3 Day Bahamas Cruise from Miami

The Four Routes at a Glance

The table pulls the stops and clock times from the lines' own itinerary pages. Where a line has not published the departure weekday on the pages read, the column says so rather than guess. Every one of these sailings is a closed-loop cruise from PortMiami, so it leaves and returns to the same terminal. Ships are booked directly with the cruise line. For the wider list of ships and lengths, including 4, 5 and 7 nights, see the cruise from Miami to the Bahamas homepage.

One pattern matters. The private island day is the heart of every one of these routes. Celebration Key, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Great Stirrup Cay and Ocean Cay are owned or controlled by the line that sails to them, and Celebration Key is open only to Carnival guests on Carnival sailings.

Carnival: Conquest to Celebration Key

Carnival Conquest is 110,000 gross tons, carries 2,980 guests and has 1,150 crew. Its 3-night Bahamas route is the simplest of the four: leave Miami at 3:30 PM, a full day at sea on day 2, then Celebration Key on Grand Bahama from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on day 3, back in Miami at 8:00 AM on day 4. There is no Nassau call, so no town time, just the purpose-built resort.

Celebration Key opened on July 19, 2025 and cost $600 million, Carnival's largest investment in an exclusive destination. It covers over 65 acres with a 1.5-mile beach, more than 30 dining and beverage outlets, a 10-story Suncastle waterslide tower and a swim-up bar. Free trams run every 5 to 15 minutes from the pier to the five portals.

Royal Caribbean: Wonder of the Seas to CocoCay and Nassau

Wonder of the Seas measures 235,600 gross tons and carries 5,734 guests at double occupancy or up to 7,084 at maximum. It moved to PortMiami on August 25, 2025 and runs 3 and 4 night cruises to Nassau and CocoCay. The 3-night version leaves Miami on Friday at 4:30 PM, reaches Perfect Day at CocoCay on Saturday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, docks at Nassau on Sunday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is back Monday at 6:00 AM. That gives two island days back to back.

At CocoCay, entry is free and unlimited dining at five island food spots is included. The Thrill Waterpark, cabanas, Hideaway Beach day passes, Coco Beach Club access and water sports rentals cost extra. On the Nassau day, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests can reach the new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island by free ferry from the cruise port, but entry needs a paid day pass.

Norwegian: Joy to Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau

Norwegian runs 3-day Bahamas cruises from Miami on ships such as Norwegian Joy, calling at Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. Norwegian says nearly all its Bahamas sailings visit Great Stirrup Cay, its 250-acre private island, with Nassau, Grand Bahama and Bimini as the other ports. Seven ships sail from Miami: Aqua, Luna, Getaway, Jewel, Encore, Joy and Escape.

Great Stirrup Cay is in the middle of a 2026 upgrade that adds a 28,000-square-foot oceanfront pool, an area called Splash Harbor, a new pier and an adults-only Vibe Shore Club. Great Tides Waterpark, with slides and a cliff jump, is due in summer 2026. Norwegian has not published the departure weekday or exact clock times for the 3-night Joy itinerary on the pages read, so confirm those on the booking page. Norwegian charges a service charge of $20 per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below and $25 in The Haven and suites, for guests aged 3 and older.

MSC: Seaside to Ocean Cay and Nassau

MSC says every Bahamas cruise it sells includes Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, and it offers 3-night and 4-night Bahamas sailings from Miami. For winter 2026-27, MSC Seaside runs the 3 and 4 night Bahamas cruises from Miami to Ocean Cay and Nassau. MSC sails from Cruise Terminal AA, which opened April 5, 2025 as a $300 million building on 16.7 acres with two berths.

Ocean Cay sits about 65 miles southeast of Miami in a 64-square-mile protected marine reserve that only MSC ships visit. Ships dock at the island's own pier, so you walk off by gangway and an electric tram carries you to the beaches. Lunch on the island is complimentary. Water sports run $32 to $122 and cabanas $252 to $452. Overnight stays at Ocean Cay are offered on select 4-night sailings, which is one reason to read the 4-night section below. MSC has not published the 3-night departure weekday on the pages read.

Gratuities, Line by Line

Every line adds a daily service charge unless you prepay or it is already bundled, and on a 3-night sailing it adds up over three days per person. The figures below come from each line's own service-charge pages. Carnival charges nothing for children under 2, and Norwegian charges only guests aged 3 and older.

Royal Caribbean also adds 18 percent on drinks, specialty dining and room service on top of the daily rate.

