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We've only sailed with Princess on a 5 day drop 'n' go Caribbean sailing. We thought the entertainment was only passable at best. We're considering another 8-10 day sailing and wanted to know if the slightly longer cruises had a better quality of entertainment, in the main theater, for longer cruises. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your reply.

Although we've been on one HAL and one Princess Line cruise since our discovery on which line is best suited for us...it truly is a toss up....while HAL provided a satisfactory experience, Princess offered a more diverse ,yet , tolerable cross section of American/Canadian passenger ratio. HAL is differently a more refined and traditional cruise experience (IOHO) however Princess allowed more freedom in expressing the overall experience as GLBT pax. Why?, you ask?, because of the overall acceptance and accommodation in requesting a "two-top" table for dinners in the MDR. And pairing us with a GLBT friendly assistant waiter and main waiter. Clearly there were considerations in deciding how the seating and pairing of waiters would be determined by our requests. Well Done, Princess! We were happy cruisers with your decisions on waiter/assistant-waiter choices in making us feel comfortable.

an option is to stay on the ship, schedule a special spa day for the two of you...Jamaica has a lot to offer, however catering to gay cliental is not one of them, to our knowledge, especially when it is obvious there are males traveling without "females"....."where are your ladies?" "where are your girlfriends" type questions can be inflammatory if challenged. We haven't considered Jamaica in our itineraries in the last two Caribbean cruises due to the blatant discrimination projected to the LGBT community.

What is happening on Holland America Lines? Pushing further into the bliss of non-relevant? Many are searching for loyalty driven by consistency...status quo? Best of luck with that...even lines within the very same dividend quotas, aren't there any driven to capture the market that is spending at the limit of status? Clearly, this is all to be determined.

Well done Caribbean Princess!

Sail Date: January 2015

Destination: Western Caribbean

Embarkation: Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Everything we expected, Caribbean Princess delivered. Embarkation was smooth and friendly. We found all public areas to be fine and clean. Did a couple of items need attention? Of course but nothing was grossly neglected. We found the ship to be clean and tidy. There was maintenance being conducted in many areas of the ship. The condition of our interior cabin C721 was fine. Everything in the cabin was clean and we had no shower liner issues. In fact it appeared to be new. Could the grout need a bleaching? Yes, but there was no mold whatsoever, anywhere. Our steward was prompt and unobtrusive. Mind that we are not demanding people and allowed him to do his job uninterrupted. And a fine job he did. The fitness center was adequate and also well maintained.

Entertainment: Overall it was abundant throughout the ship, however only being a five day cruise the main theater shows were not much to write about. The Sun Down Duo in the Wheelhouse Lounge were very good and we enjoyed them each night before dinner. Food: we all should know this is very subjective and for us we found the main dining room selections to be good and most everything we ordered was fine and tasty. Horizon Court and Café Caribe were also fine, good selections, foods that were supposed to be hot were hot and colds were cold. International Café also delivered good foods. We enjoyed the selections of coffee items. The coffee card was a very good purchase.

Service: Overall was very good. Did we occasionally run across some staff that were aloof? Yes, but by no means was this the majority. Our waiters/waitresses everywhere were just fine but then again we were not looking for the staff to become our best friends. We leave them alone and let them do their jobs and nine times out of ten they were on top of it.

Shore Excursions: N/A. We did our own thing. Value: We got what we paid for.

Overall: This being our first Princess experience we found the product to be everything it is advertised to be for the value we expected. We enjoyed the Princess product very much and made deposits for future cruises which we didn't do on our last Holland America cruise. Just sayin'. Less 

Published 02/15/15

Port and Shore Excursions

Costa Maya

A lovely, quaint and friendly fishing port. Take a taxi all the way you can go (to the fishing pier) and walk along the fanciful walkway along the beach with all it's restaurants, bars and shops.

Cozumel

Rented a car and drove the island. Coconuts should not be missed. Get there before Noon for a cliff-side table. Guacamole is outstanding and the beers cold!

