There is no point in doing my usual point scoring system for this cruise, can it even be called a cruise? But all things considered, this was one amazing day!
Starting with the ship itself, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. The ship is very compact, and you can walk it in its entirety in about 30 minutes or less. There are no pools, or jacuzzis, and very little to do. But the main purpose of this ship is to transport you quickly to paradise and that it does in splendor. The ship is immaculate, and you can see the crew constantly working to keep it that way.
They offer a few dining options, including a full service restaurant, a buffet and bar food. The food is reasonably priced, and the very least we had tasted great! Service on the ship is excellent, and the crew is serving contracts just like they do with the larger cruise lines. For those who want to rest on board, they can rent a cabin for the day for a reasonable price. The addition of a cruise director is a also a great asset for the company. He did a good job at keeping lots of people entertained in the main outside deck while the ship was sailing.
Were this company really shines is in the Resort itself! Bimini is now one of the two Bahamian islands that I would love to repeat, the second being Castaway Key. Bimini Resorts World is a true paradise, I absolutely loved how everything is spread out and you can feel like you’re on your own piece of paradise. As I have already stated the key in making the most out of your stay is to rent a golf cart. Nothing compares with the ability to move at your own pace between the resort and the local town.
The local town doesn’t really offer that much, I guess it is just like any other Caribbean town. There is obvious poverty and I for one, noticed people eyeing some of my possessions. While I do admit that I saw lots of police patrolling the main gathering areas, it is still a little concerning to have to worry about it. The main reason to head into town is to have those amazing local conch fritters and conch salad. That alone merits the visit!
The resort has two pools, one beach, a large casino and a marina with a mini mall. There are also plenty of restaurants throughout the property, at least 5 that I can think of. The pools rival those from very expensive resorts here in my home town. Actually to me they looked much better than the W hotel, or the Ritz. The beach was very rough on our visit there, I hope this was just an isolated occasion, because the beach itself had all animates that you need. Did I mention that the water toys are included?
Here is where the real question lies, what is Resorts World Bimini SuperFast trying to accomplish. We now know that they have pulled out of port Everglades and they won’t sail the single day sailings any more. It is clear that they seem to be struggling to establish a market, and more importantly, how to use to ship to do so. From what I know, their next move will be to try 2 and 3 day sailings, with the option to sleep on the ship or at the resort. The main problem that I see with this is that one of the sailing that I saw was Saturday, arriving at 5pm and leaving Sunday at 11am, how is that convenient to anyone?
I really hope that they reconsider the day cruises, I for one would not mind paying $100 for a day cruise like the one we did last week. One thing is very clear, judging by the amount of construction going on in the island, it is clear that they have very high expectations for this resort. I would love to see this island develop into a major resort so that it can be more easily accessible for us to go more often.
To sum it up, if you ask me whether your family should visit Bimini? I will answer probably answer as such. Bimini is one of my favorite islands, and I can’t wait until the next time that I can make it there. However, I have no interest in flying there. Part of the thrill and fun, is arriving to the island aboard Bimini SuperFast!
