Many cruise lines offer cruises to the Bahamas year-round, so choosing the perfect one can be difficult.
Most are either 3- or 4-night cruises that depart out of Florida. You can, however, opt to take a longer Bahamas cruise that leaves from a port further north, like New York or Baltimore.
Everyone's preferences are different, and you might be looking for a quick weekend getaway! On the other hand, you might not want to fly all the way to South Florida just for 3 or 4 nights.
Here are the best Bahamas cruises you should try in 2025, ranging from 3 to 8 nights!
Read more: Best Month to Cruise to the Bahamas
What is the difference between a 3- and 4- night cruise?
Most of the time, a 3-night cruise will take place over the weekend, departing on Friday afternoon and returning Monday morning. 4-night cruises, however, take place during the week. They depart on Monday afternoon and return on Friday morning.
Additionally, both usually visit two ports of call. You can occasionally find a 3-night cruise that only visits one port of call, but they are not as frequent as the sailings that visit two.
While the two port days encompass both full days on a 3-night sailing, you will have a sea day on 4-night cruises, meaning you can explore the ship a little bit more!
3- or 4-night Bahamas cruise onboard Celebrity Reflection from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Celebrity Reflection is a Solstice Class ship that was last renovated in 2022. During her renovation, she received a general refresh, as well as the dark blue hull art that was first launched on Celebrity Edge.
Onboard, you'll find Celebrity classics like the Sunset Bar and The Retreat for suite guests.
In April 2024, Celebrity Reflection began sailing to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas.
Ports of call
Celebrity Reflection will offer cruises to Perfecy Dat at CocoCay that also stop in Key West, Florida.
If you have ever wanted to visit Key West, this is a great way to do so while also being able to explore a private island in The Bahamas and enjoying Celebrity Cruises' upscale cruising experience.
The dates of sailings to CocoCay and Key West include the June 2, June 25, August 11, and August 22 cruises. There's one 5-night voyage that also stops at Bimini, Bahamas on May 18, 2025. This cruise starts at $655/person for an interior stateroom.
Pricing
As of November 2024, 3-night cruises start as low as $559 per adult for an inside cabin!
3- or 4-night Bahamas cruise onboard Disney Dream from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
While Disney Dream might not be Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, it still has a lot to offer guests, including the AquaDuck water slide, Animator's Palate dining venue, theatre productions, and more. Now that she is sailing from Fort Lauderdale, taking a cruise onboard the ship just became a lot more accessible.
Port Canaveral, where Disney Wish sails from, is a great cruise port (and the world's busiest!), but Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) is located minutes from the Fort Lauderdale airport. Plus, Disney Cruise Line opened up a new terminal in Port Everglades in Dec. 2023.
The closest major airport to Port Canaveral is Orlando, which is about an hour away. Flying into Fort Lauderdale means you can hop into an Uber or taxi and arrive at the port within minutes! It is also easier to plan a pre- or post-cruise beach stay.
Ports of call
Select 3- and 4-night cruises visit Disney's Castaway Cay and Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, the cruise line's newest private destination that opened in June 2024 on the island of Eleuthera.
By visiting both private destinations, you'll be immersed in Disney magic from the moment you arrive at the terminal to when you bid Mickey and his pals a fond farewell. Of course, you can look for an itinerary that visits Nassau if you'd rather explore local culture and history during your trip to The Bahamas. Select 5-night cruises visit all three.
Dates of cruises that sail to Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay include the April 3, April 17, Aug. 25, Sept 1, Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 15, and Dec. 29 voyages.
Read more: What you need to know about Castaway Cay
Pricing
Disney Cruise Line is one of the more expensive mainstream cruise lines. A weekend cruise can often be as much, if not more, than a 7-night cruise on Carnival or Royal Caribbean!
The cheapest sailing onboard Disney Dream that visits Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay is a 3-night cruise that departs on Sept. 5, 2025, and costs $1,706 for two people in an interior stateroom.
3- or 4-night Bahamas cruise onboard Utopia of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida
Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas launched in July 2024 as "The World's Biggest Weekend." This massive Oasis Class ship isn't identical to her sisters, making her a once-of-a-kind adventure for all, even if you're familiar with Wonder of the Seas.
Utopia of the Seas measures 236,860 gross registered tons and is 1,188 ft. long. Despite being the newest ship in the fleet, she isn't the largest; that title remains with Icon of the Seas.
There are over 40 ways to drink and dine onboard Utopia of the Seas. You'll find anything from the complimentary Windjammer Marketplace to brand-new concepts, such as the immersive train car dining experience and Pesky Parrot bar.
Ports of call
3- and 4-night cruises aboard Utopia of the Seas sail to Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida.
