First time to Princess Cays

We are looking at booking a Caribbean cruise soon and one of our first ports of call is Princess Cays.

We have never been to Princess Cays before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/advise?? (I guess as its Princess own islands their wont be any private tours?)

Can you snorkel there?

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

I came off the pier, and there was loud music, in the food pavilion directly ahead and a live band further down to the left. I was disappointed to not have peace and quiet. We went to the beach on the right, as you get off the pier. After walking most of the beach later, I think the beach on the right was the better beach. I think if we had gone further down it would have been quieter. They seemed to turn down the music some. The food was excellent to me - like picnic food in the food pavilion, and picnic tables to sit at. There are some stores to see. We rented a clamshell in advance. A little hard to track down the beach boy. Find the rental shack and then find the beach boy, but we did it. We liked the clamshell. Way far down on the left, is the private bungalows and the private sanctuary that we couldn't go in. That area was quiet! So if you like quiet you have to pay for it. I really like quiet, or music that isn't real, real loud, so that is something that I am always sensitive to. This was in January and the water wasn't real warm, but it was ok and I enjoyed swimming. There are shady areas if you want shade.

I assume you can snorkel there, but I don't know if there is much to see. The beach I swam at was sandy with some rocks, it was shallow and clear and you could see some, but I didn't see fish swimming around. Maybe another area of the long beach is better for snorkeling. I hardly ever snorkel so I don't know, but yeah, bring your snorkel. I enjoyed Princess Cays, except for loud music at times.

We are looking at booking a Caribbean cruise soon and one of our first ports of call is Princess Cays.

 

We have never been to Princess Cays before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/advise?? (I guess as its Princess own islands their wont be any private tours?)

 

Can you snorkel there?

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

To elaborate further, there is no tours there that I know of. You can just walk the beach and see the sights. Now I do remember, there is a little bridge to go to the beach on the right, and there were hordes of fish at the bridge! How did I forget that. I think they might get fed there. So maybe if you snorkel somewhere, you will see fish around, or maybe they are all congregating at the bridge! Have fun. It was a nice beach day and it did feel safe.

This is not actually an "island"...it's simply a part of the beach Princess uses. I believe you can leave the beach area and go into Eluthera proper, if you want to...

Whatever you do, DO NOT book the view boards! They are so heavy, I didn't think I could get mine from the rental shack to the water. My SO (70 years old, 225 pounds) tried to scoot up high enough on the board to actually look through the viewing area and flipped upside down - three times. My arms ached from trying to hold onto the board. The best part, though, was trying to drag the boards out of the water. Mine got away from me, washed ashore, then floated back out and knocked my feet out from under me. I tried repeatedly, and wound up crawling out of the water onto the sand. Part of the problem was that we were laughing so hard we couldn't stand up on our own, but most of it was those darn view boards. I am afraid to check YouTube for fear that somebody had a camera.

I came off the pier, and there was loud music, in the food pavilion directly ahead and a live band further down to the left. I was disappointed to not have peace and quiet. We went to the beach on the right, as you get off the pier. After walking most of the beach later, I think the beach on the right was the better beach. I think if we had gone further down it would have been quieter. They seemed to turn down the music some. The food was excellent to me - like picnic food in the food pavilion, and picnic tables to sit at. There are some stores to see. We rented a clamshell in advance. A little hard to track down the beach boy. Find the rental shack and then find the beach boy, but we did it. We liked the clamshell. Way far down on the left, is the private bungalows and the private sanctuary that we couldn't go in. That area was quiet! So if you like quiet you have to pay for it. I really like quiet, or music that isn't real, real loud, so that is something that I am always sensitive to. This was in January and the water wasn't real warm, but it was ok and I enjoyed swimming. There are shady areas if you want shade.

I am sorry to read that you could not find a place on Princess Cays that was quiet without paying for it. That has not been my experience. When I get off the tenders, I go right. There are a lot of loungers to the right and a bar as well.

OP, I don't think there are any private tours. However, Princess does sell a tour of the island. If you decide not to do that, you can purchase snorkeling excursions, etc. through Princess that provide you with the equipment you need.

We are looking at booking a Caribbean cruise soon and one of our first ports of call is Princess Cays.

We have never been to Princess Cays before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/advise?? (I guess as its Princess own islands their wont be any private tours?)

Can you snorkel there?

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

Basically, Princess Cays is a BEACH DAY!

Everything you need is there at n/c (BBQ buffet, etc.) or can be charged to your cruise card ... just like being on the ship.

The water tends to be chilly in the winter months.

LuLu

Totally agree that it's a beach day and should be treated as such. I wouldn't worry about doing much else but laying in the sun. Rent a clamshell if you would like some shade and there are also some trees that I usually pull my chair under for free shade.

Very much a beach day...you can snorkel, rent/use small watercraft, swim, sunbathe.

The noon meal is brought from the ship. Cooked and served BBQ style it offers nice variety. Food is part of your cruise, no additional cost. Drinks, like soda and alcohol (beer) are available to purchase.

There are scenic overlook towers built for photographers. Bungalows, clamshells and beach lounge chairs for relaxing. Abundant trees if too much direct sun is an issue. Bring your beach towel from the ship.

