The 7 finest Bahamas cruises for each kind of traveler

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 embody new and jazzed-up ships crusing an array of brief and weeklong Bahamas itineraries. Cruising to the Bahamas is really easy, it’s possible you’ll even be capable of go with out a passport.

Household-friendly traces, akin to Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line and Carnival, supply cruises centered 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 usher in a handful of itineraries on premium traces like Celeb and Holland America.

The one cruise traces that don’t often sail Bahamas cruises are the posh traces. However don’t fear, lux lovers: Lots of the ships we included on our checklist 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 aim, have a look at the highest suite choices on a mainstream or premium line.

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Whether or not you’re searching for a fast and low cost getaway or every week on the seaside, listed here are the very best Bahamas cruise itineraries to begin your search, so as from shortest to longest.

2-night cruises on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise from Palm Seaside, Florida

Although cruising is new to the Margaritaville journey and hospitality franchise, the brand new cruise line Margaritaville at Sea is basically a rebranding of the previous Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. Its refurbished ship, Paradise, initially debuted within the 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 revel in loads of leisure together with the musical manufacturing, “Tales from Margaritaville: Jimmy’s Ship Present.” There’s a children membership, a teen membership, a spa and two swimming pools stocked with seaside balls and inflatable parrots.

The 2-night cruise itinerary contains sooner or later in Freeport the place you may store, hit the on line casino, take pleasure in water sports activities or chill on the seaside. The ship gives shore excursions, or you may discover independently. Margaritaville at Sea additionally gives 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 associate resorts 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. ft, which is bigger than the common for these classes on most mainstream ships. Ten suites with balconies are additionally obtainable with 524 sq. ft of area.

Who ought to go? Clearly, Parrotheads are gonna wish to do that ship, with all its Jimmy Buffett-inspired themes and decor, nevertheless it’s additionally a very good trial run for anybody on the fence about cruising. Pricing additionally makes this an important cruise to take pleasure in an escape with out spending a fortune. We discovered weekday sailings that start at $99 per individual.

Associated: Finest 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 general brief Bahamas cruise. Each the three- and four-night cruises have stops at Nassau and Royal Caribbean‘s huge non-public island — Good Day at CocoCay. These two stops mixed give cruisers the chance to take pleasure in 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 may absorb on a brief cruise. Carrying round 4,000 cruise visitors, Freedom of the Seas is sufficiently big 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 resorts, it is a metropolis that caters to vacationers, particularly the cruising ones.

Who ought to go? From first-timers to veteran cruisers, anybody searching for a brief, however fun-filled hop to the Bahamas ought to give Freedom of the Seas a glance. Households with children of all ages will discover leisure and actions for toddlers to teenagers. {Couples} hoping to flee the kiddos can try this additionally — the adults-only Solarium is a dreamy spot to calm down. And whereas the suites on the ship aren’t the two-deck selection discovered on a few 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 look ahead to 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 means of 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 journey in a two-seater raft with a pre-adventure story advised by means of screens inside the start of the journey. Diners on the Worlds of Marvel restaurant participate in an interactive Avengers-themed expertise by means of movies and particular results.

Want carries 4,000 passengers, in staterooms and suites designed to make cruising with children 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 children.

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: Finest shore excursions for Bahamas cruises

4-night cruises on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Woman from Miami

Virgin Voyages aimed from the very starting to be a disrupter within the cruise market — making a product that’s designed to please even those that declare they might by no means set foot on a cruise ship. The itinerary for this four-night Bahamas cruise on Scarlet Woman is pretty bizarre. Ports of name embody Key West and a non-public seaside membership on the Bahamian island of Bimini.

However it’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 purple livery and one-of-a-kind onboard actions, akin to 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 wanting to celebration aboard this glitzy ship. If you happen to’re simply offended by loud music, round the clock partying or sexual innuendo, this isn’t your Bahamas cruise.

4-night cruises on Celeb Silhouette or Summit from Fort Lauderdale or Miami

If you happen to’re searching for a Bahamas cruise that’s a bit extra upscale, Celeb Cruises gives a collection of four- and typically five-night sailings between November and April from South Florida ports aboard Celeb Silhouette and Celeb Summit. Ports of name embody Nassau together with both Bimini or Key West, each of that are enjoyable ports and yours often is 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 gives a quieter alternative 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 children’ program onboard, however general, the ship is geared towards {couples}, with the common age onboard over 50.

Who ought to go? Celeb’s ships are finest left to lovers of a much less frenetic fashion of cruising. They are perfect for ladies’ getaways, with a ritzy spa and plenty of locations to take a seat and go to each indoors and out on the pool deck. Cruisers searching for an opulent Bahamas cruise expertise can take their escape from the world a step additional by selecting a collection in The Retreat, which incorporates an unique solar deck, lounge and the Luminae restaurant, obtainable solely to suite visitors.

Associated: Finest 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 widespread with exhausting partiers that may be disruptive on shorter Bahamas cruises.

Carnival Cruise Line gives two totally different five-night routes aboard Carnival Freedom. One has stops in Nassau, the Princess Cays non-public island and a bonus cease in Turks and Caicos. The opposite route has two sea days with stops in Bimini and Turks and Caicos. Carnival alternates the five-night routes with four-nighters, making prolonged cruises doable by reserving back-to-back sailings.

Carnival Freedom carries slightly below 3,000 cruisers and has one thing to supply virtually everybody at an inexpensive worth. Specifically, Carnival is understood 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 aim is to get to the islands on a budget, strive Carnival Freedom. Apart from throughout peak December holidays, the five-night sailings on Freedom are priced virtually 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 looks like a bonus.

You will discover loads of points of interest on this ship to fill three days at sea. For meals, you may 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 embody limitless entry to the thermal suite and hydrotherapy pool.

I 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 may very well be a enjoyable room for a single guardian cruising with one baby.

Who ought to go? That is the very best Bahamas cruise for anybody searching for a weeklong cruise that does not break the financial institution however nonetheless gives loads of onboard enjoyable and a broad vary of stateroom choices.