Caribbean Princess 8/12 review

[cruzkitty]

That's right, Yvonne!! lol

 

Julia-we're waiting for the final Installment of your cruise-book!! Hope Debark went well?

[julia]

Hi everyone, I’m baaaaack (briefly)! Sorry for the delay, but it’s that “real life” stuff” ya know? So glad you are enjoying my little recap here of life on board the CB and I really appreciate your responses!

 

 

 

Answering questions: TV timer? Hmmmmm…. I have NO idea! Perhaps one of our other resident CB’ers can help with this one?

 

Cardboard shampoos? Yep…. a little plastic clamshell on your little sink counter will hold little bottle-shaped cardboard containers of shampoo, conditioner and lotion (they couldn’t get the bar of soap to fit inside the little cardboard things, so they left it round and wrapped it in tissue, very thoughtful).

Note: The little cardboard containers of shampoo and conditioner are the only things that will fit in the little itty-bitty shower cut-out, trust me. Your Garnier Fructis will not.

Note 2: The little cardboard containers can NOT be opened with wet hands… just try it and see. Hands must be dry and in good working order to operate these complex gadgets.

Note 3: I recommend wearing your reading glasses in the shower because you cannot tell the difference between the shampoo, the conditioner and the lotion in the little itty-bitty look-alike cardboard packages, and I discovered that the eucalyptis lotion, while lovely on the skin, does absolutely NOTHING for your hair and is a b**** to try to rinse out! Getting old is so fun, isn’t it?

Note 4: Your cabin steward will leave you unlimited supplies of these little darlings, so unless you are into dragging your own tiny samples along, leave them at home to multiply in a drawer like mine do. I must have hundreds by now, because you know you can't leave a hotel without appropriating every last bottle!

 

I will continue with my ship observations, our DIYUBD, Princess Cays and the fun of debarking very soon, but unfortunately, it’s Sunday here in Las Vegas, which is an acronym for “champagne brunch at a casino” and so, I must run and go lotion-up my hair. If my next installement doesn't make any sense whatsoever, you'll know that the champagne was unlimited! If that's the case, then just go open yourself a bottle and we'll all be on the same page, ok? (I wish my DH were here to join us, but alas, he is out of town for the week, which obviously explains why I am such a CHATTY CATHY on this review!)

 

BFN……

[kaykay51]

SuzCruz, come on by the Roll Call, it'll only take a couple minutes to catch up, right Charlene & Kay? ;)

 

Julia, can't wait for the next installment!

 

You're right Yvonne and Charlene, just a couple of minutes!!

[KLLund]

What are you expecting her to start with YESTERDAY !!!!!!

 

Julia ... what a fun review this is !!!

 

I usually pretend that the little cardboard shampoo's are bottles that have been in the back of the refrigerator for months ...... and do what I do at home .... hand it to Hubby to open (He has gotten quite good at it)

[Pixelator]

hi julia, donna and all!

 

sorry no review yet but had something come up here and have been on the phone a lot of the weekend. still have to scan the princess photos too.

 

 

yes - i too love and hate those little bottles! one important addition to your eucalyptus bottles tale of woe, though, julia -- as most of us do, i too took them out of the little clamshell daily so antonio would replenish them daily. i have a nice stash of them now to bring the lotus spa aromatherapy home with that wonderful eucalyptus. i find myself closing my eyes a lot and picturing last week.... anyway, the one problem i had was schlepping them in my checked suitcase on the airline. i forgot about the minor problem of altitude change and pressurization/depressurization! yes, i put them all in plastic bags, BUT those pesky little bottle opening lids very happily and quickly opened up as pressure changed in the aircraft's hold! when i got home and unpacked, i thanked God for the little plastic bags, cause i had eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, motor oil, plant miracle-gro, and whatever else they put in all those bottles ALL OVER my plastic bags!! my cats enjoyed watching me clean up and rescue those precious little bottles at the sink, slipping in and out of my now eucalyptus-soaked fingers! lost some, but there will be plenty of eucalyptus in the Laubach household for months at least. I do miss the turbo-flush too!

