An X/RCI cruiser on Princess for the first time

[flagger]

DD and I just got back from our second dad and daughter cruise of this school year. We found out at 11.30pm that our morning flight to FLL was canceled due to weather. So at 11.45, we got in the car and drove through ice and snow. Rather do that than wait at the airport hoping we would make it. The drive took 14 hours between lots of rest stops and bathroom breaks with all the caffeine I was drinking. It worked out for the better as 94 people joined the ship in Grand Cayman who had missed flights.

 

We boarded Crown Princess around 2pm and had a wonderful week. I went through many hours of online training from Princess and as such enjoyed Elite Privileges in the Captain's Circle. Very nice as far as not having to get a tender ticket.

 

Drive back was 11 hours, I am working on a mini review, but if you have questions let me know.

 

We found Princess to be very similar to Celebrity in many respects. I personally was not a fan of Personal Choice dining (only thing available when we booked six weeks out). Photos at $24.95 for an 8X10 were high I thought.

 

I did the Ultimate Ship Tour for $150 which is a tour from bottom to top and stem to stern backstage. We got five group photos from various areas as well as a letter head and notepad with our name on them waiting when we returned to our stateroom as well as a big fluffy robe and chef's jacket. The tour last just under four hours and was very enjoyable to do once.

 

Had some food that I liked, beef consomme on the second formal night was excellent. Similar passenger mix to Celebrity in February. 317 kids on board, mostly teens as our school district and in the NE had a break this week.

 

Loved, loved loved Roatan. DD ziplined up at the South Shore Canopy Tour. I blogged about it most of the week.

 

Princess by far has better selections on the in-room television. I was also glad to see they are still doing the "If I were not Aboard the Sea" crew skit late night. My friend said Celebrity stopped doing it because of not wanting to offend anyone.

 

In addition to a coke sticker, they offer an Ultimate sticker which includes unlimited milk shakes (real ice cream), canned root beer (BaRQs yum), fruit juices and virgin mocktails like daquiris). Pizza was far better of any cruise I have taken.

 

Princess still has a separate Captain's Circle Host(ess) position and a Future Cruise Sales position. I think this was a mistake when Celebrity combined the two.

 

Sorry if this is disjointed as I am still not all here...when am I ever? But feel free to ask away.

 

I will say I prefer the open dining room of Celebrity, but would cruise Princess again for the itinerary any day of the week.

[Solstice23]

DD and I just got back from our second dad and daughter cruise of this school year. We found out at 11.30pm that our morning flight to FLL was canceled due to weather. So at 11.45, we got in the car and drove through ice and snow. Rather do that than wait at the airport hoping we would make it. The drive took 14 hours between lots of rest stops and bathroom breaks with all the caffeine I was drinking. It worked out for the better as 94 people joined the ship in Grand Cayman who had missed flights.

 

We boarded Crown Princess around 2pm and had a wonderful week. I went through many hours of online training from Princess and as such enjoyed Elite Privileges in the Captain's Circle. Very nice as far as not having to get a tender ticket.

 

Drive back was 11 hours, I am working on a mini review, but if you have questions let me know.

 

We found Princess to be very similar to Celebrity in many respects. I personally was not a fan of Personal Choice dining (only thing available when we booked six weeks out). Photos at $24.95 for an 8X10 were high I thought.

 

I did the Ultimate Ship Tour for $150 which is a tour from bottom to top and stem to stern backstage. We got five group photos from various areas as well as a letter head and notepad with our name on them waiting when we returned to our stateroom as well as a big fluffy robe and chef's jacket. The tour last just under four hours and was very enjoyable to do once.

 

Had some food that I liked, beef consomme on the second formal night was excellent. Similar passenger mix to Celebrity in February. 317 kids on board, mostly teens as our school district and in the NE had a break this week.

 

Loved, loved loved Roatan. DD ziplined up at the South Shore Canopy Tour. I blogged about it most of the week.

 

Princess by far has better selections on the in-room television. I was also glad to see they are still doing the "If I were not Aboard the Sea" crew skit late night. My friend said Celebrity stopped doing it because of not wanting to offend anyone.

 

In addition to a coke sticker, they offer an Ultimate sticker which includes unlimited milk shakes (real ice cream), canned root beer (BaRQs yum), fruit juices and virgin mocktails like daquiris). Pizza was far better of any cruise I have taken.

 

Princess still has a separate Captain's Circle Host(ess) position and a Future Cruise Sales position. I think this was a mistake when Celebrity combined the two.

 

Sorry if this is disjointed as I am still not all here...when am I ever? But feel free to ask away.

 

I will say I prefer the open dining room of Celebrity, but would cruise Princess again for the itinerary any day of the week.

 

 

Thats Awesome for you!

