sherman931

Hi Sherman

 

Did you ever use the buffet? We use it for breakfast and lunch and after reading some reviews, we're worried.

 

Is there fresh whole or cut up fruit available (one review said no) and is there a decent salad bar?

 

Thanks for any help

ML

 

PS: I'd love to live close to PE!!

Lots of fresh fruit and salad items. We eat everywhere on the ship, including the buffet. We avoid peak times so we generally miss the crowds and hassle.

I go on cruises to enjoy myself. I am sure if I looked for things to complain about I could find them. But that’s not my style.

Also, I served 4 years on US Navy destroyer so that’s why it will take a lot for me to complain about a cruise ;p

Thanks for an upbeat report. There have been so many negative comments about the CB lately I was beginning to get concerned that the ship has gone downhill beyond saving. ;)

 

How did they keep people from entering their cabins before 1 PM?

Were the doors closed to each room & not allowed to open?

When you exit the elevators the doors to the passageways are closed and have signs saying no entry until 1 pm

Thanks for this thread. I get on 8/25; have a friend on now who boarded yesterday. I understand you had free unlimited internet (Elite). True?

 

BTW, I live in your neighborhood. I'd like to know how you got off the ship at 8:10, got your car and was home by 9:00. I don't think my lead foot could have done that. :D

No free unlimited internet, had to use my free elite minutes.

Off the ship - into the garage - on to I-95 and up to Atlantic exit at 80mph :D

Thank you for taking the time to report your experience to us, Sherman. Can you give some clarification to the above sentence?

 

Does that mean that if you booked a cruise with a $100 deposit on a future cruise, you were credited with $200 deposit, or does it mean that if you booked a cruise, again, with a $100 deposit, then, when you take that cruise, you'll receive twice the OBC that is normally given with a $100 Future Cruise Deposit?

The future cruise deposit is $100 per person as always. What the promo was for is the onboard credit you receive for booking a future cruise, the future cruise credit was doubled. For example, my wife and I each give a $100 future cruise deposit and when we book a cruise using that deposit we each receive a $50on board credit. With the promo, that $50 credit each was doubled to $100 credit each for the cruise.

I took a photo of the flyer but when I insert it into my response it doesn’t appear in the post

The tip was there is a usable outlet there. Not easily accesssable, plugged one of the cords in it and used that to charge iPhone/IPad on the tv shelf.

Movies

Coco

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tails

Avengers Affinity Wars

Concert Billy Joel Shea Stadium

Concert Brian Adams

I Feel Pretty

Wonder Woman

Cirque du Soleil Kooza

Black Panther

Cirque du Soleil Allegra

Book Club

ConcertLady Antebellum World Tour

Eddie The Eagle

Concert Crowded House

Movie Ready Player One

Princess has formal and smart casual nights. Formal attire is tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits for men and evening gowns, cocktail dresses or elegant pantsuits for women. Smart casual attire includes pants and open-neck shirts for men and skirts or dresses, slacks and sweaters for women.

The code is not “new”. It is merely trying to soften the concept of mandatory by using the term “suggested”. I suppose the only way this would ever be clarified is if Princess publicly stated “The dress code is wear whatever you want as long as the cloths are clean”

Just got off the 7 day Caribbean cruise. My wife and I live 45 minutes from PE. We cruise frequently on Princess. We cruise to eat, drink and gamble. Do not get off the ship much. The cruise was great. Service excellent in all areas. I have no complaints about the food. If you don't like what your eating, just ask for some thing else. Weather was great, seas pretty much like glass. The ship was clean and in pretty good shape. Certainly there are small areas where you might see some rust, but I wouldn't call the CB a rust bucket.

This was a VIP Ocean Players Cruise. Title sounds bigger than it was.. Special fare, some gambling free play money, special events for VIPs (free slot tourney, special drawings, free drinks as long as your playing in the casino). There were also a lot of kids and overall everyone was well behaved.