 

Donna - I did the advance cruise reservation thing before we disembarked. We're planning a 2009 graduation cruise for Em. Em will bring a friend and two other relatives have signed on already, so that will be five of us at least. Don't know if I can wait that long, though! Yes, we should all cruise together again - what a team! It was much fun being the rookie!

 

Bob Laubach

watching Master and Commander

miss my sea days....

[dmandrsn]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Actually busted out laughing at some points. Thank You for taking the time to share your experience. When is your next cruise? Cant wait to hear about it!

 

 

Dawn

10/7/07 Cruisin CB

[julia]

Hi again…. hope this finds everyone well!

 

 

As my review now has us at our second to last day onboard, I thought I’d share some more observations about the CB with you… good, bad, or insignificant, sometimes it the little things that are helpful to those of you who have not cruised before.

 

MUTS: Nice concept, great screen, but I guess I’d prefer it to be “Under the STARS” and not under the SUN. Somehow, a blasting “ET phone home” around an already overcrowded pool area seemed a bit unnecessary. Again, just my humble opinion. However, I bet it will be awesome for Monday Night Football!

 

Water: The ship’s water is perfectly fine. Really. It tastes fine. The coffee wasn’t all that bad either, and I even found the iced tea to be pretty tasty. Be sure to pack travel mugs and sports bottles. I also packed the small packets of Crystal Lite, and had nice lemonade throughout the week.

 

Sodas: We are not soda drinkers, so I can’t address the soda cards, but we did order some sodas and mixers through room service to have in our fridge. Your can get six (different) cans of your choice and it was pretty reasonable.

 

Entertainment: This is always a subjective topic, but the few shows we did manage to catch we really enjoyed. Our favorite was Robert Messner, the hypnotist. It was a laugh RIOT, and should not be missed.

 

Activities: Just too numerous to mention, so if you are a new cruiser, I suggest that you take the time to study your Patters so you can plan your day and not miss something that you wanted to do. We are finding that the more we cruise, the less we do. That’s fine with me. Bored? Hardly…. but then again, I’m of the opinion that there’s not a darn thing wrong with being bored and, contrary to the popular saying, no one has ever died from it.

 

Alcohol: As I mentioned earlier, the drinks on board were small and never really seemed to get better, which is opposite from what we are accustomed to here in LV with the concept of “good drinks = happy visitors” (before anyone gets uptight here, I fully realize that we are on a floating vessel and caution must prevail and all that, but as a responsible paying adult, I’d just like a cocktail that lasts through dinner and not just the appetizer.) JMHO. Yes, we brought on our own. Always have and always will, and yes, we still had a nice bar bill at the end of the week. I pack the small airline bottles of our favorite spirits and keep them in a baggie tucked away. They’ve been known to attend a show or two in my purse. Call me tacky if you’d like… but I just enjoy a “real” gin and tonic, and not some dinky wannabe version. And oh by the way, these little bottles meet the TSA standards of less than 3 ounces in a carry on, and so therefore were in said purse on my unending flight home which helped to nurse the cold that I came down with on the last day of my cruise. Alcohol = Medicine.

 

Wine: We brought five bottles on board in our carry on luggage and in plain view. When we did take a bottle to the dining room, we were charged a corkage fee of $15 on each occasion. Our Cruise Critic table mates Larry and David however, claimed to have seen confiscated wine at embarkation, which surprises me, but I cannot corroborate this.

 

Shopping Onboard: I liked the shops on the CB, but as others have mentioned, I didn’t care for the congestion of having tables set up all around the atrium area. It detracts from the beauty of the atrium. We did make some purchases… DH bought some very nice cologne, and I purchased two rings ($39.99 special) that have these huge gaudy stones, one of which I might be able to pass off as a 20th anniversary gift from my DH that says I'd do it all over again (only cheaper this time!)

 

 

More soon…..

