Caribbean Princess--October 2/9th Cruise to New England and Canada

We just returned from a wonderful week on the Caribbean Princess. Because this cruise has gotten a bit of a negative rap in the past couple of months, I feel compelled to tell a bit about our experience:

Cabin:We were in a balcony room (C-702). All items in our room were in good working order. We did not request an egg crate, but were comfortable, all the same. Our “Stewart” was Grace and she was great. I can be a bit Type-A, so the first day of any cruise, I tend to stress the steward. I always request extra hangers, special bath products, two types of robes, an additional comforter, extra glasses, and ice. I do this in segments so my needs tend to produce stress in the steward. Once I get all of the items that help me create a home, I am really low maintenance. In fact, I am so low maintenance that stewards have been known to appear at our room with defibrillation equipment, just in case they cannot find a pulse. (Hint: I strongly suspect that my husband makes a “peace offering” to the steward on Day One to offset any anxiety that I may produce…). Grace did a great job of keeping the cabin tidy. She was super friendly and always cheerful!

Food: We had traditional dining (first seating in the Palm Dining Room). Our table staff was Rashon and Dinesh. Dinesh was the true stand-out with a really adorable personality. Most of the dishes were very good with a few standouts and a couple of “not-so-greats”. One over arching theme in food prep was the potatoes. We just could not get great potatoes on the ship—the mashed potatoes and croquettes were dry; the fries were soggy; the baked potatoes were grainy. This is not a big deal, and hardly worth mentioning, just kind of an FYI. Everything else was very good. We ate evening meals in the dining room. I did not eat in the buffet, but when I would walk through, I could always spot a seat or two. There were a few tables where folk had camped out to play cards all day…

International Café: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful… The food, coffee and service were superlative! Samuel was my favorite barista, though the others were just as great. I had a 2-for-1 coffee card and found a fun new activity…. When standing in line, if I was with a first time cruiser, I would “buy” their coffee! It was amazing to see the delight and joy on their face with such a small gesture! (Hint: This may be one of the best kept secrets on the ship. Lots of people think there is an upcharge for the salads, sandwiches, and pastry.)

Entertainment: We had two comedians, Carl Strong and Phil Tag. We loved Phil Tag. He was really, really funny. Of course, we were originally from his neck of the woods, so we get his type of humor! We were able to see him twice. The shows were a bit cheesy, but a fun pastime. Only once did the theater get really crowded and that was on the last night. (Hint: Go about 15 minutes early. Grab a seat, order a drink, and relax! By the way, the shows really start on time!)

Shore Activities: This cruise has two tender ports, and we negotiated both without issues. We only booked one ship’s tour, in St. John. The tour was to the Bay of Fundy. It was ok, but it was a big bus tour, which is not really our thing. In Halifax, we did a private tour with the Halifax Taxi Tours. We had Brian and he was terrific. We spent 5 hours and saw a lot of interesting (and out of the way) sights. (Hint: Newport, Boston, and Bar Harbor can easily be done without a formal tour. A good map, comfortable shoes, and a little planning will go a loooooooooooong way in these cities!)

Embarkation/ Disembarkation: This was our first cruise at Platinum Status. Both were easy and fast. We loved the Disembarkation Lounge. We were able to sit, read the paper and have some pastry. They had a private walkway for the Suite/Elite/Platinum. (Hint: Earlier can be a little better… on both ends)

Spa: I did the Thermal Spa and at no time was it ever crowded. I could always get a lounger and/or a seat in the rooms. This was sort of a gift to me. It has been a long and challenging year, and an hour or two in the TS spa and I really started to feel like me again. I also had a couple of treatments, and they were wonderful. (Hint: Charlotte, the Spa manager, has a wonderful memory for names and faces and will do everything in her power to make sure that you get what you need out of the spa!)

Bars: I am not a drinker, but my husband will have a cocktail now and then. He said that all drinks had liquor in them and that there was no issue with the “pour”—

Internet: Because, we have Platinum Status, we received $75 of free internet. We did not use all of our minutes, because the internet was actually pretty fast! No kidding! The internet guy was really nice and helpful. (Hint: If you get the internet on the first day, you will get bonus minutes!)

