Princess Cay

[Court70]

Are there any shady areas on Princess Cay or should we rent a clamshell?

[Micahs Grandad]

Under trees

[nasa1974]

I haven't been to Princess Cay since December 2019. I don't recall a lot of shady areas. But I always rented a clamshell. Someone that has been there more recently will give you a better answer.

[Buckeye10640]

Yes there is shade, both under shelters and under trees. Clamshells get hot! But they are closer to the ocean if thats important to you. 

[Mud_Shark]

If you are off the ship early you can find shade shelters, but by mid-morning they are usually pretty full.

 

[amanda384]

I find clamshells to be massive heat traps. They provide shade but no air flow. If it is in your budget I highly recommend the bungalows. Shade, air-conditioning, a quiet beach area... it usually ends up being my favorite day of the cruise. But I realize budgets and priorities do vary.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, Court70 said:

Are there any shady areas on Princess Cay or should we rent a clamshell?

I would totally advise against a clamshell.  They are more like an oven and still open to the sun anyway for the most part.  Unless you were to turn them around and face the land rather than the water which would help.  Best to get early and claim under a tree or under one of the roof covers.  As for the roofs, well look for more than one by itself and be prepared to move as the sun moves because the cover is limited.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Steelers36

[Buckeye10640]

8 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

If you are off the ship early you can find shade shelters, but by mid-morning they are usually pretty full.

 

Good tip, we have done that and had a choice of loungers. We have also done the opposite, waited and gone over for a late lunch. Some go back to the ship after lunch and we were able to pick up some empty chairs that way. 

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Yes there is shade, both under shelters and under trees.

When choosing a spot under a tree or bush, plan on the sun moving in a few hours and being exposed to full sun for the rest of the day. 

[MTNest93]

We were just there yesterday and found plenty of shade under trees.  We went to the right after getting off the tender and found a spot right in front of the showers by the bathrooms. Was close to the bar and not far from the buffet.  Much less crowded than the left side of the beach.  We went over on the 1st tender around 9:15 am and returned to the ship around 12:30 pm. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by MTNest93
Clarity

[PMGS247]

8 minutes ago, MTNest93 said:

We were just there yesterday and found plenty of shade under trees.  We went to the right after getting off the tender and found a spot right in front of the showers by the bathrooms. Was close to the bar and not far from the buffet.  Much less crowded than the left side of the beach.  We went over on the 1st tender around 9:15 am and returned to the ship around 12:30 pm. 

 

This.  Everyone goes left after getting off the tenders, go to the right over the bridge, it will be less crowded.

[seeyouinthesun]

Yes there are many. I do not recommend the clamshells, they are akin to lounging in a blast furnace. 

[MissP22]

21 hours ago, MTNest93 said:

We were just there yesterday and found plenty of shade under trees.

Were the food carts in operation? I haven't see them in ages. 

[MJC]

22 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

This.  Everyone goes left after getting off the tenders, go to the right over the bridge, it will be less crowded.

Also bring bug wipes for your legs if you are by the trees, we had no-see-um bites after one visit (but totally worth it for the shade). 

[J13C85]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:38 PM, Court70 said:

Are there any shady areas on Princess Cay or should we rent a clamshell?

You may want to consider a bungalow.  I posted the following on another thread:

 

We visited PC in late Nov 2022.  We were 2 couples and we rented a "Sanctuary Bungalow" (adults only area) and had lunch catered (bungalow was $300, which we thought was very reasonable). It's air conditioned and gave the four of us a nice "home base". Drink servers passed frequently and there was an upcharge for the lunch, but, the food was different than what was being offered at the buffet and it was SO MUCH better than fighting the crowd at said buffet.

 

Those bungalows go fast, we reserved ours 8 months prior to sailing (we didn't need to be that early, LOL). Also, Princess offers bungalows in a "kid friendly" area (exactly the same bungalows as the Sanctuary ones, just kids are allowed so perfect for a family). Those ones were $275 last year.

[amanda384]

7 hours ago, MJC said:

Also bring bug wipes for your legs if you are by the trees, we had no-see-um bites after one visit (but totally worth it for the shade). 

 

Oh man, that happened to me in January. It was 65 degrees and pouring rain. We got off to see if it would clear up. It didn't, and I was covered with bites the rest of the trip.

[MTNest93]

11 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Were the food carts in operation? I haven't see them in ages. 

We didn’t see any food trucks, just the buffet.

[MissP22]

4 hours ago, MTNest93 said:

We didn’t see any food trucks, just the buffet.

I guess they permanently eliminated them. Must have not been to cost effective. 

[MTNest93]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I guess they permanently eliminated them. Must have not been to cost effective. 

Too bad, we love a good food truck!  

[cbfb]

11 hours ago, J13C85 said:

You may want to consider a bungalow.  I posted the following on another thread:

 

We visited PC in late Nov 2022.  We were 2 couples and we rented a "Sanctuary Bungalow" (adults only area) and had lunch catered (bungalow was $300, which we thought was very reasonable). It's air conditioned and gave the four of us a nice "home base". Drink servers passed frequently and there was an upcharge for the lunch, but, the food was different than what was being offered at the buffet and it was SO MUCH better than fighting the crowd at said buffet.

 

Those bungalows go fast, we reserved ours 8 months prior to sailing (we didn't need to be that early, LOL). Also, Princess offers bungalows in a "kid friendly" area (exactly the same bungalows as the Sanctuary ones, just kids are allowed so perfect for a family). Those ones were $275 last year.

We are thinking of doing this for 4 of us. Are there lounge chairs for 4? The description sounds like only 2 chairs. 

[PMGS247]

12 hours ago, J13C85 said:

You may want to consider a bungalow.  I posted the following on another thread:

 

We visited PC in late Nov 2022.  We were 2 couples and we rented a "Sanctuary Bungalow" (adults only area) and had lunch catered (bungalow was $300, which we thought was very reasonable). It's air conditioned and gave the four of us a nice "home base". Drink servers passed frequently and there was an upcharge for the lunch, but, the food was different than what was being offered at the buffet and it was SO MUCH better than fighting the crowd at said buffet.

 

Those bungalows go fast, we reserved ours 8 months prior to sailing (we didn't need to be that early, LOL). Also, Princess offers bungalows in a "kid friendly" area (exactly the same bungalows as the Sanctuary ones, just kids are allowed so perfect for a family). Those ones were $275 last year.

 

I'm considering a bungalow for an upcoming cruise, but I did see one review that mentioned there wasn't beach access, which seems confirmed by the few pictures I can find which seems to show a thick row of brush/bushes between the bungalows and the water.  How far of a hike is it if one wants to take a dip in the water?

[J13C85]

13 hours ago, cbfb said:

We are thinking of doing this for 4 of us. Are there lounge chairs for 4? The description sounds like only 2 chairs. 

We had 4 chairs inside and 4 loungers outside.

[J13C85]

11 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

I'm considering a bungalow for an upcoming cruise, but I did see one review that mentioned there wasn't beach access, which seems confirmed by the few pictures I can find which seems to show a thick row of brush/bushes between the bungalows and the water.  How far of a hike is it if one wants to take a dip in the water?

The way they were laid out were the Family Bungalows first and then the Sanctuary bungalows at the end.  Probably a 5 minute walk at most to get to the beach. My advice is take a family bungalow (they are cheaper and closer to the beach)

[cbfb]

4 minutes ago, J13C85 said:

We had 4 chairs inside and 4 loungers outside.

Perfect! Thank you!