Princess Cays - Glass Bottom Boat / Bungalow

[2BTAT2D]

My family (6 of us) are booked on the Emerald Princess next May 2, 2010. My mom & great aunt wants us all to book the Glass Bottom Boat excursion as well as a bungalow for the day while at Princess Cays. We arrive at Princess Cays at 9 a.m. and depart at 4 p.m. Can anyone that has taken the Glass Bottom Boat excursion tell me what the time schedule is while there. I'm beginning to wonder if reserving the $199 bungalow will be worth it if we arrive at the private island at 9 a.m., probably get off boat around 10 a.m. to do Glass Bottom Boat excursion, getting us back to island between 11 or 12 o'clock. That would only give us 3 or 4 hrs at the Bungalow. Any advise is appreciated especially if you did both while visiting the private island Thx.

[pjs9876]

One of the perks to a bungalow is getting priority tender tickets. If you are going to spend the money for a bungalow then get there early to make the most of your day. They are a ways "down the beach" from most activity (which I liked!). I did not do the glass bottom boat after reading some of the posts from the ports area on cc.

[JerseyGuys]

I'm a huge advocate of the bungalows, I love em, But i personally wouldn't spend the money for the bungalow and then take the whole group on the boat trip. Your right thats a lot of money for maybe only 3 hours of it's use. Now if one or two of your group want to take the boat tour and 2-4 of you are going to till be using the bungalow, that might be worth it. The priority tender tickets can get you off the boat first, and back on the boat last. Make use of that feature to maximize your stay on the island. Its the best, you walk right past all the people waiting for the tenders and walk right on.

[tgar]

how far is the bar from the bugalows????? we have lazy drunks traveling with us on

emerald princess

[JerseyGuys]

They bring the drinks to you in the Bungalow !!!!!

[bhopal21]

They bring the drinks to you in the Bungalow !!!!!

 

Hook me up!:D

 

How does one book these bungalows in advance and which ones are desirable or are they just the luck of the draw?

 

Mike:)

[DanJ]

We did the glass bottom boat tour there and really enjoyed it. They did a couple tours and ours was the last one, so it went a little longer than the earlier one. Not sure I would do it if I had a cabana though, either. But, as said, if you have a couple in your group who aren't into sitting around the beach all day either, they may enjoy the break.

[loveJake]

We did the glass botom boat and we really enjoyed it, saw a lot of coral and sea turtles. As far as a bungalow goes we have no interest since we are very active and are either in the water or walking around the water line. You can walk really far up the coast.

[LarryL]

Hook me up!:D

 

How does one book these bungalows in advance and which ones are desirable or are they just the luck of the draw?

 

Mike:)

 

This is what we did:

1. Watched the cruise personalizer for the excursions to open up. Ours did about 60 days before the cruise and we immediately made our reservation. We were the second to make the reservation and they were filled within the week. Keep in mind, this excursion is charged and non refundable once you check in and board the ship. They used to go pretty fast and there was a waiting list.

2. As soon as we boarded the ship and dropped our bags in our cabin, we went straight to the excursion desk and requested the bungalow of our choice. Our pick was #12, Bougainvillea because it was farthest out at the time. Now there are, I think, 6 more (they were finishing them at the time) but they may be the "Sanctuary" part of the bungalows. A more recent cruiser may be able to fill in this information.

3. Enjoyed a perfect, private day on Princess Cay.

The desirable bungalows are up to your preferences. Starting at #1 you are closest to the "action" and it gets quieter as the go out. We were lucky to have fellow CC members in the bungalow next to us. For the two of us it was $199 well spent.

The service was great.

[bhopal21]

Thanks LarryL, #12 sounds perfect.

 

Mike:)

[2BTAT2D]

Thx all for your comments and suggestions. Now on to the next ports of call and which excursions to book. This is our first Princess cruise; been on Royal Caribbean three times. So we're excited to try something new and from what I've read here on CC, we're in for a fun time on the Emerald Princess!! My DH and I are really happy this go around as we've finally talked a few family members to give cruising a try. :)

[JerseyGuys]

We received a call in our cabin within an hour of boarding, and were asked did we have a preference which bungalow we wanted. I didn't know anything about location, but frankly just liked the name. quite frankly it was a good choice. I think you could call down or stop by the excursion desk and ask for a particular cabin.