The bad news: Twice we had to stand in line to disembark the boat (Boston and Halifax). There appeared to be a little confusion about the process. While Princess had their act together, the passengers became a bit restless and hostile. In Boston we waited about 30 minutes and in Halifax, we waited about 20. (Hint: this is a good time to get a latte and fire up the Kindle. The time will pass so much more quickly than worrying about the people who are camped out on the stairways!) That is all of the bad news that I can muster! (and I think that is pretty great!).

I never thought that I would love this cruise and this ship as much as I did! I liked it so much that I left the ship with FCCs! (and that says a lot!)

I am happy to answer any questions that you might have!

Woohoo! Very glad to hear you had a good time and enjoyed the ship itself..i am counting downt he dayssssss! AHH! :D Thanks for your review! Any pictures of the ship? or FOOD? lol

-David

No pictures. I am a nightmare with a camera...

I hope that your cruise is as fun as ours!:)

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the CB.

How was the foliage? did you see much?

Thanks,

David :D

Greta review.

Greta review.

I went for my "Garbo" best, Keith!:)

How was the foliage? did you see much?

 

Thanks,

David :D

We saw quite a bit in Canada. Not as much in New England. I hope that you get lots of color!

I'm so glad you had such a great cruise -- you definitely deserved it!

But gotta say, that's a major bummer about the potatoes. I don't think you've mustered up sufficient outrage here. I mean, it's the potato! America's favourite vegetable; the very cornerstone of Western Civilization (no disrespect intended to those from the East)! This shall not stand. To the ramparts, I cry!

(Okay, switching now to decaf.)

Thanks for the review.

We are doing this cruise next year, how were the fall colors????

I'm so glad you had such a great cruise -- you definitely deserved it!

 

But gotta say, that's a major bummer about the potatoes. I don't think you've mustered up sufficient outrage here. I mean, it's the potato! America's favourite vegetable; the very cornerstone of Western Civilization (no disrespect intended to those from the East)! This shall not stand. To the ramparts, I cry!

 

(Okay, switching now to decaf.)

 

Thanks for the review.

Wow. Don't flame me. I was just humbling stating my humble opinion (oxymoron)-- you Princess Cruise Loving Cheerleader-type...

And that decaf is on me! Send your address! (BTW- I am jealous and will have 5 whole days of "cruise envy"- {the 8th deadly sin} in December!):)

 

 

Internet: Because, we have Platinum Status, we received $75 of free internet. .... (Hint: If you get the internet on the first day, you will get bonus minutes!)

 

On most of the ships, those with the "free" platinum/elite internet packages have not been getting the extra minutes.

Your cruise is a recent exception.

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

Food: We had traditional dining (first seating in the Palm Dining Room). Our table staff was Rashon and Dinesh. Dinesh was the true stand-out with a really adorable personality.

Respectfully excerpted. Thanks for the review; you boarded as DH and I disembarked.

We also enjoyed Rashon and Dinesh (we had table 63). They were both hard-working and it would have been a pleasure to get to know them better. We still chuckle when we think of Dinesh's droll sense of humor. Rashon was more more refined and studious. The pair worked well together. Even though we were celebrating DH's birthday during the cruise, we had no desire to have dinner elsewhere because we liked our table and waitstaff.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise, and thanks for sharing.

Chris

What do you mean when you say 2 types of robes?

Thanks.

Great review - thanks for sharing! I'm really getting excited about our upcoming cruise on the CB! :D

Nice to hear you had a great cruise and loved the CB....what's not to love!:D

Great review...thank you.

What do you mean when you say 2 types of robes?

 

Thanks.

The only thing I can think of is the regular robe & one of the types they give you in a full suite but I never thought you could get the heavier type by request.

My wife and I were on the 10/2- 10/9 NE/Canada aboard the Caribbean Princess. First time Princess cruisers, previous 2 cruises were aboard NCL Dawn to Bermuda 5/09 and 6/10.

Being local to NYC, we drove and parked at the Brooklyn Terminal and were onboard seated at lunch by 12:30PM, no problems at all. Disembarkation was also a pleasure, we walked off without delay and were in our car after passing through the terminal and customs in under 15 minutes.

