Cruises from New York City to the Bahamas

Which lines sail from New York City to the Bahamas?

• Carnival Cruise Line
  Laid-back, loud in the best way and unpretentious; flip-flops, burgers by the pool and a comedy show after dinner.
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  Flexible and lively, with a Las Vegas-meets-resort feel; dinner whenever you want, in whatever you packed.
• Princess Cruises
  Relaxed, welcoming and dependable; a comfortable middle ground between mass-market buzz and premium polish.
• Virgin Voyages
  Adults-only and boutique-hotel cool, with a playful, sometimes cheeky edge and a late-night social scene.

Ships recently or currently deployed on this route include Carnival Venezia and Norwegian Aqua. Deployments change season to season, so we confirm the ship for your dates when we quote.

When to go

1. January: Shoulder season, average high 79 degrees F Jan 79°65°
2. February: Shoulder season, average high 80 degrees F Feb 80°65°
3. March: Best time, average high 81 degrees F Mar 81°66°
4. April: Best time, average high 84 degrees F Apr 84°70°
5. May: Best time, average high 86 degrees F May 86°72°
6. June: Shoulder season, average high 89 degrees F Jun 89°76°
7. July: Cruises run, average high 91 degrees F Jul 91°77°
8. August: Cruises run, average high 91 degrees F Aug 91°77°
9. September: Cruises run, average high 90 degrees F Sep 90°76°
10. October: Cruises run, average high 87 degrees F Oct 87°75°
11. November: Shoulder season, average high 83 degrees F Nov 83°70°
12. December: Best time, average high 80 degrees F Dec 80°67°

• Best time
• Shoulder season
• Cruises run
• Few or none

Temperatures in Fahrenheit, long-term averages. Climate source.

Cruises run every month. Late spring (March to May) has warm, settled weather before hurricane season. December to February is dry but can be breezy and cool enough to make swimming chilly. June through November is hurricane season, peaking from mid-August to mid-October.

The Bahamas are squarely in the Atlantic hurricane zone (June 1 to November 30, peak mid-August to mid-October), and storms can also close Florida ports. In winter, cold fronts can bring strong winds and rough seas that cancel private-island tender stops on some ships.

Where you'll stop

Itineraries vary by line and length. These are the ports the Bahamas cruises most often visit:

• Nassau, Bahamas: Beaches, the historic downtown and Queen's Staircase, and day passes to big resort water parks.
• Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas: Quieter beaches, Lucayan National Park and easy snorkeling trips.
• Bimini, Bahamas: The closest Bahamas island to Florida, with clear shallow water and a relaxed beach-club scene.
• Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas: Royal Caribbean's private island with a large freshwater pool, water slides and beaches.
• Castaway Cay, Bahamas: Disney's private island, with family beaches, an adults-only beach and snorkel trails.
• Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas: Norwegian's private island in the Berry Islands, with beaches and cabanas.

Before you sail from New York City

Manhattan: take the A, B, C, D or 1 train to 59th Street-Columbus Circle and walk west to 12th Avenue, or take the M57 or M31 bus. Drivers and taxis must approach from the north at 55th Street and 12th Avenue. Brooklyn: the terminal is served by the B61 bus and by NYC Ferry's South Brooklyn route, and taxis and rideshares can drop off at the curb. JFK is usually the easier airport for Brooklyn; LaGuardia is closest to Manhattan.

At the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, cruise parking is on the terminal rooftop, run by ProPark and bookable through the cruise.nyc website. It is credit card only (no cash), opens at 8 a.m., and has a height limit for passenger vehicles. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has on-site parking and dedicated bus stalls. In both cases, parking costs more than at most U.S. cruise ports, so transit or a car service is often the better value.

• Check which terminal you are sailing from; Manhattan and Brooklyn are about 7 miles apart and a wrong guess costs real time.
• Approach the Manhattan terminal from the north at 55th Street; vehicles cannot enter from the south.
• Book a window seat on sailaway: the route down the Hudson past the Statue of Liberty is one of the best departures anywhere.
• Pack layers. Even summer Bermuda cruises can be cool and windy on the first and last days.

Documents: Cruises that begin and end at the same US port are "closed-loop" sailings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says US citizens on a closed-loop cruise can re-enter the United States with a birth certificate plus a government-issued photo ID, and children under 16 need only proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate (most lines want an original or certified copy, not a photocopy). CBP also warns that the countries your ship visits may still ask for a passport, and cruise lines can set stricter rules than the government does. We recommend a passport book anyway: if you miss the ship or have to fly home early from a foreign port, you cannot board an international flight without one, and a passport card works only for land and sea crossings. Non-US citizens, including green card holders, have different rules. Check current requirements with your cruise line and the State Department before you sail.

More detail: our full New York City cruise port guide and our Bahamas cruise guide.

Related routes

Also from New York City: Bermuda, Canada & New England, Caribbean, Transatlantic.

Bahamas from other ports: Baltimore, Cape Liberty (Bayonne), Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Port Canaveral.