PRincess Cays - bungalows....pics?? is is worth is?

Hey all - I am trying to plan our days for our upcoming cruise on Ruby in November.

We are a group of 4 adults and are considering a bungalow.

Does anyone have any pictures? including inside?

some peeps mentioned napping inside - so i am curiuos what it is like inside?

Also are they shady at all? I need to have some shad e- but would like to be outside not inside (obviously inside is shady).

if you have rented one - would you do it again?

TIA!

Hey all - I am trying to plan our days for our upcoming cruise on Ruby in November.

We are a group of 4 adults and are considering a bungalow.

 

Does anyone have any pictures? including inside?

some peeps mentioned napping inside - so i am curiuos what it is like inside?

Also are they shady at all? I need to have some shad e- but would like to be outside not inside (obviously inside is shady).

 

if you have rented one - would you do it again?

 

TIA!

Im thinking about it too. They are airconditioned, and just contain a table and chairs, for eating.

Forgot to add this neat map, it shows where the bungalows are in relation to everything else. They have a neat little beach too, away from the crowds.

My husband and I did last year and it was worth it for us. Very relaxing and away from the crowds. We had one that had trees around so had plenty of shade. They have ac and a door if you want to change.

I would say that if you are even considering it, it may be worth it for you. I'm a tightwad and would never consider spending $200 for a beach day, but everyone has a right to splurge how they want and I probably spend money on things that other people wouldn't even consider. We hung out on the beach just in front of the cabanas in January and the beach is really nice and uncrowded at that part of the island. Here are a couple pics that show the cabanas really well:

This one was taken from the top of the observation tower:

This one shows the cabanas up close - we had chairs under the trees just across the walkway from the cabanas:

This one is taken down the beach looking back toward the first few cabanas and the observation tower:

There are additional adult only "sanctuary" cabanas that are in a more private area, and those are more expensive.

Hope the photos help give you an idea of how they are set up!

We're also going on Ruby 11/25-12/2/12 and the first time we were there was April 2011. We grabbed a clam shell and were to the right of the tenders. The rocks were AWFUL trying to get into the water to snorkel and the water level was so low.

Are you guys saying that you can go over to the cabana areas/beach and get chairs over there? Are there umbrellas? And the price is $200? Just confirming, as it seems out of our price-range.

Thanks!

The price to rent the bungalows for the day is $200 (I know I called them cabanas earlier, but Princess calls them bungalows.) You get the little cabin in the photo, which is air-conditioned and has a table and chairs inside. Then you also get lounge chairs and an umbrella in front of your bungalow (not sure if it is two or four lounge chairs, someone who has rented one would know that). That is $200 for up to four people. The loungers where my husband and I are sitting in the photo are NOT part of the bungalows, they are just on the beach in front of and across the walkway from the bungalows. They are available for free just like any loungers on Princess Cays (except for the ones under the clam shells which are $29 for two people). So, you do not have to pay $200 to be in that section of the beach, there were plenty of loungers for free on the beach and we pulled three over under a tree for shade. You can also see a group of folks in the third photo with loungers under a tree, they were just like us and pulled loungers together, they were not bungalow renters. We got to Princess Cays at around 11:00 that day and it was SUPER crowded by the tenders, so we just kept walking to the left until we got to a section of beach that was less crowded. It was really nice up there - there are some rocks when you enter the water for snorkeling, but if you step carefully it isn't that bad, we were able to get in and out okay.

We did rent a bungalow on our Ruby cruise in April and it was TOTALLY worth the money for us. There were four of us, and we like to stay on the island as long as possible. We got on the first tender (priority tender tickets come with it) and were settled into our air-conditioned bungalow within about a half hour. We did not need the air on, though because it was cool and rainy for the first hour or so.......Bungalow was handy then! We also had four longers with cushions. Two were on the 'porch' and two were right in front under umbrellas. What we loved was that it came with two floaty mats and a freshwater shower. When I get out of the water, I like to rinse the saltwater off of my snorkel gear, my camera and myself!

