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The short cruise: three to five nights from Florida, warm water in every month and the first island reached after a single night at sea.
Season
Year-round
Typical length
3 – 5 nights
Sea temp
73 – 84°F
Photo by Frederick Wallace on Unsplash
The Bahamas is the short cruise. Sailings run from Florida's east-coast ports year-round, most of them three to five nights, and the first island is close enough that you can leave the ship in the morning after a single night at sea. That makes it the easiest first cruise there is, and a good long weekend for anyone within driving distance of Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral.
Nassau is on almost every itinerary; the rest of the trip is usually a private island day or a second Bahamian call. Pick a sailing for its rhythm rather than its ports: a three-night loop is two full days ashore and one at sea, a four-night adds a sea day, and both reward a cabin with a window because the water is the point. Look for sailings outside hurricane season if you are set on calm seas.
Nassau
Ships tie up downtown, and the straw market, the forts and the bridge to Paradise Island are all within walking distance of the pier. The beaches are a short taxi ride, and the water is the color you were promised.
Freeport, Grand Bahama
The pier is out on the island's western end, well away from the beaches and the marketplace at Port Lucaya, so this is a port where a planned excursion or a shared taxi earns its keep. The beaches on the south shore are long and quiet.
Bimini
The closest Bahamian island to Florida, and for a long time a fishing outpost. Ships dock at a purpose-built pier on North Bimini with a resort beach club next door; the town of Alice Town is a short ride south.
Key West, Florida
Not the Bahamas, but on many of the same short loops. Ships dock at or a short shuttle from Mallory Square, and the best of the town - Duval Street, the old houses, the Hemingway home, the sunset pier - is all on foot from there.
Browse The Bahamas sailings with dates, ships and current US-dollar fares from our supplier feed. Cabin availability is checked when you view cabins.
