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I have a few upcoming cruises and was wondering if there is any update on the roll out of the new menu for Sabatini's restaurant? I have read a few reviews from the two ships where its is currently being used but no further updates as to the roll out which they originally stated would take place over the "coming months" after April.

Is it me, or Princess hasn't updated the pricing yet? Looking at my Oct cruise. The sale banners are up on the cruise search page, but when I select a room the line entries are not yet showing the promotion fares.

 

Edit: Just looked at a Feb 2018 cruise on Crown Princess, and that's showing the promo fares.

I called Princess. The deal is not a good one on the March 5 day we were looking at. The fine print states the first passenger is at original brochure launch fare then 50% off that price for the second. In short the price is $300 per couple higher than yesterday with no sale. I will wait til the sale is over since the ship is all but empty right now.

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I noticed the new menu for Sabatini's posted on the Caribbean Princess dry dock site. I believe I attached it to this post, who knows. Anyway, it definitely sounds more regionally Italian to me and is very interesting. That said, it also follows the new model from Princess wherein it states clearly that you are to chose one appetizer, one soup or salad, one pasta and one entree for $25.00 pp. Additional pasta or entree course $10.00 pp. I think that many people for a while have called for a renovation of the Sabatini's menu, depending on its ultimate execution, I would be more than willing to give it a shot.

sabatinis-trattoria-main-menu (1).pdf

This was bound to be problematic from its inception with an already complicated and poorly managed anytime dining platform. I was hoping that the "carved out" section of the dining room would be part of the assigned traditional dining room. The post indicates that one of the anytime dining rooms was not available due to CC cruisers from 5:30-7:30. However, on all of our recent cruises, one of the anytime dining rooms was unavailable from 5:30 - 7:30 due to traditional dining (first seating only). If that is the same one they are using for CC dining, the impact would only be the number of Traditional Diners displaced from that dining room. After 7:30pm, it never really mattered in any dining room for a wait.

We will fly out of any of the New York airports. The cruise line has nothing that impressive.

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Hello fellow cruisers -

I have always received great advice on these boards (and hopefully given some). We are planning a transatlantic crossing next fall which requires a one way flight from NYC to Rome. We did a transatlantic last year from Copenhagen and found very affordable one way non-stop fares on Norwegian Air, which we liked a lot the way.

Any suggestions on airlines to watch for reasonable prices? All the US carriers charge double for one way fares.

Thanks for any advice anyone can provide.

Okay, now I have a question. We are Elite with 21 completed cruises. We have two future cruises booked and there is no mention of this anywhere. Do you have to request this? When and where is it applied? Is it per person or per cabin (like the mini bar set up)?

We have been cruising with Princess since 2002 at a rate of about two voyages a year. While I agree that various aspects of the experience have changed including more on board pay options for services (many of which we do not partake in) and some unfortunate backsliding on dining room menu choices, it is always important for me to note that I am consistently paying per day what I did in 2002. That cannot be said for much in this life. In order to accomplish and maintain those price points, I can live with some services becoming fee based and so I lost my frogs legs and king crab. I will live and continue to cruise.

It all would depend on the price point and what the real extras are. We are Elite level so what is in the description is repetitive of some of those perks. Time will tell.

We will be on the Regal Princess in the Fall and plan on doing a lobster lunch cruise in Antigua. We have two choices - Creole Cruises (not ship sponsored) or the Mystic Catamaran from Tropical Adventures (Ship sponsored). Any thoughts?

What is the cost for this these days?

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This was the five day Getaway RT Fort Lauderdale stopping at Princess Cays and Grand Turk. The ship itself is in wonderful shape having just undergone a dry dock. The carpets were replaced, much of the upholstery, new beds etc. The staff for the most part reflected the same fresh attitude, we did not run into any surly or unhelpful staff. I would note that the cruise director was never seen or heard of by myself or my three travelling mates. We have noticed this as a theme lately and it is not a positive one. I expect the cruise director staff to be front and center interacting with the guests. A prerecorded "morning show" played on the TV is not a substitute for an engaging cruise director.