 

I have to preface this by saying that since i was there a year ago they have added more bungalows. I don't know anything about those so ill just talk about the ones i know about. They are located to the left of the dock when you arrive. Not too bad of a walk. Pass the small stores, BBQ pavilion and rest rooms. The first one you come to is Yellow, Red, Blue (Seagrape), Green (Pineapple), Pink and light Blue. For my taste, the first one (Yellow) is not that private because it's open on one side to the open beach. However the yellow one is closest to the swimming area, rest rooms and the BBQ food. Red is next and more seclude, Seagrape is next and then Green which IMHO are perfect. Then Pink and Blue. These are very secluded, but a little farther down the beach.

 

Yellow is much to open for my liking and red is better, Pink and Blue are a little to far, but Sea Grape and Pinaple are just right. They also have a great deal of palm coverage, but if u want to sun yourself simple pull your lounge out into the big open area right in front of the bungalows. You can see in one of the pictures how far out the palm coverage extends. While the water area in front of the bungalows isn't a great location to swim, it is good to cool off and snorkle. I would be happy with any of them except Yellow. Just my opinion

 

I've attached some pics

[bhopal21]

Thanks for the pics. I would definitely want one with some shade.

 

Which bungalow did you have?

 

Thanks

 

Mike:)

[JerseyGuys]

Thanks for the pics. I would definitely want one with some shade.

 

Which bungalow did you have?

 

Thanks

 

Mike:)

 

We had SeaGrape...its a blue really...Ill add pictures of it later this evening. I loved it. The best day at the beach I've ever had...IMHO

[cruisegal101]

Has anyone had a bungalow in the last month or two? I've read on the ports of call threads that the waiters no longer bring food to the bungalow. We are trying to decide whether or not to rent a bungalow and just wonder if any of you know the answer to the food question.

 

Many thanks. :)

[bhopal21]

We had SeaGrape...its a blue really...Ill add pictures of it later this evening. I loved it. The best day at the beach I've ever had...IMHO

 

Thanks, I really appreciate that.;)

 

Mike:)

[JerseyGuys]

Has anyone had a bungalow in the last month or two? I've read on the ports of call threads that the waiters no longer bring food to the bungalow. We are trying to decide whether or not to rent a bungalow and just wonder if any of you know the answer to the food question.

 

Many thanks. :)

 

I'm pretty sure the food delivery has stopped, not the drinks though :)

The eating area is not that far from the bungalows. I think you pay additional for food service

[cruisegal101]

I'm pretty sure the food delivery has stopped, not the drinks though :)

The eating area is not that far from the bungalows. I think you pay additional for food service

 

Thank you--I suspected that this was the case.

[JerseyGuys]

Here are some picture of the area around the Bungalow and inside

[bhopal21]

Thanks guys. I am pretty sure this will be a must do for us.

 

Mike:)

[chamima]

How many adults could comfortably share one bungalow?

[JerseyGuys]

How many adults could comfortably share one bungalow?

 

6 people could easily share it, you get 6 lounge chairs, However I only recall 4 chairs inside the bungalow at the table and I don't think 6 of you would be comfortable sitting inside,, that would be a tight fit. 4 adults and 2 kids maybe. But we only used the bungalow to get out of the hot sun once in a while...

 

IMHO it is worth every cent (especially the priority boarding or) It makes the day at the beach over the top, it is a complete slurge, you'll have a terrific day on the beach with out it, and you'll have a great day on the ship, but the bungalow really makes for a great beach experieince. Could you find a secluded shaded area elsewhere on the beach, probably, But I''d rather go with a sure thing.

 

The priority tender gets you on the beach first, and enables you to be the last ones off the island. The sun can be brutally hot, and the bungalow allows for getting out of the sun for a bit, thus maximizing your day on the beach. The bungalow area is very peaceful and quiet and makes the perfect backdrop for a day of reading and listening to your ipod. It's close to the water and away from the crowds. It is a complete splurge for two people, but for a family of 4-6 it is very reasonable.

 

The bungalows also comes with towels and has an outside shower. No lugging towels to and from the ship. Just bring a change of cloths and at the end of the day, take a quick shower and return to the ship refresed and ready to go thus maximizing your day on the beach

 

Heres a couple of links including a map:

 

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

 

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