Princess Cays - Compiled Info : Beach/Water activities & Food/Drinks
Compiled from information gathered from the internet regarding Private Islands.
Hope this will be helpful to others going to Princess Cays for the 1st time.
Many thanks for all the contributions. (So when you see we, I, us, etc…. those are others reporting their own experiences)
Princess Cays is a barrier island on the southern tip of Eleuthera. There is a shallow marshy bay with a bridge over to the main island. Princess leases a small section of the island, the depth of the Princess property is about 150 yards. There is nothing else around the Princess Cays area, no private shore excursions, no transportation supplied, no town, no restaurants, only a few local vendors selling trinkets and small souvenirs. Princess Cay is basically a day to hang out on the beach.
Princess Cays is beautiful, the layout is like a secluded island with several buildings and restrooms. It is a total beach day, a free food/beach/snorkel stop and a great place to relax and enjoy the sunshine. You simply walk from the tender to an area of the beach and relax under a palm tree. If you just want to swim, lie on the beach and take your own snorkel gear, it won't cost you anything. The beach area is nice with clear blue warm water. You can also rent various water sports equipment. There is a 4-story high tower you can climb to the top for views. There are free lounge chairs and hammocks available on the beach, hunt around if you want one in the shade. The tenders go back and forth between the ship and the island all day. It's very easy to do.
Beach area to the left side of the tenders is much nicer and better for swimming, the actual swim area is small. There is a brick sidewalk, you don’t have to walk in the scorching sand until you get closer to the water. We easily found lounge chairs on the main beach. We were able to get plenty of shade under a palapa with a nice breeze. Bring cheap blow up rafts and inner tubes to float on all day. Just get off early so you can find a spot with some shade. Plenty of shade on the left side and plenty of room on the beach with shade or sun. If you have sensitive feet, bring your water shoes along. Bring towels for swimming; but be sure to bring them back to the ship as there is a charge for lost towels. Beach towels are provided to everyone when they leave the ship or you are welcome to get them on Princess Cays. Princess Cays it a family environment so no topless sunbathing. If you walk south past the rocky point (don't forget your shoes), there's a long beach where no one will even walk. About a 20 minute walk from the tender pier up the beach.
The Cabana side is to the right when you get off the ship. The Cabana ($24) is not the same as the Beach Bungalow ($199). Cabana’s is a canvas cover cloth clamshell that includes two beach chairs, that cover up the back portion of the chair down to the ground, like a half circle. The material they are made of doesn't allow any air to flow, so they can get hot, as you do not get a breeze inside of them. There are plenty of loungers under palm trees. On the cabana side of the island the beach and water was kind of dirty, and the coral was awful, wear water shoes.
Food& Drinks : Drinks/Beer prices are the same as on the ship. The selection is limited, but still pretty good, as the crew has to tender all the beer/liquor from the ship. For drinks other than the normal water and tea, you use your sail and sign card as payment. Favorite Drink - They do one in a coconut shell that seemed to be in high demand when we were there. Bar waiters walk around taking drink orders. Water is free (not bottled water), Numerous water stations were set up on the walking paths. Lunch buffet is provided free - BBQ burgers, Hot Dogs, Chicken, Ribs, salads, a fruit buffet and deserts. The food was very good. BBQ buffet closing around 1:30pm, bar closing 45 minutes later. There was a covered picnic area where you took your food to sit down and eat in the shade. It was clean and comfortable.
Walking - There are a couple small trails that you can walk along, exploring the area behind the beach. We headed south-east to the right from the tender port when facing the island from the ship and discovered 10 graves. It was a bit of a hike, an hour there and back with some exploring, but made the day very interesting.
Shopping – At the end of the day, there is a long line to get back to the ship - this is the BEST time to shop. The outside small hut vendors will give you much lower prices at that time. There are some Princess inside shops and straw markets on the area leased by Princess, they are higher priced and will not bargain with you. They will accept a cruise card. The only thing the Princess shops had that the "outside" shops didn't have was A/C. There was one lady close to the food and beverage area that sold straw purses /bags with flowers on them (very pretty and lined with fabric) and she would put a name on for you if you wanted. Hematite black necklaces were also very plentiful and inexpensive, some ornaments also. There are a few shops if you want Princess Cays logo items, and a few hair braid huts. You get off the tender on the left side of the lagoon. The shopping area entrance is basically to the left and behind the lagoon when coming into the lagoon.
