As promised, I’m back with more from the amazing Eastern Caribbean cruiseCole and I took with Princess Cruises last month. A couple of weeks ago, I gave you a little insight on how their MedallionClass experience makes cruising as relaxing and easy as ever (be sure to read that one if you haven’t yet!), but in the next few posts, I’m going to be talking about each of the breath-taking destinations we explored during our 7 day Caribbean cruise. Our first stop on the cruise was at beautiful Princess Cays in the Bahamas, 40 acres of tropical paradise that Princess exclusively owns. Whether you choose to spend your day relaxing alongside the white sandy beaches speckled amongst the picture-perfect, colorful array of umbrellas, cabanas, and deck chairs or opt for an activity to get a little closer to the beautiful waters surrounding the island such as snorkeling, swimming with sting rays, paddle boarding and more, Princess Cays is the perfect place to begin your Caribbean vacation. What’s even better?! Princess’ new OceanMedallion technology also works on the resort since it is exclusively owned by Princess, so you can use your OceanMedallion to order your drinks and more!
From what to expect, what to do and what to take along with you, click through to read my full review of Princess Cays, a quiet, private, tropical escape in the Bahamas. I also out together a little video from our day at Princess Cays so you can get an even better look at the island. Click through to watch!
Princess Cays – Overview
Princess Cays is the perfect destination to begin your cruise because it is an island that’s truly dedicated to relaxation, with a few water activities and rentals for those who are seeking a little more adventure. Everyone needs a lazy beach day on a Caribbean vacation and this is the perfect place to do just that – enjoy a cold one, soak up the sun and take in the breathtaking views of the Caribbean Ocean. We actually stopped at Princess Cays on the second day of our cruise, so we were happy to have a relaxing day in port. Since our purpose was to show as much as the port as we could during our short time, Cole and I decided to both enjoy relaxing on the beach and engage in a little adventure, with the island’s stingray swimming experience (keep scrolling for details!) Overall, if you choose a Caribbean cruise that starts with Princess Cats, you can expect to start your vacation relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on adventure in the remaining ports (if you so choose!)
Getting There
Making Princess Cays even more remote and beautiful, the island doesn’t actually have a port, so you’ll take a little water taxi over fro the ship to get to the island. This is important to know because while the ferry takes no more than 10 minutes, there were lines to get back on the ferry to board the boat starting in the afternoon, so you’ll definitely want to plan to take all of the things you need for your full day at Princess Cays (AKA, don’t plan on going back and forth to the ship!)
What To Eat/Drink
Also good to keep in mind is that Princess offers a complimentary beach barbecue for everyone who wishes to eat on the island. Cole and I actually missed the timeframe on this due to our excursion and the fact that we were taking 500 photos (much to his disdain, haha!) but we did walk past the barbecue buffet earlier in the day when we arrived and it looked AMAZING!! So I definitely recommend planning to eat on the island! Also good to note is that they have a few full service bars on the island, so definitely take along your wallet or some cash! Remember, your OceanMedallion bands will actually work here as a method of payment if you’ve connected your credit card since Princess owns the resort, making it easier than ever (you don’t even have to worry about getting out your wallet!) They has some amazing local, live music at one of the bars on the island, which we loved!
What To Do – Relax On The Beach
Princess offers several ways in which you can relax and enjoy the beach. There are dozens of candy-coated private beachside bungalows available to rent like the ones above, complete with air-condition, a private shower and staff to attend to your needs. This is especially a great option for families with little ones who may need to take a nap or a break from the sun (I saw many families with babies coming in and out of the bungalows). The island also has hundreds of loungers, beach chairs and umbrellas lining the white sands that are free for Princess cruisers to use.What To Do – Water Activities
Princess offers lots of water equipment rental options during your time at Princess Cays. While we didn’t have the chance to, I did read lots of reviews that Princess Cays has amazing snorkeling right off its beach where you’re guaranteed to see lots of colorful, tropical fish. You can either rent snorkel gear yourself, or they offer an excursion for a guided snorkel further out in the ocean. You can also rent paddle wheelers, aqua bikes, kayaks, or even a beach party pack with multiple water activity options for your family to enjoy.
