I also was skeptical of using this service after reading prior reviews. Boarding process from Fort Lauderdale was smooth after getting there at 6:30am. The ride going to Freeport was a bit choppy but crew was ready to assist any passengers that were experiencing sickness. Duty free shop on boat had good deals. Food was decent for being on a boat and drinks were strong and reasonably priced. Return boarding at Freeport was again east and fast considering I got there at 530. Boat on return was more lively with a dj getting the more lively passengers to dance and select songs. Needless to Soul train line was formed. Even passengers who didn't get seemed entertained watching others dancing. Once back at Fort Lauderdale the process was a bit more lengthy depart given there were only two agents checking passports. Yes faster to fly but if going in a group or maybe you find a deal I would recommend as a nice alternative to Freeport. read more

Been to 20 different countries all over the world back packed, stayed in hostels, by far the worst trip I even been on if you want to waste a day on your vacation book now! Was 280$ for ferry ride pay for food on ferry, you get to Bahamas at 12pm!! get to Bahamas it is 100$ from the ferry port to where ever you want to go, 16$ to get on the beach, you get 2 hours of kayak or jetski on the beach then they close water sports and you swim for another 2 hours then 4pm they bring you back to the port for the 3 hours back to Ft. Lauderdale and you wait in customs for a hour, once you get out of customs it is 12am at night and the port is closed there are taxi Take the taxi, if you uber they won't let uber in the port after 10pm you will be stranded had to walk the whole port to get out of it to get a uber to pick us up didn't get home till 2:30am in the morning. Goodluck! read more

10/10 experience. Thank you for making my trip to Bimini so easy and fun! The ferry was super comfortable with spacious seats, good AC, and they even had food and drinks available onboard which made the ride even better. You can chill, snack, and vibe the whole way there. If you're looking for a quick and fun getaway, this is hands down the best way to go. read more

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Such a terrible process. Takes over 2 hours to even get moving once you board the boat. Employees are rude and blunt, wifi does not work, outlets do not work. The food is mid at best and the bartenders are friendly but not very quick. The only nice thing is the duty free. Quite possibly the least common sense process I've ever experienced. read more

After purchasing one of their Groupons to take their three hour ride to Freeport, Bahamas we finally decided when we wanted to go. Booking this trip was the stress of working with this company after having a hard time reaching them, then finally booking our trip they had the wrong date and returning on the same day. After speaking with a couple of their customer service representatives Balearia is definitely lacking customer service skills bad over the phone. I called to confirm our reservation a couple of days before travel since we had iffy confirmation when booking and the lady on the phone was very rude, then "couldn't locate our reservation"; all of which I felt she barely tried. Retrieving my confirmation number I had to call back again since the first lady couldn't help me..The second lady let me explain my problem all over again to tell me to call back in 5 mins because her "computer was having issues". By now we are feeling as if this is more of hassle then it is worth. My husband calls them one last time to try to sort out our dates and length of time there to get another headache but a confirmation of what we originally booked the first time, this time correct. The morning of our trip we both were expecting the worst when arriving to the port. {Parking is $15 a day} They advised us to arrive 3 hours early due to security and boarding an hour early on the boat. Security was a breeze along with checking in. The staff was friendly and very quick getting us through. Needless to say on our Saturday morning departing, we did not need to get there so early but we would rather be safe then sorry! (People were still arriving 20 mins before departure). The boat itself is clean and maintained although it is old we actually enjoyed our trip on it! The bar on board opened up at 9am! A relief! They also have lots of duty free items for purchase and casino games on board. A kitchen is on board as well that serves breakfast items, pizza, hamburgers, and such (I would avoid this as much as possible unless drunk :)). Also, if you are thinking of bringing your furry one then they have kennels for you to put them in. And a luggage spot so you can roam around the boat without carrying all your belonging with you at all times. They have a First Class area (I don't see the perks in this) that is closed off to others. For three hours it is a quick and easy ride on this boat! The one thing that might bother people (like my husband) is that when arriving in Freeport they have people that are only staying the day get off the boat first, then Bohemians, then the others staying overnight. This did not bother me but I can see both sides in how it could get under people's skin. It took us about 20-25 mins to get off the boat. Overall, this is definitely not a bad way to get to the Bahamas after booking but expect some hassle and headache when you decide to reach them in office for your reservation. We would do this again with another discount or Groupon but not paying full price. read more

