Besides writing and creating stories, traveling is my favorite activity. I’ve been all over the states but I’ve only had the opportunity to travel internationally a handful of times. Today, I’m going to be telling you all about my experience with accessibility at Princess Cays, Bahamas, which is Carnival Cruise Line’s private island in Eleuthera, Bahamas. Let’s deep dive into it!
Getting to the Island
I arrived to Princess Cays via cruise ship. The port itself does not have a pier attached to it so I had to get a wheelchair accessible shuttle from the ship. I visited the island last month and and getting this shuttle was a nightmare. I will going more in-depth about that soon, but in conjunction with other things that occurred, my family and I waited almost two hours for an accessible water shuttle.
Ramp Accessibility to Get On the Island
Once the shuttle docks at the island, those using wheelchairs, scooters or other mobility aids are told to go down a long, steep ramp that connects to the tender boat itself. I’ve never been solo and have always had help navigating this ramp. However, I don’t think I could go down safely on my own. This is definitely something to keep in mind before booking this particular port of call.
Accessibility On The Island Itself
The main accessibility that Princess Cays has is concreted pathways. These pathways are everywhere on the island from the moment someone gets off the tender boat. They also have bridges that one could roll over. However, these can be quite bumpy as they are situated above open water and rocks.
There are signs as well that help direct people to different parts of the island, but for someone who also has severe vision issues, these signs weren’t very discoverable. Instead they blended in with the colorful buildings. Their handicap accessible restrooms also did not work. I am very fortunate that I am semi-ambulatory and able to use a regular stall. Instead of waiting for them to fix it, which took awhile, I just used a regular stall. However, if I was not ambulatory, the handicap stall not being in working order would have been an issue. I have been to this island multiple times and have never had this issue before, but it’s something that I felt was important to mention! Also, the sand is rocky and not smooth. If you have sensitive feet due to your disability, I strongly suggest water shoes if you’re able to wear them!
There is one manual wheelchair that is available to use on a first come, first serve basis for those who need it. The later one gets on the island, the less likely it is to be available.
No Concreted Pathways Nor Ramps In the Sand
There are also no concreted pathways nor ramps in the sand for wheelchairs. I had to have assistance getting down to where our lounge chairs were and kept checking on my wheelchair, which was on a concreted pathway several feet away, to make sure nothing happened to it. This particular port gets extremely crowded and lounge chairs in the shade and those not in the sand, get taken within an hour of the ship docking. If you are by yourself and don’t want a chair in the sun or sand, I would suggest trying to get a tender boat as soon as you can. In my experience, once those chairs are taken, people do not move.
Conclusion
In closing, I love the sun, the beach and the warm weather so I had a great time at Princess Cays and am scheduled to go again in October! However, I do not believe that I would be able to safely enjoy this port if I was by myself due to the accessibility issues mentioned. If you are going with someone who can help, you should be able to enjoy Princess Cays to its fullest extent! If you are traveling solo or the group you are traveling with aren’t getting off the cruise ship, I would rethink stopping at this particular port.