We had drinks and keeping them in a bucket in the bungalow was nice as well, as the ice didn't melt very fast. It was also nice to have a safe place to keep our belongings. We took an iPod and a small iPod player along and had our beach music right there with us. We made friends with our "bungalow" neighbors and really enjoyed the day. Just having a central base camp was great. We were taken there on a trolly and picked up for the ride back to the tender.

We just had a regular bungalow, not the Private Adult only ones...they were a little too far from the action for us. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The loungers where my husband and I are sitting in the photo are NOT part of the bungalows, they are just on the beach in front of and across the walkway from the bungalows. They are available for free just like any loungers on Princess Cays (except for the ones under the clam shells which are $29 for two people). So, you do not have to pay $200 to be in that section of the beach, there were plenty of loungers for free on the beach and we pulled three over under a tree for shade. You can also see a group of folks in the third photo with loungers under a tree, they were just like us and pulled loungers together, they were not bungalow renters. .

Just curious as to when you were there.

We were on Princess Cay in January 2012 and there was a security guard there just at the beginning of the section where the bungalows are at. If you were not renting a bungalow, he would not let you into the area of the beach in front of the bungalows and would not let anyone even walk through.

I was going for a walk, just walking around and checking out what was on Princess Cay and he would not let me even walk through even tho I had no intention of even staying. This was at the beginning of the regular bungalow section, not the adult only section.

I am wondering if they had too many people who did not rent bungalows trying to hang out in that area and got complaints from the people who had rented the bungalows.

Just curious as to when you were there.

 

We were on Princess Cay in January 2012 and there was a security guard there just at the beginning of the section where the bungalows are at. If you were not renting a bungalow, he would not let you into the area of the beach in front of the bungalows and would not let anyone even walk through.

 

I was going for a walk, just walking around and checking out what was on Princess Cay and he would not let me even walk through even tho I had no intention of even staying. This was at the beginning of the regular bungalow section, not the adult only section.

 

I am wondering if they had too many people who did not rent bungalows trying to hang out in that area and got complaints from the people who had rented the bungalows.

We were there on the last Saturday in January, the 28th, on the Emerald. We got to the island at around 11:00 and it was packed near the tenders so we just kept walking until we got to that part of the beach and there were empty loungers. No one stopped us and honestly I have never heard that the beach in front of the regular bungalows was supposed to only be for bungalow renters - that's one of the places where you enter the water to go snorkeling. And if the bungalows are only for four people and they already give you four loungers then why would they have additional loungers on the beach? I know there was a big group on the tender with us that ended up right next to us on that beach and they didn't rent a bungalow either. And another poster from our CC group wrote in his trip report that he and his wife sat on that section of the beach as well and didn't have a bungalow. Strange. It was my first time on Princess Cays so I don't have any experience other than that, but now I'm curious so I may just post a question on the Princess board for one of the regulars to answer.

Thanks all for the input. again there are 4 of us so $50 bucks a person - doesn't seem that bad...we think we have decided to do it - just not sure when we can reserve!

Thanks again!

Thanks all for the input. again there are 4 of us so $50 bucks a person - doesn't seem that bad...we think we have decided to do it - just not sure when we can reserve!

 

Thanks again!

I hope you enjoy and be sure to post back and let us know. BTW, off-topic, but my stepdaughter is signing on to the Ruby later this month as a production singer, so if you go to the production shows you will see her - she's a great singer if I do say so myself! :D

i'm interested also.

Hi - just my brief input having booked one of the bungalows previously as a SINGLE (1 person) paying the entire $199: 1). Entirely worth it. 2) Reserve it online several weeks in advance - they are consistently sold-out weeks before your cruise begins.

Plus+) 1. You don't have to hurry to get a good lounger on the beach. 2) Great drink/food service. 3) A/C when needed. 4) Shade when needed. 5) Not crowded. 6) Priority tender from the ship.

Minus-) 1. Expensive for 6-7 hours...especially if you're a cheapskate. 2) Bathroom not nearby. 3) People walking by you on the path when you are on your "patio."

It's your call!