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LEFT US & 75 OTHER PASSENGERS ABANDONED IN BIMINI Where to even start.. this company is a complete scam, left us and over 75 other passengers stranded on Bimini this past Sunday 7/11/2021. If i could give them 0 stars i would.. They let us stand in line for over two hours in the sun in front of the casino only to board the tram at 5:25pm to then be told to show our boarding pass which now had to have a yellow check mark that stated we were "checked in", none of the other passengers that had left previously were told this & it just so happened that the last three trams leaving were all forcefully pulled off the tram and our luggage's thrown to the ground. The tram operator proceeded to yell cruses at us, turned off the tram and sat there while he said he wasn't f**king taking us anywhere. We then all walked to the ferry dock were they had it chained up the gate & we heard over the security walkie talkie that the boat was full & no more passengers were to be accepted. The locals were yelling at the security to please let us in that this would hurt their local businesses if the word spreads. They forcefully demanded us to leave the main gate & instructed us to visit their office. When the Balearia staff finally arrived at 7:15pm they showed up with two members of the civil defense, two police officers & a security which all were purposely flashing their firearms at us & telling us to calm down or they "would make us calm down". When they finally let us into their office it was to literally laugh in our faces and tell us that we would NOT be receiving a refund & that we would need to purchase another ticket for Wednesday's fair at a cost of $169.00 plus our hotel fees. I pulled one of the Balearia employees aside and gave him $20.00 for him to tell me the truth, apparently they had over booked their day trip passengers and return home from Friday passengers. They came up with the excuse of a "check in" process that did not exists, which the concierge from the Hilton confirmed this to be true. They left us on the island with no phone number to call, no proper representation & were told if a complaint was made to the embassy in Nassau, CBP or Homeland Security that we would be banned from the ferry. Avoid this ferry at all costs!!! We ended up having to charter a flight back at the cost of $1700, plus the additional cost of another night at the Hilton!! This company is an absolute joke!! The ferry did NOT leave Miami in time, we arrived at Bimini at 12pm, once you arrive they leave you on the ship for another 2 hours with the AC off while they unload cargo. They WILL do the same to you because they can!! The company is registered to the country of Cyprus, they do not care about stealing from you and leaving you abandoned in a foreign country because they know no legal action will be taken. After taking an Uber from the airport back to the dock to pick up my car, i approached the dock supervisor for Balearia and requested the address for administration. They head quarters is literally a warehouse in the middle of ft lauderdale. One gentleman told me their main operation is out of Cyprus and no one could help us get a refund there. Attached is a picture of their headquarters & their address is 3300 NW 13th Ave, Ft Lauderdale Fl 33315 Extremely unprofessional, they hang up the phone when you call, please do yourself a favor and just spend the money flying to Bimini read more

It does not deserve even one STAR. I thought I would let your readers know that yesterday, August 9, my family of four were to ferry to Bimini out of Port Everglades at 9:00 am. By 12:30 pm they asked all the day-trippers to line up to get a refund since they would not have enough time on the island. Next, at 1:30pm they asked all the people traveling to Freeport (I had no idea people were also going there) to line up because their trip was being cancelled. Most of them seemed to be islanders and were going to be stuck in South Florida until Tuesday. A little later, they made the announcement that everyone going to Bimini would depart at 8:00pm. I should have gone with my gut instinct and gone back home, but we were really looking forward to vacationing in Bimini. Needless to say, there we are again, and at 7:15 they make the announcement that we would not be embarking that evening. At this point they brought in about 5-6 armed customs agents to quell the angry and disappointed passengers. No one at Balearia knew what was going on; they blamed it on customs and customs blamed it on Balearia. They kept repeating that it was a problem with the freight that was being loaded onto the ship. I am sure there is a very strict process to things being loaded on to a ship, but to me it is obvious that the company Balearia feels that merchandise is more important than people. I am keeping my fingers crossed we will get a full refund. read more

Be careful with what you read about the "Fast Ferry." The estimated travel time was to be 2 hours but turned out to be 3 1/2 hours even in calm seas and beautiful weather. Guess they were saving fuel by going slower. Pre-departure, much emphasis was put on arriving at the terminal on time or you would be locked out and left behind. After arriving 1 1/2 hours early we then were treated to almost an hour late departure. Also, we had paid $50 extra for "first class" which afforded us priority boarding. Didn't happen. They opened the gate and it was a free-for-all to get in. Our first class standing was also to provide us a "snack." That turned out be a so called ham sandwich with a paper thin slice of meat and a soft drink. As you can see, a joke for $50. When we returned home we complained and received absolutely zero response. Considering a credit card dispute now. Buyer beware!!!! read more

After reading several reviews I was expecting a vomit filled, uncomfortable journey, so I was pleasantly surprised at a nice day. I had no problems booking my trip via email. Being a fairly seasoned international traveler, I was surprised by the ease of customs on both ends. I found the boat ride very pleasant, as it was clean and had decent amenities. I brought a book, an iPod and just watched out the window. There was a little bit of roughness when we hit a stormy patch, but it is summer after all. I enjoyed walking around the boat, wandering outside to the small deck, and winning $20 on slots. I wish I had more time on Grand Bahama Island, so next time I go, I may take advantage of a ferry ride/one night in a hotel offer they had. It is not a cruise, just a pleasant way to get to the Bahamas quickly and comfortably. read more

Balearia Bahamas Express - Public Transportation Near Me - Miami, Florida

I never received my refund from Balearia regarding my daughters trip to Bimini. Therefore, I have been discussing filing a lawsuit against Balearia because they cancelled my round trip ticket to and from Bahamas in late May. They cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic and refused my request for a refund. This was not right since the terms on the ticket promises a full refund for cancellations more than 7 days before sailing. If you were also refused a refund and would like to consider a lawsuit on a contingency, you may want to consider the lawyers at Diamond Kaplan & Rothstein, PA by emailing at info@dkrpa.com or call them by phone at 305-374-1920. I found them incredibly helpful. read more

I wish I had checked Yelp to see the horrible reviews and I never would have taken this. First of all, the checkin process in Fort Lauderdale is stupid and a waste of time. I did the checkin process online but if you don't PRINT a paper copy of it they make you wait in a line for over an hour. And yes they are hardcore about cutting you off, you cannot show up late to this. Once inside, it is like being at a really low budget DMV with 100s of ppl crowded like cattle. If you're germ phobic, forget about it. The duty free shop DOESNT take credit cards (?!). Also, the stairs on/off are very steep so if you have any knee/hip issues maybe want to think twice. On the way back, we waited 2.5 hours in Customs. Since there only is one return boat per evening, you would think they would have more Customs agents meeting the boat with 100s of ppl. Overall, it was not a great experience. Next time, I will fly on Silver Air. read more

