How to Cruise Through the Bahamas for Your Bachelorette Party
This past weekend was my third time cruising to the Bahamas. The first time was with my mom, the second was with my now fiancé and friends, but this time was a girls getaway. The reason was for my Bachelorette Party, as I am a month away from getting married!
We had a blast and I have lots of recommendations for anyone wanting to do this for their party or just take a quick girls trip to the Bahamas.
Choosing Your Cruise
We choose a three day Royal Caribbean Cruise out of Port Canaveral. For a bachelorette party, three days was the perfect amount of time for a fun weekend trip and was very affordable as well.
One of the main reasons I chose Royal Caribbean was because I preferred their private island to Norwegian’s, and the Carnival Cruise Lines did not stop at one.
I have heard Disney’s Castaway Cay is amazing, but that is a lot more expensive, and lacks an atmosphere that you would want for a bachelorette party.
Day 1-Sail Away
Make sure to get on the boat early! You want to make the most of your short cruise. The earlier you get on, the more time you have to hang by the pool and explore the boat. You can also get lunch at the buffet.
If you are checking your bags, remember to pack your bathing suit and anything else you might need throughout the day in your carry-on, since you might not get your bags delivered to the room until after 5.
We were at Port Canaveral around 10 and on the boat by 11. We were able to have a little lunch and then hang out by the pool before the Muster Drill. On every cruise you have to do a muster drill where you practice going to your designated area in case their is an emergency.
After that, they have a sail away party on deck and we hung out their until it was time to get ready for dinner. On Royal Caribbean you have to choose to eat dinner in the main dining room at 6 PM or 8 PM.
If you are going for your bachelorette party, or any adult group for that matter, choose the 8 PM seating. It is a bit late for my preference, but you will miss a lot at the ports and the sail away party if you choose the 6 PM seating.
One more piece of advice is to get the drink package on the first day if you think there is any chance of buying it. We had been thinking not since you cannot use it on Nassau, however we bought two drinks and then realized it would be worth it. So those two drinks could have been included in the package!
If it’s a bachelorette party, it’s probably smart to just get it at the beginning.
Day 2-Nassau
For the second day we went to Nassau Bahamas. They offer a lot of excursions like snorkeling or a sunset cruise or the most popular, a trip to Atlantis. If you are trying to keep it on the cheaper side like we were, you can still have plenty of fun!
We walked to Junaknoo beach which was very easy to get to with lots of signs pointing the way. They had fun things to do at this beach like volleyball and water balloon tosses. We saw people of all ages joining in!
They also sell drinks there and we opted for some Bahama Mamas in a coconut. They were not the best drinks, but it was a unique experience. If you are feeling like being a tourist, you can stop at the straw market for some shopping or Senor Frogs or Fat Tuesdays for some drinks on the way back to the boat.
When Andrew and I went to Nassau, we took a day trip to what used to be the Sheraton, but is now the Melia Nassau. They still offer the day pass where you pay $45 to use their pool and beach for the day. You can get there via the jitney bus which only costs a couple dollars per person.
The beach here was way nicer, and it was relaxing to have a pool as well. It ended up being pretty expensive though, because the drinks cost a lot and we were there for a while so also had to buy expensive food. I would say sticking with Junkanoo beach is better since the next day you will be at Royal Caribbean’s beautiful private beach.
It is just easier to stay close to the boat as well, although we felt very safe on the Jitney and did not have any transportation issues.
On Board
Cruise ships offer so much entertainment on board and you definitely want to participate in some of it! Can’t miss experiences include watching the Love and Marriage Game Show and participating in The Quest scavenger hunt.
Both of these are often hilarious and usually involve people doing or saying funny things. There is a party Under the Stars with dancing and a some delicious food, so that was a great experience for a bachelorette party.
If you are braver than us, you can try some karaoke. As far as food goes, the buffet on this boat is average. The newer Royal Caribbean boats have way better food, but the short cruises use the oldest boats in the fleet.
I would recommend going to the formal dining room for dinner every night as it is much better than the buffet, They also have a formal night on every cruise so we enjoyed dressing up for that dinner.
Day 3 – Cococay Bahamas
On the third day, the boat stopped at Cococay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. We had to force ourselves to wake up extra early because it was daylight savings that day.
We were so glad we did though because we got plenty of time on the island. The beaches here were pristine with clear blue water. There are also plenty of chairs and other amenities that you would find on the boat. They provide a surprisingly great lunch that has everything from typical barbecue, to jerk chicken to paella.
It was one of the best meals of the trip. You can do excursions here as well, but we were very satisfied with lounging in the sun and swimming.
Bachelorette Party Touches
I have to say, my sister and friends did an awesome job putting together my “Last Sail Before the Veil”. My sister found tons of cute things on Etsy and Amazon that were perfect for a bachelorette cruise. We had matching shirts and totes that all said bride or brides mate.
I also was given a sash and a captains hat with a veil to wear so everyone knew I was celebrating! We even got some cute photobooth props for taking pictures. It ended up being such a fun weekend away for some girl time.
We enjoyed relaxing on the beach, nightlife on the boat, great food and there were even excursions for adrenaline junkies. If you are celebrating a bachelorette party, I really think a cruise is the way to go as there is something for everyone.
What is your ideal bachelorette party? I love hearing about everyone’s different experiences, so let me know in the comments! For more bachelorette party ideas, check out my guide to the best beaches in Florida for bachelorette parties!