[racepoint]

Add me to your list of admirers, Julia. Don't ask what caused me to read this thread in the first place. I only logged on to Cruise Critic 'cause I used to enjoy this site - back when I had a cruise booked. No current cruises booked but I cruised last on CB in April '07 and I love to read reviews - this ship or any ship. I love to hear what people think; their likes; dis-likes; gripes; praises; rants; opinions; and sometimes, just odd requisite criteria ("no towel animals" and "waiters that never learned our names" come to mind.) But you have added a quirky slant (someone, acurately, pinned 'Erma Bombeck') to your review ... AND, you bring it to us in installments. You strike me as just normal folk. . just enjoying your vacation. . .just like we do. I/we can relate. Just to feed your ego further, I can't recall ever reading another review of any ship that was more enjoyable or which I could relate to more. I have to credit you with my plan that the next time I cruise, I will have the gumption to announce to my DH on Thursday afternoon, while wearing only a see-through nightie, that I would be willing to skip the second formal night to dine on the balcony (I can get away with no Super Bowl Tickets - he's a Nascar fan.) Thanks again, Julia, for some really fun reading and reminiscing. P.S. . . my husband says "Thank You!!!"

[julia]

hi julia, donna and all!

It was much fun being the rookie!

 

Bob Laubach

watching Master and Commander

miss my sea days....

 

Bob: Too funny about your "spa bottles" and by the looks of your great pictures, you were anything BUT a rookie on this cruise! That's great that you have another cruise on the books... where to?

[julia]

Add me to your list of admirers, Julia. Don't ask what caused me to read this thread in the first place. I only logged on to Cruise Critic 'cause I used to enjoy this site - back when I had a cruise booked. No current cruises booked but I cruised last on CB in April '07 and I love to read reviews - this ship or any ship. I love to hear what people think; their likes; dis-likes; gripes; praises; rants; opinions; and sometimes, just odd requisite criteria ("no towel animals" and "waiters that never learned our names" come to mind.) But you have added a quirky slant (someone, acurately, pinned 'Erma Bombeck') to your review ... AND, you bring it to us in installments. You strike me as just normal folk. . just enjoying your vacation. . .just like we do. I/we can relate. Just to feed your ego further, I can't recall ever reading another review of any ship that was more enjoyable or which I could relate to more. I have to credit you with my plan that the next time I cruise, I will have the gumption to announce to my DH on Thursday afternoon, while wearing only a see-through nightie, that I would be willing to skip the second formal night to dine on the balcony (I can get away with no Super Bowl Tickets - he's a Nascar fan.) Thanks again, Julia, for some really fun reading and reminiscing. P.S. . . my husband says "Thank You!!!"

 

 

 

Racepoint: Thanks so much for the nice comments and I'm glad you've re-discovered the fun here on these boards! And yes.... I be pretty "normal folk" (I think!!)

 

J.

[lizi116]

Answering questions: TV timer? Hmmmmm…. I have NO idea! Perhaps one of our other resident CB’ers can help with this one?

.

Note 2: The little cardboard containers can NOT be opened with wet hands… just try it and see. Hands must be dry and in good working order to operate these complex gadgets.

 

……

There was no timer on the TV.

 

Had a great tip for opening the shampoos - twist the top off as if it were a screw top, and it comes right off!

 

My son also lotioned up his hair - good thing he has a buzz cut!

 

Keep it up - it makes me feel like I'm right back on board.:)

[julia]

Our DIYUBD……

 

 

 

OK, I’ll translate here: We had decided to skip the second formal night in the dining room and just enjoy our Caribe deck balcony for the evening. Princess offers an Ultimate Balcony Dining experience for a fee, but we’ve decided to Do-It-Yourself, hence the DIYUBD!

 

What we didn’t have with our “DIY” is this: a white table cloth, flowers, photos, half bottle of champagne, and someone serving our meal. What we did have was a dinner to remember because was SO perfect!!

 

After showering and dressing comfortably, we settle in on our balcony. The evening was beautiful, with calm seas and a quiet sunset. The ship is heading north now, on our way to our last stop of Princess Cays. I plugged in my MP3 player to DH’s laptop, which actually reached to the balcony, so now we have soft steel drums playing Caribbean music. Ahhhh, nice touch. DH is uncorking the first bottle of chilled white wine. We sip a glass while watching the ocean and the sunset, just taking in the serenity of it all. This is (to us) what cruising is all about.

