Princess Cays - Compiled Info : Beach/Water activities, Food/Drinks, Bungalows, Facts

Wow what a lot of good information! Thanks for taking the time to post this, I got lots of good information and opinions to help me plan for my trip.

Thought of a question if someone could answer. After ship anchors for Princess Cays, how long does it take to get a tender? Do you have to stand in line and wait your turn? How does it work?

Thought of a question if someone could answer. After ship anchors for Princess Cays, how long does it take to get a tender? Do you have to stand in line and wait your turn? How does it work?

They start giving out tickets for the tender very early morning and will usually do this in one of the lounges. Yes, you have to wait your turn. If you are up very early and in line you won't wait long but when we were there in November I just waited a couple of hours after the ship arrived and then caught a tender with no wait. I had no problems frinding a nice lounge chair and enjoyed my stay there.

I have cut and pasted all the questions and answers regarding Princess Cays from the most recent thread to the last time I updated this.This now covers all questions and answers regarding Princess Cays from about 2006 I think. Please add any useful info as this thread might be helpful to those going for the first time as a one stop shop regarding info on Princess Cays.

What Did You Enjoy The Most At Princess Cays ?

The beach bungalow - If you get the opportunity to reserve one, I highly recommend it.

We snorkelled right off of beach, in front of the lifeguard.......AMAZING!!! I agree. It was great having a place to store our gear and just relax. The water and beach were beautiful. I really enjoyed the BBQ. Lines will be long but there are usually two sides at each hut. Choices were very good and hot food was hot. Only problem was getting Iced Tea or Water and Ice. Not much room to rest your plate while getting a drink, but it is do able. We went to the Right of the tender pier. Once across the little bridge, turn left and you will find lots of lounges in front of the Clam shells. Entry into the water was fine. There were lots of snorkeling in this area. Our family really enjoyed their time on Princess Cays. I actually went to the beach to the right (looking at beach) instead of the beach to the left where most people were. I found a lounger right in front of the bar area past the BBQ area. It was great looking out on the beautiful beach, lifeguards, the ship at anchor and being able to just jump up and get a mango drink (can't remember the name but loved it) I also really liked the shops by the tender area. At the end of the day I wandered through them and thought they had some really nice things. Also, walked along the beach which was beautiful, warm water, just awesome! The water was so clear... we took the ship's snorkel trip.See under water snorkle picture here : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1209449

We didn't care for it. The water was nice, took our own snorkling gear, not much to see. Pretty beach although you need to use insect repellent. We were bit all over our feet up to about our calves with sand fleas. Now I carry repellent with us. We also went past where they are trying to sell stuff, past the guard to a little area where locals are selling crafts. Bought several items there. The music {local band} {island music} at one of the Tiki Bars was great.... snorkeling. was super..BBQ great....really nice day....kinda set the atmosphere. What I liked most, was doing nothing at all. It was great to just relax and chill. We didn't have any grand expectations for the island and it exceeded them all. Also liked just taking in the beauty from a lounge chair. Seeing the ship anchored out in the ocean, looking at the good looking lifeguards, seeing the palm trees sway in the wind, listening to music, partaking of a Mucho Mango and eating some BBQ. It was a fabulous day.

Anyone been recently? Any tips for the best area to head to?

BBQ was good. Plenty of water stations too.Clear water. Fun snorkeling, not like in the Caymans or Cozumel, but still fun. You may not need the cabana as there is some shade available at a few other locations. Wear water shoes as there is some coral near the edge of the water. You can swim past it though. All in all a good day.

I always pack my water shoes. Plenty of ship bar staff on the island to keep you well hydrated with adult beverages. The snorkeling is ok but not like some of the other calls in the caribbean. If you want to enjoy water sports you may want to book on the ship as we found snorkeling gear and banana boat rides went quick.

Princess Cays Info website-

http://beyondships.com/Princess-PrincessCays.html

Where is Princess Cays ?

I'm trying to find Eluethera and/or Princess Cays with Google Earth and can't. The Princess Cays are between Millars and DeepBay (DavisHarbour ) on the south coast

Map of Eleuthra island : http://www.sunrisevilla.com/paintmap.gif

Go to these coordinates for Princess Cays : 24 degrees 38' 13" N 76 degrees 10' 17" W. You'll even see a Princess ship there. I am using the non-enhanced version (free) of Google Earth. I seem to be unable to type in the coordinates for this. How do you type in the tiny o for degrees? I tried typing out the word degrees, and it didnt work. Use "d" for degrees, so it would be: 24 d 38' 13" N, 76 d 10' 17" W . I could get to it but had to type in 24 38'13" N, 76 10'17" W and it will take you there. Kinda cool looking at the Grand class ship, look closer and you can see a orange tender. Finally got to it, but had to type in 24 38' 01.46" N 78 11'07.75"W. I can only reach it with these numbers: 24 38' 01.46" N 76 11' 07.75" W

Great satellite shot on Google earth - I finally got to the spot on Google Earth by using 24 38'13" N, 76 10'17" W. You can actually see the ship, tenders and all the buildings, way cool! The ship is at 24 degrees 37' 51" N and 76 degrees 10' 58.5" W

Anyone aware of any damage to the island ?