 

We did not like the Caribbean Princes at all in fact My wife wanted to go home after the 4th day of our cruise, We really missed our service and many aspects of Celebrity. Not saying we would not cruise princess again but not on a large ship like the Caribbean Princess. We preferred the large ships on RCCL over Princess passenger flow and the ups and downs and mini stairs all over the CB drove us crazy. We could never get a seat in the show, and I have never encountered such sad staff in all our cruises. The sap service we not even close either. And the design and decor of the Caribbean Princess was not our taste either. We really felt out of place for some reason and we have no idea way. We looked at possibly sailing to the UK on a smaller Princess ship perhaps that would be better for us?

 

we did like some of the food but not the buffet, or the crown grill both were not good, but some of the dishes in the MD were decent and enjoyed. I think we will stick to looking at X then RCCL or Oceania or Azamara. We are looking at Seabourne and Regent also as my mom says she really enjoys them and that with our tastes we would also.

[rolfecms]

Were there alot of people on your cruise? I've read that the ship feels crowded, as the previous poster mentioned.

[Kre8tiv1]

Glad you enjoyed Princess. We had a fabulous cruise on the Caribbean Princess in May. Far better than the Century cruise we just took in January :eek:

[Solstice23]

Glad you enjoyed Princess. We had a fabulous cruise on the Caribbean Princess in May. Far better than the Century cruise we just took in January :eek:

 

The Caribbean Princess was the most crowded, unhappy ship we have ever sailed. We will look at princess in the Future but not the Large mega ships, RCCL does a better job

[Solstice23]

Movies under the stars was neat though

[flagger]

Were there alot of people on your cruise? I've read that the ship feels crowded, as the previous poster mentioned.

There was not an empty stateroom to be had. I never really felt crowded. While not always able to get a deck chair in the sun, it was fine. Fresh waters pools are great. Talked to one woman who LOVED MUTS because she never gets to see movies.

 

One thing I like is that they delivered a log of the cruise reporting notes from the ship's log with things like ropes fast or ropes away, noon position, etc. The last two days were estimates as they had gone to press. A nice souvenir I thought.

 

They do a Chef's table which people raved about. I really felt for what you get as far as gifts, the Ultimate Ship Tour is worth it.

 

There were some people who felt service had dropped once Princess went the hotel charge route. A little nag and this is on all ships, I think what they charge for what is very slow internet is highway robbery, but then again to be able to stay connected allows me and many others the ability to take cruises.

[FinelyCruising]

I have heard the Chef's Table was an amazing opportunity too! Glad you had a good time and Thanks for the details.:)

[Solstice23]

Chefs table was amazing we felt like we were on X

[roe2ship]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. Is there anything that you like much better on Celebrity or Royal than Princess? Thanks

[flagger]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. Is there anything that you like much better on Celebrity or Royal than Princess? Thanks

For someone with a six year old, I think Royal has a better kid's program. I also think the entertainment on Royal is second to only Disney as far as production shows.

 

Princess had two great comedians on board though which were highly entertaining.

 

I did not get to try Crown Grill or Sabatini, but so far Celebrity has the best Specialty Restaurants. I think the Solstice Class is an amazing ship design.

 

However, I truly believe there is a ship for everyone out there.There were 1632 first time Princess cruisers on our sailing.

[geojobes]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess in 2008. We enjoyed the cruise, but what some of the other posters have said are true. There aren't enough seats in the theater. The pizza is fantastic. Service in Anytime dining is spotty. We had dining service as good as Celebrity from several waiters & a very uncaring, lazy, unfriendly waiter once for dinner & again for a breakfast. I really like the layouts on X & RCCL much better than Princess. Food was good. Buffet was not laid out very well. That said, we'd do it again.

[royalcruz]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess in 2008. We enjoyed the cruise, but what some of the other posters have said are true. There aren't enough seats in the theater. The pizza is fantastic. Service in Anytime dining is spotty. We had dining service as good as Celebrity from several waiters & a very uncaring, lazy, unfriendly waiter once for dinner & again for a breakfast. I really like the layouts on X & RCCL much better than Princess. Food was good. Buffet was not laid out very well. That said, we'd do it again.

 

Exactly how we feel. We've tried the Caribbean Princess and Emerald Princess. The only thing I like over Celebrity/RCCL is MUTS. DH says no more Princess for us, while I think Princess is ok but nothing special.

[Infi]

Great comparison post, especially helpful to all those who have been asking for Princess/Celebrity comparisons lately. I agreed with most of your remarks, and we, too, now cruise Princess mainly for itinerary.

[roe2ship]

For someone with a six year old, I think Royal has a better kid's program.

I have to agree with you when comparing it to Princess. I have been wanting to try Celebrity and also wanted a Bermuda itinerary. Royal's 5 day cruise to Bermuda is about the same price as the 7 day Summit.:rolleyes: Will you say that Celebrity's kids programs are at least similar to Princess?

[ellbon]

i have done 12 princess cruise, 4 RCI and 5 Celebrity since 2000. i would only go back to princess for the ports in Europe or to sail out of SJ.. i like the fact you can walk off the ship and be right in old SJ.

