Enjoying Western Caribbean Sunshine

For our 9-year anniversary this year, we decided we wanted some time in the sun!

That probably sounds silly coming from someone who lives in Arizona, but our last 4 cruises have been outside of the Caribbean and we missed it.

So we planned a 7-day Princess Cruise trip to the Western Caribbean, including Jamaica, Grand Cayman. This trip was also the perfect opportunity to finally take Nathan to the two locations I went on my first cruise and he hasn’t had a chance to see yet.

Table of Contents

• Never Again
• General / Onboard Experience
• Falmouth, Jamaica
• Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Never Again

While I want to start with a positive note because it is a cruise (yay!), I need to set the stage with pre-trip feelings which are not great.

Bottom line, we won’t sail Princess again. It was just ok last time, and we decided to give it another try on this trip but they fell short of NCL and Celebrity at every opportunity.

The check-in process is a joke. Princess requires the check-in process of entering all personal info on your phone, via their app. It is slow, constantly fails, and is simply not a good way to enter data-heavy information. To top it off, the specialty dining was completely booked so we couldn’t go to the restaurant we wanted and

Not exactly a great start to what was supposed to be a relaxing trip.

Unfortunately, our views of Princess only continued to be set as ‘never again’ once we got onboard. The Caribbean Princess was supposedly remodeled a few years ago but the design and wear and tear still look like 10+ years old or just dirty and run-down. Plus staff and service were the least friendly we have encountered making a few minor issues we had a much bigger deal.

While I could go on and on (we may have just watched Moana so make sure to read as Maui as I did 😂), I will just let the Cruise Ship Ranking speak for itself and say “Never again”.

Also, to be clear it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It is still a cruise ship on the ocean which was fantastic, but we just won’t do it with Princess again.

Alright, let’s move on to the good stuff!

General / Onboard Experience

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We had early flights out of Phoenix Sky Harbor so we made it to the long-term parking nice and early in the morning.

Having an EV is always fun when you get to fit into spots no one else would even dare try. 🤣

The airport experience was pretty standard, though the flights were pretty rough. There was a storm going through Texas and it was one of the worst flights we have ever been on. Nathan blames American Airlines pilots and I don’t have any reason to disagree, but either way, turbulence was not fun!

I also grew very fond of TGI Friday’s quick-stop sandwiches and Fritos. With a slight modification to my diet, they were an airport staple for me whereas everything else was off-limits.

The hotel was standard and before we knew it, it was time to wake up and get on the ship!

Boarding was pretty straightforward, and the current Princess theme “I love this!” is pretty cute.

The balcony was just as great as we had hoped for and we spent more time out there than any other cruise before, it was such a perfect week to relax!

Our first evening we went to our included Speciality Dining at Crowne Grill. It was just ok. I wouldn’t say Princess is known for their amazing food.

Since embarkation day was also Superbowl Sunday they had set up the big screen TVs and most of the TVs around the ship, bars, and theatres to show the game. Which was super cool for football fans, but a blessing for us as the ship was empty walking around and doing shows after.

The evening’s entertainment was a comedic magician Joel Meyers, who was pretty great! I think that may have been our first magician onboard a ship.

We were supposed to spend our first day at Princess Cays, the Princess private Bahama’s island. While we didn’t plan on getting off the ship the port was canceled due to weather and using the tenders wasn’t an option. So we ended up with two back-to-back sea days.

I was impressed with the selection of items for breakfast on the ship. Specifically, they had ready-to-go eggs as well as a massive pastry section.

This is the only ship I have ever seen with donuts available, and both raised and cake options available.

Plus the next day (2/14) they went ALL OUT on Valentine’s pastries and display. It was pretty cute.

One thing I did not expect to deal with was their tiny showers without a removable shower head! With the purple in my hair, I have to wash it with cold water. I didn’t think that wouldn’t be an option because Norwegian is always set up with removable heads. So the whole trip I saved up water bottles to refrigerate and get cold while doing my hair in the tiny sink. 🤦‍♀️

Back to the shitty maintenance of Princess ships, they had pipes leaking all over the promenade deck where you can walk 80% of the ship’s exterior. Well, flip flops and wet ground don’t mix and I slipped and fell HARD.

