Bimini is the signature spring break trip for freshmen at the University of Florida – and at this point, it’s a rite of passage. For four nights, just about everybody you know is on a tiny island in the Bahamas, and it’s a crucial part of the UF freshman experience.
When I first told my mom about the trip to Bimini back in October and asked her if I could go, she naturally wanted all of the details. If you’re a new Gator, here’s everything you need to know for your spring break trip next year.
What is Bimini?
Bimini is an island in the Bahamas, about 50 miles east of Miami. The spring break trip is organized through STFU & Party, a travel agency that sells curated group trips geared toward college students. When you book the trip with STFU & Party, they’ll book your hotel and ferry for you, and you’ll also gain access to parties each day and night of your trip.
The Details
In Bimini, there’s one major hotel: Resorts World Bimini, which is where everyone who books their trip through STFU & Party will stay. Some people on the spring break trip opted to book their own accommodations and rent houses, but the vast majority stayed at the resort. As far as rooms go, there are two options. The first, and most popular one, has two queen beds. Assuming you share the room with three other people, this is just the right amount of space. There’s also a less expensive option: a king bed with a pull-out couch. This is good if you have fewer people in your room, or if you want to save some money.
Now you know where you stay, but how do you get to Bimini? As someone who had never been to the Bahamas before, I was really surprised to find out that you get to Bimini via ferry. The ferry leaves from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and it usually takes around 2.5 hours each way. On the days of arrival and departure, there are two ferry times to choose from, which were released in December. When you leave or arrive in Bimini, the resort will send a trolley to take you to/from the ferry. As for transportation to and from Port Everglades, that is your own responsibility. Some people stay with friends who live in the area before and after the trip, while others drive from home and school the days of their ferries.
Of course, accommodations and transportation are important to know about, but the main attraction of the trip is what you do when you’re there. The fact that the whole thing is planned by a company called STFU & Party really encompasses what everyone does in Bimini. There are two planned parties each day of the trip – one during the day and one at night. The day parties are either at the beach or at one of the resort pools, while the nighttime parties are held at a variety of locations on or near the resort. One of the parties each day will have a theme, and the other will not. This year, the themes were jungle, country and whiteout, which were all at night, and Baewatch, which was during the day. Other than that, all of the parties are similar, and they each have a DJ hired by STFU & Party.
My Advice
Now, arguably the most important part of this article is everything that the internet won’t tell you about spring breaking in Bimini.
The first thing I noticed is that at the resort, everything is so expensive. I didn’t think stuff would be cheap, but I also didn’t expect each drink to cost over $20. High prices are unavoidable, so my biggest piece of advice is to find ways to prepare for it. All of my friends and I brought plenty of snacks with us, which spared us from having to purchase all three meals each day. Having snacks with you is just a good idea anyways, because you’ll definitely need pick-me-ups throughout the day. Definitely save up for the trip for as long as you can. Of course, the memories I made in Bimini were priceless, but I was instantly humbled when I checked my bank account after spring break.
Another thing I didn’t really think about before the trip – but definitely should’ve – were my outfits. I didn’t want to buy anything new and was overall pretty lazy when planning out what I was going to wear each day and night. I felt like most of my initial outfits that I planned didn’t match the vibe of what most other girls were wearing. I was able to borrow clothes from friends, so everything worked out, but my poor planning led to a lot of hassle. If you plan on going next year, start thinking about your outfits as early as possible. Ask girls who’ve gone before what they wore, look on Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration and consider what will be the most practical.
My final, and most overlooked, piece of advice is to be smart about where and when you are travelling before and after Bimini. I got lucky and the timing of all my transportation worked out perfectly, but I know a lot of people who weren’t so fortunate. Personally, I was on the early ferry both ways, I stayed with my friend in Miami the night beforehand, and her mom drove us to Port Everglades the morning of. After Bimini, I had a flight home that took off from Fort Lauderdale’s airport about three hours after we were set to dock in Port Everglades. When planning out your transportation to and from Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale, make sure you factor in everything that could go wrong. Missing your ferry or flight leads to an additional set of problems, and cutting it close just isn’t worth the stress.
Overall, spring break is a time to get away from the stress of school and have fun with your friends and classmates. Don’t let the stress of planning get in the way of enjoying yourself. The best advice I can give to anyone going to Bimini is: be smart, be safe and have fun!