 

We like to dine in courses (sometimes out of order), so I head up to to the buffet to see what we’d like for starters. In the elevator, there are finely dressed couples looking at my shorts, and I’m admiring their finery. Not a problem. I head back to the Café Caribe to peruse some appetizers, when I spot this huge bowl of King Crab Legs!! Gasp!! Now, if you may recall from a previous post , I just had KCL’s last evening in the dining room….. so, therefore, these must be “leftovers”. I LOVE LEFTOVERS! Call me tacky, but seriously, if a menu in a fine restaurant offered “Leftover meatloaf accompanied by leaftover mashed potatoes followed by leftover blueberry crumble” I would order it in a heartbeat! So, one large plate of KCL’s (with a side of shrimp & cocktail sauce) later, I’m on my way back to our Caribe balcony. The “down elevator” also has guests in their lovely formal wear, but they were eyeing my KCL’s enviously (I could tell) :)

 

With the KCL's on the table between us, our feet are propped up, the ocean in front of us, and the wine is flowing. We enjoyed our “appetizers” for the next full hour. Totally yummy crab legs! We are “five star” dining. By now, it is getting dark, and my DH remembers our Mag-lite flashlite that converts to a “candle” and he brings it out and places it in the center of the table, creating even more ambience. A bit later, I clear the crab leg plate (to the cabin) and we are relaxing between “courses.” Eventually, I headed back to the Café, and returned with a nice large salad which we shared, and by that time we were just fine on food…. not too full, but pleasantly stuffed. It’s dark by now, and the balconies around us are all very quiet. We have Jimmy Buffett cued up on the MP3 player, so of course, we dance… who can sit through “Fins?!”

 

Altogether, our DIYUBD has been the most fun, relaxing, and enjoyable evening on the Caribbean Princess so far, and we have not once thought about missing out on the formal night in the dining room. As we finish our second bottle of wine and gaze up at the stars over our 81 square feet of balcony-heaven, I quietly send up a "thank you" for this lovely time in my life.

 

Tomorrow is Princess Cays…..

[SoSueMe]

Julia, you really made my day (night?)! It was a particularly craptastic and stressful day at work today (uh, I guess that would be yesterday--geez I gotta go to bed) and I've been reading these boards dreaming of our very first cruise, on CB on 10/7. Your review is great!

 

We're going to be celebrating our 25th anniversary and are considering the UBD, but your DIYUBD sounds pretty darn tempting. Great idea.

 

Now I will know to bring plenty of "airline-size" liquor bottles. After all, I'll be on vacation. And it will ALWAYS be 5 o'clock somewhere. :D

 

Looking forward to your next "chapter"...

[julia]

SSM: Love your screen name! So glad I could help alleviate a "craptastic" day... it sounds like you definitely need a cruise.

 

Congrats on your 25th anniversary!! We chose Sabitinis to celebrate our 20th, and found it to be really enjoyable!

[kaykay51]

Our DIYUBD……

 

 

 

OK, I’ll translate here: We had decided to skip the second formal night in the dining room and just enjoy our Caribe deck balcony for the evening. Princess offers an Ultimate Balcony Dining experience for a fee, but we’ve decided to Do-It-Yourself, hence the DIYUBD!

 

What we didn’t have with our “DIY” is this: a white table cloth, flowers, photos, half bottle of champagne, and someone serving our meal. What we did have was a dinner to remember because was SO perfect!!

 

After showering and dressing comfortably, we settle in on our balcony. The evening was beautiful, with calm seas and a quiet sunset. The ship is heading north now, on our way to our last stop of Princess Cays. I plugged in my MP3 player to DH’s laptop, which actually reached to the balcony, so now we have soft steel drums playing Caribbean music. Ahhhh, nice touch. DH is uncorking the first bottle of chilled white wine. We sip a glass while watching the ocean and the sunset, just taking in the serenity of it all. This is (to us) what cruising is all about.