We found the ship to be in exceent condition with a great staff that was willing and helpful for the entire cruise. Special kudos to melanie our room steward who took great care of us all week as well as Hemant our waiter on about 4 of the 6 nights we dined in the Coral Dining Room (anytime dining). The ship was very crowded but we only waited a few minutes a couple fo times for a table of two to be seated at dinner and we were arriving between 6:15 and 7PM. The dinners served in the MDR were good, part5iculalry entre's and desserts, specifically the lamb, tenderloin, pheasant and of course Captains Dinner which included lobster. The pasta dishes also deserve kudos, veal ravioli was terrific and the fettucine alfredo was also good. Soups were wonderful and plentiful. Desserts were delicious and many different offerings were available, the soufle's and apple cobbler come to mind as being outstanding. On the downside, we didn't have a potato in the dining room all week that had any taste, most were boiled and had little to no flavor. Also, the vegetable sides were tasteless, one night a portion of green beans was served wrapped in a raw piece of bacon, perhaps the bacon was cooked for a moment but it was still pink and white, inedible. We did have the pleasure of dining at the Crown Grill, amazing what a $50 premium can do for a meal. The food in the MDR was good, but more attention needs to be given to the sides and appy's. Portions were on the larger side so no complaints at all as for quantity.

The itinerary was great, the ports we visited were all great, Bar Harbor was our favorite. Just a piece paradise hidden in the mountains of Acadia, and a small town that was friendly, clean and inviting. Tendering at both newport and BH was painless and actually a pleasure. We were delayed a couple of stops because of bad weather (heavy winds over 60mph a few nights) and rough seas, no ones fault and we managed as best we could. Unfortunately, being out on top pool decks at night was not possible, disapointing but necessary. A few highlights included the cliff walk and mansions in Newport, the chowda' in Quincy Market (actually outside) in Durgins Park Restaurant (best I've ever had) and the whole time in BH. If you want the best lobster roll ever, take a short hike up main street, turn right at Testa's Restaurant and go a hundred yards or so, make a left on Rudick St (sp?) and you'l find the Side Street Cafe in a small house style restaurant. A local police office recommended it and he was dead on. Oli's Trolley up Cadillac Mountain was also a highlight. Next stop, St. Johns, which didn't have much to offer, we went on a tour and saw the falls which were kind of just ok. They stopped at ther central market for a 20 minute span, it consisted of fresh produce and fresh fish and meats, a nice place if you needed dinner provisions, otherwise it was a stretc. The town and people were friendly, its old and worn and with winter temps averaging -15 to -25, not a place I need to be.

Back to the ship, entertainment was good, the comedians were very good, particularly Phil Tag but getting a seat in the main theatre or lounge was an effort, you had to arrive at least 1/2 hour before show time to get a seat. One time we aited through an entire round of bingo as spectators just to get a seat for a 20 minute comedy show. Both cruise directors were personable and god at their jobs, hats off the dan and Cheri(sp?). In addition to the long liones everywhere on the ship, the inside temperatures were excessively warm, the dining rooms were all low ceiling rooms that had to be 80 or above, formal nights were oppressive for my wife and I. We did enjoy the last day at sea on pool deck where the pizzeria was terrific, the beer cold and the weather sunny with a litle wind and perhaps in the 60's. One feller did have on just his bathing suit trying to convince himself and others that it was sunbathing weather, which it was not. Alos, the International cafe was great with sandwiches and desserts as needed all hours of the day.

We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed everything except for the heated interior (I had my A/C in the room all the way down and it was just cool enough not to be hot) and the overcrowded conditions. We had breakfast everyday in the dining room except one day we tried the bufffet, it took us 25 minutes at 9:15am to find a table, just too many folks for the venue.

We would travel Princess again but we would try a smaller ship, our next cruise is a 12 day southern Caribbean out of Bayonne, NJ in February and then Celebrity Summit to Bermuda in June. After that we should a better idea of exactly what we like, so far, NCL is our preference.

Was escargot offered on any of the dining room menus?

Was escargot offered on any of the dining room menus?

Available through the head waiter in any DR with 24 hours notice. ;)

Was escargot offered on any of the dining room menus?

Escargots wasn't on the menu, but it was offered as an appetizer on the night that the Continental dinner was served.

Bon Appetit!

Chris

My husband had it on the second formal night...

Ewww..............:o

My husband had it on the second formal night...

Ewww..............:o

Tracie Tracie Tracie!! Its a must do!! :D