The first morning on our ship, the Crown Princess, I woke up and made my way outside on our private balcony. The sky was a clear, vibrant shade of blue that complemented the turquoise hue of the sea. In the distance, I saw the coastline of Princess Cays, a resort on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
Princess Cays is a private resort accessible only to passengers on Princess cruise ships. From afar, I saw cute little huts with burgundy roofs, and colorful kayaks and boats scattered along the shore. But after stepping foot onto the island, I realized Princess Cays was merely an extension of the ship, with a crowded beach and developed grounds. (Even the crew—bartenders on the ship, for instance—disembark so they can serve passengers drinks on the sand. A nice man named Dragan was an awesome crewmember throughout the week.)
My friend Angel and I lounged on recliners for some time, drinking beers and watching people snorkel around the nearby reef. We rented a kayak for half an hour, giving our arms a workout in the ocean, then wandered away from the crowds along a rocky shore in solitude. The colorful cottages along the path above this shore were charming. We ended up hanging out on the rocks among sea snails until we boarded the ship later that afternoon.
Note: This island excursion, part of a November 2009 Caribbean cruise, was hosted by Princess Cruises.