 

We like to dine in courses (sometimes out of order), so I head up to to the buffet to see what we’d like for starters. In the elevator, there are finely dressed couples looking at my shorts, and I’m admiring their finery. Not a problem. I head back to the Café Caribe to peruse some appetizers, when I spot this huge bowl of King Crab Legs!! Gasp!! Now, if you may recall from a previous post , I just had KCL’s last evening in the dining room….. so, therefore, these must be “leftovers”. I LOVE LEFTOVERS! Call me tacky, but seriously, if a menu in a fine restaurant offered “Leftover meatloaf accompanied by leaftover mashed potatoes followed by leftover blueberry crumble” I would order it in a heartbeat! So, one large plate of KCL’s (with a side of shrimp & cocktail sauce) later, I’m on my way back to our Caribe balcony. The “down elevator” also has guests in their lovely formal wear, but they were eyeing my KCL’s enviously (I could tell) :)

 

With the KCL's on the table between us, our feet are propped up, the ocean in front of us, and the wine is flowing. We enjoyed our “appetizers” for the next full hour. Totally yummy crab legs! We are “five star” dining. By now, it is getting dark, and my DH remembers our Mag-lite flashlite that converts to a “candle” and he brings it out and places it in the center of the table, creating even more ambience. A bit later, I clear the crab leg plate (to the cabin) and we are relaxing between “courses.” Eventually, I headed back to the Café, and returned with a nice large salad which we shared, and by that time we were just fine on food…. not too full, but pleasantly stuffed. It’s dark by now, and the balconies around us are all very quiet. We have Jimmy Buffett cued up on the MP3 player, so of course, we dance… who can sit through “Fins?!”

 

Altogether, our DIYUBD has been the most fun, relaxing, and enjoyable evening on the Caribbean Princess so far, and we have not once thought about missing out on the formal night in the dining room. As we finish our second bottle of wine and gaze up at the stars over our 81 square feet of balcony-heaven, I quietly send up a "thank you" for this lovely time in my life.

 

Tomorrow is Princess Cays…..

 

Julia, your description of your diyubd brought tears to my eyes. How very romantic along with original. You are one heck of a lady.

Kay

[jetwet1]

Hey Julia,

 

Thanks for the great TR, the gang on the 9/9 sailing pointed me over here and I am glad they did.

 

A little secret we have stumbled across for getting from Vegas to FLL...Spirit Airlines.

 

US now sucks, Southwest has saved my butt..but Spirit offers the same as US first...for half the price !...it is costing us $440 r/t for what they call the big seat up front..cheesy for sure..but hey..it's Vegas..we love chessey...so where is the next cruise going to be ?

[KLLund]

Yep Julia

 

Are your ears burning .. because a lot of us over at the Roll Call for the 9/9 cruise have been reading you .. enjoying the heck out of your review .. and talking about it !!!

 

Do you have a Red formal gown (we are going to be the scarlett harlots ) .. cause there is still time to book the cruise and join us !!!

[julia]

Kathy:

 

OMG!! "Scarlett Harlots" is just tooo darn funny! I love it!

 

And of course I have a red gown daaahling, and I'd be there in a Long Island minute if I didn't think my DH would have me committed to the Betty Ford Clinic for Seriously Addicted Cruisers!

 

So glad your roll call is enjoying my recap! Perhaps I'll pop over there and say hello before you guys sail. Regardless.... you must post lots of photos of the "S.H.'s" in their red finery, so we can all see how lovely you looked!

 

 

JetWet:

Thanks for the note about "Spirit" airlines... I will definitely look into them, should we ever need to fly across country and arrive at our destination within the same fiscal year.

[lakegirl16]

Julia - Loved the DIYUBD...read it this morning before heading to work... one big reason for off to work I go...cruising and those great balconies!

 

Thanks again for the great review. We've booked rumbaba for January. Working on making sure I can hoist my ____ back onto the boat after the bloody mary's Bobby describes on his website :D .