Some staff that were out on a smoke break heard the loud smack of me landing and came running over to help. They even brought a chair for me to sit in and a makeshift ice while I took a minute to figure out if it was just shock or if I had broken something.

Thankfully, I didn’t feel like I broke anything but a definite sprain.

So we spent the rest of the evening resting up and ordered room service for dinner instead. To mix up my daily burger I ordered a quesadilla too and made it into the burger bun. 🤣 #creativity

Of course it was after I twisted my ankle that the ship had scheduled a power test. During this test the elevators were not operable for about 30 minutes! I don’t understand how this was allowed in the middle of the day but it meant we had to use the stairs very slowly to not aggravate my foot.

We did try the dining room about 1/2 way through the trip. This gave me a few more options to eat from, but Princess staff was not fun to work with. First time I have ever had staff roll their eyes at me, which was pretty messed up but nowhere near the level of service other cruise lines provide.

Nathan was able to get his escargot and shrimp, and I even tried something new! Rice Pudding was never something I was interested in but it was surprisingly good!

We also quickly found the little store for necessities and they had some snacks available for purchase. Not only did they have Haribo Gummy Bears, but they were in the cutest container! Throughout the week we ended up buying all they had (granted that was only two).

These are 100% now saved in our cupboard. One day I will need a giant gummy bear and I will be prepared. 😜

One of the best parts of Princess was their tea time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have it this trip, but they also had a terrible schedule now. They only did tea time on sea days so we only briefly caught the buffet version once which wasn’t as much fun.

On the last full day onboard they had sushi for lunch!!

Plus, they didn’t go totally cheap and only do California rolls. Most of the options were actually smoked salmon and Nathan was able to get tamago!

You also get a nice view of my self-made sandwich with a roll, and the charcuterie style meats and cheese.

All in all, our general experience onboard was fine and we made the best of what was available. I will always want to experience tea time like we did our first Princess trip, but I will just have to find it somewhere else!

Falmouth, Jamaica

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On the third day of sailing we made it to Jamaica. I really wanted to see the plants and jungles in Jamaica, since that was the biggest part of my memory coming here the first time. Unforuntely times change and the same types of excursions were no longer available, plus we were at a different port.

So we opted for a beach day!

For those of you who know us, that is a FIRST. This will be our 16th cruise together and never have we chosen to hang out on the beach for the day, but it was the perfect place and time to do it!

Jamaica had an excursion that took you to a resort, Bamboo Beach Club, and gave you the VIP experience with loungers, drinks, and food the entire time you were there with private access to the water so you didn’t have to deal with other tourists!

It was a beautiful setup, and we got lucky to arrive first. When it was our turn to leave the place had filled up with other ship’s excursions and it was harder to find a lounger, especially out of the sun.

The food (egg roll, plantain chips and ceviche, and jerk chicken) and drinks were decent, according to Nathan, and I was even able to eat a little bit of fish ceviche which was fantastic!

Of course the views and water were incredible. Nathan spent some time swimming, but with my busted ankle it was really difficult to walk in the sand and I didn’t want to risk swimming so I stayed in the shallow area watching the little fish swim around.

There isn’t too much to tell because we just relaxed in the sun, read our books and enjoyed the Carribean! 😊

The two funny stories happened as we were leaving.

First, as we got back on the “bus” (if you can call the tiny van a bus) the driver was drinking “Peanut Punch”.

I wouldn’t expect anyone to be drinking peanuts in the first place, but I can kinda see it if I think peanut butter milkshake.

However, the punch part through me off. We tried to ask the driver what it tasted like and he just shrugged and said peanuts.

So next time we will try and find ourselves some Peanut Punch to try ourselves. 🤣

Second, when you are getting back to the port area there is always a place you have to scan your sea pass or badge to get into the secure area and board the ship.

In Jamaica, they did this in a building area, which was nice to be covered from the sun and elements.

However, the weird part is that they had a lady standing next to one of the button review things. Like the ones you normally find in a public restroom to tell the business how things are doing in there.

This one was to rate your experience in Jamaica… except a port attendant was standing there watching what you selected.

Granted she was disinfecting it each time it was used, but you felt very pressured to say something AND that you had a great time no matter what. 🤣

Even with those odd stories at the end, we had a great time in Jamaica and would come back for the beautiful views… though maybe not the crazy driving but that seems to be a carribean standard.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

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Day four of our cruise we were in Grand Cayman, the clearest and most beautiful ocean waters!

