PICNIC ON SUNNY PRINCESS CAYS AND THE BRONCOS WIN AT DINNER

Saturday, January 17, 2026
Enchanted Princess/At Sea/Princess Cays/The Bahamas
78F 

Today’s agenda included visiting Princess Cays, located on the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera in the outer Bahamas.  It has been used since 1992 as a private island for Carnival Cruise Lines (Princess, Carnival, and Holland America).  The island area is known for its beautiful white sand beaches which extend for miles.

Princess Cays

Beach chairs and palm trees
What's not to like?

TK captured our ship and the 
tender returning

Brian with the captain of the tender

Since there is no docking for such large cruise ships, tenders (now called water shuttles) transported us to the island. I always look for a palm tree and its shade, far away from the crowd. We found just the spot for a couple hours of reading while TK chatted with the gang. Harlan Coben’s Think Twice is hard to put down!

The cruise ship personnel set up a picnic with burgers, hot dogs, kielbasa, BBQ ribs, baked beans, lots of salads (coleslaw, tossed, etc), fruits, and cookies/sweet breads. All this was especially tasty today.  There are several tiki-like bars with all kinds of beverages.  This is an excellent way to begin a cruise and get into a relaxed mode!

Various water sports are available—paddle wheelers, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and banana boat rides.  I’m happy reading and TK did wade into the water (we are in the Caribbean Sea now).

Everyone was ready to board the ship by 2 p.m., and TK headed straight for the pool.  I continued to read, of course.

We were hungry by dinnertime and off to dinner we went.  What a dinner it was. Our servers are trying to learn our foibles, lots of butter (whether yellow or white), lots of sodas, soft and hard rolls, and so on.  A lot of discussion centered on the Bills—Broncos football game. I was torn because Son Brian likes the Broncos, but the Bills are closer to us in Erie.  California Brian K and Nancy wanted the Bills to win because they have family in Buffalo.  TK seemed neutral.

Everyone was constantly checking their phones until Brian K hooked into his Direct TV account so we could watch the game as he held his phone. The funny thing was Brian could not see the game.  He patiently continued to hold the phone for the rest of us to see (we were all finished eating). Finally, with the score 30-30, Brian K set the phone on the table, but he still could not see it.  By this time, servers and others in the dining room were wondering what the heck was going on.  The overtime seemed excruciatingly long, play by play. TK and I go to Son Brian’s home for Football Sunday every week, and I pay no attention to the games, but today, today was like a crowd surge that could not be avoided. I was holding my breath, others were speaking loudly (I did not want to say shouting), and Brian K kept asking what was going on.  Finally, the Broncos scored a field goal, game over, 33-30.  Time to go.  Our server probably said to herself, these people. Three hours in a dining room.

Brian K holds his phone so we can
see the Broncos-Bills game

Tired of holding the phone for
our enjoyment, he rested it on a glass

Time for a photo before the end of the game

Brian, Michelle, Denise, TK, Janie,

Donna, Lawrence, and Nancy

WHAT BEVERAGE IS THIS? THE GAME!

We have had three great incorrect guesses

One more day for guesses!!

What beverage is this??

TK’s Takes: First time I ever watched a football game on somebody’s phone in the main dining room.