JetBoaters.net Bimini Fling June 19 to 25 2016

[tim h]

I can't see the doc
@Bruce

 

[Bruce]

I can't see the doc
@Bruce

It is not ready to go yet but Bimini Sands has approved a 15% discount with 15% Resort Tax and a one time cleaning fee of $50 to $90 depending on the size of the condo. Dockage is $35 per night with 7.5% VAT charged for boats under 30 feet. For an ocean view one bedroom with a loft condo this is a savings of $246 from the published rates.

I am waiting for a registration form that we will need to send in to confirm our room reservations. I hope that it is ready by Monday. I expect that we will be booking our rooms next week.

I have attached our rate sheet which confirms condo, dockage, resort tax and the room cleaning rates.

 

[MrMoose]

It is not ready to go yet but Bimini Sands has approved a 15% discount with 15% Resort Tax and a one time cleaning fee of $50 to $90 depending on the size of the condo. Dockage is $35 per night for boats under 30 feet. For an ocean view one bedroom with a loft condo this is a savings of $246 from the published rates and approximately $31 less than last year.

I am waiting for a registration form that we will need to send in to confirm our room reservations. I hope that it is ready by Monday. I expect that we will be booking our rooms next week.

I have attached our rate sheet which confirms condo, dockage, resort tax and the room cleaning rates.

@Bruce, thank you for taking care of this. Just to be clear, there are no other additional taxes that will be added other than the stated 15% resort tax? For example, no other taxes that would be imposed by the Bahamian government?

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce, thank you for taking care of this. Just to be clear, there are no other additional taxes that will be added other than the stated 15% resort tax? For example, no other taxes that would be imposed by the Bahamian government?

The "15% resort tax" should be the only charge on top of the condo and slip rental. All of the resorts on Bimini charge some sort of mythical resort tax which is generally made up of 7.5% VAT plus local taxes and various resort fees. 15% is the typical rate.

Resorts World charges "Room Tax of 13.5%pp per night" which may be per person plus a "Resort Fee of $12.90 per adult and /or $6.45 per child per night".

 

[Bruce]

@MrMoose, I found and attached my receipt from the group trip last year. Bimini Sands charged 7.5% VAT and a 7.5% Room Service Charge each day for a total of 15%. I believe that the 201.52 "Front Desk POS Charg" was fuel that we charged to the room. We checked out of 21M when the group left and moved to a condo in building 19. Our slip fees were paid for at our second checkout. They were $35 per day with 7.5% VAT charged for a total of $37.63 per day.

 

[MrMoose]

@MrMoose, I found and attached my receipt from the group trip last year. Bimini Sands charged 7.5% VAT and a 7.5% Room Service Charge each day for a total of 15%. I believe that the 201.52 "Front Desk POS Charg" was fuel that we charged to the room. We checked out of 21M when the group left and moved to a condo in building 19. Our slip fees were paid for at our second checkout. They were $35 per day with 7.5% VAT charged for a total of $37.63 per day.

View attachment 32245

Thanks for sharing that @Bruce. So, last year you paid 22.5% in taxes and "room service charges" (7.5% "VAT rooms/slips" + 7.5% "Room Service Charge" + 7.5% "VAT"), but this year you're only expecting to pay 15%? Or, are you expecting to pay 15% resort charge and then another 7.5% VAT, which is the same as last year... 22.5%
Sorry for being a pain about this.

 

[Bruce]

Thanks for sharing that @Bruce. So, last year you paid 22.5% in taxes and "room service charges" (7.5% "VAT rooms/slips" + 7.5% "Room Service Charge" + 7.5% "VAT"), but this year you're only expecting to pay 15%? Or, are you expecting to pay 15% resort charge and then another 7.5% VAT, which is the same as last year... 22.5%
Sorry for being a pain about this.

Last year we paid and this year we are paying a total of 15% resort taxes which is made up of 7.5% VAT and 7.5% Room Service Charge. At one point during 2015 Bimini Sands was charging 22.5% but I believe that was reduced to 15% before we arrived.

 

[MrMoose]

Just to be clear, (banging head on desk), you did pay 22.5% last year. This year, we will pay 15% only and there will not be an additional "7.5% VAT" line item added at the bottom of the invoice.

 

[Bruce]

Just to be clear, (banging head on desk), you did pay 22.5% last year. This year, we will pay 15% only and there will not be an additional "7.5% VAT" line item added at the bottom of the invoice.

The receipt does break the VAT out on a line near the bottom but that is not an additional charge. It is just a total of the VAT charged above.

