Columbus Day weekend (October 12): three days in the Bahamas by ferry
Monday, October 12, 2026 is Columbus Day, a federal holiday and the first three-day weekend of the fall in Florida. Schools and many offices close, the weather is still summer-warm and the Bahamas ferry is in low season, which makes it the easiest long weekend of the year to spend abroad without an airport. Here is how to plan it on both routes.
Option 1: Bimini, the short crossing
The Fort Lauderdale – Bimini ferry takes about two hours. For Columbus Day weekend the natural plan is:
- Out on Friday 9 or Saturday 10 at 9:00 AM from Port Everglades, arriving in Alice Town around 11:00 AM.
- Back on Sunday 11 on the evening sailing, arriving at Port Everglades around 8:00 PM, with Monday free to rest at home; or, if a Monday sailing is loaded for that weekend, back on Monday 12 and make it three full days on the island.
Two nights in Bimini is the right length for the island: Radio Beach and Blister Beach, a golf-cart loop of North Bimini, a boat ride to swim with the stingrays at Honeymoon Harbour, conch salad at a shack by the water and a sunset from the Bimini Big Game Club. Round trips in Economy start from $246 per adult (from $225 one way), and Economy Premium, with priority boarding and snacks, from $306.
Option 2: Freeport, the bigger island
Grand Bahama is a three-hour crossing and sails on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, plus some Sundays. For this weekend that means out on Saturday 10 at 9:00 AM, arriving at Freeport Harbour at noon, and back on Tuesday 13 at 6:30 PM if you can take one extra day off, which gives you three nights in Lucaya. Port Lucaya Marketplace, Taino Beach, Gold Rock Beach and the caves of Lucayan National Park fill three days easily, and the hotel choice is wider than in Bimini.
Book it as one trip
Search a round trip from Fort Lauderdale on the route page: both legs go in the same booking and the return sailing is shown next to the outbound. If you want the hotel included, our Ferry + Hotel packages combine crossing and stay in one reservation, which is usually cheaper than booking separately and saves you the search for a room on a holiday weekend.
| Plan | Out | Back | Nights | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bimini weekend | Sat Oct 10, 9:00 AM | Sun Oct 11, evening | 1 | $246 per adult, round trip |
| Bimini long weekend | Fri Oct 9, 9:00 AM | Sun Oct 11, evening | 2 | $246 per adult, round trip |
| Freeport long weekend | Sat Oct 10, 9:00 AM | Tue Oct 13, 6:30 PM | 3 | $246 per adult, round trip |
"From" fares per adult in Economy; the live price for each sailing, taxes and port fees are shown before you pay.
Why the ferry beats flying for a long weekend
A three-day trip is exactly where the ferry makes the most sense: no airport security, no baggage weight limits (bring the cooler and the fishing rods), a 45-minute drive from Miami or 10 minutes from Fort Lauderdale airport, and US customs pre-clearance done in Fort Lauderdale before you board, so you walk straight off the ship in the Bahamas. The Jaume II has reclining seats, a cafeteria with hot food and Starbucks coffee, a duty-free shop and an open stern deck for the sunset on the way home.
Practical notes for holiday weekends
- Book now. October is low season, but Saturday departures fill first on any holiday weekend, and the cheapest promo fares are limited per sailing.
- Passports for everyone, children included. Photocopies and birth certificates are not accepted.
- Arrive 3 hours before departure at Terminal 21; check-in closes 60 minutes before sailing. Park at the Midport Garage next to the terminal.
- Pets travel with a Bahamas Pet Import Permit and must be booked at least 72 hours ahead.
- Return day. Sunday evening sailings back to Florida are the busiest of the week: if you can, come back on Monday.
What to do with three days
In Bimini: day one, golf cart and the beaches of the west coast; day two, a boat trip to Honeymoon Harbour to swim with the stingrays or a snorkel over the Sapona wreck, and dinner in Alice Town; day three, a slow morning at the Resorts World pool before the evening ferry. In Freeport: Port Lucaya Marketplace and Lucaya Beach on arrival day, a rental car to Gold Rock Beach and the caves of Lucayan National Park on day two, and Taino Beach or the Garden of the Groves before the Tuesday sailing home.
Whichever island you choose, the ferry gives you the same thing an airport cannot: you leave home after breakfast, you are on a Bahamian beach before lunch, and you come back on a sunset crossing with no baggage carousel at the end.
Check the exact sailings of the weekend on the Bimini and Freeport route pages and book your Columbus Day escape while the promo fares last.
