Princess Cays Bahamas: Beach Activities, Cruise Lines, Cabanas and What to Know Ashore

Picture the tender pulling up to a long curve of sand on the southern tip of Eleuthera, with volleyball nets already up and the first kayaks sliding into the shallows. Princess Cays is a cruise beach destination on Eleuthera, built around swimming, water sports and a day in the sun. It suits travelers who want a beach day ashore rather than a town to explore.

What is Princess Cays?

Princess Cays is a beach stop at the southern end of the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, and it is set up for cruise passengers who want a day on the sand. It is a place of loungers, water toys and beach games, not a settlement with streets to wander.

Eleuthera itself is a long, narrow island lying east of Nassau, and Princess Cays sits about 50 miles from the capital. That separation matters: nothing you read about Nassau, its harbor or its crowds applies here. This is a quieter corner of a different island, where the pace is set by the tide, the sun and the schedule of the ship.

The island around the beach

Eleuthera is a low island, its highest point only a modest rise above the sea, and the Queens Highway threads along its length. Farther north, the island has other things that cruise passengers at Princess Cays will not reach on a beach day: the Leon Levy Native Plant Reserve, with its environmental education center, and the annual Pineapple Festival in Gregory Town. They are part of the island’s character, even if your day stays on the sand.

The island has also lived through serious storms. Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992 and brought an 18-foot tidal surge, a reminder that this is a sea-level landscape where the weather shapes everything. Today the beach is one of the island’s best-known cruise stops, and Eleuthera also hosts Lighthouse Point, which opened exclusively to Disney Cruise Line guests on June 6, 2024.

Language, money and the feel of the place

English is spoken at Princess Cays and U.S. currency is used, so there is nothing to exchange and no language to puzzle over. The mood is relaxed and unhurried, with sand underfoot, music drifting from the beach area and the sea in front of you.

Temperatures follow the seasons in a gentle way. Winter afternoons reach about 75°F, comfortable for walking the sand and a dip for those who like cooler water. In summer the daily highs climb to between 85°F and 88°F, which makes shade, a cabana or a cold drink part of the plan.

Which cruise lines go to Princess Cays?

Princess Cays belongs to the Princess Cruises world, and the name tells you which line it is tied to. Princess Cruises is the line to look to for a call here.

The Princess Cruises web page for this destination currently shows an error message reading “Whoops! Your page was not found.” That means the line’s own site gives no detail on the stop at the moment, so ship names, itineraries and schedules are not something to rely on from that source. The error screen does offer links to ship information and deck plans, the onboard experience, contact information and customer service, cruise deals and promotions, a Princess Vacation Planner, and cruise tips and vacation ideas.

Where to turn for answers

If you want to know whether your particular sailing stops here, the useful route is the line itself. The customer service contact link and the option to talk to a Princess Vacation Planner both appear on that error screen, and they are the human doors to the information.

The ship information and deck plans link is handy for a different reason. Many travelers like to study the vessel before boarding, and the onboard experience link shows what life on the ship is like between beach days. The cruise tips page is a good place to browse for ideas while you wait for details of your own itinerary.

Other lines on Eleuthera

Princess Cays is not the only cruise beach on Eleuthera. Lighthouse Point, also on the island, opened exclusively to Disney Cruise Line guests on June 6, 2024. The two are separate places with separate audiences, so a Disney guest and a Princess guest see different stretches of the island.

What can you do at Princess Cays?

You can spend the day on the water or on the sand: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, banana boating, water skiing, snorkeling, parasailing, sailboating and waverunning are all on offer. It is a long list for one beach, and it lets you shape the day to your mood.

On the water

Canoes and kayaks are the gentle end of the menu, a way to see the shoreline from just offshore with the beach shrinking behind you. Sailboating adds a little breeze and a slower rhythm. Snorkeling puts a mask between you and the sea, and swimming needs nothing but a towel and a spot on the sand.

For more speed there are banana boating, water skiing and waverunning, the noisy, splashy choices that tend to draw groups of friends and families together. Parasailing lifts you above the bay for a view of the whole curve of the beach and the water around it. Sea conditions change from day to day, so how the water behaves on your visit is up to the weather.

On the sand

Volleyball and basketball courts give the beach a games-day feel. A pickup volleyball match on the sand is a classic cruise-day scene, with strangers from the ship quickly becoming teammates. Between games, the shade and the sea are right there.

Cabanas are available for daily rental, and they suit anyone who wants a base: a place to leave your bag, step out of the sun and watch the volleyball from a seat. A group sharing one makes a small headquarters for the day, with the water a few steps away.

Children and families

A beach with courts, canoes and a banana boat gives families plenty to share. Older children can head for the volleyball or basketball courts while the adults settle into a cabana within sight of the water. The day moves between sand, sea and shade without anyone leaving the beach.

A rented cabana works as a family base for towels, snacks and a rest from the sun, especially in the hotter months when afternoon highs climb well into the 80s. Everyone can come and go from it as their energy rises and falls, and nobody has to carry gear back and forth across the sand.

What do you need to know before you go ashore?

Before you go ashore, know your documents, your weather and your plan for the beach. For documents, U.S. citizens on a cruise to the Bahamas may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant document, such as a U.S. passport card. The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends a passport all the same, in case an unforeseen emergency requires disembarking and returning by air.

Why a passport is the safer choice

The reasoning is simple. If something forces you off the ship and onto a plane home, the rules for air travel apply. U.S. citizens entering the United States by air must present a valid U.S. passport, or one of a short list of other documents such as a Trusted Traveler Program card, a U.S. military identification card on official orders, or a Merchant Mariner document for official maritime business.

Children are also required to present their own passport when traveling by air. An Indian or tribal card cannot be used for air travel. Keeping the right document with you means a surprise change of plans stays an inconvenience.

Weather and season

Winter days sit around 75°F, pleasant for sand and sightseeing, and summer afternoons run from the mid-80s to the upper 80s. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and it overlaps the hotter months, so a summer or fall call can fall inside it.

Eleuthera has felt what a major storm can do, with Hurricane Andrew in 1992 bringing an 18-foot tidal surge. That history is a reason to keep an eye on the forecast for your sailing dates rather than a prediction about any one trip.

Planning the day

English and U.S. dollars make the practical side easy. The main decisions are how you want to spend the hours: in the water, on the courts or in a cabana. Since cabanas are rented by the day, deciding early whether you want a base shapes the rest of the plan.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

Princess Cays is on Eleuthera, so anything you have heard about Nassau, including where crime is concentrated, concerns a different island. U.S. dollars are used on the beach, and English is spoken. Winter highs sit near 75°F, while summer runs hotter, and the Atlantic hurricane season stretches from June 1 to November 30. Bring a sun hat, a swimsuit and a light layer for cooler days, and let the beach set the pace.

Sources

Wikipedia, Princess Cays (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Cays), checked October 10, 2026
Princess Cruises, Princess Cays (https://www.princess.com/ports/princess-cays/), checked October 10, 2026
Wikipedia, Eleuthera (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleuthera), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative), checked October 10, 2026
U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026