What To Do – Swim With Stingrays
The stingray encounter is one of the newer excursions offered at Princess Cays and it is absolutely AMAZING!! I definitely recommend it for anyone seeking a little more adventure during their ti e on this beautiful island. The stingray experience is located right in the middle of the resort, just a two minute walk from where you get off the water taxi. It’s an absolutely beautiful enclosure, and the woman who looks after the stingrays, Quinn, treats them as if they are her babies. The sting rays still have their stinger in tact, so you can be sure they haven’t been harmed in any way, and Quinn takes such incredible care of them, calling each one by name and explaining their unique personalities. The stingrays come right up to you, y’all! They are not at all shy, and there are a few (one specifically named Big Mama) who are total attention hogs! It was so cool to be surrounded by such majestic animals. Not only did we get to experience being surrounded by them, but we also got to feed them, with the help of Quinn. It was such an incredible experience and one I 100% recommend for people of all ages!!
What To Do – Shop Locally
There were a few little “Straw Market” stands located around the resort featuring locally made products by the people who call the island home. I absolutely loved the fun straw bags featuring Disney characters such as Moana, so I simply had to get one to take home to Everly (or myself, for now, haha!) Definitely be prepared to browse and perhaps take home a little piece of the Princess Cays with you.
And that’s a wrap on Princess Cays! Stay tuned for details on each of the ports we stopped at during our 7-Day Eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises.
Fairwell xx,
**Thanks so much to Princess Cruises for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
Tina
April 30, 2019 at 7:16 amOh wow this loks like sooo much fun – and all the candy colors! Such a perfect trip dear 🙂
♥
Tina
from Style Appetite
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:14 pmThanks so much gorgeous! We had an amazing time!
xx,
-Lauren
Qclothing
April 30, 2019 at 8:47 amthe colors are beautiful! You have beautiful costumes on this beautiful island!
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:14 pmThank you so very much!! I definitely had fun playing dress up on this trip! 🙂
xx,
-Lauren
Ashley
April 30, 2019 at 9:56 amSo fun! You have me wanting to book a tropical getaway, sister!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:13 pmYou absolutely SHOULD!! You deserve it gf!!
xx,
-Lauren
Gabrielle
April 30, 2019 at 3:39 pmOh my gosh! The colourful and tropical vibes in this post are an absolute DREAM; I adore how you edit and you’re such a babe girl!!
aglassofice.com x
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:13 pmBlushing over here – thank you SO much for your incredibly kind words love!! Packing/dressing for a tropical vacay is always my fave – love all the bright colors and prints!! 🙂
xx,
-Lauren
Atsuna Matsui
May 1, 2019 at 12:09 pmOMG it looks like you had such a fun time at the Bahamas!!! I’ve been seriously dying to go to the Bahamas myself. It’s such a beautiful spot and seems like such a nice place to relax as well.
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:08 pmTh eBahamas is so gorgeous and what’s so nice about Princess Cays is that Princess Cruises owns it so the only people there are the one son your ship!
xx,
-Lauren
Annie
May 2, 2019 at 8:23 amI’m loving all of your bright island looks, take me there!!
xo Annie
New England Romance
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:05 pmRight?! Take me back!! Thanks so much gf!! Packing for island getaways is always my fave – you can wear such colorful, fun prints!!
xx,
-Lauren
Robin
May 2, 2019 at 9:16 amOmg your outfits and photos are point girl! I love going on cruises they are my favorite past time trips! I have not tried this cruise line yet though! I usually cruise with carnival! By the way, I can’t get enough of that green swimsuit! It is so cute!
-Robin
Runwayteacher.com
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 12:03 pmWell thank ya so much babe! You’ve gotta try cruising with Princess!! They are just the best – and the new MedallionClass ships make cruising easier than ever!! Isn’t the green swimmie so fun?! Summersalt is one of my new fave swim brands!!!
xx,
-Lauren
Jade Goddard
May 3, 2019 at 1:02 pmOmg super jel!! This looks amazing!! I need to go here!!
Jadieegosh Instagram
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 11:51 amYes you absolutely do!! It was so gorgeous and so cool to have the whole resort to ourselves + be able to use our OceanMedallions to pay for everything on the island too!!
xx,
-Lauren
Kara
May 4, 2019 at 2:40 pmIt looks so beautiful there and I love all of your photos!
x Kara | http://karascloset.net
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 11:48 amHi Kara! Oh thank you SO much!! It was just insanely gorgeous! Already wishing we could go back!!
xx,
-Lauren
Ela
May 8, 2019 at 12:46 pmIdesal spring vacation.
Have a nice day.
Lauren Vandiver
May 8, 2019 at 3:13 pmIt was the perfect spring vacay indeed! Thanks so much!! You too!
xx,
-Lauren
Vencendo a depressão
May 9, 2019 at 9:51 pmThis looks amazing! Perfect photos
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