How I was Able to Spend New Years Cruising The Caribbean + See What My FREE Princess Cruise Was Really Like

Most Recently Updated January 24, 2026

Originally Published January 23, 2026

From the beginning, the goal was always to see how far I could maximize my Casino Status Match Jackpot. To parlay the statuses, comp cruise and comp stays obtained in Atlantic City for as many comp cruises as possible.

I had no idea how far it would go and was pretty surprised and impressed that Princess was willing to let me push the boundaries so much with three comp cruises! I did unfortunately have to cancel my Alaska cruise but was able to Search for the Northern Lights in a mini-suite!! So I wasn’t sure if it would be a let-down especially since this would be my first cruise in an interior room…

Note that this post is still a work in progress as it serves as an anchor page for all other related posts and will be updated with notes and links as those are written! These will include posts on what I did in port, port guides and day recaps with detailed information on what’s offered on Princess in general and this sailing specifically.

_{Please note: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something following a link on this page, I may get a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This is absolutely free for you/does not cost you anything extra! There’s no sponsored content nor do I run ads here so this helps so much in reducing the ever-increasing costs of keeping this site active.Thanks! Rosemary}

Before I dive in, here are the other related Princess Search for the Northern Lights posts (besides those linked later in the post):

• Wanna learn more about how I got my comp cruises in the first place?
  • Read about my casino status match jackpot here and here’s where you’ll find my haul.
  • Again for how I got this specific Princess comp – read this.
• Since there’s always a debate about if this type of travel is really “free”, read what my free Princess comp cruise cost showing what true of this comp cruise was
• Trip Report deep dives into the cash, miles and points spending and all of the savings (and sources) – essentially how did I travel hack this cruise – upcoming post
• Here’s what I wish I knew about Princess comp cruises before booking / sailing – upcoming post
• Here’s what my Interior Stateroom was like (part of a Stateroom Tours Series – see the others here)
• And here’s my review on the ship: Emerald Princess – upcoming post

Days 1 – 2: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US

DEN – FLL

Day 2: Fort Lauderdale, FL, US: Embark Enchanted Princess

Curious about what my interior stateroom looks like – check out the tour here!

Days 3 – 4: at Sea

Day 5: Antigua and Barbuda

Day 6: Martinique

Day 7: St Kitts & Nevis

Day 8: Dominica

Day 9: St. Thomas

Day 10: Grand Turk

Day 11: at Sea

Day 12: Fort Lauderdale, FL, US: Disembark Enchanted Princess