There is a small local flea market just outside of the actual Princess compound. There is no town to go into, just a small grouping of local curio shops. Take a short walk outside of the complex and there is another dirt street full of markets/shops. You will have to go out of the Princess property and go into the Bahamas. The entrance to it is right where the tenders come in, at the rear of the property. You can pretty much see it to the right when you get off the tender. There is a fence which is manned by security guards. All you need is your sign and sail cruise ID to get back in. Its very safe. There is the same stuff (but more) outside as there is inside. The prices are much better outside. Much better prices on small items and jewelry than the official Princess Cays shops. The vendors outside the fenced Princess area will negotiate prices. When we were there Nov 07 they did accept US dollars. We did all of our trinket shopping here - crafts, locally made jewelry, small souvenirs with local crafts, trinkets, some shell bracelets, fridge magnets, postcards, small figurines and a lot of local souvenir stuff. I would much rather support a local person, than Princess. Those people need the $$ WAY more. That's why we did our shopping there. The people were very nice and thankful for whatever sale they could make.
Google Earth views of Princess Cays - Type in or cut and paste, the coordinates into the search area on Google Earth - 24 38' 30"N, 76 10' 14"W - Staying in the Bahamas, but moving way south to Eleuthera Island. It's as sparse vegetation wise as it looks from the air.
Snorkeling: Looking at the shore from the water, the snorkeling area is to the far left. When you get on the island walk to your left as far as you can go. Walk way down the beach, there is an area where the beach is closed at the shore line. There is a covered dock like/pier that goes out into the water - a red roofed shelter out on rocks overlooking the water. Get in to the left of that and swim around to the front. There were tons of fish near the structure. Swim around this area, and to a large reef area north of the red roof. This is a great snorkeling area & is quite nice. Lots of fish and some coral. Wear water shoes as there is some coral near the edge of the water. You can swim past it though. You can rent snorkel gear here (snorkels, fins, rafts, boats, other beach toys) using your cruise card. If you do go snorkeling, unless you're a very strong swimmer, wear a vest. We had our own masks but after wearing myself out fighting the current, I rented a vest. Buy some fish food, the fish will eat right out of your hands. Don’t forget to bring your underwater camera. Tons of different fish there. We saw a large lobster and purple spiny things. I swam out deeper to the floating rope that encompassed the snorkeling area, and saw a large 3 ft long skinny fish. There are a lot of great things to see under the water in this area. The snorkeling from shore was also pretty good. We really enjoyed it, there is a small reef right off the beach.
Water activities - There are small sailboats, kayaks, water tricycles and banana boat rides available for rent. You may want to book on the ship as we found snorkeling gear and banana boat rides went quick.
Glass bottom boat cruise: 1hour – View the beautiful underwater world without getting wet. Board the boat at the marina for a cruise to one of the area’s pristine coral reefs. Upon arrival the captain will maneuver the boat around the reef and your guide will point out and identify the host of colorful fish, corals, and sponges that make their home here. View the fish and corals through large panels and you can even try to identify the fish on your own with the fish identification cards that are attached to the railing. Don't do the glass bottom boat ride, nothing good to see and they put way to many people on the boat.
Float - This is a relaxing way to spend your day on the water. From $9 p day. We rented the floats and enjoyed them in a little bay area right in front of the bungalows.
Sea Board - Enjoy your personalized glass-bottom float. Do not rent the Sea Boards, They were heavy and hard to handle especially in the current and wind. We did not think they were worth the price.
Aqua Chair - Relax in the turquoise waters - From $9 p day. It's a chair-like float with a horseshoe shaped foam piece that sits on the top of the water, and swing-like seat suspended underneath. There were lots available when we were there, so I wouldn't worry about ordering them in advance.
Kayak - you book (and pay) according to how many boats you need, not according to how many people. Sea kayaking is great on this beach. We rented a Hobie Craft. (2 person sail boat). Even with no previous experience it was a blast! If people got into trouble (not able to harness the wind), they just sent out a guy on a Sea Doo to help out. We're read that the current can be on the strong side, so as we're not strong swimmers we thought that a transparent hull kayak might give us an opportunity to see some of the fish and coral. There are no wave runners, jet skis or no parasailing on Princess Cay.
The only motorized activity is the Banana Boat ride. The banana boat is pulled like a tube or skier, a 5 or so minute ride. I would highly recommend this - however, check the distribution of the weight before you start. The attendants just told everybody to sit where they wanted. Our family weighs about 450 lbs and the other side had to have weighed at least twice that. Everyone on the other side tipped over into the water twice. Despite only riding for about 5 of the 15 minutes promised, we still had a blast. The kids would have preferred a longer ride and less time waiting for people to climb back on. Recommend that you wear goggles, so that the salt water does not get into your eyes. Even if the cruise line says they are sold out, you can book it right there on the beach. We did the banana boat which was fun. Every muscle in my body hurt from trying to hold on!
"There was one lady close to the food and beverage area that sold straw purses /bags with flowers on them (very pretty and lined with fabric) and she would put a name on for you if you wanted."
Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers
-
Centrum Deck
-
Cruise Places
-
Cruise Line Private Islands
-
Princess Cays (Princess)
-
Princess Cays - Compiled Info : Beach/Water activities & Food/Drinks
#
Linear Mode