We bring a small jar of instant coffee/instant espresso/to add to the breakfast room service delivered coffee...after "getting it together" with the pumped up room service coffee, we're headed to the IC for the real stuff. Coffee Cards are so worth it! For coffee drinkers that expect a "real cup of coffee" Do invest in the Coffee and more card.

The scanners will be the same ones used at airports for carry on stuff. Standard checked bags will not fit.

Thanks, Bruce. Guess we'll have to "check" the carry-on bag...didn't want to hold up the line with oversized bag.....

Was thinking about not checking bags with the porters and just carrying on ours bags since it's just a 5 day....anyone know the maximum size bag that will go through the carry-on (gangway) scanners?

Going to the courthouse on Thursday to get our license.... :)

after almost 23 years together.....

Very happy!!

Fantastic! Congratulations! Us...met and fell in love 1978 and not been separated since...are you doing a cruise for your honeymoon?

We're planning a courthouse wedding then honeymoon cruise....thinking we can "tie the knot" in Ft. Lauderdale and head out to sea for the honeymoon. Friends and family included!

To anyone with the knowledge...would the Caribbean Princess have Holiday decorations in place for the cruises around Thanksgiving?

My apologies but the search function on this topic I had difficulty in getting a solid thread to answer...

Many thanks in advance for your reply.

7142 really nice....quiet, private and enough room for two. would do an aft-wrap again on the Noordam...

whoops! didn't mention....wow! for the video and music combos! Credit (ioho) where it is do.....big fkn smiley! luvvin'.....

okay...uh..huh...go.... boyyeezz! DO IT! Welcome! notta word....delete? WHAT? they B loozzin'.....l00Kin' fwd to more....we B crzy...

The Managers reception…house chardonnay horrible…order beer from the tap. Mixed cocktails were just okay, a little light on the pour. The appetizers & h'orderves were not good. This area of Embassy Suites perks really needs some serious attention. On the other hand the morning cooked to order breakfast delivered. Go early, before 7:30 am or plan on lines. The selection of items was immense. Everything anyone would want for breakfast unless of course you’re looking for eggs Benedict which wasn’t offered. However be reminded that this area is currently under construction and is not the "normal" area for breakfast.

The location of this property is good. The Harbor Shops are directly behind the hotel and has many places for a quick bite to eat or a pretty nice sit down dinner. Publix and a Total Wine and More are the anchor stores. Some of the fine restaurants in this area of Ft. Lauderdale are within a reasonable (depending on weather) walking distance. However a taxi ride to the farther restaurants currently runs about $15.00 plus tip.

All in all I’m not sure that the rates match the overall product delivered. If the Managers Reception had better quality house wine and poured a higher end alcohol and provided appetizers and h’orderves that are edible then I might stay there again but as things stand currently I’d book another hotel for about the same price at a much better location.

I didn't see anyone ask this question. Would you want video links to videos taken? Or is this pictures only?

Remember the Sceet Shooting on the aft of the ship with real buckshot? We'll never forget being on the lido and hearing the shot guns going off. First Cruise...had no idea...sprang out of our loungers and hurried to the aft railing only to see several men holding shot guns and a staff member launching clay disks off the aft of the ship. Fantastic...this image will forever be ingrained in my mind...wonderful!

4 US it was Cunard's Vistafjord...first but never forgotten

Sad way to spend a cruise. As we all know, s*** happens.

:cool:

We both are from Florida, Me: Amelia Island, Partner: Neptune Beach but we both now live in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area...30 years now...but have our eye on a couple of lovely places in Dania, Florida....closer to the port for our "retirement" years :). We are still Floridians at heart...a diverse State...but an accepting one.

Pretty sure to wrap up most of the Caribbean we'll do the ABCs...HAL's ten days looks interesting...like being in Curacao from 7:00 am til 11:00 pm. Have a chance to visit Jacob's Bar.

Put RR's in checked luggage..or order a bottle from Ship Services and not worry about it all ;) Seriously the stress of "wondering if we're gonna be caught?" is much more taxing than just paying the price for a bottle delivered to your stateroom...jmho...:) Either way hope you have a great time!

Not the best but nice nonetheless