We got to the port about 10 AM and we were on board by 11 AM. No line or wait at the terminal. Walked right through security, quickly checked in and headed up to the lounge to wait. As many pointed out on the boards, you cannot get to your cabin much before 1PM We got in by 12:50. We were in Caribe 437 I just started my Clorox Wipes wipe down of key items (phone TV remote, etc) when I heard a thump out side the door. WOW our luggage arrive in record time. We did not have ocean medallion although I did see a few behind the check-in counter. Did not see any in use around the ship during the cruise. As previous stated by others, the mailboxes outside the cabins are gone. There is now an Ipad size device mounted in that space and the screen read "Coming Soon Ocean Medallion". When you enter or exit your cabin you hold your key card up to the screen and the door unlocks. Lots of techies on board working on *****. When boarding everyone had to scan their card twice, same at muster drill. I guess one time for the “old way” and one time for *****. They are using ***** in the casino on a limited basis also.

As I have been reading a lot about extension cords and the surge protectors being confiscated I decided to take two different ones. I usually take a power strip that looks like a surge protector, but is not. This time I took the power strip and a basic cord. Both made it on board. Also thanks to CC for info about the outlet behind the TV. Also thanks for the hint about battery tea candles for night light in bathroom.

We had lunch at the International Cafe, not at all crowded, as everyone coming on board headed to DR or Market place. Purchased our "Coffee Card, which is now put on your cruise card. A hassle for couples because it is only available on the buyer,s card. When you want specialty coffee your spouse must be there (depending on whose card it is loaded on) with you.

Wife went to see the Hotel Maitre'd to reserve our table. We always do anytime dining and we like a favorite specific table at the same time on the Grand class ships. That was accomplished and we got our table and ate in the Coral each night at 7:30. At the end of the cruise we gave the staff extra tips for taking good care of us.

The new suggested dress code seemed ok. There was a wide variety of dressing. Formal nights had a majority of people in the dining room dressed appropriately, with a few shorts and t-shirts. Staff didn’t intervene or turn them away.

We didn’t see any shows. There was a comedian who only performed one night. We had planned to see him the next night (we were at sea both nights) but he never did another show. Other entertainment included production show Fantastic Journey, a Ventriloquist, production show Bravo, and A. J. Clarke. Clarke performed in Crooners all week. Looks like Princess moved him to the theater to pass him off as a major show.

Princess had a promo on board that doubled your future cruise credit if you booked on board. We booked a 7 day cruise on the Regal in Nov.

Disembarkation was a breeze. Our scheduled time was 8:10 from Coral DR. We left the location on time and were off the ship through customs and home by 9AM. Ten minutes from Coral DR on the ship to parking garage.

In conclusion we enjoyed ourselves and had a great cruise. The weather was excellent. The staff were all excellent from servers to bar staff to room steward and any others we interfaced with. Enjoyed the food. If I happened to not like something I merely had to tell the waiter and if I wanted he would bring me something else. Also, they have no problem mixing or changing sides. If I ordered the duck but found the accompanying sides to exotic I could get a different side. I especially love the choice of appetizers and soups.

I will try to answer any questions

Wife and I just got off CB. We always bought the card and whoever wanted to just carried the card (this has nothing to do with fresh brewed). On this cruise we got the coffee package and it was placed on my wife’s card. Now, if I wanted to go my separate way and get a specialty coffee I would have to take her cruise card and I would have to give her mine in case she wanted to do something alone or go back to the cabin. We don’t drink that much coffee so one package was always sufficient for the two of us. I found it to be very inconvenient for couples if Princess can’t figure out how to get one package on two cards. With all the millions being spent on ***** I find it baffling that they can’t do this

Wife and I went to Planks twice on our last cruise (one night was comped from casino). Dinner was good and plenty of food. One side of dining area was Planks and the other side was Steamers. As I understand you can bbq or steamers on either side as they both use the same kitchen.

I do not know if you can order from Planks to take to your room; my guess would be they are not set up to do that. As to one person ordering a meal and another going to the buffet, that is certainly physically doable as the buffet is close by. However, there is a host/hostess at the entrance area to Planks and I do not know what their reaction would be.

Bob, great review. Thanks for sharing. How many people does Planks accommodate; or better how many table are set up?

If you recall the Horizon Court and Caribe Cafe on CB or similar class ships, they basically eliminated the Caribe Cafe. Now one side of the ship is Planks and the other side is Steamers. Bkfast and lunch is available during the day on either side and in the evening they become the “specialty” dining area. I would gues there are 30+ tables on each side.

Went Tom Planks twice and both nights there was only about six tables occupied, maybe less.

OK, I asked wondering if that tied up that table for the whole night, but it looks like somebody could have used that 4 top for a 5-5:30 seating, but not much later given the sometimes lengthy process in the mdr...

