Princess Cays

[CruisinFinsUp]

Anyone been recently? How does it look? Any photos?

Any tips for the best area to head to?

 

Thanks!!

[prarie cruiser]

Have not been recently, but last I was there I did enjoy the BBQ lunch line. I would recommend renting one of the cabanas (you can do this prior to your cruise online).

[NthernLgts]

Was there last Sept. As mentioned, 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.

[prarie cruiser]

First time I went to Princess Cays was in Sept 2001. My bare foot still bears the scar from the coral!! Put a bit of a crimp in the rest of my cruise. I always pack my water shoes now!

[WTXCRUISER]

Was there June 2, 2006, didn't rent a cabana thought there was plenty of shade from the trees. I agree, the BBQ was good but not Texas good. Plenty of ship bar staff on the island to keep you well hydrated with aldut beverages. I agree with above poster 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. Have fun the island is what you make of it.

[Sun & Sand]

We will be cruising to Princess Cays in april and would like to go jetskiing was wondering if they rent jet skis . I saw in an old board that they used to just wondered if they still did. Does anyone know how much cabana rentals are.

 

Thanks

Sand

[A Sixth?]

We were there last January and were part of another thread that may be of interest for you. A Princess Cays mystery!

 

(it's post # 30 on this page link)

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=269311&page=2

 

[bruce-r]

We will be cruising to Princess Cays in april and would like to go jetskiing was wondering if they rent jet skis . I saw in an old board that they used to just wondered if they still did. Does anyone know how much cabana rentals are.

Princess discontinued renting jet skis on Princes Cay years ago. AFAIK the only motorized thing to do is the banana boat ride.

 

Does Princess Cay have cabanas for rent now? They didn't have them there in 2004.

 

 

 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thanks all!! We're going end of Oct. with my 4 and 6 year olds, so it'll be a beach and splash in the ocean day!! I'm not going to bother taking my snorkle stuff cause of the kids - rather just play with them in the ocean!

 

We'll be on the CB - is it really that crowded with all of us getting off?

Any tips on where to head to to find a seat?

 

What time does the buffet go until, and will it be listed in the day's patter or do we have to check once on shore?

 

How is the children's play area?

 

I saw the thread about the "mystery" a few months back - I'll have to re-read it to refresh my memory!!

 

Thanks again!:D

[bruce-r]

I'm not going to bother taking my snorkle stuff cause of the kids - rather just play with them in the ocean!

That would be best. The snorkeling there isn't all that great, IMO.

 

What time does the buffet go until, and will it be listed in the day's patter or do we have to check once on shore?

It will be listed in the patter, usually what you'd expect for lunch, around 11:00 to 1:30'ish.

[gatour]

We were on the CB in Nov and there were plenty of room on Princess Cayes. We found able to find lounge chairs on the main beach without really trying.

 

If you find this area too crowded keep going counter clockwise and you will find some nice beaches, yet close to bars or food places.

[snakelover]

I was at the Princess Cays last year and I can't remeber seeing any cabanas other than the grass hut looking ones. Are those the cabanas?

[Guest Spo]

Save your money and don't rent a cabana. On the the cabana side of the island the beach was kind of dirty, and the coral was awful. Water shoes are a MUST! The other side of the island (I only saw it while waiting in the LONG line for the tender) looked much cleaner and it didn't look like there was coral right up to the beach.

[snakelover]

Which side of the island is the cabana side? We went to the left side after getting off the tender. I didn't see any cabanas. The reef came right up to the beach. So water shoes are a must.

[tONYpAL85]

When you get off the ship the cabana side is to the right. I rented a Cabana last year and while it was very cheap to do so, I didn't enjoy that side. The water was indeed a bit more dirty looking than the other side. Overall the beach on the other side I thought was much nicer looking. Just get off early so you can find a spot with some shade. Or possibly you can rent a cabana but first head to the Non-cabana side for a while, then when you have had enough sun head over to the cabana side and enjoy the shade of your cabana. I think its only like $10 for a cabana, and it holds two people.

[snakelover]

Tonypal,

Thanks for the info. We found plenty of shade on the left side so we will just go there again!

[ockelly]

We were at Princess Cay last week. We were wait listed for a cabana and I'm glad we never got one...the beach on the left side off the tenders is much nicer. We were able to get plenty of shade under a palapa with a nice breeze. My kids did the banana boat ride...had a blast. Even if the cruise line says they are sold out, you can book it right there on the beach. The BBQ was what you'd expect. We brought cheap blow up rafts and inner tubes to float on all day and then just left them there. They do have floats you can rent for the day too. Nice relaxing day, especially since it was our first day after leaving port. Great day to unwind.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We had a great day last week at Princess Cays. The water was beautiful and it was so refreshing to be in it since it was SO hot and humid! I had no problem finding shade and my girls had a great time when the had a two-person paddler wheeler for an hour. My older DD took a banana boat ride and enjoyed it, but it was full so didn't go as fast as the one previous to hers that was only about half full.

 

All in all it was a wonderful day!

 

Cheers!

Jayne

 

:)

[Belease]

I have a really stupid question - what are water shoes?

[notentirelynormal]

Rubber type shoes you can wear in the water. Kind of like rubber fin material. They have holes in them on top. Protects you from coral, rocks, etc.

[Nanatravel]

Yes there are Cabana's on Princess Cays; 15 or so. You should pre-reserve through the Excursion department. Price $199 for up to 6 people.