The Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages stop is included on most Miami sailings, and it’s basically the ship’s beach-day alter ego—same wristband, same Bar Tab, but with sand instead of carpet. Food is included, water and soft drinks are included, alcohol is extra, and the entire setup is designed so you don’t have to make a single complicated decision before noon. Which, frankly, is the energy I want from a cruise beach day.
This isn’t a quiet, untouched island escape where you whisper and pretend you’re “off grid.” The Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages is a fun, organized beach club with pools, music, food, and enough loungers that you can actually relax without hovering like a seagull. If you want a peaceful beach nap, it’s doable. If you want a DJ and a frozen drink at noon, also doable. That balance is kind of the point.
If you want a broader sense of how this fits into a full sailing, see my full review of the Sea Day on Virgin Voyages—it helps explain why this stop works so well mid-cruise.
The layout is straightforward and easy to navigate, which matters once the sun kicks in.
You’ll find:
Two large pools (with very different energy depending on the time of day)
A long stretch of private beach
DJs, games, and scheduled activities you can fully ignore
Plenty of loungers and shaded areas if you claim them early
You can be as social or as anti-social as you want. I floated in the pool for a while, then relocated to a beach chair and committed to doing absolutely nothing. No regrets. The Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages doesn’t force participation, which I appreciate deeply.
Getting to the Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages is refreshingly painless.
Free tram from the pier (about 15 minutes)
Optional stops at Resorts World Casino and the Fishing Village
RockStar Sailors get private golf cart transfers (around 8 minutes)
Transportation runs constantly, so you’re not stuck standing in the sun wondering if you missed something important. The only caveat is getting back to the ship later in the afternoon—tram lines can stretch to 45 minutes or more.
I opted to walk back. It’s a little over a mile, flat, and easy, and it beat standing in line wondering how many iced coffees I could have had instead. If you head back earlier in the day, this usually isn’t an issue at all.
Your wearable band works exactly the same way it does onboard. Bar Tab carries over, purchases hit your onboard account, and yes—there’s complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages. I checked email, posted photos, and didn’t once rage-close an app, which feels like a win.
Lockers, restrooms, showers, and changing cabanas are easy to find and easy to use. Nothing here feels chaotic or poorly planned, which matters when everyone is slightly sunburned and hungry.
Bring towels from the ship if you can. Towels are available at the Beach Club, but:
They record your cabin number
You must return them to the Beach Club
Lost towels cost $25 each
There is a towel exchange station if you need a fresh one mid-day, which is helpful if you’re alternating between pool and beach like it’s a sport.
Food at the Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages is all-you-can-eat and included, and it’s legitimately solid. RockStar areas get plated service instead of buffet-style, but either way, this is not sad cruise buffet food.
Food service typically runs:
11:30am–3:00pm at North Beach Eats
Until 4:00pm at South Beach Eats
Standout menu items:
Lechón Asado with mojo marinade
Honey Jerk Chicken Thigh (gluten-free)
Red Snapper & Mango Ceviche (gluten-free)
West Indian Pumpkin Curry (vegan)
Bahamian Mango & Macadamia Salad
Sides like grilled corn, crispy cassava, and rice and black beans make it easy to build a plate you’ll actually finish. Dessert is simple but solid—rum cake and tropical fruit usually do the job without putting you in a food coma.
If food is a deciding factor for you on this cruise, check out my Virgin Voyages Restaurant Guide for how this compares to onboard dining.
Alcoholic drinks are not included, and there’s a 10% tax added at the Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages, so factor that into your Bar Tab math. Frozen cocktails, tropical drinks, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options are all available. Coconut drinks—boozy or not—are everywhere for a reason.
One important note: Shake for Champagne does not work here. Adjust expectations accordingly.
If you want structure, it’s there. If you don’t, no one will chase you down with a clipboard.
Common events include:
Float On Pool Party around 1pm with a DJ and giant floats
We Run This Beach, which is team games and high energy
Slow-Flow Beach Yoga in the morning for a calmer start
My suggestion: go out early. Beach chairs fill up fast, especially on full sailings, and nobody wants to hover awkwardly while holding a drink.
Upgraded options exist if you want more space, shade, and service.
VIP Cabanas with daybeds, shade, stocked coolers, and sometimes Bar Tab credit
Mermaid Hideaway, which is indoor, air-conditioned, and extremely clutch on hot days
RockStar Retreat (Richard’s Retreat) with private beach access, food and drink service, and a quieter setup
If you value personal space and consistent service, these upgrades can be worth it—especially when the Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages is busy.
If you’re deciding where to stay before or after your cruise, I usually look for hotels near the Port of Miami on Booking.com so embarkation day stays simple. If you’re flying in, checking Skyscanner for Miami flights helps spot timing that avoids same-day stress.
You don’t need a rental car for Bimini itself, but for pre- or post-cruise exploring, renting a car through Discover Cars can be helpful if you’re extending your trip.
The Beach Club at Bimini Virgin Voyages is an easy, low-stress beach day that works for a lot of travel styles. Food is included and genuinely good, transportation is seamless, and you can be as active or as relaxed as you want without feeling boxed into one experience.
This is not a hidden-gem beach escape. It’s a well-run beach club that feels very on-brand for Virgin Voyages. Go in with that expectation, grab food when it opens, and you’ll have a great day.
If you’re planning ahead, learn more in my post about Virgin Voyages Cruise Tips & Tricks—it covers small details that make stops like this even smoother.
I ate chilaquiles while a Cessna taxied past the window, and that’s just a normal Tuesday breakfast in Sedona.
@mesa_grill_sedona sits right beside the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout, so along with your food you get red rock views stretching in every direction and a front-row seat to tiny planes lifting off. Chef Mercer Mohr runs the kitchen, serving up Southwestern comfort food from breakfast through dinner, chilaquiles, elevated diner classics, burgers, steaks, seafood, all of it.
The view is what pulls people in the door, but the food actually holds its own. Good enough that this place stays packed with locals, not just tourists passing through on their way to the lookout. It also picked up the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, so it’s not just me saying it.
Indoor seating if you want the AC, a pet-friendly patio if your dog’s along for the trip. Either way, get there before plane-spotting turns into a wait for a table.
Link in bio for the full Sedona breakfast roundup ✈️🌵
Confession: my newsletter is where the good stuff lives. Not the polished, edited-for-the-grid stuff, the “here’s the hole-in-the-wall I almost skipped” stuff, the packing lists I actually use, the “don’t book this hotel” warnings before you waste your money on them.
The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
Let’s talk about when to actually book that Dubai trip you’ve been pinning for two years. I get asked this constantly, so here’s the honest breakdown: October through April is your window. Anything outside that and you’re basically touring in a sauna!
October and November give you warm days and cooler nights, which is basically the sweet spot for wandering around without melting. December through February is peak season: gorgeous weather. March and April are the quiet insider pick, right before summer heat shows up and ruins everyone’s plans.
Saving this for later? That’s what it’s here for. Full breakdown linked in bio.
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