There were plenty of empty tables throughout the evening. Dining room seemed slower that usual on this cruise. There was a bit of a rush after shows or other events but lines quickly disappeared as there were plenty of tables

What time was your "reservation" in "anytime dining" ?

7:30 PM. Worked out great because the first shows in the theaters were at 6:45

I have written a couple of reviews in the distant past and thought it time I wrote another. Especially,since I rely on Cruise Critic so much when I may have some questions I thought it was time for me to give a little payback. I was in the Navy for 9 years and spent 5 of them on destroyers I have to smile when people post about what a terrible cruise they had. To me a bad day cruising is still better than a good day on a navy vessel. I always look forward to a good cruise, and I always have one. I can always find something good to eat with all the choices available.

My wife and I enjoy cruising. This was our 30+ cruise most on Princess, a couple on Royal Caribbean. We are seniors so we no longer go for the gusto vis a vis port intensive activities. We generally stay on board (we are the people you generally see sitting around the piazza or poolside on port days. Wedo enjoy eating drinking and gambling, and that is why we enjoy cruising. We live in Boynton Beach about 45 min north of PEV.

DAY 1 EMBARKATION

We left home a little before 10AM and headed to the port. We are elite status so after parking the car and going through the check in process we were in the lounge before 11AM .Regardless of your status, I think they have really streamlined things at the Princess Terminal and the process is smooth and quick for everyone. To my surprise we started boarding before 11AM. We decided to forego Horizon Court, which is now called World Fresh Market, more about that later. We hung around the Piazza and had a lite lunch from International Cafe. Got our luggage around 2 pm and quickly unpacked and was all settled in by 3 pm.

GENERAL INFO

The Caribbean Princess was my first cruise ship ever. Despite other posts, I thought the ship was ingreat shape. In the words of Capt Jack, “She's not old, she's inher prime”. As you may know the CB under went dry dock and some major renovations about a year ago. The entire Horizon Court was renovated. Also looks like a lot of new carpet throughout the public areas. The crew was very friendly and courteous. Internet was good and It worked well and I had no problems with it except speed. Got the free Elite package. There are video screens all over the public areas showing schedules, maps, and other info. But if you want to see a menu you must walk to a dining room entrance area and read a printed paper menu in a frame hanging on the wall. Went to our cabin around noon Baja 436. Standard balcony room. Our steward was Olimpio Angeles, very nice and outgoing. I gave him $10; told him we have few demands and are easy going passengers and he went off a happy camper. We always tip our steward in advance and generally get superb service. Also left an additional tip at the end of the cruise.

CB has the new beds and mattresses. I thought the bed was comfortable. Certainly better than the old ones.

ALERT The new bed frames arelower than the old, meaning the space between the metal frame and cabin floor is about 2” shorter. Our luggage did not fit under the bed as it usually did. Fortunately I squeezed it into the close storage area without a problem.

Selected Anytime Dining in the Coral DR. We like to reserve a special table (a four top #350) in the corner of the dining room. We then have the same time and location every evening in the Coral DR. I do this through the DR maitre d. After I make the arrangements I give him a nice tip. From that point on we just bypass any lines and walk right to our table. At the endof the cruise we give our waiter and assistant waiter an extra tip.

The food was good, some choices better than others. If a person can’t find something good to eat I don’t think it’s the ship’s problem per se. I did find the DR lunch to sometimes have better choices than dinner menu. Dress code was not enforced, as many have previously noted in other posts so I won't comment further.

We go to the casino every day and night. So far (day 5) the casino has been relatively slow. Easy to get a seat at any table or slot. From a personal perspective while I am a senior myself, I have to say the average age of passenger on the ship appears to be 60+. I think I saw just a couple of families with kids.

Checked on the “coffee card issue”.I was told by coffee staff that all cards will expire at the end of this calendar year as Princess is coming out with a new process.

The Princess House Band was performing in the Wheel House Bar and a group London Calling was to be inCrooners this evening. Did not see either

DAY 2 AT SEA Good weather,smooth seas Formal Night

Pub lunch available in Crown Grill. Tonight was the Champagne Water Fall and Captain's Welcome Aboard. Guitarist Georgia Thursting performs in Explorers Lounge. Production Show Bravo in the Princess Theater. Piano and entertainer AJ Clark later in Explorers. Did not see any performers, went to casino.