With the upgrades from dry dock, I am disappointed that Princess has yet to upgrade the gem class ships with the entertainment system found in the cabins on the Royal class. I hate to sound so snobby but it really is antiquaited and an area sorely in need of improvement. The internet and intranet service on the ship was some of the best I have experienced so kudos for that improvement. That includes a much simpler log in/log off of the internet than before. Much easier to use and much harder to leave running. Embarkation and Debarkation are simply the best on Princess as always.

I will not go into depth on the food as it is very subjective as we all know. We enjoy dining room service and rarely go to the buffet. Menus are changing and it appears that they are trying to incorporate a more local flair to the menus based on where the ship is positioned, I welcome this attempt. This was our 21st cruise on Princess in the last 14 years so it is always good for us to see new items to try. One HUGE disappointment was no Norman Love desserts in the dining room or at the International cafe. If there was, we missed it. They were a highlight of our last cruise. Princess recently announced an expansion on the program...where?

There were two new additions to the dining program on the Emerald: Share and the Salty Dog Gastropub. We elected not to eat at Share. Point blank, we all find the price point of $39 per person to be too steep for the menu and experience they are offering. We all really liked the design and decor of the space, a muted contemporary flair that is a nice fit. We spoke to some passengers we dined there and the feedback was very positive save for one who left the venue still hungry as the portion size was small. We did however try the Gastropub and loved it. This is a hit folks. First, the Wheelhouse remains open, live music playing, dancing etc. We sat at the bar a couple of evenings as that is also not reserved for the pub. The food is quite simply wonderful. It is higher end gastro pub food. The table is served bread sticks with a beer and cheese dipping sauce, a light salad of greens, cheese crisps and parma ham with either or both sweet potato fries and truffle fries with 3 dipping sauces: a BBQ sauce, a house made ketchup and a garlic aoili. All very good. Then each person orders three small plates. Some of the dishes we tried were the lobster mac and cheese, the roasted beets, the asparagus side, the crab cake (a standout) and of course the burger, which almost everyone gets and should as it is the star of the place. Then you choose a dessert, all of which are delicious. Our waiter Villiam was the absolute best.

Two comments if Princess is listening. One, although we were thoroughly full from our meal, we find it very disagreeable that on both the Share and Gastropub menus you specifically state your are limited in what you can order. You do not limit in the dining room and now I am paying an upcharge and you want to limit what I order? Not cool. In fact, slightly offensive. Two, it came to our attention that the Gastropub concept may be broken down into individual plates with individual price points. Although that may be a solid concept, make it in addition to not in replace of the present concept. It is working judging by its popularity on this voyage. Our strongest suggestion would be to take some if not all these specialty dining venues and offer some form of a paid lunch, especially on port days. I would welcome that immensely. Perhaps that would be the way to incorporate a la carte pricing.

The rest of the comments remain the same as we have come to expect: solid service, solid product, consistent experience and a welcome place for our vacation dollars. We will see you soon.

Not at all!!! Chime away. I agree with you on almost everything. I find the buffet chaotic and avoid it at all costs. Princess Live? - give me back the Explorers Lounge. Seriously, I though the staff in Crooners just disliked us, glad to know we were not alone in the rather terrible/off service.

Forgot to mention the food, all good to very good. The Norman Love desserts are wonderful!

The Wheelhouse opens at various times depending on whether or not a port day or if there is pub lunch etc.

I am dismayed that this thread became about the mid-ship stairs. I should have known better to even comment. Last year on the Royal I noticed no impact, this time I did. I will never comment on it again. Period.

I posted the review for information about the ports, excursions which comprised the bulk of my review. Any questions on those?

This review will be long...fair warning. I do a lot of research before a cruise and although I recognize that the transatlantics are limited in number, the ports are not necessarily as rare, yet I had some difficulty gaining information. So hopefully this is of assistance to others.