The Departure Tax and Island Extras

Bahamas charges a departure tax of $23 for cruise passengers leaving by sea, or $25 from a private destination. Bahamas Customs says commercial carriers usually include it in the fare, so you should not pay it again at the gangway, but check your booking confirmation.

The private islands are the other budget line. At CocoCay, entry and five food spots are included but the waterpark, cabanas and beach clubs are extra. At Celebration Key, free trams run from the pier to the five portals. At Ocean Cay, lunch is free while water sports run $32 to $122 and cabanas $252 to $452. Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau needs a paid day pass, reported from $129.99 non-alcoholic to $169.99 open bar with dynamic pricing, free for children 3 and under, and fully refundable if cancelled 48 hours before Nassau arrival.

Drinks, specialty dining and shore excursions are billed on top of the fare.

Why No Cruise Fare Is Printed Here

The site does not sell cabins and the lines do not publish fixed prices. A 3-night fare is per person, changes daily and moves with demand, cabin type and sailing date. Searches for an all-inclusive 3-day Bahamas cruise from Miami will find ads, but the lines set the real number themselves and it moves constantly, so no fare belongs on this page.

Book on the cruise line's own site or through an agent to get the current price. What a 3-night fare typically does not include is fixed: gratuities as listed above, drinks, excursions and the private-island extras.

Walking from Prince George Wharf

Ships dock at Prince George Wharf on Bay Street, across the harbour from Paradise Island. From the port exit it is about 3 minutes to Bay Street, 2 to 5 minutes to the shops, about 5 minutes to the Straw Market at 0.2 miles, 10 to 15 minutes to Junkanoo Beach at roughly half a mile, and about 20 minutes on foot toward the Queen's Staircase. Parliament Square is a two-minute walk and holds the House of Assembly, the Senate and the Supreme Court in pink and white buildings. Allow 5 to 15 minutes extra for the pier walk depending on your berth. Nassau taxis are unmetered and fares should be agreed before boarding. Neither Uber nor Lyft operates in Nassau.

One closure changes the classic walking plan. Fort Fincastle, the Queen's Staircase and the Water Tower have been closed for renovation since March, and no reopening date has been confirmed. Fort Charlotte is open 7 days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at $5 adult, $3 senior and $2 child under 12, and Fort Montagu is also open, so they are the working fort visits while Fincastle is shut.

Guided Trips That Fit the Port Day

A tour that meets within walking distance of the pier and finishes with hours to spare is the safe shape. Four fit a Nassau port day well. All prices are the current listing prices and each card states what is and is not included.

Free and Cheap Options Off the Ship

Junkanoo Beach is free to enter, roughly 10 minutes on foot along Bay Street, and you pay only for chairs, food and drinks. The Arawak Cay Fish Fry sells conch salad, fritters and fried fish about a 10-minute drive or 30-minute walk from the port. John Watling's Distillery at Buena Vista Estate on Delancy Street offers a free walk-in tour with a complimentary cocktail sample, 10am to 6pm, no reservation.

The Paradise Island water taxi costs about $7 per person per the tourism board, with other sources quoting $10, and the ride takes roughly 10 minutes each way from the eastern end of the wharf. The Bahamian dollar equals the US dollar and both are accepted interchangeably, and the Bahamas observes Eastern Time, so no clock change from Miami.

What the Fourth Night Adds

The extra night buys one of two things. It can add a sea day, which turns two back-to-back port days into port, rest, port. It can add a second island stop instead. Both versions let you take a longer shore excursion, because you are not racing a 5:00 PM all-aboard on the only full island day. Norwegian, MSC and Carnival all run 4-night Bahamas sailings from Miami.

Carnival Conquest's 4-night route shows the second-island version in detail. It calls at RelaxAway Half Moon Cay and Celebration Key, with Half Moon Cay running 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Celebration Key 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and a sea day between them. Half Moon Cay on Little San Salvador was rebranded RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay by Carnival and Holland America in December 2024, and a new north-side pier opened June 1, 2026, ending tendering for Carnival ships. MSC's 4-night sailings can include an overnight stay at Ocean Cay on select dates, which means the island after dark.

For adults-only sailing, Virgin Voyages runs 4-night Bahamas and Bimini Beach Club cruises from Miami on Valiant Lady with Nassau and The Beach Club at Bimini, leaving at 5:00 PM and back at 6:30 AM, from Terminal V. The Virgin Bahamas route listed here is a 4-night sailing.