We have been doing Hammerhead Shark dives with Bimini Undersea now for over 2 years, and they used FRS Caribbean for a majority of that time. We found out that in November that the contract had moved from FRS Caribbean to Balearia Caribbean, and we were concerned because of some of the reviews we read. We just finished the first Hammerhead Dive trip for this season, and we could not have been happier. The boat stuck to the published schedule which made our divers relaxed and had plenty of time to enjoy the food on the island, and relax before boarding to come back home, which was right on time as well. The dive was amazing, and the round trip service provided by Balearia Caribbean was wonderful. Thank you for doing a Great job. It made us look great to our customers, and ensured our continued use of your service in the future. read more

I paid $59 per person (through Groupon). The deal was that we would leave Fort Lauderdale at 8:00 a.m., arrive in the Grand Bahamas at 12:00 noon, and be on the island until we had to leave (the island ) at 6:00 pm for the return trip to Fort Lauderdale. I arrived at the "cruise" ship by 7:00 am., and went to "sign-in." I paid an upgrade fee for my brother and me (it was $20 per person). I was told to go to deck seven, where I would find lounge chairs. We were given "food and drink" vouchers to be used on the boat. When I did go to use my voucher for "food," imagine my surprise when I was told that I had a choice of a bag of chips, a packaged small muffin, or a bag or bar of candy. I was given a drink with it - coffee, tea, soda, or water. (Not exactly what I expected to eat for breakfast.) I did go to one of the two "restaurants" - an 8x8 area with a tray railing. I don't remember a seating area, but I was able to order pre-made eggs, and a full array of breakfast items that came with the eggs for $11 plus tax. We landed in the Bahamas at 12:00 noon, and were told to go one floor down to disembark. We stood there, on line, for at least 30 minutes, until we were allowed to leave the boat. We then got to wait again for a shuttle that would take us to another bus] that would then take us to the market place. By the time we reached the island, and got out of the taxi, (at 1:20 p.m.) we were told had to return to the same spot to take a taxi back to the boat - AT 4:30!!! We knew the ship was leaving at 6:00, but they wanted us back on board by 5:00. Because of the short time we had on the island, we were only able to shop at the straw market where we had been driven to by bus (or taxi). My taxi driver said that it was a shame we didn't have more time, because there was so much to see and do just a little bit further away. She said it would be impossible to reach the other area and return in time to make it to the ship by 5:00. After our slightly longer than three house on the island, , we got back on a bus (as directed by the head of the taxis on the island) and were left off the equivalent of four city blocks from the ship. We got to walk back to the shuttle bus that would then take us back to the ship. We returned well before 6:00 pm, but the boat didn't leave until 6:30! I returned to the seventh floor "lounge" only to be stopped by the gentleman who had worked there in the morning. He wanted our boarding passes. Once he saw that it said, "Economy," he told us that we would have to upgrade to be in that area. I said that we had already upgraded in the morning! And that he had seen us there! He said, "You have to upgrade again for the return trip." Well, it was done and we got our food and drink vouchers again - imagine my surprise - the food was a choice of a slice of pizza, chicken wings, or chicken nuggets. So much better than a bag of chips!!! I forgot to mention this before - the temperature on the boat (inside) was about 60 degrees. When the people working on the boat were asked to make it a bit warmer, they were told that it couldn't be done. But, lo and behold, they sold blankets in the Duty Free shop, just in case one was cold. How could we be otherwise?? At 10:30, when we landed in Fort Lauderdale, we were again told to go to the sixth floor to disembark. Surprise, surprise!!! We waited over a half hour to be able to leave the boat! (We had to go through customs - which was the one part of the trip that happened the way it was supposed to happen!!!) I am only sorry that I did not look at Yelp! before purchasing the boat tickets. It would have saved me a lot of aggravation and a totally wasted day (except for the fact that I got to spend quality time with my brother!!!) There is the fact that Baleiria advertises in a very deceptive way, (like my being on the actual island of Grand Bahama for less than three and one-half hours), I would like to talk about the "cruise" boat we were on! The description on the Baleiria website states that there is a casino (there is - 25 slot machines), two or three pools (there are - approximately 7' x 7' each, and two restaurants (a 6' x 6' or 7c ' 7x area where one uses a tray to receive food.) The food consisted of one of two choices. There was no special cooking (for one who read more

