LIVE From The Caribbean Princess 7/2-7/11

[SCFCRUISER]

We will be on the CB in January. Keep it coming Whitnee & don't worry about the cheerleaders/bashers. Tell it like it is, myself & others I'm sure, want to know what is going on !!

[TracieABD]

Thanks for taking us on your cruise! :)

[rdsqrl]

DS turns 21 at midnight and is hounding me already trying to drag me to the casino and the bar for what he is trying to tell me is his first drink. /quote]

Happy birthday to your son; I hope he enjoys his first legal drink!

Thanks for your continued reports. I, too, love when the bridge comes on to warn that there are brief showers ahead -- it's nice to know that I don't have to pack up and go indoors but can wait it out. I also love seeing people scramble out of the pool to hurry under cover when said warning comes on. Hello, people, you're already wet; what's your hurry?!

Hope you have a great day at Coki tomorrow.

[spunky01]

B-52 I know what you mean. We to are loyal rccl and are booked on the CB for the 7/20 cruise. This is our 1st princess cruise and the reason for booking it is because they are the only line where the captain will marry you onboard. Since we are both avid cruisers and our 2nd marriage I thought it would be fitting to get married by the captain on the ship. Through all these posts I am starting to feel that children are not wanted and since we have 3 grandchildren on this cruise I wonder what they will do. I know it is all in attitiude but working with our TA and princess its been a real eye opener. We have an other cruise book through princess for the Nov Hawaii cruise and today talked to the TA to cancel it. She advised me not to. She said to see what this cruise is like. I do appreciate this board there is a lot of positive things on it. I hope the rest of your cruise goes smoother.

[spunky01]

Whitnee1 do you feel because you have a large party it was hard for seating? There is 10 of us and are put in the anytime because there wasn't any room for us in traditional for first seating.

[MrBill64]

Love the posts, please keep them coming. We will getting on the CB when you are getting off.

[musicgirl63]

B-52 I know what you mean. We to are loyal rccl and are booked on the CB for the 7/20 cruise. This is our 1st princess cruise and the reason for booking it is because they are the only line where the captain will marry you onboard. Since we are both avid cruisers and our 2nd marriage I thought it would be fitting to get married by the captain on the ship. Through all these posts I am starting to feel that children are not wanted and since we have 3 grandchildren on this cruise I wonder what they will do. I know it is all in attitiude but working with our TA and princess its been a real eye opener. We have an other cruise book through princess for the Nov Hawaii cruise and today talked to the TA to cancel it. She advised me not to. She said to see what this cruise is like. I do appreciate this board there is a lot of positive things on it. I hope the rest of your cruise goes smoother.

 

 

We were on the ship last week...:( And we had an awesome time despite chair hoggers, people not following rules. The fun that you have will not be based on what others are doing, but rather the fun will be what you create!!! The food was great. Pizza by the pool is yummy. I'm actually in withdrawal. Don't like buffets, go to a sit down restaurant or to the International Cafe.

 

I have posted my cruise report from the 6-23-2010 CB cruise. It is a bit different......and a bit personal, but I had some fun with it.

[musicgirl63]

OP-We were on CB right before you....ship stealer!!!

 

 

We noticed alot of tiles pieces missing from the pool deck. It seemed to get worse as the cruise continued. DH said he saw kids picking at the tiles to dive for them. Was there water in the pool or was it lower than normal? I wonder if they fixed the tiles and then had to let it dry throughly. Just a thought

 

Sorry to hear about your downpour in San Juan. I hope it at least cooled it off a bit.

[deniuh]

Whitnee, thank you for taking us along for your cruise. I will be sailing CB for the first time in September so I am anxious to hear about it especially with the AC issues. If you happen to walk past cabin D508, please let me know if there is a closet or any potential noise issues nearby. Final payment is next week so I am anxious. No pressure...don't go out of your way...lol. Thanks in advance. Have a great trip and I will keep reading....!

 

Happy 21st birthday to your son!

[janetz]

Let me just address a couple issues:

 

I have spent enough time on this board to know that there are Princess cheerleaders and Princess bashers. I consider myself neither. In fact, I am a loyal Princess cruiser, having reached Platinum status.

 

For clarification, we did arrive at Horseshoe Bay at noon. In fact, we were on the first bus that departed the ship and were on the beach by 9:30AM.

 

I also do not consider the inability to obtain a lounge chair ANYWHERE on the deck on a sea day, or to have to search for a table at almost any breakfast or lunch a "little thing". These were issues that MANY other passengers are also complaining about, and in fact, yesterday for the first time I did see a deck attendant policing the lounge chairs who were being reserved with towels on them.