 

We're going to Vegas for Thanksgiving, any new restaurant recommendations?

 

Thanks!

 

Julie

[judyjbest]

Kathy:

 

OMG!! "Scarlett Harlots" is just tooo darn funny! I love it!

 

And of course I have a red gown daaahling, and I'd be there in a Long Island minute if I didn't think my DH would have me committed to the Betty Ford Clinic for Seriously Addicted Cruisers!

 

So glad your roll call is enjoying my recap! Perhaps I'll pop over there and say hello before you guys sail. Regardless.... you must post lots of photos of the "S.H.'s" in their red finery, so we can all see how lovely you looked!

 

 

JetWet:

Thanks for the note about "Spirit" airlines... I will definitely look into them, should we ever need to fly across country and arrive at our destination within the same fiscal year.

 

Please do pop in, Julia! We'll have great fun, and you'll be honored in our presence! (JetWet is part of our group too, with his DW Jenn ... neighbors of yours in LV, I do believe!)

[quincytoo]

Julia, your description of your diyubd brought tears to my eyes. How very romantic along with original. You are one heck of a lady.

Kay

 

I read the post with a huge smile then a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

 

Man I can taste those KCL and feel the ocean breeze hit my face. Loving this thread :) I am going to bookmark and then it up just before my OCT 2008 CB cruise

 

Once again many mnay thanks :)

Jodi

[junebug100]

WOW, Julia. You have an amazing way of capturing a moment. Just caught this thread as I am planning my 30th wedding anniversary get-a-way in January and checking out cruises. Please continue with your post. I would love to hear more about your experience and any more tips you may have. Oh, I also love the "it's 5 o'clock somewhere:.....

[julia]

Thank you all SO much for the nice replies! It’s so fun to experience the interaction here on these boards, and I’m glad you are enjoying sharing our week on the CB.

 

 

 

Junebug: My warmest congrats on reaching 30 years!! I hope your get-away in January is very special… please let us know what you decide to do!

 

Lakegirl: There are soooo many great restaurants here in LV… would need to know more of what you enjoy to make a good recommendation. Feel free to post on this thread, I won’t mind…. we can talk cruising, eating, drinking, football, cats, and untold dumb**** stuff, as long as the moderators don’t yank the thread for being to boring.

 

JudyBest: I’ll be sure to pop over to your thread… thanks for the invite!

 

Quincy: Have fun following anything remotely CB related until your sailing. I know I did!

 

 

 

 

Saturday at Princess Cays:

 

We wake to the first really cloudy day that we’ve had so far on our cruise, which is somewhat amazing, since a Category 5 hurricane has continually gathered momentum down south of us. The ship is slowly moving towards our anchoring point off of this Bahama island, and I can’t see much from our starboard balcony except a small sandy coastline up ahead. Over coffee and breakfast in the cabin, we contemplated waiting to go ashore, because of the gathering dark clouds overhead. However, being a prudent CC’er, I know that that’s a DUMB idea, and may cost us “prime beach real estate” if we wait to get off the ship. So, clouds be damned, we pack up a beach bag, grab our towels, and make our way down to the tenders. I don’t think we had much of a wait, and the tender ride took about ten minutes or so. The small entry bay of the island is festive looking.

 

Once onshore, we encountered a pretty good down pour of rain, and most people gathered in the small shops and surrounding areas to stay dry. Fortunately, it let up after a short while, and we ventured out to secure a beach spot. I really wasn’t scouting things out too much, as I had it in my pea brain (from these boards) that “to the right of the bridge is quieter”, so, that was where we headed. As we are walking over there, I’m surprised at the size and amenities of the island. We cross over the bridge (after encountering a photo-op backup) and continue walking past the grill area, and find the sandy beach to the left of an open palapa bar. The beach is not very wide, and not really that scenic, but hey, what more do you need than sand and sun and water?!!