I would honestly avoid taking this ferry again at all costs! This is the most poorly run travel service and company I have ever come across, and as someone who travels quite a bit, that is saying something. My friends and I arrived at the terminal at 7:15 AM on March 19th, 2015 with our boarding passes in hand only to be told that we were too late and would not be allowed on the ship. About 10 minutes went by when a lady who looked like a manager walked out of the terminal doors, we tried to catch her to explain our situation and she laughed in our faces and told us that we should've known to be there on time. We waited an hour until the Balearía offices reopened and were told that we would have to pay an additional $50 to reschedule our trip. We all agreed to cough up the money and rescheduled for the next day. On March 20th, 2015 we arrived at the terminal bright and early (6:30 AM) to ensure we would not miss our trip. Once on board the ferry the staff was not very helpful and very few of them spoke any English. We quickly found seats in the "economy" section of the ferry and waited to disembark. My friends and I all fell asleep during this time and woke up around 10:30 AM thinking we were almost to our destination when we overheard one of the crew members say that we still had another 2 hours of traveling to go. Unaware the trip was 4 hours long; we were all upset and anxious to get off the boat. We arranged transportation to take us to the beach once we arrived for about $12/person. When we finally arrived in the Bahamas we were treated like cattle when exiting the boat, it took forever and was the most unorganized process. Once we were finally off the boat, we found the bus that we were suppose to use as transportation, again very unorganized and no directions telling us where to go or what to do. It took exactly 25 minutes to get to our destination of Port Lucaya where there was supposed to be shops, restaurants and a beach. There were very few shops, one restaurant and a very small beach. Our driver, who was actually very nice and helpful gave us some suggestions and told us what time to be back to the bus so we wouldn't miss the ferry back. The shopping isn't great and it took us almost and hour to get our food order from Billy Joe's on the beach. After about 2 hours of hanging out on the beach we had to make our way back to the bus. Again, it took another 25 minutes for the trip back and we arrived at the ferry just in time to check in and board, or so we thought. The return leg was no better and not long after we checked in the staff had us wait off to the side of the very small, un-air-conditioned building. We waited a good 30 minutes until people started asking questions about when we were going to start boarding, the staff seemed confused and were not giving any answers. It turns out that there was a cruise ship docked where the ferry was supposed to be and instead of notifying us on what to do, they made us wait and told us that they were going to be bussing all 250+ passengers over to the boat which was about a 30 second drive. That process on it's own was time-consuming and it was already passed the time we were supposed to leave the island. Once we arrived to the boat we had to wait another 30 minutes or more because they had to move the ferry up about 10 feet and put on the ramp, which whoever was working the machine did not know what they were doing. Altogether it took about 2 hours to board the ship and we ended up taking off sometime close to 8:00 PM instead of 6:00 PM. Once on board we opted to sit at the top and try to relax and unwind from the stress that we had just been through, it didn't help. We went to purchase a drink from the bar close to the pool and got ripped off! $15 for a watered down piña colada and $8 for a beer...crazy! Not to mention, the frozen burgers were $19 and tasted...frozen! Once the sun went down, we decided to go inside where we found that there were no seats at all. There were few seats in the 1st class area but we were told we would have to pay an additional $20 to sit there. We refused to pay another dime to this ridiculous company and opted to make the best of sitting in the café. Once we were almost back to Fort Lauderdale there were crewmembers going around ordering us to fill out a customs sheet that they said was required for us to get off the boat. We had nothing but beach stuff with us so had to wait about 15 minutes in the reception area just to use a pen. Overall this experience was HORRIBLE! The staff was rude, unhelpful and overall the day was a waste and the trip was a complete waste of money. Save yourself the trouble and fly or take a real cruise ship to the Bahamas, not this wannabe! read more

Save your $$ and stay away from this company! We took the "day" trip on February 27. 2015 from Ft. Lauderdale and regret every minute of this! -Boat left several hours late which allowed us a about 3 hours on the island -Getting off the boast is a hassle that took forever -The boat is not new as the advertised -Credit card system on boat did not work -Late on the return and did not pass customs until 1:00am -Staff is not well trained and did not know how to handle all the people complaining and shouting to get off the boat -No mention from staff as to why we left almost 3 hours late read more

***DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME, ENERGY, HEALTH, SANITY, AND MONEY ON THIS COMPANY!!!*** This is for the ferry express that takes you to freeport from ft. lauderdale...let me just tell you, that if you are going to use them, be sure you know what your getting yourself into. This company is NOT known for their customer support...they are there to provide a service that they deem satisfactory...NOT you. I bought a groupon from them at a reasonable price and booked a date. 3 days before they scheduled date, I had a family emergency and would have to reschedule. I followed their guidelines and rules on giving them up to 24hrs notification of any changes to be made. I tried to get in contact with the company on several occasions and on a daily basis to change my dates through emails, and by calling directly. None of these methods where of any use. I could not get through... finally, I was able to get through to them through the phone...I asked them to please change my dates...they said NO!...I even asked them if I could buy a regular priced ticket and use the money that I paid as credit towards the full price ticket...they said NO!!!...very very quick to say NO on everything I asked... what a waste!!! NEVER EVER buy anything on groupon, no matter how "great" the deal is...always research before hand... If your here reading this, its because you have. WARNING...unless you know what your doing, the stars are aligned perfectly for your trip and you absolutely positively know nothing can go wrong and you have $100 burning a whole in your pocket that just needs to be thrown away...then yes take this trip with them...if not, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere on getting to the island....So I repeat: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME, ENERGY, HEALTH, SANITY, AND MONEY ON THIS COMPANY!!! read more

WORST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE The people you deal with on the phone have no idea whats going on. I have been trying to book a trip from groupon since June 21 and have not been able to book. I called again today as a last ditch effort to safe my $120 and was hung up on when I asked for a manager. TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW---DO NOT USE THEM I would like the owner/manager to address the CUSTOMER SERVICE, we all know weather is out out your control. read more

