Trip Review: Caribbean Princess 11/28/10 Long but with a few pictures

[sghetrick]

After a rather long and difficult year we decided to be a bit indulgent and go on a Caribbean vacation. We decided to stay in Puerto Rico pre and post Southern Caribbean Cruise on Princess Cruise Line. Away we flew on Jetblue from Boston to San Juan. Jetblue made me happy while they still made an extra profit. We upgraded to the "even more legroom" seats for the extra room but also for the newer priority boarding! On a very full flight to San Juan right after Thanksgiving this was a blessing!

 

 

Arriving in San Juan we picked up our luggage and grabbed a cab to the InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino. We booked this hotel for one night pre-cruise. The hotel looked modern, clean, and interesting. The reception staff seemed helpful, our room wasn't ready but we would receive a call when it was. We decided to have lunch at the pool bar which was good. However, the bar was definitely understaffed. The pool and beach area seemed nice but the noise from the airport was just too much. We definitely wouldn't want to spend a week listening to it.

 

 

Two hours later (around 3:30) we decided to go and check on our room. Another person was working the reception desk, didn't say hello to us and when we asked about our room responded with one word - no. As we walked away stating that the couple next to us got a room the staff followed after us saying your room is now ready. We headed up to the fourth floor and entered our room - that's right - - the house cleaning staff was still in it. The rooms appear nice but the floors were never cleaned and we didn't see anyone using or hear a vacuum the entire time. That evening we decided to have drinks in the lobby bar. As I began to nibble on the pretzels / nuts provided I looked over and saw the waitress eating the pretzels out of the bowls that she would we then bring over to the guests - yuck! Overall the hotel looks nice and could be 4 stars however it appears there is no management watching over those that interact with the guests.

 

 

The next day we hopped in a cab and headed to the Pier. Hmmmm that looks like traffic up ahead - yes it does! A half an hour in the cab with the ship in sight - luckily Puerto Rico has set rates from the different taxi zones. Check in at Princess was pretty easy maybe a half hour wait total. As we walked through the Caribbean Princess it reminded us of the Crown Princess however this ship doesn't seem to flow as nicely. Walking to our room I noticed balloons and streamers for different celebrations - I was expecting this on our door as well for Greg's B-day. However, we never received them. We met our stateroom attendant has a complimentary glass of champagne and headed out to explore the ship.

 

 

Unfortunately the ship experience wasn't up to our past trips. Our stateroom was always clean but no special touches, the food for most of the ship was bland, the staff was mostly friendly, and the activities were lacking. Here are a couple highlights and/or complete misses:

1. The Spa staff - always friendly, helpful, and the Thermal Suite was perfect! I ended up catching the flu during this vacation and the Thermal Suite truly helped my breathing and sinus pressure. If it wasn't for the Thermal Suite I think my vacation would have been ruined.

2. Sabatini's - terrific staff, delicious food, huge portions, no rush, and all around fantastic.

3. The Ultimate Cooler and Passionfruit Mojito - always yummy

4. The buffet - rude staff, pushy staff, no seating, not enough vegetarian options

5. The International Cafe - friendly staff but the cafe itself is very small and limited options unlike the Crown Princess.

 

 

The best part of a cruise is visiting our favorite islands and the new and/or familiar experiences.

On St Thomas we decided to start our vacation with a bit of relaxation. We decided to go to Magens Bay Beach. The drive to the beach is beautiful - scenic view, rising hills but the stop at the junky wares could be left out. Magens Bay Beach is a very nice long but narrow beach. The water while we were there was colder that we have experienced before though. Next we headed into town to do some shopping and have a bite for lunch.

 

 

Whenever we travel my friends and family make fun of me. The first reason is because I am a list maker. I have to stay organized and have everything written down. The second reason is a bring a little bit of everything in my medicine cabinet. Fortunately, I brought some cold meds with us this trip however they quickly ran out. So there we are walking around the town looking for somewhere to purchase some cold meds. Hmmm a sign for a drugstore in the back of a linen store. Sure enough you walk through the linen store, through the touristy wares and there is a decent variety of over the counter medications - - Yay I'll be able to breathe again shortly! For lunch we decided to try out a restaurant I researched online. Glady's Cafe. The service was warm and inviting, the food was delicious, and the hot sauces were the perfect accompaniment. Greg even bought one to bring home.

