Bimini is one place we have never been. Yes, there are places we haven't been. It's a big world out there. We arrived at the dock at eight in the morning and had a wonderful breakfast in the Waterside Restaurant and enjoyed the sunny views of Bimini as the ship was cleared for us to go ashore. The Bimini district is made up of several islands that stretch out along the west side of the bigger more familiar islands of the Bahamas. It is close to the Florida coast and is only about 51 miles from Fort Lauderdale, a two hour ferry ride.
Masks in place (required in the Bahamas) and our IDs, ship key cards and trackers with us, we set out. At the end of the dock was a tram service that took us to the Bimini Beach Club that is a part of Resorts World Hilton. The complex of Resorts World Hilton was very impressive as the tram made its way past what we guessed might be time share cottages. Everything was very trim and clean.
The beach was beautiful but the weather had cooled a bit so we hadn't worn our bathing suits. All we wanted to do was explore a bit. We walked past the beautiful pool and made our way to the shore line and found a couple of chairs to sit in and enjoy the fresh air and sea breeze.
The tram picked us up again at the beach (it ran continuously all day until departure time). This time we got off when it dropped a few people off where a group of guys were trying to get people to rent golf carts to tour the island. It was tempting and they were persistent but we wanted to see the hotel and the surrounding grounds.
The place was beautiful inside and out. Breakfast was being served in a large dining room ala buffet style but quite pricey we thought for the little we would eat if we were there. Perhaps it was because it was the weekend. A Starbucks bar was doing a good business in the middle of the lobby.
Outside there was a pool that ran the whole length of the hotel on the water side. If you stayed in a first floor room you could just step outside your door and jump in. Hopefully they didn't book any sleepwalkers for those rooms.
We sat outside for a little bit at a small table we found and just took in all the beautiful flora and one unusual fauna that I almost stepped on, some sort of spikey caterpillar.
It was almost time for lunch when we returned to the ship. Bob doesn't like to miss a ship meal. He always wonders whose eating the food he paid for.
After lunch we went to the Hollywood Theater where the Browns/Patriots game was showing. We toughed it out through the first half and a little of the second and just gave up to find something else to do. We decided on a walk around the Promenade Deck. After all the next day we would be headed home and we knew the temperatures would not be as nice--far from it.
Then there was the packing. It's actually easy to pack to go home. You just collect everything that doesn't belong to the stateroom and stuff it in the suitcases. It doesn't have to be folded and made neat.
We were done packing in time to go up to the Palm Court which is on Deck 12 and in the front of the ship with windows all around. We were treated to a spectacular sunset.
Our last dinner was in the main restaurant, the Waterside. As soon as we were done, we went up to our room and changed into what we would be wearing off the ship in the morning. Suitcases set outside the door, we set off for the evening show. Comedian John Joseph kept us laughing.
Usually the last night of a cruise is a little melancholy but this cruise had an ulterior purpose other than relaxing and just cruising. We had experienced the COVID protocols and the new ways of doing things due to the pandemic and found it to be very comfortable and safe. Now we were eager to go home and prepare for our Grand Voyage of 128 days in a couple of months. And as Bob always says, you never get off a ship without another cruise booked.
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