Despite not finding a whole lot of information on the airline, we chose to fly from JFK on Norwegian Air direct to Copenhagen in the Premium Cabin. It was affordable, comfortable, on time and staff was lovely. I would fly them again in a heartbeat.

CPH airport is very easy to navigate. Went through immigration, got luggage and made our way to the Metro. Quick 15 minutes to downtown Copenhagen. We stayed two nights pre-cruise at Wakeup Borgergade. It was new with very small but efficient rooms, no frills. The best part besides being very affordable for Copenhagen, it was close to everything, 5 minute walk from Metro and Nyhavn, 15 minute walk to Tivoli.

We did the Netto boat tour (about 70 minutes), really nice ($20). Toured Tivoli and ate in some really nice restaurants. Of note, we had booked the 4 hour Copenhagen Food Tour, which is a walking tour. There were 12 people on our tour. I would very much recommend this tour. Filled with history and experiencing of local cuisine, which we like to experience.

Embarkation day.

Quick cab to the cruiseport, through security and waited about 50 minutes. Check in and on the ship by 11:30am. Easy.

Kristiansand. Walked through town, really a fishing village. Great parks and gardens. Very pretty. Not much to see.

Bergen. The sail into port was beautiful and should not be missed although they did not really tell us that. All along fjords into port, very similar in geography and feel to the pacific northwest. Took the complimentary shuttle to town, straight to the funicular and to the top. Great view. No need to book through the ship, easy to get to and do on your own saving lots of money. The town is very pretty and clean with parks, flowers and statutes all over the place.

Glasgow. As I indicated, we like to experience local food and drink if we can. In anticipation of our day in Scotland, I found and booked our private tour with Benda from Tasting Scotland. She was great in corresponding about our likes and dislikes and put together multiple options for our choosing. She picked us up at port and drove us to Stirling Castle. The sun was shining and it was gorgeous, we learned some history and had scone and tea. Then off to Cameron House, a private boutique hotel on Loch Lomond, we had a drink (Cameron House Martini) at the Great Scots Bar then off to the Boathouse for a lunch of scottish salmon, local oysters and fish and chips. Brenda got us some local beer with lunch and ordered some hard scottish cheddar. Then off to Glengoyne distillery. We had a semi private Malt Master Tour with one other couple. Tour then tasting with a barrel direct tastes to blend our own 200ml each scotch to take home. It was a wonderful day with Brenda. I strongly recommend her and her company. With her background in food science and years of culinary teaching, she brings a wealth of knowledge about food and history that was both interesting and informative. It was a one fee, all-inclusive day from entry fees to transportation to food and drink. Well done.

Belfast. We had booked a full day coach tour with Odyssey Tours to the Giants Causeway and the Antrim Coast through the roll call for our ship. Upon arrival, Odyssey was completely unorganized this morning with massive confusion. Woody was our guide. Ok but became more annoying as the day wore on. We went to the Causeway first and it was sunny and beautiful. Gorgeous. We stopped at a few lookout posts, all nice then to Ballycastle for lunch. Terrific fish and chips. Then a drive down the Antrim Coast and the glens -- too long. It was like 1.5 hours. Followed by the ride back to Belfast and a tour of Belfast (which was boring) so essentially 3.5 hours sitting on the bus to end the day. I would not do it again nor would I recommend it. See the Causeway yes, the country side, yes, too long simply sitting on a bus, they need to break it up better with stops. Most everyone could not wait to get off that bus by the end.

Cork. The sail in was breathtaking through Cobh, again not really mentioned. The harbour is beautiful. It is the second largest natural harbour in the world. We had prebooked with eCoach (Butler Tours) for the day long coach tour, also through our roll call. This was far better than Belfast. They were exactly where they said they would be and had both signage and people to assist. The weather was sunny and warm. We left for Blarney quickly and arrived ahead of the crowds. It was a perfect morning, the grounds are beautiful and the weather cooperated. Then we went to the Blarney Woolen Mills across the street. Off to a tour of Cork and a stop at the Fort/overlook to Kinsale where the Lusitania sunk in WWII then on to Kinsale for lunch. Great little fishing village with a ton of very good restaurants. Then we drove back to Cobh with a little tour. Our guide was Ian and he was very good.