Just back from a 2 week cruise and we couldn't see any damage. Beach and water were simply beautiful, clear and clean. Sept 21 2010

Wheelchair/scooter assessable?

If you can get them on a tender...yes. There are paved paths everywhere to the BBQ/shops etc.My uncle uses a scooter as he is unable to walk for extended periods of time and he has come onto the island twice. He feels a bit limited on the island as he is not able to go to the beach and can only travel just so far on the scooter. He joins us for the BBQ and even took the glass bottom boat trip once. The issue is getting on a tender. If the person can step onto the tender and chair can be folded and put on board then it can work. Princess will not lift the person in the chair and place onboard the tender. Once on the island there are concrete paths. There is a lot of wonderful information on the main board page under "Special Interest" then disability. My Uncle's motorized scooter did not fold up. It was taken on and off the tender by the staff. He did not have to walk on and off the tender by himself. He was assisted by the staff as well as my Aunt or I so that he could walk up the few steps to or from the tender. He was seated in the tender closest to the tender steps so that it was easier for him to leave.

Do Suite people get Priority Tender Passes coming and going?

Priority tender passes are only for disembarking when reboarding it is first come first served.

Soft drinks –

Are at extra charge. And the soda sticker (if you purchased one onboard) is not valid on Princess Cays.

Loungers –

After exiting the tender, turn right and go across the little foot bridge. Less crowded and lots of shade to pull your lounger in to. We made the mistake of renting a clam shell one time and wished we hadn't wasted our money. A lounge chair, even in the sun, is more comfortable than sitting in one of those clam shells....like a steam bath. I always have been able to find empty chairs in the shade.

Clamshells –

Do you know if the clamshells have to be booked in advance or if you can just snag one once you get there? Do they have umbrellas there? I booked a clamshell on the day of. Just got off the ship, went down to the kiosk that sold the clamshells and booked one. I would imagine it depends on your sailing and what is available. My clamshell was way behind many others so didn't have much of an "oceanview' However, I went to the right once exiting the tender, booked my clam shell and then walked a bit further to a bar area I saw and located a lounge chair right in front of the bar. I alternated between this lounge chair - in the sun most of the time and my clam shell out of the sun - during the day. I will say - I couldnt have stayed in the clamshell all day as it did get a bit hot in there. I think I was pretty lucky to have the best of both worlds - a clamshell to get out of the sun and a great lounger in a fab location by the bar.

Bungalows : Difference between Sanctuary and Regular bungalow ?

I am trying to figure out what the difference is between the Sanctuary Bungalow and the Beach Bungalow besides the $50 price difference and adults only? Which ones are closer to the beach access? which ones are closer to the restrooms? Do both have umbrellas? I have only seen pictures of umbrellas at the regular bungalows, not the sanctuary. Food service and a few other little perks for the extra $$$$. They are not on the beach, they are set back and behind a sea wall. The sanctuary ones are for adults only We have had the regular bungalows twice and this year we booked the Sanctuary Bungalow. We did not feel that it was worth the additional $50.00. Yes, it is adult only, but the reality is you do not get many kids down where the regular bungalows are. The beach in front of these bungalows are good for snorkelling, but there isn't a sandy beach for swimming. There is no beach in front of the Sanctuary Bungalows. When we book again, we'll book the regular bungalow and pay the extra $50.00 to have the gourmet lunch delivered to our bungalow. Sanctuary bungalows, almost identical to the regular ones, but with newer loungers.

Don't bother.... .....I was just at PrincessCays on Monday- I would suggest that you not waste your money on either bungalow, or a clamshell....there is enough shade, enough chairs, enough food, enough drinks, enough water, beach, etc....on the main beach area. We had a lot of fun and saved our money for other things (excursions, photos, drinks).

We stayed in a bungalow in Apr 2010 on the Cays. You get priority tender to the Cays which is nice. When you arrive, you ride this shuttle to the bungalows and are assigned one. They look like a storeage shed with A/C. We spent most of the time out of the bungalow on a lounge chair getting some sun. We walked about 100 yards to a BBQ lunch that was nice. There is a bar close by, naturally. We had 6 people to split the cost so it was probably worth it. I don't think I would bother if there was less people to share the cost I think we paid $30 plus pp. Any more that that I don''t think it would be worth it.