Pricing
The cheapest sailing on Utopia of the Seas in 2025 departs on Jan. 10. The 3-night cruise is priced at $614 per person for an inside cabin. Cruises later in the year, such as in July, start at around $700 per person.
If that seems high, consider a short Bahamas cruise on another Oasis Class ship, such as Allure of the Seas. The Jan. 20 departure costs as low as $306 per person and also vists Perfect Day and Nassau.
3- or 4-night Bahamas cruise onboard MSC Seashore from Port Canaveral, Florida
MSC Cruises is an Italian cruise line that has begun to enter the North American cruise market.
MSC Seashore is part of what MSC Cruises has dubbed the "Seaside EVO" subclass. While MSC Seashore is technically part of the same class of ships as MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview, the cruise line claims that 65% of the public areas were reimagined onboard the two newer ships.
While you will not find a zip line onboard like on the two original Seaside Class ships, guests will be kept busy onboard activities that are on par with other mainstream cruise lines, including a water park, sports court, ropes course, 5D cinema, and race car simulator.
Ports of call
Like nearly every other Bahamas cruise, you will visit Nassau, but you will also get to go to the cruise line's private island, MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve. This is one of the newer private islands in the Bahamas and cost MSC Cruises $200 million dollars!
Read more: How to have a great time at MSC's Ocean Cay without spending any money
Pricing
If you are trying to take a cheap cruise, a weekend sailing on MSC Seashore might be the perfect fit, as you can sail for as little as $239 per person in an interior room! Note that in the summer, rates increase to around $385-$529 per person.
With MSC Cruises, can book a rate that includes their Easy Drink Package, as well as internet, if you want to bundle to make your cruise more inclusive.
4-night Fire & Sunset Soirées Bahamas cruise onboard Scarlet Lady from Miami, Florida
Virgin Voyages is a relatively new cruise line that caters only to adults. While you will not find any mega "thrills" like onboard, you'll be able to enjoy one-of-a-kind entertainment that you have never seen before -- think drag shows, interactive late-night cabaret shows, circus-like performances, and some of the craziest dance parties onboard a cruise. And if you feel like it, you can even get a tattoo at sea at their tattoo parlor!
Additionally, Virgin Voyages has done away with the traditional concept of cruise ship dining. There's no buffet, main dining rooms, or set dining times.
All 20 (yes, 20!) restaurants are included, and passengers can walk in anytime to be seated. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to get to every restaurant on a 4-night cruise!
Ports of call
Their 4-night cruises from Miami, Florida, sail to Key West, Florida, and the Beach Club at Bimini. While Bimini is not Virgin's private island, they have an exclusive beach club for their cruise ship passengers!
Pricing
Virgin is sometimes considered more expensive than other mainstream cruise lines; however, their rates include Wi-Fi, gratuities, and most entertainment onboard!
Unlike other cruise lines, however, Virgin Voyages does not offer any drink packages. Each drink is á la carte, but you might be able to score a rate that includes a set amount of money that can be applied towards your bar tab!
A 4-night Bahamas cruise in March 2025 starting at $1,192 for two people in an interior stateroom.
6-night Bahamas & Eastern Caribbean cruise onboard Carnival Sunshine from Norfolk, Virginia
Since Carnival is no longer sailing from Charleston, South Carolina, Carnival Sunshine will be relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, and will continue to offer cruises to The Bahamas.
These cruises are great for those who reside in Richmond or Fredericksburg, as both are less than three hours from the port.
Ports of call
Carnival offers a variety of Bahamas itineraries on Sunshine, ranging from cruises that call at Freeport, Nassau, and Bimini to sailings that visit Carnival's newest private destination slated to open in July 2025, Celebration Key.
Pricing
The cheapest 6-night cruise to The Bahamas departs on April 27, 2025, and starts at $642 per person for an interior room or $1,119 for a balcony.
7- or 8-night Bahamas cruise onboard Odyssey of the Seas from Cape Liberty, New Jersey
Odyssey of the Seas is sailing from the New York City area in 2025, offering guests who want to experience the Big Apple and a Quantum Class Class cruise ship the best of both worlds. With so many days at sea sailing from the Northeast to The Bahamas, you'll want to be on a ship with endless activities.
On Odyssey, you'll find everything from a skydiving simulator to a FlowRider surf simulator, indoor SeaPlex which hosts rollers skating and bumper cars, and even a glass observation capsule that takes guests over 300 feet into the air for panoramic views of the ocean and ports of call.
Ports of call
Odyssey of the Seas' 7- and 8-night cruises from New Jersey visit Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida; Perfect Day at CocoCay; and Nassau. Some may even call at Miami for the day.
Pricing
The cheapest sailing in 2025 is on Odyssey's Dec. 7 cruise. The voyage is priced at $802 per person. It's not uncommon to see rates starting at over $1,200 per person though, especially if you want to cruise during the summer.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