We choose a NCL excursion that is unfortunately not available anymore but takes you all across the island to see 7-mile beach, Hell, Rum Cake, Cayman Turtle Center, and last but not least is swimming with sting-rays!

To start we hopped on a bus to drive through the island, which had sooo much building construction! The amount of condo’s going up is crazy.

I was so excited to show Nathan the beauty of 7-Mile beach, but for some reason that is NOT where we stopped. We ended up going to some random other beach, which granted was still pretty but I am still bitter they didn’t take us where they were supposed too.

After that very short pitstop, we were off to Hell!

Based on our research, this was a unique geological site which was cool to see. It was like lava rock and stalagmites mixed. In reality, we think it was old coral that had died.

What was annoying is they made a whole production over the “Hell” name and made it into a cheesy tourist trap.

The area was covered in Devils and they had even put owl-like statues with devil heads out in the rocks.

They kinda ruined what could have been really cool, so I don’t know that I would recommend anyone go out of their way for this place.

After that we were supposed to go to the Rum Cake factory, but that got moved to the end of the day for reasons unknown. 🙄

With the little stuff out of the way, now we get to the two best parts of the entire day! Thankfully the most time we spent as well.

First up was the Turtle Center which was WAY better than expected!

The facility was huge and there was a ton to do. From seeing the big turtles in the breeding pond, to those who were put in their own pods I am assuming for medical or protection reasons, to little tiny turtles.

The next section lets you pet the turtles and put your feet in with them to feel them across your legs and toes! I was surprised at how hard but easily petable they felt, I honestly don’t know what I expected but it was not that!

After the turtles there were sections for predator fish, aviary, and butterflies. They even had a whole lagoon thing that you could swim, snorkle, or dive with the the animals! Plus a whole beach area to lounge in.

You could easily spend an entire day here playing with animals and enjoying the sunshine!

After the turtles, which was over way too quickly, we got to swim with stingrays!!

We hopped on a boat, where you were required to take your shoes off to board, and sailed out to the sandbar where the stingrays love to hang out!

The shoes bit is important, because we later learned that you are not allowed to have shoes of any kind out at the sandbar. If you step on a stingray with your foot you will just slide right off. However, if you have shoes (even watershoes) you will just shred their skin because it is so fragile.

Once we arrived and started to prepare to get into the water, they said that the water should be about hip/waist level so I figured my top wouldn’t get wet and I could keep my phone with me, plus I didn’t have to worry about my hair.

As I jumped off the back of the boat, I quickly realized that was a lie! 🤣

I was almost completely submerged, and then the swells were constantly coming in at or above our heads so we had to time them and hop at the right time to avoid being knocked out.

I tried to get a good picture of the swells but it was difficult to time. This picture was as close as I could get. The water behind Nathan is not just because of camera angles, he is about 2 seconds from being swept forward by that swell behind him.

While unexpected it was SO MUCH FUN! … and thank you Apple for water-resistant products!

Once we had the water element down, it was time to play with some stingrays.

They gave us chunks of fish/octopus and taught us how to hold them with our hands to feed them safely. Your four fingers are straight, with the fish folded over them and the thumb pinching it so it doesn’t wash away. Then they brought a stingray over and they would eat right out of your hand!

I was way too focused on the feeding and not being pushed over by the waves to get a picture of the feeding but it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to do it.

They even did “professional” photos of everyone with the stingray. They had you kiss the stingray for 7 years of good luck!

Sadly we did have to go back to our ship, so we got back and board and started making our way back to shore.

Along the way, they passed what I assume is their sister boat taking another group of people out. We ended up coming up right next to them to do what I assume was a beer exchange, though probably more innocent than that. 😉

Ultimately, we had a blast in Grand Cayman and would absolultey love to come back and spend some more time on the beaches and in the beatiful clear water. I highly recommend that everyone should visit Grand Cayman at least once in their life!

Despite not enjoying Princess cruise lines, we did have a perfectly relaxing week. We will still look back at this trip with good memories, if for no other reasont than the amazing stingray experience!

Thanks for reading! ❤️