There is one departure a day: 11:00 from the East Dock behind Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, with the boat back from the island at 15:30. Each leg is about 25 minutes on the water. The only way aboard is a Pearl Island day package, from US$59 for an adult.
Pearl Island Bahamas · +1.242.698.9970 · Checked 30 October 2026
One boat a day takes visitors from Paradise Island to Pearl Island: it leaves the East Dock of the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal at 11:00 and starts back from the island at 15:30. Pearl Island Bahamas, the company that owns the cay, runs it for its own day guests, so you cannot buy a seat without a day package. The Beach Escape Economy package, at US$59 for an adult, is the lowest price that gets you aboard.
The ride takes about 25 minutes each way. That gives four hours or so on the island, inside a day the operator sells as five hours from check-in to return. Pearl Island Bahamas states that the boat runs daily and all year, without publishing a start or end date; whether there is space on your date is shown only on its booking page.
This is not the Swimming Pigs Express. That shorter trip leaves from Elizabeth on Bay Marina, near the cruise port, at 10:45, and the company says it is the only Pearl Island trip that does not use the Paradise Island dock.
| From Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, East Dock | From Pearl Island |
|---|---|
| 11:00 | 15:30 |
No start or end date published; Pearl Island Bahamas says its boats run daily, all year · checked 30 October 2026 Pearl Island Bahamas – Beach Escape Economy itinerary · 2026-10-30
Pearl Island Bahamas does not sell the boat on its own. The round trip is part of every day package, and the cheapest of those, Beach Escape Economy, works as the practical fare: US$59 for anyone aged 13 or over and US$49 for children aged 4 to 12, with under-4s free. The company quotes these prices per person, in US dollars, with VAT already included.
What the Economy package adds to the boat is the island itself: both beaches, loungers and shade, the lighthouse, showers, and kayaks, paddleboards and floating mats on a first-come basis. Lunch, drinks, lockers and the Aqua Park are extra.
| Adult, 13 and over | US$59 |
| Child, 4 to 12 | US$49 |
| Infant, 0 to 3 | Free |
| Adult, 13 and over | US$79 |
Operator's prices in US dollars, VAT included, listed as valid 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 · checked 30 October 2026 Pearl Island Bahamas – Beach Escape Economy and FAQ · 2026-10-30
Pearl Island's check-in booth sits on the East Dock of the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, on the Paradise Island side of the harbour, behind the Margaritaville restaurant. The operator puts it about five minutes on foot from Atlantis's Coral, Beach and Royal Towers. Staff wear yellow or navy-blue polo shirts. The pin is placed from OpenStreetMap, because the company publishes no coordinates for the dock itself.
The boat lands at the island's own dock. Nobody stays the night: the operator describes even its private villas as day-use only, so every guest goes back on the 15:30.
From the East Dock the catamaran heads east, out of the Paradise Island side of Nassau Harbour, to Pearl Island. The operator describes the island as roughly a mile east of Paradise Island and eight miles from downtown Nassau, between Salt Cay and Athol Island. It gives the crossing as about 25 minutes each way.
Pearl Island tells guests to come by land taxi over the bridge, because it cannot hold the 11:00 for a late water taxi. From the cruise port it quotes 5 to 10 minutes and about US$5 per person.
Check-in closes at 10:45. Allow for traffic on the Paradise Island bridge, which the operator calls unpredictable at busy times.
The 15:30 leaves the island and is due back in Nassau around 4pm, per the operator. If your all-aboard time is before 5pm, the company asks you to contact it before booking.
The island is cashless; cards work at the bars and shop. A little cash still helps for taxis and tips, and the operator notes that the Bahamian dollar trades one-to-one with the US dollar.
Outside food and drink are not allowed on the island, which matters on the Economy package because lunch is not included.
The operator says the catamaran and dock are wheelchair accessible with crew help, but the beaches are soft sand and the lighthouse has stairs only. It asks to be contacted before booking.
Pearl Island was developed in 1993 under the name Spruce Cay. According to Pearl Island Bahamas, it was fully renovated and reopened in June 2016, lighthouse included. The company owns the island and is the only operator on it, and it says the number of seats on the boat sets how many guests can be on the island each day, which is why it advises booking ahead, particularly on cruise days and between December and April.
Two other short boat trips start from the same stretch of Nassau Harbour and are easy to confuse with this one: the public water taxis between Nassau and Paradise Island, and the day trips to Blue Lagoon Island on Salt Cay, which is run by a different company. Neither ticket is valid on the Pearl Island boat.
No. Pearl Island Bahamas sells no boat-only ticket. The round trip comes with each day package; Beach Escape Economy, at US$59 an adult, costs the least.
By 10:45. Check-in closes 15 minutes before the 11:00 departure, and the boat leaves on time.
No, it is when the boat leaves Pearl Island. The operator's homepage gives the return to Nassau as around 4pm.
US dollars. The site shows a plain $ sign, but the FAQ says every price is per person in USD with VAT included.
On Beach Escape Economy, US$49 for ages 4 to 12. Children aged 3 and under go free, and anyone under 18 must be with an adult.
Yes, free of charge until 24 hours before departure when you book direct. After that there is no refund. If Pearl Island calls off the crossing because of the sea, you choose between a refund and another date.
The operator says it sails all year. It names June to November as hurricane season, with September and October the riskiest, and cancels the crossing when conditions are unsafe.