The Crossing.

We started with a little problem. A passenger became seriously ill and as a result we turned around midday on our first crossing sea day to return close enough for a helicopter evaluation of the passenger, about 5 hours in the wrong direction. Everyone felt very badly for this passenger and were respectful. They had to evacuate the room in the aft of the ship due to the helicopter during the maneauver, that people complained about??? Go figure. The captain then came on to tell everyone the passenger was safetly on her way to the hospital in Cork and that he was going to push the ship to 19 knots in an attempt to make up time. We were moving and then some. The Captain ultimately made up all the time and we arrived In St. John's Newfoundland in time. The crossing itself was eventful only in the weather which was overcast, chilly and very rocky. The third night of the crossing, passengers and some staff we missing in action. We have been on worse so it was ok for us but it did last quite a while. The last night coming into Newfoundland was so foggy you could not see the railings on your balcony...kind of eerie.

St. John's, Newfoundland. The Regal's first time. Weather was perfect sunny and pleasant. Not much to the town/port by way of walk off. Small little city with limited shopping etc. We walked around in the morning and had our only ship excursion that afternoon. We went to the wine caves for a port tasting. The port was wonderful but there was no place to purchase it???? Then off to Quidi Vidi for a beer tasting at a craft brewery. Very nice and good beer. Then a stop at Cabot Tower and back to the ship. Quick and a bit rushed but nice. All in all, quite a pretty port and very nice people. When we were leaving port through the tiny narrow passage, it was full of people waiving and wishing us well. It was very nice.

Halifax. Another beautiful day. Nothing was planned. We walked off (disaster - one exit point off the ship, lines a mile long through the ship. I gave the Captain credit for coming on the PA and explaining the problems and expressing his apologies. Man that goes a long way.) I had sort of designed our own walking tour including the Public gardens (so pretty), the Citadel and the boardwalk along the harbour. Great day.

The negatives. There was a lot of complaining about the fact that the ship really is not built for colder weather. Although not a huge issue for us, they are right. There is simply no place to sit, outside of the buffet, up on deck away from the elements like Skywalkers, Adaggio or a covered pool. Four days on a crossing, it was noticeable. The midship elevators and lack of stairs really is hugely problematic. We have been on the Royal before and did not notice it as much. This cruise is was unbearable. Princess should be ashamed of the design flaw especially since the stairs exist and they simply did not have them completed for passenger use. If they do not correct this problem on dry docks, I will seriously question the powers that be.

The positives. Dining room service. We eat every dinner and most other meals in the dining room. By day three we found a terrific server, Flora, in the Symphony dining room with head waiter Garbiel. We ended up with them at 7:30pm every night for the remainder of the cruise. They anticipated our likes, dislikes, wine preference etc. It really made a difference in our overall experience on the cruise. Interestingly, the young woman at the door asked us every night how many and if we had a reservation. LOL. We found it funny as everyone in the entire section knew us (crew and passengers) and we ate at the exact same table every night. She was very nice but a little dim.

The bar service, especially the bartenders (Peter and Silma), in the Wheelhouse were wonderful. We would have pre-dinner cocktails there daily. I know there have been negative comments on here about the Royal and Regal and the placement of the Wheelhouse. We love it and think it the best place on the ship for drinks. No matter what, we cannot find good service in Crooners on these ships. Maybe its us, who knows.

Great cruise, great people. A shout out to our fun new travel buddies Mike and Kris and our stalkers Ken and Divinia. Had a great time.

Based on the news of the Emerald and Ruby - what about the Adaggio space? It is almost always empty.

We did the "Amayo Haceinda Experience w/Lunch" a few years ago and the group of us still speak of it. It was a beautiful day spent with a beautiful family. The food was wonderful and the estate gorgeous. From discussions on the ship, it was the the pick of the excursions.

