In Which We Meet Miss Nomer

 March 5, 2023

Sky Princess is calling at Princess Cays today. 

What is a cay and how do you pronounce it?

• Definition: a low bank or reef of coral, rock, or sand. A cay is not volcanic in origin.
• Pronunciation: KEE is the usual pronunciation in Florida. The pronunciation is KAY in the Caribbean. Cays, Keys, and Quays
• “Cay” comes from a Taino word for “island” which gave us the Spanish word, “cayo,” meaning “small island.”

“Princess Cays” is a resort-like beach on the island of Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. It is “resort-like” because there is no hotel. It is used exclusively by Princess ships, and there are no overnight guests here.

Is Eleuthera a “cay”? Eleuthera, from a Greek word meaning “free,” is about 110 miles long, and between 1 and 2 miles wide. I have seen numerous references to Eleuthera as an “island” and zero references to it as a “cay.”  It appears that most cays are fairly small. Eleuthera, though not small, otherwise meets the definition of “cay,” as far as I can tell. Although it may be that Eleuthera is technically a cay, I think most people would not consider it a cay, because of its size. 

Eleuthera has several small islands associated with it. Some of these are known as cays — e.g., St. George’s Cay and Schooner Cay. 

The beach known as “Princess Cays” is not a group of small islands. It is on an island, Eleuthera, which is technically a cay, perhaps, and that island is part of a group of islands which includes some cays. An argument could be made that the name “Princess Cays” is an appropriate description of the general area, but I find it somewhat misleading, although it is a more evocative name than “Princess Beach.”

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We did not get off the ship today. We have been to Princess Cays several times, and it is not my favorite beach. For one thing, it is necessary to take a water shuttle or tender because there is no dock. This can be a very time-consuming process. For another thing, the last time we were here, we discovered that one of the recent hurricane had removed a lot of the sand and left behind a lot of rocks and pieces of coral. The immediate shoreline and offshore bottom were very difficult and uncomfortable to walk on, even with water shoes. We will have other chances to go to beaches (with warmer water) on this trip.

Instead, I went to Knitters & Natters in the morning to meet other crafters and work on my Iknitarod project. #IKnitarod

We found out that we are the Third Most-Traveled Passengers onboard this week, and we will be recognized at the Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party. We were given a bottle of wine and a very nice Princess tote bag. Perfect for my craft projects. The tote bag, that is. But also the wine.😜

The elevator lobbies and some other public areas have large (24”x48” ?) interactive touch-screen displays. You can bring up a deck plan or the activity schedule. There are even some games. If you stand close to one of these screens, it will react to you.

After dinner we listened to a very good acoustic guitarist/vocalist, named Matt Baxter. He does a lot of looping and it adds richness to his sound.

Next, we went to a production show called 5 Skies. We saw it last year and we loved it. We loved it even more this time. It is so original. It’s hard to take it all in the first time you see it - music, vocals, costumes, choreography, special effects. A few changes and tweaks have been made since last year and this has improved the show. The entire audience was wildly enthusiastic.

Today’s color is aqua. It is the unbelievable color of the water here.