 

I believe only deck 7 is crowded working your way aft. other than that it was never a problem. I far as getting seats in a princess theatre- never had a problem getting one up front- which i prefer.

 

i miss the out door adult pools, fresh water pools and MUTS. food is better on Celebrity. People talk to you more on celebrity.

 

Princess gives you free internet minutes from cruise 6 on. Celebrity you have to be on cruise 11 for 90 minutes.

 

princess has now improved its elite minutes but celebrity is better.

 

my favorite cruise was the CB and the Crown.

[Johnd6rose]

I agree with most of the comments. We were on the Crown Princess and while we enjoyed ourselves, our experience on Royal and Celebrity was much better. The Windjammer buffet on Royal was much better than the Crown. The shows on Royal and Celebrity were better than Crown as well.

[Denny01]

i have done 12 princess cruise, 4 RCI and 5 Celebrity since 2000. i would only go back to princess for the ports in Europe or to sail out of SJ.. i like the fact you can walk off the ship and be right in old SJ.

 

I believe only deck 7 is crowded working your way aft. other than that it was never a problem. I far as getting seats in a princess theatre- never had a problem getting one up front- which i prefer.

 

i miss the out door adult pools, fresh water pools and MUTS. food is better on Celebrity. People talk to you more on celebrity.

 

Princess gives you free internet minutes from cruise 6 on. Celebrity you have to be on cruise 11 for 90 minutes.

 

princess has now improved its elite minutes but celebrity is better.

 

my favorite cruise was the CB and the Crown.

 

Not sure on Princess cruise points for benefits, but on Celebrity, it isn't ater 11 cruises, it's after 10 points: you get a point for a cruise, another point for a cruise 12 days or longer, and a point for an upgraded SR Concierge or above (Aqua or suites). So you can get up to 3 points on a cruise.

 

Denny

[julia]

Thats Awesome for you!

 

We looked at possibly sailing to the UK on a smaller Princess ship perhaps that would be better for us?

 

 

 

 

YES!! Please try the Island or the Coral if you ever get the chance... you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

The Caribbean Princess routinely receives POOR comments (with myself included) and yet, I do NOT feel that it is indicative of Princess's product. We have enjoyed other ships of theirs!

 

Thanks to the OP for posting!

[flvol77]

Chefs table was amazing we felt like we were on X

 

I tell you one thing, X most be pretty awesome the way you talk it up, I can't wait to experience dining on X if the chefs table made you feel like you were on X.

[ellbon]

Not sure on Princess cruise points for benefits, but on Celebrity, it isn't ater 11 cruises, it's after 10 points: you get a point for a cruise, another point for a cruise 12 days or longer, and a point for an upgraded SR Concierge or above (Aqua or suites). So you can get up to 3 points on a cruise.

 

Denny

 

 

I meant to say ten cruise points. I should know as in 5 cruises have my 10 cruise points.. sorry about that! but on princess it is only one point per cruise unless they changed the rules in the last 2 years.

[Lsimon]

... I went through many hours of online training from Princess and as such enjoyed Elite Privileges in the Captain's Circle....

 

Could you explain this a little more? Did they grant you something like Elite status even though it was your first cruise on the line?

[bob c]

I went on the Diamond Princess for an Alaska cruise and the 5 day land tour. The way Princess arranged the land tour was excellent. From the time we got off the plane in Fairbanks and did the land tour to the time we boarded the ship everything went perfect. Once onboard I enjoyed the Diamond Princess although in my opinion the entertainment on the RCL lines was better.If you ever do take the Alaska cruise and can do it take the land tour also. As good as the cruise was, I enjoyed the land tour even more. :)

[flvol77]

Could you explain this a little more? Did they grant you something like Elite status even though it was your first cruise on the line?

 

Sounds like the training program that Princess has allowing travel agents to become certified with Princess, I laughed at a friend who is very proud she is a Princess Commodore travel agent, then I saw some of the training and I will honest it was pretty intense.

 

This maybe how they were achieve elite status with only taking that cruise.

[roe2ship]

 

The Caribbean Princess routinely receives POOR comments (with myself included) and yet, I do NOT feel that it is indicative of Princess's product.

 

Routinely?? This is completely false information. There are far more positive comments about the CB that outweigh some of the negative ones. Besides, if you had such a poor experience, why take another cruise on her.:rolleyes:

 

As far as getting seats in the Princess theatres, never had a problem showing up 15 minutes prior to showtime.

 

Sounds like the training program that Princess has allowing travel agents to become certified with Princess, I laughed at a friend who is very proud she is a Princess Commodore travel agent, then I saw some of the training and I will honest it was pretty intense.

 

This maybe how they were achieve elite status with only taking that cruise.

You are right, just recently on the Princess boards, there was a HAL cruiser who tried Princess for the first time and had Elite status.