 

This being my 5th different Princess ship, I feel quite qualified to compare the experiences that we are seeing on this ship versus those we have sailed in the past. The intent of this live report was to provide accurate, realistic, honest, and useful expectations of what one can expect if they are choosing the same ship. It does not mean that it will make or break your cruise, but rather just some things that you need to be aware of.

 

Quite frankly, if you do not agree with what I am writing, or do not want to hear or believe the negative things, then do not read it.

 

 

 

 

How do I know if I agree or not if I do not read the post? :p I have no problem with your negative remarks at all and no offense intended. Everyone's expectations and are different perspectives are different. Makes no difference to me if you are platimum as we are also. I dont need to brag about it. We were lucky enough to have 2 perfect sailings on the CB. :D Happy Sailing!

[lolane1]

OP,

We will be on the CB again in two weeks. This will be my 4th sailing on the CB. I agree with you, Horizon is crowded at peak times, chair hogs abound, my toilet didn't flush for 3 days last sailing. Having said all that, I am going back on the CB. Yep. I am a fairly "let it go" person, except for the cigar smoker in cabin below on one CB sailing and perhaps the toilet issue. But, I work around many of the known problems simply because I want to keep the annoyance factor low. We have a balcony, and there is always the sanctuary. I eat breakfast at off peak hours or bring it back to my room. I enjoy lunch in the dining room. I don't know any solution to the chair hogs but would rather avoid the stress associated with the situation. We usually find chairs on deck somewhere on all sailings but they are not around the pools.

 

I am disappointed that they do not let you fix a table in anytime dining for the duration except at the hours you described. We usually got a table for 7:30 PM. Bummer.

 

I haven't experienced poor staff attitudes although I have read about it on this board many times. Lucky, I guess, but I know it happens. A friend traveling with us had a cabin steward that didn't want to do a thing extra, while ours was amazing.

 

Bottom line, thanks for your posts. Eveybody's experience is different and the balanced, candid view from your perspective is appreciated.

[Raelovemeg]

Hi we will be on this ship this sunday 7/11 and just wondering what the experiences of a 9yr child (first time cruiser) would be like? Can someone please post what their child thought of it, what activities, is it kid friendly, etc. Thank you!

[caribill]

Hi we will be on this ship this sunday 7/11 and just wondering what the experiences of a 9yr child (first time cruiser) would be like? Can someone please post what their child thought of it, what activities, is it kid friendly, etc. Thank you!

 

Be sure to enroll him in the Princess children's program the first evening.

[KroozeKid]

Daughter and Son-in-Law checkind in briefly by phone when they arrived PR yesterday, said the cruise was terrific so far, nothing but good things.

 

They get off Sunday:( while we board :).

[cruise crew member]

enjoying the daily updates,will be on board the 29th. Has anyone gone off the ship in the evening in puerto rico..are there any recommended places to go... we've rented a cabanna in turks, when you get there check them out and let us know what to expect o.k. thanks continue having a great time...............

[carib123]

enjoying the daily updates,will be on board the 29th. Has anyone gone off the ship in the evening in puerto rico..are there any recommended places to go... we've rented a cabanna in turks, when you get there check them out and let us know what to expect o.k. thanks continue having a great time...............

 

Please remember that this is just my opinion and only my opinion

 

In San Juan, specifically OSJ, we walked around but after dark we were careful as to where we went, avoided dark areas, etc. The barrios are nearby and the set up of OSJ just seemed to be ripe for trouble. That could just be us overthinking

 

In GT we saw the cabanas and they looked really nice, but we had rented a golf cart so that we could tour the whole island at our leisure. We went to Governor's Beach, where the sand was white and water was blue and it was not very crowded.

 

Have fun on your cruise

[eldaley]

Be sure to enroll him in the Princess children's program the first evening.

Kids program is great. We'll be on for our third time 7/20. Two grandkids LOVE the kids program, especially the 8 year old.

[ggprincess2004]

B-52 I know what you mean. We to are loyal rccl and are booked on the CB for the 7/20 cruise. This is our 1st princess cruise and the reason for booking it is because they are the only line where the captain will marry you onboard. Since we are both avid cruisers and our 2nd marriage I thought it would be fitting to get married by the captain on the ship. Through all these posts I am starting to feel that children are not wanted and since we have 3 grandchildren on this cruise I wonder what they will do. I know it is all in attitiude but working with our TA and princess its been a real eye opener. We have an other cruise book through princess for the Nov Hawaii cruise and today talked to the TA to cancel it. She advised me not to. She said to see what this cruise is like. I do appreciate this board there is a lot of positive things on it. I hope the rest of your cruise goes smoother.

 

First, congratulations and best wishes from one princess bride to another. Children, especially in the summer, are expected. I don't know how old the grands are, but Princess does have a children's program, broken down by age group, and the kids should have plenty of company on board.