I paid ($242.25 X 5 nights) = $1,211.25 room rent + $90.85 VAT + $90.85 Room Service Charge + $210.52 in fuel which totals $1603.47.

 

[MrMoose]

Ahhhhhhhh! I see it now! Thanks @Bruce

 

[shane hric]

The receipt does break the VAT out on a line near the bottom but that is not an additional charge. It is just a total of the VAT charged above.

I paid ($242.25 X 5 nights) = $1,211.25 room rent + $90.85 VAT + $90.85 Room Service Charge + $210.52 in fuel which totals $1603.47.

So as of now we are still on standby for booking our reservations...correct?

 

[Bruce]

So as of now we are still on standby for booking our reservations...correct?

Yes, I am waiting for the booking paperwork or whatever the process will be but the dates and discount are agreed with Bimini Sands. So we are almost there.

 

[shane hric]

Yes, I am waiting for the booking paperwork or whatever the process will be but the dates and discount are agreed with Bimini Sands. So we are almost there.

Thanks...awesome work with the planning by the way!

 

[latitudeadjuster]

latitudeadjuster has registered to captain Wake Me Up with a crew of 2 adults and 3 children. They hail from the home port of Lake Anna, Virginia.

The crew is described as:

You can register for the event using the form at https://jetboaters.net/forms/bimini-2016-registration.6/respond

 

[swatski]

swatski has registered to captain CC with a crew of 2 adults and 3 children. They hail from the home port of Des Peres, MO.

The crew is described as: Wojciech (Voytek) and Kate Swat
Sandra (14), Magda (11), Gosia (Margaret, 9)

You can register for the event using the form at https://jetboaters.net/forms/bimini-2016-registration.6/respond

 

[Bruce]

Here are answers to a couple of questions that I think may help others.

What additional equipment is required to make the trip.

1. The only additional legal requirement compared to a lake is flares.

2. Without at minimum a handheld VHF marine radio you will not be able to communicate with other boats during the crossing or in planning outings once we get to Bimini. This is not a legal requirement but is a requirement.

3. You want to have some sort of charting capability. I recommend Navionics on your preferred device for anyone without a chart plotter and as a backup for those with chart plotters. You should download maps in advance so that you do not need data while on the water.

What do we take to eat?

The condos are fully furnished with a stove, oven and combination refrigerator and freezer. Some have an ice maker built into the refrigerator others have ice trays. You can buy bagged ice at the Bimini Sands store by the fuel dock. Your condo may have spices or condiments that were left by the owner or previous guests.

The restaurants are open during meal times but we rarely want to spend the time for such a long meal and they are expensive.

We go to the grocery store and buy groceries for the time we will be there. You may want to buy a little extra. We expect that we will eat out at least once and that we will eat a few meals of locally caught fish so we plan to bring home the excess. The most efficient way to shop would be to plan meals and have a list when you arrive at the store. My family is not that organized.

The condos come with toilet paper and paper towels. We always bring a pack of each and find it favorable to what is provided.

We tend to eat breakfast and dinner in the condo. We take lunch either prepared or to grill out on the boat. We always take extra food and water on the boat in case it takes longer than we expect to get back.

Our experience is that eating becomes an after thought. You are having such a great time and are so warm that you may forget about meals. But most of us will be consuming more calories and sweating more than normal so we do need to be well nourished.

The only food that we have found to be readily available on the island outside of the restaurants is bread.

Everything seems to taste better in Bimini. @MrMoose's Johnsonville Brats were the best in the world last year!

Some of the grocery items that we have enjoyed bringing are;

Edamame - soybeans, they come frozen so they double as ice. They are easy to heat for eating and our kids love them. I often warm them on the grill.

Pickles - great for replacing the salt you are sweati f out.

Eggs - we assumed they would break so we took egg beaters in 2014. Real eggs survived the rough crossing in 2015!

Cereal - a quick easy breakfast

Steak, lamb, pork chops - these are nice treats that are easy to grill.

Burger (ground chuck) - we enjoyed Cheeseburgers in Paradise for a couple of dinners last year.

Hot dogs or sausages - fast and easy to grill on the water

Salami, deli meats - high in salt to offset that sweat

Various cheeses - we found cool meats, cheeses, nuts and fruit to be appealing in the heat

Tortillas - compact, tough and can be used in lots of ways

Pita chips and humus - a nice snack

Nuts

Fruit, there is little to no fruit in Bimini. We took lots of Florida oranges, grapefruit, apples, grapes, etc.