2 Pictures of the Bungalows: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1244686&highlight=princess+cays Post #5

Both times we were there we didn't have any trouble getting lounge chairs under palm trees. Try to get off the ship early and head over over the bridge once you get on the island. The clam shells are like little hot canvas caves. They block the breeze as they're providing shade and often you can only see the clam shells in front of you.

Picture of the clam shells : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1244686&highlight=princess+cays posting # 13

Bungalows / Cabanas -

I have youtubed some videos for Princess Cays. My question is are the lounge chairs way in front (edge of water area) of the cabanas for everyone to use or are they reserved for the cabanas use only? There seemed like alot of empy ones in the video. The Cabanas (not in the Sanctuary area , Which is farther down) do have several rows of "free to all" lounge chairs in front of them. We have rented several times and It seems not a lot of people venture that far down the beach. If they do, they don't stay the whole time. If you are looking for a quiet area of Princess cay this is the place to be. With the Cabana rental you have 4 lounge chairs reserved for you (signs on them saying reserved and towel on them for you to use). They are for everyone, but no one but the cabana folks seemed to use them on our recent visit. The cabana area was quiet and really pleasant. Justback - We were on Emerald the week of August 8 and booked a bungalow. Included was the priority tender ( they sent 6 tickets to our room in advance), towels, hand sanitizer. 6 loungers - 2 on deck, 4 in front. Server to attend to your beverage needs. There is an outdoor shower for your use attached to the outside of your cabana. ( we did not have any sunscreen or bug spray as others mentioned having, so be prepared and bring your own). If we wanted lunch delivered it was $50 extra - we did not add on the delivery. BBQ area is an wasy walk from the cabana. Air conditioning and having a place to change was nice. There is a restroom situated in the mid section of the cabana area. The best thing was how quiet the area is. To those asking about use of a CD player, the cabanas only have about 15 feet between them so any music would likely be heard by your neighbors - I pods and headphones may be a better choice. I would book one again in a heartbeat. If you keep your music inside the bungalow, and at a moderate level, it most likely won't be heard by anyone but you.

Taste of Eluretha Island Excursion -

We took the Taste of Eluretha last November. We weren't impressed, but many on the tour were. Tour travelled to the "other side at the ocean." Very pretty. Visited a school, church, a library. Had lunch which wasn't impressive. I understand the tour has improved since then. We took the tour in February 2010. It goes as far as TarpumBay but it does not go as far as Governor's Harbour. The tour goes to Rock Sound and turns around at TarpumBay. There is a visit in Rock Sound of a school, police station, government buildings etc. and a few "scenic" stops. Lunch is served at the Four Points restaurant - it is a "typical" Bahamas lunch with conch fritters, chicken etc. and a "junkaroo" celebration and dance. I thought that it was expensive for what it was however, it provided a good overview of the area which we would not have seen otherwise. I think it was about 3.5 hours. It is a 4 hour tour including lunch. We thought that it was expensive for what it was but it was fun and we had a good presentation of Bahamian life. The lunch was so-so but we are not great fans of conch fritters but the chicken was ok. You will be getting back on Princess so who cares - eat then. I am providing a link to the company that provides the tour. The video is a very realistic representation of the tour that we took a few months back. The tour is a one time experience.

http://eleutheraadventuretours.com/

Anyone else have feedback on the hobbie sail boats? Trying to decide whether to get one of them or go on the snorkeling tour instead

We were on the Emerald (Oct 19-29) and loved the Princess Cays! A great beach, great food, and lots of activities!

We were on the Emerald (Oct 19-29) and loved the Princess Cays! A great beach, great food, and lots of activities!

Thanks for posting your pictures. It brought back wonderful memories of my day there Nov 2009. I loved it! This was my 14th cruise and I was traveling with a friend who never cruised before. Yikes, it wasn't good - she didn't seem to like the cruise experience, complained about the heat, spent time in the cabin at night watching TV as, evidently, the evening entertainment on the ship just wasn't up to her standards nor was the food or anything. Plus, she was just unpleasant to be around. I had previously traveled with other first time cruisers and some that had cruised before and always had a wonderful experience sharing cruising with them. My Princess Cays day was truly an escape and I loved it there. Can't wait to return December 2011 with my friends Billie and Mary! Fortunately, they like to cruise and are really easy to please gals. Can't wait!:D:D:D

Thank you for the information. We just booked a cruise for 2012 that will being us there for the first time. It looks like a nice, relaxing day. We love to snorkel so we will be watching for more snorkel updates before we decide whether to snorkel from the beach or take the excursion.:)

Thank you for the information. We just booked a cruise for 2012 that will being us there for the first time. It looks like a nice, relaxing day. We love to snorkel so we will be watching for more snorkel updates before we decide whether to snorkel from the beach or take the excursion.:)

For us the only negative to the boat snorkel excursion, was that the reef was small. It was a great reef and clear water, but if you just swim over the top once and are done, it might seem like a short trip. I swam the reef a second time and dove down and got looking at the individual corals and found neat individual fish and watched them for a few minutes each... and played around with my camera and thought it was a great snorkel trip. But I could see how other more casual snorkelers might have just swam over the top of the reef once and thought that was it. (so it could go either way depending on how you like to snorkel)

The New Taste of Eleuthera Island Excursion -

 

In my opinion this is a real looser of an excursion. The cost was $99 per person and there is absolutely nothing else too see on this island. Save your money and just lay on the beach or do some type of water sport. In all of our years of excursions this was the worst. Remember this is just my opinion for what ever it is worth.