Balearia has opened 2 shuttles from South Florida to the Bahamas. 1 departs Port Everglades for Grand Bahama & the other departs Port of Miami for Bimini. I have used the Bimini ferry several times. I have not taken the Ft Lauderdale ferry yet...even though it's a bigger ship than the Miami one...so I can only comment on the Miami to Bimini ferry. All of my experience with Balearia has been fantastic. It is a little annoying to have to arrive so early...but you are going to Bimini....and you can sleep on the boat. The desk staff are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The boat crew are really great also. You can bring food, alcohol...whatever on the boat. The cool thing is that anyone on a ferry to Bimini is in a good mood...ready to have a great time...so the vibe on the boat is all positive. Unless the seas are rough. Obviously they cant help the weather....but they are proactive at helping those who succumb to sea sickness. We have arrived & departed on time each visit...once we arrived a little late, but that was due to REALLY rough seas. I recommend this to anyone who wants a cool ride over to a very fun place. If bringing kids....definitely check the weather first though read more

I would not recommend this ship. It is very dated, and not the cleanest. Upon arrival to the port, they give no directions on where to go or what to do. Food was expensive, it cost $15 for pizza and a drink. They advertise free wifi, but you have to pay $6.00 each way. Bathrooms were a disgrace, they only have one set of bathrooms on the entire ship, and the stalls did not have working locks. On the way home, there was nothing but loud drunk high schoolers yelling and screaming and plying music loud, it was horrible. I was dealing with a migraine and requested to be upgraded to first class because of all of the noise (that they were not trying to control at all whatsoever) and I would have paid for it to get away from the noise but was told after asking 3 times "it's not possible" when they clearly had MANY seats available in there. One last complaint, is that once you arrive to the Bahamas and back to Florida, it's takes FOREVER to get off the ship. On the way back, everyone was crowded in the main area around the door (I believe around 400 people) and they kept up a waiting there for 50 minutes, it was bad. I'm not claustrophobic but I almost had an anxiety attack in the crowd, and another girl did have one. If you have no other way to the Bahamas, then I would not discourage you from taking this ship, but if you can avoid it I definitely would. read more

Just to be clear, this review is for the ferry out of Port Everglades which they don't have a yelp review for.... You get what you pay for. This isn't a cruise, this isn't a vacation, this is a means of transport across a relatively short distance. Food isn't included, transportation from from Freeport isn't included and there isn't much information to figure out what you could do or what you might want to do once you get to the fun part of the island. Basically you have to try it first to see if you like it, which kinda defeats the purpose of reading a review so I'll say this. If you choose this service, don't have high expectations. After having done it, I believe there is a more cost effective (not cheaper but a better value) for a quick Bahamas trip. Like a two or three night all inclusive cruise. read more

We spent two hours waiting to get through the check in line with only two people to check in with for an entire ship.Then dealing with the rude and disorganized staff was the other issue.Once we finished with the miserable check in process we hoped to get some coffee but the machine was broken. We were suppose to leave at 8:00 am and we left at 11:30 am. The toilet in the women's restroom didn't even have a seat and only one was working. They had only one bartender. The food line was ridiculous to wait in and not even worth it. They never gave us a reason why the delay. Then we waited and hour to disembark. The staff on the ship was more rude then the check in staff. Then we used there transportation services, the bus broke down and didn't drop anyone off at the hotels instead a random location. read more

This is a terribly managed company, and it is scary that they are responsible for the safety of their passengers. 1) There are no safety briefings at any time while you are on the boat. If there are lifeboats, emergency exits, or an emergency plan, the passengers don't know about them. 2) The staff is incredibly rude. I had a "supervisor" demand that I be quiet when I asked for answers as to why our boat was floating aimlessly in the ocean for an hour and a half (more on that story in point 5). The staff also only speaks broken English at best. Even on the P.A. announcements, they have trouble communicating in English. If you look at the website and their printed materials, you'll notice that they don't even use proper spelling and grammar. That is the tip of the iceberg of their lack of concern about quality. There is no leadership from anyone on board. I've heard that this company is run out of the Dominican Republic, so maybe that speaks to why the quality is so low, but who knows. All I know is that they have absolutely no regard for their customers. I have never been treated so badly by a company. 3) The conditions in the waiting room to get on the boat in the Bahamas is very poor. We sat on the ground. When they started boarding, there is no PA system so no one knew what was going on, people were crowding each other like cattle. There were no emergency exits, if anything bad happens you're stuck. The staff literally yelled at people who were just trying to figure out what was going on and what area of the room to stand in. 4) The boat is run down. The photos on the website do not show the whole story. The boat rocks so much during the trip that you can't even walk around. The cafe food is terrible, and grossly over priced. There were no movies playing. The air conditioning only works some of the time, so it gets extremely hot and uncomfortable on the boat. People are often sick all around you, especially if it is a full boat. 5) When we returned from the Bahamas, we waited an hour and a half floating in the ocean in the dark a mile outside of the port, staring at the lights on shore and being rocked by the waves. We didn't know what was going on because the staff refused to tell us. We didn't know if we were in danger, when we were going to get in to port - nothing. Thank God that we had service on our cell phones if anything did happen, but for most of the trip you don't. We ended up getting off the boat 2 hours later than we were supposed to, and then had to wait in a 45 minute line to get through customs. Bottom line: If you value your safety or expect to be treated with respect and kindness, do not choose this company. For a better idea of how bad this company is, visit Trip Advisor and read those reviews. read more