Gatorade - this is our staple drink

Powdered Gatorade - Gatorade is heavy. We brought a few packs of bottled then refill the bottles using the powder and tap water. This saves on cost and weight.

Rum mixers - rum is cheaply and widely available on the island. Mixers are not as easy to get so bring them with you. Perhaps @Rana or someone else could post recipes for rum punch or other suitable drinks.

Soup and Crackers - it is likely that someone in your group will develop a stomach ache at some point. I recommend bringing the same foods you would treat them with at home.

Squid - the grocery stores have it. The Rays will eat it out of your hand and the reef fish will eat it off of your hook.

Coffee - some of us get grumpy without it

Dried fruits - they handle the heat well

We load our groceries directly into the under seat cockpit storage areas except for the refrigerated items which go into an ice chest with enough ice to last a day.

 

[Bruce]

Bimini Sands has confirmed that they are ready to accept our registrations. In fact after weeks of delay they are asking us to register quickly to make sure we all get units.

I have attached the Guest Registration Form. You can register by completing and emailing the form to the email address indicated on the form or faxing it to +1 (242) 347-3501 (international rates). I have also attached the agreed condo and slip rates for your convenience. The form asks about a Cruising Permit #. We will obtain that when we clear customs. I simply entered "to be obtained". For condo size I specified "Ocean View One Bedroom with Loft". I completed the dates value and added a note about the discount.

You also can make reservations on the phone at (888) 588-2464 which is the office at Bimini Sands. If you call in your registration please specify that you are with the JetBoaters group and are booking under the discounted rates agreed with Jonisha.

Thanks guys, lets get booking!

@ACrews, @veedubtek, @Augusto David Rodriguez, @andy07sx230ho, @ThatJeepGuy, @Jr15g, @zedxmike, @shane hric, @BgTravis, @DieselCamel, @JROD, @Manchild, @chris24, @Glen, @Jose galvez, @MrMoose, @justason, @Kevin Sargent, @Jackew, @Jerry Ferrera, @BigJay17, @wadeup, @robert843, @latitudeadjuster, @swatski, @Chris-MS, @Mike Coultas, @ScarabMike, @Jr15g, @JROD, @Ramblin Wreck, @2nazt, @Valerie, [USERGROUP=14]@Bimini[/USERGROUP]

 

[MrMoose]

Bimini Sands has confirmed that they are ready to accept our registrations. In fact after weeks of delay they are asking us to register quickly to make sure we all get units.

I have attached the Guest Registration Form. You can register by completing and emailing the form to the email address indicated on the form or faxing it to +1 (242) 347-3501 (international rates). I have also attached the agreed condo and slip rates for your convenience. The form asks about a Cruising Permit #. We will obtain that when we clear customs. I simply entered "to be obtained". For condo size I specified "Ocean View One Bedroom with Loft". I completed the dates value and added a note about the discount.

You also can make reservations on the phone at (888) 588-2464 which is the office at Bimini Sands. If you call in your registration please specify that you are with the JetBoaters group and are booking under the discounted rates agreed with Jonisha.

Thanks guys, lets get booking!

@ACrews, @veedubtek, @Augusto David Rodriguez, @andy07sx230ho, @ThatJeepGuy, @Jr15g, @zedxmike, @shane hric, @BgTravis, @DieselCamel, @JROD, @Manchild, @chris24, @Glen, @Jose galvez, @MrMoose, @justason, @Kevin Sargent, @Jackew, @Jerry Ferrera, @BigJay17, @wadeup, @robert843, @latitudeadjuster, @swatski, @Chris-MS, @Mike Coultas, @ScarabMike, @Jr15g, @JROD, @Ramblin Wreck, @2nazt, @Valerie, [USERGROUP=14]@Bimini[/USERGROUP]

Thanks @Bruce. Is there any way to tell how many people the units can handle with respect to sleeping accommodations? I know that some units have sofa beds, and some don't.

 

[shane hric]

Thanks @Bruce. Is there any way to tell how many people the units can handle with respect to sleeping accommodations? I know that some units have sofa beds, and some don't.

Excellent Question@MrMoose!

 

[waterboy]

Contact Bimini Sands by phone. When I scheduled the trip, I wanted a 1 BR with Loft for a trip for 4 guys. They were able to review with me what rooms had what beds in the different rooms to get what I needed. I ended up with a room that had 3 separate beds in the loft so none of the guy shad to potentially bump you know whats!!

Those aren't pillows !!!