DAY 3 FALMOUTH Good weather HOT! Drink of the Day (DOD) El Mejor Margarita $9.25

Comedian Darrell Joyce in the theater. Went to the show, was just OK. Music and dancing the the Crimson Duo in the Wheelhouse and AJ Clark in Explorers.

DAY 4 AT SEA Good weather, sea alittle choppy DOD Stir Me Up $8.75

Variety show today in Princess Theater with vocalist Todd Adamson. Apparently the new trend is for theater shows to be transmitted live via video to Explorers Lounge. We had dinner at Planks BBQ. Food was good and plentiful. You get four choices of meats each. It is served family style, thus wife and I had choice of eight meats. No way we eat all that, we had a total of four, and with all the sides, etc. it was more than enough. Not very busy despite the push to be sure you reserve early.

Variety Show, vocalist Todd Adamson.Did not see

DAY 5 CARTAGENA Good weather, HOT!DOD Morning Dew $8.00

Arrived at 6:30 leave at noon for Panama Canal. Second Pub Lunch today in Crown Grill. Production Show,Born To be Wild.

DAY 6 PANAMA CANAL/CRISTOBOL DOD Three Wise Men $8.25

This was the last Panama Canal Cruise for the season. CB went through the new locks. I had previously cruised on the Coral through the old locks. The old locks were much more interesting with more workers and the mechanical mules. Not to take away from the new Canal, enjoyed cruise on Coral better. However the new Canal is still an engineering marvel, just seems a bit “sterile”.A narrator was giving descriptions over the ships PA as we proceeded through the canal. I did not think she was very good. She was all over the place about Panama, the jungle, birds and she did not hold my interest at all.

Pretty good comedian in the theater,Jeff Burghart. He did a lot of impressions I enjoyed his show

Generally a good idea to get to the theater at least 30 minutes before showtime, as it fills up pretty quick.

There was a Medical Emergency on board about 1 1/2 hours after leaving Cristobol and we had to return to anchorage area to remove passenger. Adjusted arrival time and tour schedules for LIMON with no major problems. We arrived about 2 hours late and we departed at 6:30 instead of 4:30. Don’t know any particulars about what happen, but the passenger was evacuated by boat in the harbor.

Day 7 LIMON Mostly cloudy DOD Illusion $7.75

Good show in the theater, Tom Franek, a comedian, singer and pianist was very good.

Italian night in the dining room tonight.

Second medical emergency tonight just prior to our scheduled 6:30 departure from Limon. Didn’t leave port until 11:00 PM. Do not know any further details as to outcome.

Day 8 At Sea Second Good weatherFormal Night DOD Sapphire Sling $8.25

Production Show Broadway Ballroom, a Broadway themed show in the theater. Usual Princess dancers and singers doing broadway song and dance. Typical Princess stage show.

Day 9 Grand Cayman Good weather DOD West Indies Yellow Bird $7.75

Anchored at Grand Cayman and used port tenders for those going ashore. Will depart about 2:00PM.

So far this has been a tough cruise for me for gambling. To date, nothing but losses on tables and slots. Finally had a good night at the tables, but still deep in the hole. Only two days left, later today and all day tomorrow for casino fun. Will keep you posted as to outcome. At least we got a comp from the casino this morning in our mailbox, complimentary dinner at Plank’sor Steamer’s. We already ate at Plank’s and my wife has shellfishallergy LOL. Don’t know yet what we will do.

Tom Franek did a second show with newmaterial. Pretty good show

Day 10 At Sea

Last day of the cruise, back to FLL in the morning. Glad I live close by (Boynton Beach) will be home before most people get to the airport. I had a very good night in the casino, recovered almost 50% of my losses from the previous 9 days.Never thought I would do that. We went back to Planks again, using the free gift from the casino. You really have to be a big eater to enjoy the place. IMO they give you way too much food.. The ribs were good as well as the tri-tips. Place was empty this night too Anyone interested can find the menu on the Princess web site.

We put down the deposit for future cruise.

Quick casino update. I did not win, but on the last night I manage to win back half of my losses. In the mind of a disilussioned gambler, I came home a winner.

