Caribbean Princess: Reviewing Eight Days At Sea

When I boarded Caribbean Princess at Fort Lauderdale for an eight-day sailing to the Dutch Caribbean, I was ready to leave the country. Feeling battle-worn by the election, my primary concern was whether the famously frank Dutch (who don’t shy away from controversial topics out of politeness as many North Americans do) would burst the apolitical bubble I hoped to envelop myself in.

I was excited when I learned that Princess had shifted Caribbean Princess’s winter home port from Houston to Port Everglades (ostensibly due to docking delays and other operational concerns at the Texas port, although Princess never responded to my request for comment) that the ship began alternating between six and eight-day Caribbean itineraries, and the eight-day itinerary was unbeatable: all three of the “ABC Islands” Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, and four total sea days in transit.

It was almost as though Princess had taken into account every single one of my objections when it comes to specific itineraries. I’m not a fan of short port days (I like to experience the destinations at dusk and into the evening), I actually like itinerant feeling of multiple sea days for reading and reflection, and I like that the itinerary takes an entire week, from Saturday to the following Sunday. The ship spends a full day in each direction crossing the Caribbean Sea, and another full day skirting the northeast coast of Cuba. Because the islands of the Netherlands Lesser Antilles (as they’re known geographically, and were known politically until 2010) are so close together, calls at the first two ports, Curaçao and Aruba, last until 10 p.m.

The Ship

I’ve sailed on Caribbean Princess more than any other Princess ship, and so far she’s also my favorite. I’m a big Love Boat fan, and the ship’s godmother is Jill Whelan, who played Vicky on the show. At just over 12 years in operation, the ship is starting to show her age; although that’s nothing some new carpet and furniture won’t fix. The ship is scheduled to enter dry dock in the spring of 2017, although the only major differences apparent from the deck plans are a reshuffling of some of the retail outlets in the Piazza.

Curaçao

The smoke stacks of Curaçao are a bit startling for a cruiser who might be expecting Caribbean idyll, but once ashore that view gives way to Dutch colonial charm. The Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino fronts the cruise port and is also home to a shopping center. The island (or at least Willemstad, in the tourist areas) has free Wi-Fi which is serviceable but slow, which is expected considering at least three thousand cruise passengers are probably also using the network. For better Wi-Fi, there’s a well-air conditioned Starbucks in the shopping village next to the hotel.

The shopping in the Rif Fort (Reef Fort) next to the hotel is certainly more interesting than the typical Caribbean tat of t-shirts and various accouterments with slogans pertaining to binge drinking, vacation languor, and Jimmy Buffett. The smell of waffle cones drifts through the air, and there’s a Delftware (famous blue-and-white Dutch earthenware) shop where it’s easy to browse for at least an hour (they have a selection of the ceramic canal houses that are given out as gifts to KLM’s World Business Class passengers). There’s also a cheese shop with surprisingly well-priced lunches and a to-die-for cheese soup. I marveled as the wait staff effortlessly switched languages between tables—most island residents speak English, Dutch, Spanish, and Papiamento, the local creole language.

Shore excursions offered for this port were an uninspiring mix of sightseeing tours, sea life encounters, and ATV rides, but I found real value in just wandering around Curaçao, and planting myself at a riverside café drinking Amstel Bright (which originated on the island) and watching the floating Queen Emma Bridge swing back and forth like a door to allow boat traffic to pass.

Instagrammable Moment: Dutch colonial architecture and the waterfront taken from the gun turrets at the Rif Fort.

Currency: Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ANG) but prices are also displayed in USD and charged in USD automatically to cards issued in the U.S.

Aruba

Aruba is definitely the glitziest of the three islands, and that’s apparent from the Louis Vuitton store immediately visible opposite where the ship docks. It’s easy to see why the island draws glamorous visitors – the warm aquamarine waters and fine white sand beaches are an unbeatable place to spend a vacation. I was in the mood for something low-key here, so instead of the longer, more expensive shore excursions I opted for a $35 jaunt up to the island’s northern tip to see a view and a lighthouse (The California Lighthouse, named for a sunken ship), and several hours at a section of Palm Beach on the island’s west side with a beach bar and restaurant, which turned out to be a great place to pitch a beach chair (provided) and watch for iguanas that like to climb overhead in the trees.

In the afternoon there was plenty of good shopping (pricing is similar to the U.S. for familiar fashion and luxury brands) and the vibe of the island’s bars is certainly modern, catering to a sophisticated, urban American and European clientele. There’s also plenty of opportunity to see flamingos on the island’s beaches – it was here that I learned that they’re pink because of the carotene in the shellfish that comprise their diet, and they’re pinkest in the Caribbean and Florida because shellfish in the region have a higher carotene content.

Instagrammable Moment: Iguanas, The California Lighthouse, and a shot of the sun setting behind Caribbean Princess at port.

Currency: The Aruban Florin, although like in Curaçao, US cards are charged in USD.

Bonaire

Bonaire is the smallest of the three islands in population, but in land area is similar in size to Aruba. Here, Princess offers a “Connoisseur” excursion in the form of a snorkeling journey onboard a small sailing yacht with an intimate group of around 8 fellow travelers. The excursion is operated by Blue Bay Sailing a bunch of friendly Dutch islanders who all have spent years and years on the island after retiring or simply upping and leaving the Netherlands for the sun and sand of the Caribbean. The friendly guide who met passengers at the pier proudly proclaimed “Oh the whole world knows Princess—because of The Love Boat!”

After a few hours snorkeling in the impossibly clear waters (Bonaire is rightly known as “Divers Paradise” it was time to wander around Kralendijk, which has charming open-air markets selling snacks and lunches, local aloe products and handicrafts. While there’s a lot of mass-market tourist buys, there’s also a wealth of locally made or produced items. One of my treasures was some local sea salt; another was the pink driftwood flamingo that came perched atop my frozen drink at Zeezicht, an oceanfront seafood restaurant.

Instagrammable Moment: The waterfront with its Dutch architecture or virtually any ocean vista.

Currency: Bonaire uses the U.S. Dollar. 

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