We were planning to go to Bahamas for one day and this boat was perfect for that reason! It was fast, cheap, no long lines, no crazy customs, etc. We saw online that the tickets were about $20 (if you buy in advance) but it was sold out, however reviews were telling that it is possible to get on a boat anyways, as many people do not show up. So we arrived earlier and were told to wait until everyone boards. Other people arrived without tickets too. We were lucky to get on a boat, got seats on upper floor and it was less than 4 hours when we were in Bahamas (it took only 3 hrs to come back). They do sell drinks, tea, coffee and snacks but we got our own. Compared to Bimini SuperFast I liked this boat much better. Especially because it was less than half an hour and we were off the boat, such quick process. On Bimini SuperFast it took an hour just to get off the boat, long boring lines. read more

You get what you buy!! Why is this ferry still in business. This what email I received after asking a refund Good Morning, Thank you for your email. I do apologize that you did not get to enjoy your trip on 04/02 because of the delay, but we made several announcement to our day trippers that because of the delay it may effect the Hours being on the Island. Passengers who decided to travel took it upon themselves to say it was okay and did not get off to request rescheduling or refund, now that you have sailed both legs to and from the Island unfortunately there are no refund due. Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience. Please let me know how i can further assist you. Kind regards, Marie read more

Did the boat LEAVE today ????? Because I was told the boat wasn't going to be sailing for the next couple days .. It was a huge disappointment after sitting in a terminal for hours !!! Knowing they weren't going to be sailing out because they didn't meet inspection ... I'm very upset and hurt and I will not purchase anything or sail with them EVER again ... Not to mention they kept lying to us and they didn't accommodate us for anything ... Oh yeah they said .... They gave us FREE DOUGHNUTS and COFFEE ... Seriously !!! And that was they're exact words .... 4 boxes of doughnuts for about 100ppl .. Mind you only 12 doughnuts come in a box .... read more

First of all I never even write reviews but this boat is horrendous. I dont know whether its understaffed? Or what? Starting off with their instructions. Says doors close at 7 am, boarding at 8 am and leaving at 9 to arrive at bimini at 11, we got there at 6 am, and didnt board this boat until 9 am. We didnt get to Bimini until almost 1 pm and * the lines to get off this boat are ridiculous. There is no system, everything is "we have to wait, we have to wait" ive never waited so much in my life. We met people during the process who were left by this ferry and not even compensated in any way and never received any type of email or explanation. The workers are so incredibly rude and disrespectful. We were supposed to be back in Miami at 8 pm but instead we pretty much once again "had to wait" and didnt disembark until 10:30 just to wait a ridiculously long line for customs almost 2 hours on a Sunday and 1 hour away from home because of this port. They used to have another ferry that was fast and efficient. Dont waste your time and money. read more

The boat takes 3+ hours to get to Bimini even tho they claim 2 hours. The Hilton hotel kicked all the ferry guest out at 1:00 PM (with late checkout), from then on all the ferry passengers were stuck in the lobby of the Hilton for hours. We were told 7:15 PM departure, then 8:15, then 9:15. We did actually depart Bimini until 10:00 and had a 3 hour ride a head of us. Custom was slow, probably because no one was on shift at 2:0 AM when we arrived. We got out of customs by 3:30 AM. Terribly experience. Bimini was beautiful, but I strongly recommend finding alternate transportation. read more

only take this ship if you are a bahamian just trying to get back and forth. everyone else, find another way or be prepared for the bs. read more

I took a risk and booked a first class ticket for this cruise for my husbands birthday. Since we live in Florida, I thought it would be fun to have a unique adventure and take advantage of the ability to get to the Bahamas quickly. Here is exactly what happened. We arrived at Port Everglades terminal at 6:00 am (after getting up a 4 am and driving 1 hour to get there). We board the ferry at 7:15ish. We have a croissant breakfast sandwich, complimentary. Even though the ferry is supposed to leave at 8:00 am, it doesn't start to leave until 9:00 am. No announcement was made. We arrive in Bahamas roughly 1:30 pm. At this point as we all crowd together and wait to disembark and I am feeling embarrassed that this is how I chose to spend my husbands birthday. Earlier we purchased the $20 pp shuttle to Port Lucaya. After going through the customs process and boarding the shuttle ... it finally takes off around 2ish. The shuttle takes a good 30 minutes to arrive at Port Lucaya (which is the closest place to Freeport where you can even go to a restaurant, do excursions, or sit on the beach. Once there, we basically had time to go have lunch at a restaurant and then sit on the beach for less than two hours as we were to be back on shuttle at 5:30 pm. As far as the ferry itself, no decent food options were available. There is a snack bar and a restaurant. The restaurant closed early and we did not know that was going to happen until it did ... so we did not get a chance to grab food there. We ordered mimosas, my husband actually dumped his because it tasted awful. The only food option available when we were hungry later on was chicken wings and chicken fingers. The bathrooms were gross and very cramped. There was nothing to do on the ship except drink, and boy people were taking advantage of that. Very few people sitting in first class and those who weren't were very noisy and disruptive and laying all over the place in the lobby and bar area. We still managed to have some fun but in hindsight, there is just no reason to take this cruise if you are already in Ft. Lauderdale. It's a lot of work to get to spend a few hours in the Bahamas. So many better ways to spend your time in Ft. Lauderdale. You can just go sit on the beach and then have the rest of your day to do other things and it wont cost as much. They never once acknowedged leaving or arriving and hour and a half late, let alone make apologies. Also, as others mentioned, nothing was running on the ship ... no entertainment, no slot machines, TVs did have Spanish subtitles. I'm not normally one to complain ... and I'm not. Just stating the facts of exactly what happened and what you can expect if you take this cruise. Oh, and even though they got a new and bigger ship ... it's still a pretty rocky ride. I'm still feeling the waves this morning. Luckily I do not easily get nauseous. So, now it's in your hands. Do you really want to lose an entire day of your life and spend 18 hours of your time being in this situation all day long, only to possibly get to see the Bahamas for 3 hours? My suggestion as someone who lives in Florida, save your money and go sit on the beach for 3 hours and then have so much more time in your day to do other things. You'll be so much more ahead of the game. read more