Disembarkation

We arrived in FLL Tuesday and were alongside pier 2 at 6AM. I was in a group scheduled to disembark at 8:30 (pick up luggage in terminal) and we were called at 8:20, by 8:30 we had our luggage and cleared customs The officer barely glanced at our passports before waving us through. To the garage, got our ca rand home by 9:30. My heart goes out to all who had to catch planes to head home. I dont know how they do it, I know I couldn't.

Movies on Board. Most, if not all, of the movies are also available in the statroom via on demand. The movies were shown in Explorers, the Theater, and MUTS

Padding 2

Kate and Leopold

Murder on the Orient Express

The Commuter

Darkest Hour

The Post

Mama Mia

Battle of the Sexes

Justice League

Grease

Eddie the Eagle

Dr. Strange

Three Billboards

The Greatest Showman

Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi

Welcome to the Jungle

Lectures

Panama Canal Through To Gatun Lake WeGo

Limon Costa Rican Treasure

Grand Caymen From Pirates to Parrotsand to Hell, too

Entertainment was provided in theTheater, Wheelhouse, Club Fusion, Piazza and Explorers by thefollowing:

London Calling

Crimson Duo

Steel Pan with Dennis Smith

Xcite

AJ Clark

DJ Niki

Sunshine Duo

Darrell Joyce Comedian

Tom Addison

Jazz Group Princess House Band

Tom Franek

Hope this review as helpful to anyone seeking information about the ship or the cruise I know I did not cover a lot of areas, but this is the best I could do.

Thanks

Bob

Thanks for all the responses. Can’t believe I don’t remember getting it before

just received an email from Princess regarding my upcoming Apr 21 cruise on CB. Is this new? Has anyone else experienced this?

“

PROGRESSIVE CRUISE CHECK-IN INFORMATION

To help facilitate a smooth start to your voyage we have implemented a progressive cruise check-in schedule. Please arrive at the check-in time listed below. If you have purchased a Princess Cruise Plus Package/Transfer, your check-in time will be provided at your hotel or the airport. Guests travelling on shared transport or arriving as a group will be checked in together. Priority check-in will be available to guests with a Preferred Boarding Pass within the allocated check-in times. Boarding will commence shortly after check-in. Please do not arrive prior to the start of cruise check-in as your cabin will not be ready.

12:30 PM - Aloha & Lido Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with A & L 1:00 PM - Dolphin & Emerald Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with D & E 1:30 PM - Caribe & Fiesta Decks - Cabins on these deck begin with C & F 2:00 PM - Plaza & Riviera Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with P & R 2:30 PM - Baja Deck - Cabins on this deck begin with B.

As always, Cruise Critic comes through. Lots of responses and helpful info. I think I’ll park at the garage near berth 2 and take my chances. Thanks to all who contributed

Thanks Sknight,

Aware of the Port Everglades web sight. And, as you said only goes out 7 Days. I had called Princess and they told me pier 2. I agree with you that's not likely due to Regal. Trying to decide to drive to the port or take car service and avoid hassle of having car at different garage.

Does anyone know which berth the Crown will be returning to on her 11/18 - 11/26 cruise. I know she is leaving from Terminal 2.

Thanks

Just got off the Caribbean Princess this morning. I quote the Princess Passenger Service desk announcement while we were waiting for disembarkation " we apologize for delay be we are experiencing processing problems". Never got any other info, but things we 30 to 40 minutes behind schedule.

Thanks to all for your great info/suggestions.

Sailing on the Caribbean Princess over Thanksgiving out of Port Everglades. The ship sails on Saturday and returns the following Sunday. I know docking info is available on the Port Everglades website, but it only spans a few days.

I don't expect info to be available this far out. However, is there any resource I could contact within a few days of sailing? For example, if the ship is leaving from berth 2, within a day or two of sailing, is there anyway to find out the return berth. Hate parking my car at one location and finding myself docked at another.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

Thanks for the review.

I have 2 questions....I have read a couple people mention a Champaign Waterfall, what exactly is that? I assume a fountain of Champaign...is that included?

 

Also with the shows...can you take pictures during them, or is that prohibitted?

The waterfall is set up in the Piazza on the first formal nite. It is a large pyramid of champaign glasses. The Maître D pours champagne from a bottle into the top glass and as more and more is poured it flows down towards the bottom from glass to glass. Passengers who want can get in line and get their pic taken as they pour with the Maître D.

No pics allowed in Princess Theater.