Princess, like most other major cruise lines, has its own Bahamian island. This makes a lot of economic sense as there are no docking fees and all souvenir shops are run directly or indirectly by the cruise line. They have a captive audience for a day, while providing the illusion that you have visited the Bahamas. Well, I guess you have, but not a part of the Bahamas familiar to any Bahamian.
Princess Cays is a nice little island, with lots of beach chairs (mostly unoccupied because the ship was only half full) and lots of opportunities to rent snorkel equipment or cabanas. There is also a large tent which provides a free lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, chicken, ribs and all kinds of side dishes. No cruise passenger need go hungry on Princess Cays. Nor aboard the ship, for that matter.
Carl and I wandered a bit, ate lunch and I stuck my toes in the water, all before 1pm. We then returned to the ship.
Surprisingly, there is no dock at Princess Cays so we had to board a watercraft to get to the island. It was a short trip – about 7 minutes. The trip back was aboard one of the ship’s tenders, the boats that serve as lifeboats in an emergency. I suppose it is a good idea to take then down for a spin occasionally, to make sure they are still operational.
We played trivia again and did terribly this time. I watched some of the 4pm Steelers/Ravens game on the big screen, then went to the Solos meeting and again failed to meet future a wife. Dinner was a seafood medley for me, which was very good, and a prime rib for Carl which was a disaster. It looked like a piece of chuck steak that had been trampled by a Cossack and drowned in gravy. Disgusting. How can you mess up a prime rib? He traded it in for a Caesar salad.
After dinner we spend a bit of time at the casino where Carl lost $100 (don’t worry, he can afford it) and I won $50. It won’t last, of course, but a winning night is always nice.
The entertainment was a young man who sang a variety of show tunes. He was a replacement for the female vocalist that was scheduled but who had lost her voice. I don’t know how good she would have been but the replacement was terrific.