Can we do 0 stars? This company are SCAM ARTISTS - stay away!!!!! I never write bad reviews but I felt compelled to warn everyone about this company. My partner and I booked our ferry trip weeks in advance, and showed up on the day to board super early. We lined up, went through security and it all went downhill when we got to the check-in desk. We were told we could not "leave the country" because our American visa had "expired". The agent would not listen to our explanation that we were on a grace period, had 30days after the date on our documentation to leave the country and that we had ESTA visa waivers to renter the US. We had done thorough research into the necessary documentation and knew we were in the right. The agent just shook her head at us, was extremely rude and gave us a number to call for a refund. We left the ferry terminal, went straight to the airport next door and booked flights to the Bahamas for the same day. We went through the airport customs only a few hours later with exactly the same documentation and had no issues. We are now back in the US, we had no problem re-entering the country after our vacation in the Bahamas. We called the number provided by the agent to get our refund. (Our same-day flights cost us $300 each which we were willing to pay but we wanted our refund of $120 each as we were refused boarding on the ferry). The customer service on the phone was atrocious. We were told to email which we did. 3 emails, 5 phone calls and 3 weeks later we were finally told (via email) that we were not eligible for a refund because we had presented the wrong documentation at boarding. We are furious! Due to no fault of our own, we were told we "could not leave the country" and then had to fork out additional $300 each for flights and are now being told we can't even get our $120 each back. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE! The Bahamas are beautiful but I would definitely recommend flying. read more

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because this company deserves no ones time let alone money. Deck was slippery and dangerous. There was NO safety overview about what to do in case of emergency. Staff literally walked away when asked them questions and seemed more clueless than its passengers. Casino slots machines were broken even though it was a "new" ship. Was advertised we would arrive back at 10pm and got back at 12:30 am. Poor excuse of a business in the travel industry. read more

SERIOUSLY DO NOT BOOK OR TRAVEL WITH THIS COMPANY!!! Absolutely horrible experience!!! The Photos of what "1st class" is supposed to look like are a LIE! We paid the extra money to be in "1st class" on our voyage back, we were the last ones to get off, people were pushing and shoving. I didn't pay for 1st class to be treated like this. Secondly the people who work for this company DO NOT Give a DAMN about the passengers. I Had to point out to the ticket checker that I had purchased a 1st class ticket, she then made some lame excuse for not realizing it in the first place. Secondly, they had an illiterate guy checking the tickets, he insisted I needed a boarding pass, after arguing with him that what I had in my hand was a boarding pass he conceded that he had never seen what they look like in black and white. SERIOUSLY?!!! It says BOARDING PASS on it in big letters! Finally coming back, there was a horrible, idiot of a woman who refused to wait in any line, she pushed and shoved her way to the front of the security line, and then pushed and shoved her way past the LONG line of people waiting to check in. When I confronted her, she complained that her son had some sort of issue, well he looked absolutely fine to me, and he was fine enough for her to drag him from one area of the room to another. The ticket agents said nothing and proceeded to help her!! This is a 3rd world company run by incompetent people. The Boat smells like Jet fuel and the ceiling leaks!!!!! SAVE YOURSELF THE MONEY AND AGGRAVATION. read more

They are getting 5 starts from me for only 1 reason..their customer service and their staff! OMG i thought I was going to die on that cruise it was rocking so much on the way to Bahamas. I got the worst motion sickness. Everyone was throwing up including my kids. The guy that was helping me in First Class Lounge was AWESOME!!!!!! he was comforting, helpful, always willing to take it to the next level. It's because of people like him, really bad expiriences turn into better ones and even though I know it's not their fault that the ocean was VERY choppy that day, I will forever appreciate the help of that gentleman. Thank you. read more

I took the trip from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport and back with my boyfriend this week. We were looking for an option that was cheaper than a flight, but with more freedom than a cruise. After reading lots of terrible reviews, we dropped the $100 each way, each person; took a couple of non-drowsy Dramamines; and hoped for the best. It wasn't all bad! Bumpy, sure. Disorganized, some. Freezing cold. All in all, it ran on schedule, and got me from point A to B and back again for a little more than I wanted to spend. Just be punctual and take something for sea sickness. read more

Awful service and customer service!! We were told to arrive by 7:30 and the door was locked, not letting us board on the ship! They never pick up the phone, website has poor information! Please save yourself the hassle. Read prior review this company sucks read more

