It’s time for the first port of call on this 10-day eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the beautiful Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess. Today we’re visiting the cruise line’s private resort, Princess Cays. I use the term “resort” because Princess Cays is not a private island like many other destinations in the Bahamas, such as Half Moon Cay.
It is located on the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas and first opened to visitors in 1992. Just a few miles away, and visible from the ship, is Disney’s newest destination, Lighthouse Point, which is also on the same island. Besides Princess, other Carnival Corporation brands, such as Holland America and Carnival Cruise Line, also visit here.
Princess Cays is a tender port, meaning, unlike Disney’s Lighthouse Point, there is no pier for the ship to tie up to, so guests head ashore on water shuttles, or tender boats. The ride from ship to shore only takes a few minutes, but when you’re disembarking thousands of passengers seeking sun, it’s a bit of a process.
Tendering Ashore to Princess Cays
Before heading to shore, you have to get a tender ticket from the crew in the ship’s atrium. Distribution started around 8 a.m., with the first tender leaving around 8:45 a.m. If you want to be one of the first off, you need to get there early to secure a ticket so you’re on one of the first shuttles to leave.
Knowing that the tender process on any cruise line can be chaotic first thing, I waited until around 10 a.m. to head down for a ticket. I was given group number 28, and at that time, they were calling group 13, so it was going to be a bit of a wait. Two shuttles were running until around 10:55 a.m., when they announced that they had added another, and a whole bunch of groups were called.
Group 28 was called a few minutes later, and I boarded the newly added shuttle, which happened to be one of the ship’s rescue boats. As ships got bigger and bigger, high-capacity water shuttles became the norm for taking passengers ashore. Smaller ships still use their own tender/lifeboats, but with a ship the size of the Enchanted Princess, it’s just not feasible, so one was used to help lighten the load and get passengers ashore quickly, considering the all-aboard time was 3:30 p.m.
A Look Around Princess Cays, Bahamas
A day at Princess Cays is spent like most any day at a line’s private island or destination in the Bahamas: relaxing! The main attraction, of course, is the beach. White sand, clear water, and plenty of sunshine make for the perfect way to kick off a vacation.
For those looking for a little more to do than just lay in the sun or swim in the ocean, there are watersports rentals, a play area with a small pool just for kids, local vendors selling crafts and souvenirs, and for the ultimate in luxury, you can rent a private cabana just steps from the beach, where your every need is attended to by a dedicated staff.
When it comes to food and drink, there are several bars spread along the beach area, and there are two pavilions where a typical BBQ lunch is served with items such as burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, salads, and plenty of fresh, tropical fruit.
Food is provided at no charge, and if you have the Princess Plus or Princess Premier package, guess what… so are your drinks! If you’re cruising on Carnival Cruise Line or Holland America, your drinks are not included on their islands, but on Princess, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean, they are, adding an extra dollop of value to those packages.
Besides the drink package working on Princess Cays, WiFi did as well, which I was very surprised to discover.
Before grabbing a bite to eat, I wandered around the island a bit, which has plenty of loungers spread out around multiple areas, and throughout my visit, there were plenty available, both in the sun and in the shade. You can also rent a clamshell or an umbrella if you want to.
Princess Cays is very well maintained, although parts of the beach are quite rocky, and there were some daybeds that were roped off for some reason. There’s no shortage of spots to camp out for the day and just relax, going to and from the water to cool off. Temps today were in the low 70s, which, for me, is like winter, so I spent my time wandering around and just enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather.
With the last water shuttle scheduled for 3:30 p.m., I didn’t want to get caught in the chaos that often ensues when everyone waits until the last minute to return to the ship, so I headed back around 2 p.m. and didn’t have any wait for a shuttle. Operations were running much smoother with the addition of that extra boat transporting passengers.
We ended up leaving a little after 4 p.m. and started our journey to our next destination, which would not be until Day 4, Monday.
Evening Entertainment & Dinner at Crown Grill
Back onboard, there were plenty of activities and musical entertainment all around the ship as afternoon turned into nighttime, with the headline entertainer being Willis White, who did a pretty good Lionel Richie!
When it came time for dinner, I decided to hit up the ship’s steakhouse, Crown Grill. After enjoying a few gin and tonics served by the very hospitable Victoria at Crooner’s Bar, I headed over to the restaurant for my 8 p.m. reservation.
The steakhouse on any ship is always billed as the signature restaurant, and on Princess, the Crown Grill is no exception. At $45 per person, this classic steakhouse offers a traditional menu, including steaks, seafood, and Texas Black Angus beef for an upcharge.
I checked in at the host stand and was told to take a seat. I waited until 8:30 p.m. and walked over to the host stand again, checking to see if my table was ready. I wasn’t sure if I’d been forgotten or if things were just a little “off,” but after another five-minute wait, I was taken to the table.
My server came over, introduced himself, as did the sommelier, who offered some wine recommendations.
I started off with the hand-cut beef filet tartare, which was served with multi-grain toast. It is normally served with a salted egg yolk, which I asked to be left off.
Next up, I went with a beefsteak tomato and onion salad, which was completed with crumbled blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.
For the main course, I went with the 14 oz boneless ribeye cooked medium rare, along with a baked potato and asparagus.
I ended the meal with the Chocolate Mousse Trifle, which was rich and decadent, and far too many calories, but who’s counting?
Overall, once the initial kerfuffle with getting seated was taken care of, service in the restaurant was top-notch. I did find that, compared to other cruise lines, portions were much smaller. For example, here’s a look at the beef tartare served in the Pinnacle Grill on Holland America Line ships:
When it came to the steaks, a boneless ribeye in the Pinnacle Grill weighs in at 16 oz, and in the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse on Carnival Cruise Line, that same steak is 18 oz. I can only assume that the difference here lies in the fact that specialty dining is included in the Princess Premier package. If someone wanted to eat at the steakhouse every night of the cruise, they could do so without any additional charge. To keep food costs low in situations like that, portion control trumps all.
None of this would prohibit me from giving Crown Grill a second, third, or fourth visit this cruise, so stay tuned for updates!
Stateroom Notes
As I pointed out in my Day 1 report, I found the closet setup to be a tad bit strange in my stateroom. As soon as you enter, the first thing you see is all your clothes hanging in a row in the walk-in closet. However, I’m starting to change my tune on this setup. The convenience of this layout is far better than the multiple small closets found in staterooms on other ships.
Even as a solo traveler, I often run out of hangers and closet storage space on 7-day cruises. With the large amount of hangable space in the walk-in closet, I still have plenty of room for everything.
One thing to note about stateroom R721 is that it’s located all the way at the back of the ship. You do feel a good deal of vibration from the ship’s azipods, and due to its location, there’s some motion as well. None of this bothers me, but if you’re sensitive to vibration and motion, you’d probably want to book a stateroom closer to midship.
VIDEO: Stateroom R721 on Enchanted Princess
Next Up: San Juan, PR
Tomorrow is a sea day as we make our way to our second port of call, San Juan, Puerto Rico—one of my favorite places to visit. With plenty of onboard activities planned, I’m looking forward to a relaxing and fun day at sea.
As always, thanks for following along on this adventure! Stay tuned for updates from San Juan, where I’ll share some of my top tips for exploring this vibrant port of call.
Princess Patter for Day 2:
