Kristelsea

Yes... for however long Disney will let them keep accessing the beach.

Believe it or not, we booked a snorkel tour!  Yes, snorkeling in 55 degree water in Ketchikan Alaska!!!! We are from the Bahamas... what am I thinking?  We go in September on the Solstice....  We own a tour company in the Bahamas that takes people out snorkeling in our tropical waters, snorkeling on cruises never excites me because we do it all the time.  But, after lots of research and things that did not seem to get great reviews or just seemed run of the mill, we found Snorkel Alaska.  They go from shore and there are critters there we don't have in the Bahamas.  You do get a 7mil wetsuit with gloves, booties, a hood... and the reviews and videos I am seeing look great and the people who have done it say you can't wait to get in the water bcs you're sweating in the wetsuit.  So... yep, going to take the plunge.

There's a good one near Princess Cays.  Not sure if you're going there...  

Nothing in Eleuthera (Princess Cays) yet. 

Half Moon Cay is literally a private island in the middle of the ocean.  There are nice beaches and quite a few natural things to do - sting rays, snorkeling.  Loved the live music on the beach - pretty good band.  Princess Cays is actually a rocky piece of beach on the 110 mile long island of Eleuthera.  There is so much to see if you book a tour beyond the gate.  There are deserted pink sand beaches, blue holes, caves.  There's even a local company offering dune buggy trips out to see Lighthouse Beach before Disney changes it forever (I included some photos of Lighthoiuse Beach).  It's still undeveloped and probably the prettiest beach I've ever seen. Even if you don't go on a tour, go through the gate and have drinks at the local bar "George's" (photo included).  Great local music and pretty scenery.

I agree with Rothko1, Lighthouse Point should not be missed.  The cool thing is, you can actually see it now, before Disney changes it forever.  If you go to Princess Cays, you can catch an excursion with "Eleuthera Tours" called "Pink Sands" - this will take you 2 miles from the point.  You can walk the rest of the way (30 mins on hard packed sand) or hire a dune buggy to get out there.  None of this is offered thru the ship, but again, there is a local tour company that can accomodate you.  Google Lighthouse Beach Eleuthera to see photos and you will realize it is a MUST SEE when going to Princess Cays.

No, sorry, other than the lighthouse and its "cook house", there are no facilities of any kind at Lighthouse Beach. It is unspoiled and natural. You really need to be a wear your bathing suit and find a bush or the ocean kind of person to enjoy this spot!!!

Kristel, are there changing facilities and/or restrooms at Lighthouse Beach?

I'll pipe in on the "is there any other thing to do at the beach" part... Kristel with Eleuthera Tours and fellow cruiser here.

We do also go to the ruins of an old church which are pretty cool. Make sure to stress you want to see the church, as most of the time guests want to get right to the beach. I always stop at the church, but Donald sometimes does not. So just mention it.

When at the beach you can explore along the cliff tops and check out the lighthouse and check out some shallow caves. The snorkeling is excellent and really close to the shore, if that's your thing. We do provide snorkel gear free of charge. And, it's miles of deserted beaches both on the ocean side and bay side for you to walk. Don't forget about the unlimited rum punch, if sitting in a chair under a palm tree with drink in hand, looking at the most gorgeous turquoise waters lapping the shore of a pink sand beach is what soothes your soul!

When looking at the water with your back to the beach, go to the RIGHT (north). You will go along until you come around a point, to what is almost like a gentle cove. You will see a road up the embankment. Maybe 100 yards north along this road on the right side of the road (the water is on the left) you will see the derelict graveyard.

If you go to the left (south) you have about a 3 mile hike to Lighthouse Beach - but the beach is not accessible this way as sometimes there are small cliffs that are not traversable. If you want to do Lighthouse, either walk the main road or catch a tour through the cruise ship or thru Eleuthera Tours.

OK, I'm the tour operator for Eleuthera Tours... I am also a cruiser... and I know about wanting to see beyond the fakey cruise ship port... So let me tell you about all your offerrings (since I live here and know).

The directions to the grave yard are great. To get you started, go north from the cruise ship port... you'll find a nice beach here with quite a few shells, sand dollars, sea urchin shells, sea biscuits... When you see the paved road along the beach, the graves are just a little further north along that road.

If you want to see some of the village (we call them settlements) of Bannerman Town, walk out the main road. You'll come to a wishing well. Go left. This road goes for maybe a 1/2 mile. You'll see some houses. At a little park, the road goes right. There are some more houses here. This road goes maybe 1/4 mile and then you go left or right... but there is nothing more to see for a long ways, so you might as well turn around. There are no restaurants, stores... There is Bullard's liquors.. but he's probably closed because he's out at Princess Cays at one of the stalls (George's Arts & Crafts). Oh, and if you go straight along the dirt road next to the park, it will drop you off at the beach near the graveyard... you could make a loop seeing the beach and the settlement.

If you want to see the ruins of an old church... turn right at the wishing well. Maybe 1/4+ mile down, past the pond, you'll see the church.

If you want to see Lighthouse Beach by foot (3 miles down a HOT dirt rough buggy dirt road through nothingness) - it can be done. Turn right at the wishing well. The 2nd dirt road to your left goes out to Lighthouse Beach. When you come to the T in the bad road, go right (there's a sign). Just remember... if you walk out there, you have to walk back. Wear good shoes and bring drinks.

Occassionally there is a taxi at the port, but you can't depend upon it. Sometimes there's an independent tour operator, (Lyle with Pineapple Tours), who can take you sightseeing through other settlements. There's our company (Eleuthera Tours- who you have to book iin advance, we're not allowed to wait outside and solicit - and we do trips to Lighthouse Beach with full lunch, drinks and snorkel gear). And there's the Taste of Eleuthera tour offerred by Princess. And, recently Princess has offered dune buggy trips out to Lighthouse. You only get about 15 minutes at the beach, but you get to see the settlement and the church and the beach...

That's the whole of it. Eleuthera is a gorgeous island. Whether you stay at the local beach with your fellow cruisers or venture beyond - it's up to you. I'm the type that likes to venture beyond... but the offerings are slim. Regardless, enjoy your visit!!!

The trip by vehicle takes 20-25 mins. If you have a slightly bad back, you can sit inside the vehicle which has better riding than in the bed. If you've got a really bad back, you may not want to do it. Just let them know your back is bad and they'll take it extra slow. Only about 1/5 of the road is horrendous (and it's spread out over different areas)... the rest is just bad! There are no plans to stop this tour any time soon. It's only the boat tours that can not be done for Princess guests as personal watercraft are not allowed in the harbor when the ship is anchored.

www.eleutheratours.com... You spend 4 full hours on the beach... most of the time with no one else around. And in full comfort and with snorkel gear. You get a full lunch and drinks. You stop at the church too.

Here are reviews from some other Princess guests...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147428-d2091102-Reviews-Eleuthera_Tours-Eleuthera_Out_Islands_Bahamas.html

Eleuthera is not a resort-type island, so I would say "no". There are two resorts in the north, The Cove, which is about a 2 hour drive from Princess Cays and they are not open to random visitors as they are upper end and like their visitors' privacy and, Sky Beach, which is about an hour and a half north of Princess Cays, so it's also a little out of reach for cruisers. Sky Beach has a small infinity pool by the restaurant, but that is all they have to offer.

Try www.eleutheratours.com. While not posted on their site yet, they've just begun offerring land tours and could maybe customize something for you.