small casino.  Maybe 50-75 slot machines and a handful of table games, only 2-3 of those were open in the early afternoon of my recent midweek visit.

 

There is a free shuttle and it was a 5-7 min. ride to the casino.  The entire loop of the tram is only 15-20 min. 

[cgast89]

Our November cruise just had Grand Turk removed from the itinerary and Bimini added; THANKS for all the feedback - we're going to get a golf cart for a half day and go exploring. One question: is there any local beaches that we could snorkel from? 

Edited September 13, 2021 by cgast89

[Lee Cruiser]

On 9/9/2021 at 11:06 AM, imluvncruzn said:

There is also a day pass at the Hilton for $12.50pp that gets you access to the hotel pool.  This is a huge property.  The hotel and pool area are very far away from Beach 360 and the resort pool near the beach.  By the way, they were guarding the resort pool and not allowing guests in unless they paid $40 each.

Does the Hilton resort offer a package for cruisers that has beach access with chairs and umbrella?