I booked a day trip for 8/27/2015 I arrived early on time . When I got to the check in clerk , she stated my husband's Enhanced passport ID issued by the state of NY . Wasn't accepted mind you it's a drivers license ID . So we couldn't board the ferry . I called the 1800 customer service # for a refund . And was told to email customer service .,..,. For a refund . Don't let this happen too you the Enhanced passports are not worth having . Let see how long it's going to take for them to refund my monies back read more

Bottom line up front: We had a great time!!! Freeport: 5 stars Ship: 3.5 stars Management and Operations: 1 star That being said the company's ability to process passengers on and off the boat is appalling. Checkin was a modern example of herding cats... The ticketing people asked for people name with the passengers passports on hand. Then improper labeling of lines caused unnecessary confusion for staff and passengers alike. Once aboard the ride over was ruff. As a seasoned sailor it wasn't a problem, but for most of the passengers it was a nightmare. Weather isn't the company's fault, the crew was quick to hand out sea sickness bags, and clean up any messes. Once on the island everything went off without a hitch. Transportation was friendly, informative, and well deserving of a healthy tip. The Grand Lucayan Resort was more than accommodating for the mere $10-15 we spent to use the facilities for the day. Chairs by the pool, towel, use of the bathroom and an amazing day. Getting back on the ship was disorganized and we were delayed departing. The ride back was smooth and we enjoyed the slots and ample room. Once in port the the operation came unhinged... Docking procedures seem somewhat standard. Once docked the crew was disjointed and might have required additional guidance from someone (Captain, 1st Mate, some-type of shipment, port authority). I don't work in the Cruise industry, but anyone could have spotted serious issues in this portion of the trip. The crew gathered everyone in mass to disembark but were unable to communicate with anyone to begin the process. It was rather frustrating and much of the crowd got a more than unhappy. After 45 mins they began letting people off. Custom was a breeze, the moved people threw expeditiously. But once out of the terminal, Shenanigans ensued no cabs and price gouging drivers preyed on vulnerable tourists that, Florida relies on for its lively hood. This was another major flaw in this possibly amazing enterprise. Asking the company personnel was useless, as if we asked them something in Chinese. Our only saving grace was a Good Samaritan that picked us up and took us out of the port to a gas station were we caught a cab. Once again, the trip was great. But the company needs to review it's operational procedures. I am more than willing to go over to the Bahamas and spend US tourist dollars, but I might have to rethink using the Bahamas Express unless they can prove that they are able to come thru on the basics. read more

Today i went to the Port of Everglades to embargo the cruise for Bahamas and i got refuse the entrance because I arrived at 7:17 Am. Group on stated that the cruise departure at 9 AM. I arrived 1 hour and 45 minutes before departure and i could not get in. The worth of all that the security personal did not even open the door to talk to me. i felt discriminated by African American . They were the rudest people even been incounter in my life. They was still few people on line to check in inside but unfortunately they did not like my white color. It was the most humiliated situation in my life. Not one stated that the gate close at 7:15 Am. Please do not use this company, they are terrible for what they do. read more

I booked a trip two months prior to travel date. I reserved flight to Florida, hotels in FL and Bahamas. When I arrived to port, there was nobody, they cancelled the trip and postponed for next day, I was not notified, not by cell, not by email. I had to book another hotel to stay another night, plus I lost a day paid for hotel in Bahamas. They made me pay $14 next day due to date change, which was not my call to change. Also, at the port I found out they cancelled the return trip as well and moved it 3 days earlier. I cancelled return ticket. and had to buy plane tickets because of that, which made my trip cost much more than expected. They refused to refund full ticket price, withheld taxes, and I am still fighting to get all my money back. Nobody apologized, nobody informed me about changes, not even when I called them on the travel date. TERRIBLE COMPANY! DO NOT BOOK IN ADVANCE, they might be good for same week travelers, but not for a planned in advance trip. I read some bad reviews, and regret that I didn't pay attention to them. read more

NEVER AGAIN! i booked a Ferry & Hotel deal for my best friends Birthday on 6/23/2016 for 3 people at about almost $1000, we arrived to the port at 7:10am by the time we figured out where we had to go and had been given directions by the idiot security guard guiding us in the wrong direction, when we got to the door at around 7:20am the doors were closed and no one would come fourth and open a door, until some one finally open and told us & 3 other families that we missed the ferry and they close the doors at 7:15am, and they would not let anyone in the building until the ferry had left which was about an hour later, we did not know what was going on no would give us an explanation or answers, they had to send out a police officer to tell us we were not getting in on the ferry, he himself would tell us that this company does this all the time, we were all fine with the idea that we had missed our ferry and were not getting in (no one got loud or was obnoxious) , but why make us wait outside in this HOT SUN! for an hour without any answers! we finally were able to go in and speak to someone, that stated that refunds were out of the questions which was ok because we understood the policy, she said the only thing they were able to do for us was to reschedule to another date, at the time the manager of the person in-charge of making the changes was not going to be in until 11am, the lady helping us told us we were able to leave our info & the the dates we would want to change our reservation to, and that she would give us a call back, we never received a phone call back, & when we would call no one would ever answer( mind you calls were being made by 3 different people) we would email them & nothing until like 3 days later, and by that time according the "CUSTOMER SERVICE" rep our reservation was already voided and that they could not do anything for us!- We are still emailing them back & fourth for them to resolve this issue! NOTHING YET! Side note- they could have easily let us in being just five minutes late, & nowhere when i bought my ticket stated that we had to be there by a certain time! THIEVES! read more