 

We took the Princess tour of Eleuthra in April 2009. It was great seeing the Island towns, the deep ocean hole that Jacques Cousteau has dived in, toured a school, saw women cleaning conch on a dock by the most beautiful blue ocean, visited the police department, saw the home of an Olympian runner. Yes the Island is flat and brushy but the view of the ocean was amazing. When we got back we had time to walk about the beach area and swim if we wanted but we had had enough beach time.

Having been to the island several times we decided to try this tour. Learned lots about the history and people of the island and enjoyed it very much. It was pricey, but have paid more for less in the past and it would probably not be for everyone. Have posted pictures of the cruise and the Princess Cays pictures and tour begin at picture number 13 through 59.

http://smengelt.shutterfly.com/627

How accurate is this information now?

Thank you so much for this information. I haven't been to Princess Cays since 2001 and had forgotten some of these things :)

cool:cool:

How accurate is this information now?

Sure, there have been a few changes and prices of rentals have gone up ... but it's basically the same.

Do keep in mind Princess Cays is East of Miami ... not way far South as many think it is. The water temperatures can be quite chilly in Jan/Feb. Lots of shells in the water so it's best to wear water shoes. Still never have a problem finding chairs in the shade. If it'a not raining, Princess Cays makes a Great beach day ... even without getting into the water. :)

(Note: We were there last January 2012.)

LuLu

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Thank you for sharing all this information.

We have rented cabanas with Carnival and Princess - they operate differently and I can't remember which offers what - Does Princess assign you a cabana or do you go to the tour desk when you get onboard to select the one you want? Is it Carnival or Princess that provides soda, chips, salsa, guacamole, fruit platter and veggie platter? I reserved for our Ruby cruise in a few weeks - can't wait!

Just to confirm for a simpleton. If you are facing the shore is the best snorkelling to the left or to the right.

Someone mentioned about swimming to the next lagoon.

Can anyone help please.

Many thanks

Lou

Looking for some info on the Beach Access for the bungalows. Description on Princess.com says " The beach is within walking distance " how far is walking distance? I am considering this, but what is walking distance for one person might not be for an 80 year old with mobility issues.

One comment I read above said they liked the "pineapple" one because it was near the stairs to the beach. Can you access the beach without stairs?

One more question. I like the aqua chairs. If I reserve one do we have to get it first at the area near the tender and carry them to the bungalow? Or will they be delivered?

Thanks..

the bungalows are located at the rocky end of the beach (one reason I don't like them)

they are also set back from the beach.

Thank you. I think I'll skip in then. Again, thanks for taking the time to respond!

we have had bungalows in both the sanctuary and regular area....have found both to be fun and enjoyable ....

We have booked ours for January, 2015 again and look forward to relaxing....

for the past few years, have had waiters bring food and drinks without any problem....towels, water, ice, fruit tray - all part of the service. Tips are appreciated also because the waiters really work hard.....any questions I can answer?

would be nice if Princess Cays had a party bungalow where up to 25 people could have fun.....

Can we rent beach floats once we are there? Will they take ship's card or cash?

Can we rent beach floats once we are there? Will they take ship's card or cash?

Yes ...and you'll have to charge it on your ship's card. :)

LuLu

We've rented a bungalow for our family of 5 in February. Do they still deliver the food to the bungalow, or do we have to go get it? My mom is mobility impaired and it makes a big difference for her. I know you can order a gourmet lunch--what does that entail? And does that get delivered?

Also, how does the tipping work? I assume drinks have the automatic 15% added. But what about a tip for the bungalow attendant? How much is appropriate?

Thanks!

We rented a bungalow in March. They do NOT deliver food unless you order the gourmet lunch. Waiters will bring drinks from the bar, however.

The goumet lunch is delivered in courses by a team of servers asssigned to your bungalow. You may need to check the website to see the menu as I believe it has changed. Aside from the given menu, however, they also bring some of everything from the regular barbeque buffet.

The bungalow and the service were wonderful, as was the lunch. The beach in the vicinity of the bungalows is, however, so rocky as to be almost unusable. Be sure and take water shoes.