Looking for any feedback on this group. Tasting Scotland culinary trips. We will be in Glasgow late summer and have arranged a day trip with this company. I was wondering if anyone has used them and if there is any feedback. They are on the expensive side so want to be sure We are doing the right thing.

Unfortunately the Caribbean Princess does not have the on-demand TV that the Royal class ships Have. One of the things we missed as well.

I would also agree with the other poster that this was a considerable older crowd that any of our past cruises. That made no difference to us.

I will state I too noticed a rather large and loud number of passengers who clearly felt significantly entitled and blew many simple things out of proportion. Still amazing to me when I witness such childish behavior from adults who should not better. Sadly, it comes from all ages and all walks of life and that element will always exist. I simply laugh it off or walk away. No one is going to mess up my vacation time!

Background: this was our 19th cruise with Princess. We always enjoy ourselves and have learned that each ship, crew, and passenger group present a different experience. This was no exception. We have sailed multiple times on the Caribbean Princess and despite many recent reports to the contrary, we found the ship to be in good shape especially given her age. There is the odd fray to carpet or stain here or there but that is to be expected. They even were replacing tiles in our bathroom during the cruise. Constant maintenance cannot be easy around the ever changing set of passengers. From our point of view they are doing a good job.

Ports: We have been to both Costa Maya and Cozumel before and find the first to be a boring made up point with little to do and the second to be a fun port with a lot of options. In Cozumel, we took the Mexican Cooking class excursion through the ship at Playa Mia. What a great time. It was well organized and well executed. The instructor, Luis, was very charming and funny, the food was delicious and it was a well priced tour. I would highly recommend this excursion (as have many before me, thank you Cruise Critic for the tips!).

Service: best to describe as spotty. The bar service was great at the Wheelhouse and awful at Crooners. Twice we waited over 10 minutes without anyone acknowledging us for service at Crooners. Our response was to move to Wheelhouse. All better. Odd in our experience but there appears to be a cut back across the board on bar servers throughout the ship, especially on deck. Not a huge issue just noticeable. Dining room service was fine, we are anytime diners. The ongoing line issues continue ever since they took one anytime dining room for early traditional dining (a huge mistake in my view). Service tended to be a bit rushed but always solid even with special requests.

Food: Some of the best, love the new 50th anniversary menu and the Normal Love desserts. One terrible meal at dinner, oh well, probably what I ordered (stay away from the mahi mahi). All good in my book. One note to Princess - for god sakes renovate the dining room breakfast menu, it has been the same since we started cruising in 2002. Everything else has been updated, its time, trust me.

We usually plan far in advance for our cruises but this one was such a deal and fell into our work schedules easily, we only booked it about 6 weeks ago and am glad we did. Everything was lovely. We were on a ten day on the Royal this past October and returning to the Caribbean Princess was interesting. We recognize that that Royal is controversial among passengers, although we thought it was magnificent, returning really brought home the concept of how Princess has evolved their ships. It was interesting and noticeable. We would sail the Royal class in a heartbeat, followed by the Gem class and then Grand class. Interestingly, despite having sailed her many times, the Caribbean is probably our least favorite ship as it is the bridge between Grand and Gem class (and not in a good way).

One new thing I had not read about before: The photo package. They claimed it was brand new on the ship and it may have been as it was news to me. It is $50 and you can get all your pictures from the cruise (some fine print suggested that it was one photo per event...embarkation, ports of call, dinner, formal etc) and it was slightly vague about whether or not you also got a thumb drive with digital pictures on it included, some said yes, some said no. We did not take advantage of the offer but thought it was a great deal for families and about time. I think it is a smart move.

On to the next cruise!

We always rent cards from Alamo and return them to the airport. You can use the airport transit shuttle to the Port for free. You have to show your receipt. It is easy and free.

Royal Princess...NYC to Fort Lauderdale, 10 day islander.