 

There are a few folks already lounging, ensconced in the clamshells that (totally) line the beach. Not wanting a clamshell ourselves, we pass by the many that are still closed and locked, and go halfway down the beach. We pull two recliners forward towards the water and stake out our spot. It’s still overcast, but now clearing a bit, so I hang out on the recliner, (because I’m actually feeling a bit “puny” today, as they say). DH decides to check out the water. Yes, it is a rocky entry into the water (as I knew from the boards, so I have water shoes with me). If you don’t have water shoes, just “swim out” quickly to avoid walking on the rocky bottom.

 

After getting settled in, we decide to rent some floaty mats ($8 each) and DH goes to find some. These can be found back by the bridge (I think) and are actually pretty darn heavy to carry. DH is a big guy, and I look up to see him struggling with said floaty mats and heading my way. They are heavy and bulky. Don’t try to carry four back to your group. It won’t happen. They are, however, they greatest invention since the curling iron, and they helped to overcome my puny-ness for the next several hours.

 

The beach continues to fill up as the morning progresses, and by now, all the clamshells are taken on this side of the island. The sun has finally come out, and we’re in the water and enjoying the views all aorund us. The water is clear, and not too crowded where we are, and of course, everyone is shooting pictures of our floating palace parked out in front of us. It would be very easy to fall asleep on this floaty-mat slice of heaven, so, be careful that you don’t wind up washing ashore in Tahiti or somewhere!

 

It’s now about noonish or so, and I decided to go check out the grill, and surprisingly there’s not too many people in line. There were lots of BBQ choices, but I just wanted “finger food” so, I fixed a hot dog for myself and a knockwurst for DH. However, I then spotted cole slaw, which I love, and so a fork was necessary. We enjoyed lunch at our loungers, and the food was quite tasty. Note: We can’t seem to locate any trash cans along the beach… how very “unSoCal like.”

 

We spend the next few hours just hanging out and “matting”. DH snorkled a bit and saw some fish, but he’d been too spoiled by the sea turtle at St. Johns earlier to be impressed. Around 2:00, we decide to pull up stakes and head back to the ship. As we crossed back over the bridge, I get my first sight of “the left side” of the island. I’m stunned to see the thousands of chairs, all lined up one after another after another. However, I see that there is a LOT more going on over here… lots of picnic areas, shops, etc. We walked around this side a bit, (as I wanted to check out the bungalows but couldn’t seem to locate them) but it was just too crowded for us. So, we turned around and headed back. While our “right side of the island” wasn’t quite as scenic as this side, I think it was a whole lot quieter, and I didn’t regret our choice to go to the right.

 

There’s now a line to tender back to the ship, and that’s to be expected. Once on the tender, you can really see how large the island is with all of the people on it. It’s really pretty from the tender (get seats up top for a great view).

 

I had been curious about the mixed reviews that I’ve read about Princess Cays, and so now I can form my own opinion. I’m glad we experienced it. It was a nice, relaxing port of call. The food was good. However, although I’m pretty sure we’ll be on another Princess cruise to this beautiful part of the world sometime in the near future, I believe that if we had the choice to stay onboard for the day or go ashore, we’d probably stay on board and pretend that we OWN the CB and are just visiting our “little private island with a few thousand of our closest friends.” (If you’ve ever been on a nearly empty cruise ship while it’s in port, you’ll know that I’m talking about!) Obviously, this is just my humble opinion.

 

So… that’s it for our ports. We are now back on board the ship. We are hot and sandy and are trooping down the narrow corridor for a cool shower and a cold beer (oh, yeah, somehow, a few of THOSE managed to make it on board with us also! Gosh, I HATE when that happens! :)

 

 

 

Coming up: Re-packing, Guests on the balcony, the Last Supper, and Self Debarking, aka, “Schlepping 101”.

[janetz]

Julia, thank you again for my morning "fix"...:D :D

[Mommy40]

Julia,

I have been checking every day for the next installment. I am loving it Girl!! Question, is it true most of the shade is to the left when you get to Princess Cays? I am going in November and have a very white Casper like niece who we need some shade for. The rest of us are sun lovers. I am not thrilled with the idea of the crowds but I am on vacation and will just stick the ol I-pod in the ear.