PC is far from any substantial settlement on Eleuthera, so there are minimal excursions available. Still, you can check the Princess excursion list for your cruise.

The noon meal is brought from the ship. Cooked and served BBQ style it offers nice variety. Food is part of your cruise, no additional cost. Drinks, like soda and alcohol (beer) are available to purchase.

If you have purchased the all inclusive drink package, can you use it on the island? Thank you.

If you have purchased the all inclusive drink package, can you use it on the island? Thank you.

Yes.

I went last December. It was really awful. Most people wished they had stayed on the ship. They had a lot of rude, lazy staff. Looked all stoned, passed out in lounge chairs. None wanted to get up and get clamshells or other items guests had reserved. Food was terrible. I guess because most guests were returning to the ship early, they started packing food up earlier. They kept taking away the food bins as I was holding tongs & reaching in to get food. Beach & in water is very painful to walk on, so bring water shoes.

Compared to Half Moon Cay, Princess gets a 1, HMC a 10

I went last December. It was really awful. Most people wished they had stayed on the ship. They had a lot of rude, lazy staff. Looked all stoned, passed out in lounge chairs. None wanted to get up and get clamshells or other items guests had reserved. Food was terrible. I guess because most guests were returning to the ship early, they started packing food up earlier. They kept taking away the food bins as I was holding tongs & reaching in to get food. Beach & in water is very painful to walk on, so bring water shoes.

Compared to Half Moon Cay, Princess gets a 1, HMC a 10

Just curious. What ship were you on? The ship crew are the ones manning the island for the day. How was service on the ship?

Just curious. What ship were you on? The ship crew are the ones manning the island for the day. How was service on the ship?

Royal Princess. The food was done by ship crew. The lazy people responsible for the clam shells, etc were not from the ship. Islanders.

Royal Princess. The food was done by ship crew. The lazy people responsible for the clam shells, etc were not from the ship. Islanders.

Interesting. Thx, I am cruising in January w/ a stop in Princess Cay. Had no problem before but will need to rethink my options.

Interesting. Thx, I am cruising in January w/ a stop in Princess Cay. Had no problem before but will need to rethink my options.

Hi Bernie! We'll be on that cruise with you & George! :)

At Princess Cays we always go to the Banana Beach Bar area. There's a duo playing Caribbean music & oldies. Maybe you'd consider doing that?

Your All Inclusive Drink Sticker is good there! :D

LuLu

Hi Bernie! We'll be on that cruise with you & George! :)

 

At Princess Cays we always go to the Banana Beach Bar area. There's a duo playing Caribbean music & oldies. Maybe you'd consider doing that?

Your All Inclusive Drink Sticker is good there! :D

 

LuLu

Hi Lulu! If that's to the right of the tender port, yes, that's where we go. We r traveling with neighbors one of whom can't take the sun, so they r thinking of renting a clam shell. Do u remember if you can get them on that side? Thx!!

Berni

To the right is where we got our clamshells (eventually).

Hi Lulu! If that's to the right of the tender port, yes, that's where we go. We r traveling with neighbors one of whom can't take the sun, so they r thinking of renting a clam shell. Do u remember if you can get them on that side? Thx!!

Berni

Berni .... When you get off at the tender dock, the Banana Beach Bar is to the left. No clamshells there.

I can't take the sun for very long so the "deep" shade of the Banana Beach Bar works best for me. It's directly on the beach so has a beautiful view.

As cruiseJMO noted, you would take right from the tender dock to get to the clam shell area.

LuLu

Berni .... When you get off at the tender dock, the Banana Beach Bar is to the left. No clamshells there.

I can't take the sun for very long so the "deep" shade of the Banana Beach Bar works best for me. It's directly on the beach so has a beautiful view.

 

As cruiseJMO noted, you would take right from the tender dock to get to the clam shell area.

 

LuLu

Next time I'm there, I'm taking your advice & heading to the Banana Beach Bar.

The area to the right, where we got our clamshells was pretty awful, IMO. No breeze, painful to walk on beach full of shells & rocks, no music. With no breeze, the clamshells feel like dreadful little ovens.

And, I still can't believe the laziness of the islanders responsible for getting your rentals. I've never seen anything so pathetic & rude. Looked like all 5 of them just finished smoking 5 joints/blunts each.

Next time I'm there, I'm taking your advice & heading to the Banana Beach Bar.

 

The area to the right, where we got our clamshells was pretty awful, IMO. No breeze, painful to walk on beach full of shells & rocks, no music. With no breeze, the clamshells feel like dreadful little ovens.

And, I still can't believe the laziness of the islanders responsible for getting your rentals. I've never seen anything so pathetic & rude. Looked like all 5 of them just finished smoking 5 joints/blunts each.

You must not have met Ezra. He's one of the locals and I've never met anyone so friendly and helpful. We were there twice in 3 days during the Regal's maiden trip and he remembered us the second time. If you go, find him. You can tell him from his gold teeth.

I'll try to remember Ezra if I get off the ship. 😊😕

We're booked our Caribbean cruise, going on the Emerald Princess :D

Cant wait to check out Princess Cays :).