Island Jumper

Virgin Voyages: Bimini Shore Things

Most of the Virgin Voyages on Scarlet Lady make a trip to Bimini which is a chain of islands in the Bahamas. In October we’re headed there again and looking forward to it! Bimini feels very small in comparison to Nassau (which is actually on New Providence island and the Capital of the Bahamas). But despite this, there is a lot to do and see in my opinion. Again, we’re focusing on using Virgin sponsored Shore Things rather than going on our own. I did check prices for comparable tours and really the ship sponsored ones are within $10-$30 of going and booking on your own. For me, that’s a decent surcharge for getting to the excursion easily and having the peace of mind of knowing the ship knows where you are and if something goes sideways they aren’t likely to leave you on the dock. Now, without further ado here are the things that interest me in Bimini. If you want to see us talk about all of this, check out the youtube video.

Physically Active Shore Things

I’ll be honest, I did one of the things marked moderately active and it wasn’t really that taxing. There is no hiking available, so the exertion is all in the swimming.

• Sapona Shipwreck and Shark Snorkeling ($130 at time of posting)
  • You head across the water to a beached shipwreck and snorkel around it, then head over to a place where the sharks live. I am not SCUBA certified, so this one was the most intense experience I could sign up for when we went. It was a LOT of fun. I have been to places with more colorful fish, but never had been around that many sharks.
• Kayak Tour for Two ($150 at time of posting)
  • I’ve been picking two experiences out each time…and I didn’t want to pick another swim with sea creatures selection (you can visit Dolphins or Rays instead of Sharks), so this one looked like fun if you are adept at two man kayaking. Charlene and I are not…so this one we won’t be going on, lol.

Cultural and Walking Shore Things

• Bimini Heritage and Cultural Tour ($85 at time of posting)
  • You go on a tram and visit various places (subject to change) with a tour guide that regals you with stories of the island and it’s history. You get to eat and shop along the way.
• Ummm, why aren’t you swimming..you should really swim
  • The pattern was to put two things…there aren’t any other walking or cultural options…go swim or do the relaxing stuff!

Just Relax Shore Things

• Views-n-Blues Mid-Afternoon Cruise ($100 at time of posting)
  • This used to be billed as a Sunset Cruise…but the one we booked had to cancel and now I see they’ve moved it to Mid-Afternoon. Seems fine to me. The island is gorgeous and on the catamaran you’ll have food, drinks and music.
• Go to the Club and just hang ($0 unless you buy things)
  • There are a few other things you could do that would cost money, but the beach club has food, drinks and music. The alcohols costs you from your bar tab, but the rest is part of your cruise fare.

I’ve skimmed past a bunch of really fun sounding things here. I encourage you to check your app (you’ve installed that right?) and see what sparks your joy. You could rent a cabana to do the beach club in glam style, or if you Scuba there are some options that look pretty awesome. And there’s a jet ski opportunity that could be fun, but I’ll be honest at $250 per hour rental I am just not sure it’s worth it. Oh, and if you like to fish there’s a fishing tour. I do not think I could get Charlene out on that though, so i left it off.