Princess Cays, Eleuthera, Bahamas

I've been to Princess Cays, but I'll be honest about what that means: in October 2026, on Regal Princess, Papa and I stayed on board. My sister Peaches and my stepmom Pollywog went ashore, and they came back very unhappy. The tenders ran late all day, and their glass-bottom boat ride was cancelled because of it. So this guide pairs their day with what Princess actually publishes, and with some news you need before you book: Princess has been moving its calls away from this island.

Princess Cays at a glance

Map of the island

Our family's day

Getting ashore by tender

There's no dock for the ship. Your ship anchors offshore, and tenders, often the ship's own lifeboats, carry you to a small tender pier. Princess's fact sheet describes it simply as a pier for the ship's tenders.

1. Get a tender ticket. On most sailings you collect a numbered ticket on board and wait to be called. Bungalow renters get priority tender tickets.
2. Board the tender from a platform low on the ship. Expect a step across a gap onto a boat that's moving with the swell, with crew holding your arm.
3. Ride in. It's a short trip, but it's open water.
4. Step up onto the pier and walk into the resort. The market, lunch pavilions and beaches all fan out from here.

Coming back: the tender line at the end of the day is the one that catches people. Check the last tender time in your daily planner and be in line well before it. If tenders are running late, as they were on our day, every timed activity gets squeezed.

How I'd spend the day

If walking is hard

Wait until the morning rush has gone, then tender over. Pick the closest spot with chairs near the pier and the lunch area, rather than walking the length of the beach. If the budget allows, a bungalow brings priority tenders and a cart ride to your door. If tendering looks rough that morning, there's no shame in staying aboard. That's what Papa and I did.

Beach day

Go ashore early, grab free chairs, swim in the protected areas and eat at the barbecue. Rent an umbrella if you need shade. Wear water shoes, because the sand is coarser and rockier than the photos suggest.

See the island

Princess sells a four-hour drive to the Eleuthera settlements of Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay, with lunch. It's the only way to see real Eleuthera from here. Book it through the ship, and leave room in your day in case the tenders run late.

Getting around the island

You walk. Princess doesn't publish a tram, a shuttle or walking distances. Bungalow guests can ride a motorized cart from the pier to their bungalow, though Princess says there may be a short wait. Outside the resort there are no taxis or rentals for cruise visitors. The only way beyond the beach is a ship's tour.

What's free and what costs extra

Included in your fare

• The beach, beach chairs (first come, first served) and the protected swimming areas
• A barbecue lunch from two pavilions: burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads, fruit and cookies
• Volleyball and basketball
• Pelican's Perch, a supervised play area for children with a pirate-ship replica and its own restrooms
• Browsing the Bahamian craft market and the Tropical Treasures shop

Costs extra

• Beach umbrella: for up to two people, all day. Spots are first come, first served, and it can be cancelled in high winds. Princess doesn't show a public price.
• Clamshell: a shade shell with two chairs for two people. Princess calls the fee "nominal" and doesn't print it.
• Beach bungalow: $199 for up to four people, with air conditioning, a private shower, two loungers, drinks service and priority tenders. Extra guests are $25.95 each, maximum two.
• Sanctuary bungalow: $249, adults only, in a quieter roped-off area.
• Glass-bottom boat: one hour, half of it travel time, on a 35-seat boat with no restroom and no air conditioning. Carnival's listing for the same trip starts at $49.99 per person.
• Snorkel gear and tours, kayaks, paddle wheelers, floats and the Eleuthera island drive
• Drinks at the four bars, charged to your cruise card

Treat the bungalow prices with care. They come from a Princess fact sheet last published in October 2023. The live booking pages don't show prices to the public, so check your Cruise Personalizer.

Drink packages: Princess's terms say its beverage packages still apply ashore at Princess Cays. Carnival's CHEERS! package does not cover drinks bought here.

Beaches and areas, ranked

1. The main beach near the pier and lunch. Free chairs and the shortest walk. The busiest spot, so arrive early.
2. The Sanctuary, adults only and roped off. Quieter, but only for Sanctuary bungalow renters.
3. The bungalow stretch. The middle bungalows are closest to the bar, restrooms and snorkelling. Paid.
4. The far ends of the beach. Quieter, but a longer walk on sand back to food, restrooms and the tender pier.

Lifeguards: Princess doesn't say whether there are lifeguards. Swim in the protected areas and wear water shoes, because the bottom can be rocky.

Where to eat

Lunch is the free barbecue at the two pavilions. The four bars sell drinks to your cruise card. Bungalow renters can add a gourmet picnic, and Sanctuary renters a VIP lunch, both for an extra charge. Local vendors sell Bahamian crafts, and some offer hair braiding. If you want conch or other Bahamian dishes, the Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay tour includes lunch.

Money, language and local rules

• Money: the Bahamian dollar is pegged to the US dollar, and both work everywhere in The Bahamas. Carry some small bills for the craft market.
• Language: English.
• Marijuana: illegal in The Bahamas, and the tourism board says it's strictly penalised.
• Ammunition: don't bring any, not even one stray bullet in a bag. The State Department says police strictly enforce this.
• Camouflage: leave camo clothing on the ship. Carnival warns that it's against the law in some ports, and The Bahamas is regularly named among them.
• Licensed operators only: the tourism board advises accepting rides only from licensed operators, on land or sea.

What the videos don't show you

• Tender delays. This is what ruined my family's day. When the tenders run slow, you lose hours in line, and timed excursions can be cancelled.
• It may not be on your itinerary at all. Princess and Carnival have been switching Princess Cays calls to Half Moon Cay, often without a big announcement. Excursions booked for Princess Cays are refunded automatically.
• Weather wins. A tender port can be skipped because of wind or swell, and umbrella rentals can be cancelled in high winds.
• The sand. It's coarser than the brochure pictures, with rocky patches in the water. Bring water shoes.
• Shade costs money. Free chairs, yes. Free shade, mostly no.
• Medical care. The State Department notes that outer islands like Eleuthera have only small clinics, and The Bahamas is at Level 2, exercise increased caution (issued 28 July 2026), mostly because of crime in Nassau and Freeport, which is not where you are. It also warns about strong currents and sharks, so never swim alone.

With a cane, walker or wheelchair

Princess Cays is a tender port, and that's the whole story for a lot of us. Princess's rules for passengers with limited mobility say crew won't carry you or lift more than 50 pounds to get you on or off a tender, that many tender ports have no wheelchair access ashore, and that the captain's decision on who can board is final. If you can't go ashore, there's no refund or credit for the missed port.

Once ashore, Princess publishes no accessibility information for Princess Cays: no beach mats, no beach wheelchairs, no accessible restroom details, no tram. The one helpful item is the bungalow cart from the pier, and bungalow renters also get priority tenders, which means a calmer boarding. The glass-bottom boat is rated ambulatory accessible by Carnival: you must be able to take a few steps, and a collapsible wheelchair can go on board.

My advice: watch a tender load from your balcony before you decide, and ask the tender crew what the step looks like that day. See Mobility & Health Needs for how tenders work, and check with your cruise line before you sail.

The biggest mistake

Booking a tight, timed activity on a tender day and assuming the boats will run on schedule. That's exactly how my family lost their glass-bottom boat ride. Book it for later in the day, take an early tender, and keep the rest of the day loose. The second mistake is not checking your itinerary again before you sail, because your Princess Cays call may already be a Half Moon Cay call.

Princess Cays FAQs