Embarkation was a breeze at red hook. I know a lot of people complain about Princess's use of Brooklyn versus Manhattan but we have always found it to be simple and well organized. We arrived at around 11am, checked in and were on the ship slightly before noon. For those of you, like us, that prepaid for the ulimate beverage package, the sticker is on your card at checkin. Our room was D723 deluxe blacony. It was more than adequate for our needs with a little extra space over the regular balcony room without the price of a mini suite. This coming from people who always book a mini on the gem and grand class ships. I did miss the larger full bathroom, but at least they had the shower larger and more user friendly.

The ship itself is stunning. A lot has been said about this ship and I read lots of it and a lot was negative. I offer my opinion for what it is worth. The public interior spaces are well thought out with a lot less dead space as I find on the gem class ships. It never felt over crowded and we found the decor soothing, elegant and upscale. The dining room set up is a welcome improvement. Gone are the steps up here and there and the odd configurations. The floor plan is so much improved that more tables for two are offered and they are appropriately spaced from one another. A major result of this design is that it is much quieter when full. The upper decks are easier to navigate as well with an abundance of deck chairs and open space. In short, we really liked the design and felt it was a serious progression and evolution of the fleet, correcting a lot of the faults of the prior ships. The bad of the design...we did miss the promenade deck but not as much as we thought we would. The balconies are small but it was fine for two of us, more than two, not so much. The fact that Princess chose to not to finish the mid ship stairs for passenger use is inexcusable.

The food. Subjective though it may be, we found the quality of the food to be very good. We ate most meals in the dining room with the exception of a couple of lunches. The service in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch was quite poor with long wait times for food and missed items in the orders. Dinner was spotty as well until on the fourth day when we found the greatest team who we stayed with the rest of the cruise. They made all the difference for us. We did not eat at Sabatinis or the Crown Grill, although in all our cruises we have neer seen the Crown Grill this busy. We heard many compliments. Alfredos in the piazza is a huge hit. The food is wonderful. The ocean terrace bar serves terrific fresh seafood at really reasonable prices. The tuna poke for $4 would be at $13-15 appetizer at home. Sadly very very few people ordered any food there. We went to the buffet once, although much expanded and improved, it is just not our thing.

Bar service was very good. Noteably we find the servers at Crooners to be engaging and fun, this group lacked any personality. The Wheelhouse was the place to be on this cruise. Great service, engaging staff. We had the ultimate beverage package and would do it again in a heartbeat. We like to drink but not excessively: a morning bloody mary, wine or beer with lunch, pre dinner cocktails, wine with dinner. It also includes the specialty coffees, teas, bottled water and gelato. We exceeded the cost daily. Admittedly this was a heavy sea day cruise and would think this through if it were a port heavy cruise and you planned to be in port a lot. Warning for those with the package, watch your onboard account. We had multiple charges appear, mainly from dining room staff early in the cruise before we found our team. Passenger services would remove them but it was a pain. My guess just one of the kinks being worked out. Biggest complaint was the internet service...abysmal. The worst I have ever had connecting, staying connected, and speed. You name it and it was terrible. I have no explanation as to why but it annoyed me endlessly as i am self employed and rely on the ability to check my email while away. Interestingly, I came off the cruise to find the news article from Carnival corp about rolling out better internet service...it is overdue my friends.

All in all another solid Princess cruise. We will not only continue to sail with the company but will actively seek out the Royal, Regal and whatever they name the next one.

Does anyone have experience with this? I prepaid for the all inclusive beverage package via special services but it does not appear under that section in the travel summary. It has been a few weeks now. Should I be concerned or does it not appear on the travel summary at all?

As always, thanks for the advice.

We are thinking of prepaying for the beverage package to spread out the cost of our upcoming cruise. Has anyone done this? I am interested in knowing how it is handled once on board. Is there a sticker already on our card when we get it? Is there something we have to do when on board? Just curious.

We are doing a California coastal on Princess in September - the flights are qual price for LAX or Long Beach. I have never used the Long Beach airport - is it small? A 10:00am flight possible on the day of disembarkation due to its locale and it being not as busy?

Any help appreciated.