Ferry to Bimini, Bahamas

 We hit the breakfast and I ask one more time about the shuttle. 

The person at the desk says that the shuttle drivers are allowed to make a run in between other runs and we ask a driver and they take us.  So, we don’t have to do Ubers after all and get into a huge van to take us to the port.  We tip generously and find out that we’re going to have to check a bag on the ferry because they’re being very hardline on only two carry ons and we have filled a duffle bag with groceries because they’re hard to get on the island.  We check a bag and check in for the ferry.  I finally feel like I can breathe now because we are most definitely making it to the Bahamas now.  The ferry is great because we get to stretch out and take up several rows for our families. 

The masking is serious after health checks and visas to get in to the Bahamas, and you can go outside to blow away in the wind.  Duty free options are amazing and we get a bottle of alcohol for each adult in our party at ridiculously low prices.  We now have way more than we want to carry with bags and groceries and alcohol, but what can you do?  When we arrive, the Bahamas decides that they only want 20 people at a time to disembark so that they can check passports and stuff.  The health visas have already been checked, so we wait and get our passports stamped on the boat before exiting toward that perfect blue water.  We wait forever for a tram that takes us to the front of the Hilton even though there is another tram that is ferrying the cruise ship

passengers to the same place right by us, but we have to wait for our own tram.  We also find out that while our place is on South Bimini, this ferry docks at North Bimini and we have to take the tram, a taxi to the ferry to South Bimini and then a taxi to our condo….so, that’s fun with a kids and bags in tow.  But, again, we’re here, so who cares at this point?  Finally get the tram, wait through several

cycles at the drop off point for a taxi big enough for all of us and the one that gets us does not have enough room.  Christopher (the driver) is certain that we will fit though and shoves all the bags in the back, Lena sits on Brenden, I sit on John’s lap, Oscar sits on Julie’s lap and Ethan is on Dave’s lap in the front seat.  It’s ridiculous, but he shows us the good places to go to the beach and points out the Dolphin House to us as we move through Alice Town to the other “ferry”.  This is a pontoon boat basically going the 30 yards of water between the two islands.  I feel like I could swim this, but not with bags of

course and mainly because it is a major thruway for boats going from one island to the other.  We get off and luckily there is a big van on the other side to take us and another family that is staying at the same place as us 200 yards down the road to our huge complex.  We get our keys easily and hightail in to a very nice condo with kitchen on main floor, loft bedroom, and two bedrooms downstairs.   We have lunch at a take away place because the restaurant at our resort has already closed for the day and we head to the tiny grocery store before Christmas hits.  Now, when I say “tiny”, I mean “tiny”.  One aisle that has everything within a 30 foot space.  We get some staples that we couldn’t bring over like eggs, bread, milk, cheese, deli meat, and get some hotdogs and hamburgers in case that is Christmas dinner because everything will be closed.  We trek back to the place and kind of throw everything down and put on swimsuits to check out the infinity pool right out the door practically.  And we remember why we went through all these modes of transportation to get here.  It’s beautiful and sunny, and warm, and magical.  We put up the Christmas tree and some other decorations to make it seem more like we’re having a holiday.  Oscar wonders if Santa will bring things to Bimini or leave them at home like he has in years past.