 

We just returned from an April cruise on the Golden to Hawaii. It was the second time we did that itinerary, and we took my parents to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. We all had a wonderful time.

 

This cruise (we are also sailing on the 20th on the CB) will have an entirely different vibe than the Hawaii cruise. This is a summer sailing, lots of kids, lots of partying - this is really a vacation cruise and the demographic is different from the Hawaii cruise. The Hawaii cruise has a lot of sea days in a row both ways which is one of things we love about it. In addition, there are a lot of activities geared to the Hawaiian experience. So, the two cruises will be very different experiences.

 

We have lots of cruises on Princess, we chose the CB on the 20th since it sails from NYC, and we are taking my DH's two "boys" - 22 and 26 - with us for some family time. It's going to be different for us, and we know that there will be lots of young people on board.

 

Please do take a look at the roll call for the cruise and join in the fun!!!

 

Ginger

[Working 2 Cruise]

B-52 I know what you mean. We to are loyal rccl and are booked on the CB for the 7/20 cruise. This is our 1st princess cruise and the reason for booking it is because they are the only line where the captain will marry you onboard. Since we are both avid cruisers and our 2nd marriage I thought it would be fitting to get married by the captain on the ship. Through all these posts I am starting to feel that children are not wanted and since we have 3 grandchildren on this cruise I wonder what they will do. I know it is all in attitiude but working with our TA and princess its been a real eye opener. We have an other cruise book through princess for the Nov Hawaii cruise and today talked to the TA to cancel it. She advised me not to. She said to see what this cruise is like. I do appreciate this board there is a lot of positive things on it. I hope the rest of your cruise goes smoother.

 

Have a wonderful wedding day... I wish I could get married at sea! We are going on the Los Angeles - Hawaii cruise in November also... (albeit the Thanksgiving one). I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the Golden Princess... It is an immersion into Hawaiian culture, among other things... so, please keep an open mind!

[Working 2 Cruise]

We were on the ship last week...:( And we had an awesome time despite chair hoggers, people not following rules. The fun that you have will not be based on what others are doing, but rather the fun will be what you create!!! The food was great. Pizza by the pool is yummy. I'm actually in withdrawal. Don't like buffets, go to a sit down restaurant or to the International Cafe.

 

I have posted my cruise report from the 6-23-2010 CB cruise. It is a bit different......and a bit personal, but I had some fun with it.

 

Your review was a lot of fun! Thanks for posting it!

[Feelin' Nauti']

This cruise (we are also sailing on the 20th on the CB) :eek:

 

We have lots of cruises on Princess, we chose the CB on the 20th since it sails from NYC, and we are taking my DH's two "boys" - 22 and 26 - with us for some family time. It's going to be different for us, and we know that there will be lots of young people on board.

Is this a type-o? Or are you doing a B2B?

[spunky01]

ggprincess2004

Thank you for the post. Our grandchildren are almost 3,7 & 9. Children are 23, 25 & 35. Great spand. Only time we have all been together was for 1 thanksgiving and I was thankful for a place to hide near the end;) I did go on the roll call board but it was dead so I haven't been back. I will check it out. I am excited only 13 more days. And thank you all for the congrats.

[ggprincess2004]

Is this a type-o? Or are you doing a B2B?

 

Typo ......:o. It's the 11th - but you knew that....

[Whitnee1]

Sorry for the delay in updating. I am having wi-fi issues in my cabin and have a lengthy update in Word on the lap top that I am trying to get posted and will get it up today one way or another. They tell me the problem is in the rear of the ship where I am.

[mtaylor04]

B-52 I know what you mean. We to are loyal rccl and are booked on the CB for the 7/20 cruise. This is our 1st princess cruise and the reason for booking it is because they are the only line where the captain will marry you onboard. Since we are both avid cruisers and our 2nd marriage I thought it would be fitting to get married by the captain on the ship. Through all these posts I am starting to feel that children are not wanted and since we have 3 grandchildren on this cruise I wonder what they will do. I know it is all in attitiude but working with our TA and princess its been a real eye opener. We have an other cruise book through princess for the Nov Hawaii cruise and today talked to the TA to cancel it. She advised me not to. She said to see what this cruise is like. I do appreciate this board there is a lot of positive things on it. I hope the rest of your cruise goes smoother.

 

Spunky - we were married on this ship and it was an amazing experience :) After we were married, and took pictures around the ship, we were given a wonderful tour of the bridge by the captain and his crew. We also had pictures taken of us on the bridge and we treasure all of the memories.

 

We have sailed on this ship many times and have always had a wonderful experience. Don't cancel anything until you have tried it for yourself - everyone's experience is going to be different.

 

Congrats on your upcoming wedding