 

 

Our next island is our favorite - Tortola. In the British Virgin Islands we have been fortunate to visit Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Norman Island, Marina Cay, and a few snorkeling spots. We have always wanted to visit Jost Van Dyke but never found the time. We boarded our "ferry" to the island and we ready for an adventure. Sure enough half way there the seas were a bit rough and the waves were after us. Unlike most people we enjoy this. If you are on a boat in the Caribbean waters, heading to a beach, and the sun is shining why not get soaked by a few waves. As we maneuvered into the amazingly clear turquoise waters we were greeted by a sea turtle. We hopped from the boat onto powder soft white sand and were instantly laid back. In between swimming and sunning we visited a few of the local bars and enjoyed a few Painkillers. Unfortunately, it was time to go so we boarded another boat and headed back to Road Town. One of our requirements if we are on Tortola for a short time is a stop into Pussers Road Town. We enjoy a Painkiller or a Nelsons Blood and gush over the best Conch Fritters in the Caribbean.

 

 

The next stop was Antigua. This was a bit of a disappointment as we booked a beach excursion but were taken to Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts. I was less than impressed with the facilities, the transportation drivers, and the staff. After getting back into St. John's we decided to grab lunch at Hemingways Caribbean Cafe. "Honey wasn't that the same man who asked you if you wanted some green a few years ago" response "yup that must be his corner." LOL, laid back style in the Caribbean. We have been to Hemingways before but this time the food wasn't as good seemed to be a bit on the dry side.

 

 

I'm sure we're the weird ones but we aren't big fans of St Lucia so at this stop we decided to relax on the ship and do a little shopping at the pier. Unfortunately, our pier was the one not near the shopping. We paid a few dollars for the ferry and then realized we waited a half hour instead of the every 10 minutes. We ended up doing a little shopping, mostly for art and rum. When we were ready to head back to the ship we went to the ferry pick up area and saw the long line of people waiting and the ferry no where in sight. Ready for adventure we decided we would walk all the way back to the ship. So there we go walking through the tour providers, past the cab drivers, saying no thank you to the "green" providers, half way there still don't see the ferry picking up the other guests, 25 minutes later made it back to the ship before everyone else.

 

 

Barbados our last Caribbean island. We headed over to the Cockspur Beach Club - yes we were a bit immature and chuckled over this. A few years ago Greg purchased a Cockspur T shirt for his brother and it became a running joke and then here we are at their Beach Club. The staff was very friendly, the beach is beautiful, the drinks were good and it was a very enjoyable time. We were considering going into town after the excursion but when we entered the pier the traffic was atrocious and we could imagine fighting to get back out and into the pier again.

After a relaxing sea day we arrived back in San Juan. We changed our deboarding time to 8:15, we were off the ship and at the Marriott San Juan Resort & Stellaris Casino by 9:30 am. We booked this hotel for post-cruise. We arrived very early to the hotel so naturally our room wasn't ready. The hotel looks very nice, modern, and clean. We decided to go across the street to Starbucks for breakfast - don't go at 9 a.m. we waited in line for 25 minutes (we decided we were nuts to do so). Next we hopped into a cab to head into Old San Juan - just as we arrived the hotel called to let us know that our room was ready.

 

 

We visited a few of our favorite places in Old San Juan. El Convento Hotel, Puerto Rican Arts and Crafts, and tried a new restaurant - El Jibarito. The food, service, and atmosphere were perfect. The restaurant is in Old San Juan but it's in more of the residential area which also makes a nice walk and atmosphere.

 

 

When we got back to the hotel we picked up our room cards and headed to the 12th floor. Our room was large, high ceilings, clean, large bathroom, bath and body works products, and a city view. The hotel is also in a nice area we walked around a bit and found the walgreens, restaurants, other hotels, luxury shopping, and even found a nice farmers market. The staff from the reception, to the casino, to the housekeeping were friendly and always smiling. We also found that the coffee bar in the hotel offered nice beverages and breakfast treats. The pool and beach area are nice but small when we compare it to the large resorts in Rio Grande.

 

 

The next day we flew back to Boston on Jetblue thankful yet again for our priority boarding!

[boaterette]

Very nice. Glad you had a good time.