Experienced Princess Cruisers: Tell Me About Caribeean Princess

[kicker]

9 cruises under our belt: an old Carnival one, 7 Royal Caribbean, 1 Celebrity. Trying Caribbean Princess out of NYC in August because it fits our schedule best.

 

So, what can you tell me about the ship? Or, for that matter, about Princess? I've read a number of reviews on the CP, and have perused these boards, but being a lazy individual, I thought I'd let the comments come to me instead of searching for them:rolleyes:.

 

Any comments positive or negative are welcome. And, if it makes a difference, it'll be myself (57) and DW. Thanks in advance.

[willysgrandma]

I sailed this ship from NY before it was refurbished and I liked the ship very much. I really like the port - we were able to leave our car parked for the week literally right next to the ship - it was a breeze coming and going and not having to worry about car service or flights home.

[kiska]

I absolutely LOVE Caribbean Princess, the ship is enormous and beautiful with a ton of things to do. The Movies Under The Stars (MUTS) is awesome, it's a huge movie screen outside on the pool deck, with a pool and cushy loungers, and they serve free popcorn! Princess has something I haven't seen on any other cruiseline - 24 hour buffet, and it's a real buffet. Granted, your choices at 2 AM will be more limited than at noon, but certainly will have more offerings than pizza/pasta bar that RC and Celebrity offer. International Cafe is to die for - milk and cookies around tea time, desserts and sandwiches all other times. They also offer lattes and coffee for a fee, but I'm cheap so I never paid for those, if I can get a coffee for free at the buffet :P. At the back is an awesome little adult area pool and bar, great place to chill for a while. Can't speak for the cabins, because they don't really matter to me much, and we mostly book insides anyways, so they're pretty much the same across all cruiselines. You'll have a great time on your cruise!

[roe2ship]

We LOVE the Caribbean Princess! Very clean ship with great food and friendly service.

 

FYI - things you won't find on Princess next to the lines you sailed are:

 

The inside and all standard balcony cabins are all the same square footage with no loveseat or sofa. You have to move up to a mini-suite to have a larger room.

 

No shower doors

No interactive tv in your cabin

Limited room service menu (unless in full suite)

Dining rooms with low ceilings...only one level

[Whitnee1]

I have sailed a number of the Princess ships having 6 cruises with them. I sailed the Caribbean Princess last year in July out of NY probly the same itinerary. The experience I had made me just complete my first cruise with RCCI on the Enchantment of the Seas. Having said all of that, I prefer Princes to the RCCI for many reasons. Not the least of which wasthe quality of the food in MDR. On the RCCI boards you will see many posts there about the decline of the food on that line. We did have a couple of concewrns after the CB last year. When it was built they added an additional deck, from I think it was the Grand Princess, yet never added any space to the public areas. That time of the year be prepared also for a lot of kids. Thus chairs at the pool side on sea days was always a problem. Tables at the buffet were often challenging. Seating for the shows all of the things you would expect from this scenario. At times some parents leave their kids too unattended and some tend to act up.

[cnd crsr]

We have sailed on many of the Princess ships including the Caribbean Princess. One thing not mentioned by the other posters is the laundry rooms. You can pack less. I think it is a dollar each for a washer and dryer. The coffee is not the best but if you buy a coffee card (about $30.) you get 15 specialty coffees and unlimited fresh brewed coffee.

[gertz]

Horrible space ratio. Yes we have been on it and it can be very crowded especially if weather is not the best.

[Potstech]

Just sailed on the Caribbean Princess the first week of February out of San Juan. Second time on this ship and it is always a great experience. The wait staff were right outside the buffet lines asking if you wanted help to find a table. We never spent more than a minute or two before we were seated. I can not sit in the sun so while my wife was at the pool I would go down to the Piazza with my book, Get a cup of great coffee and a snack from the International Cafe and enjoy the atmosphere. This is a great ship with plenty of room and lots to do. Enjoy yourself on a great ship with a great cruise line.

[Clutterlady]

Sailing on the Caribbean Princess for the 4th time. Love that ship! It's like coming home to us. Enjoy, you won't be disappointed:)

[thenipster]

We took this cruise last July to the Eastern Caribbean out of Brooklyn and like it so much that we are doing it again on June 4th. We had a balcony on Caribe deck - the largest balconies, half covered and half open. Embarkation was the quickest and easiest of all our cruises, getting off at the end was just as easy. Service was great, food was great, casino was lots of fun thanks to the hostess, Olga (hope she is still on board this year). I really can't think of anything to complain about. You will have a wonderful time!!!

 

Gary and Lynne

[philv]

Just sailed on CB in March out of San Juan. 3rd time on this ship. I've never sailed on another line so I can't give direct comparison but I love this ship! It's so impressive to look at. I've never exhausted the things to do and actually want itineraries with more at sea days so I have more time to enjoy ship. You will enjoy.

[wilfros]

You will love Caribbean Princess, we sure did.

 

I have a 3D blog (see in my signature for the link) and you might get a feel for the ship.

 

Any questions let me know (on the blog) and I will gladly answer them. I am just about finished the section about Caribbean Princess then I will be moving on to Carnival Pride.

 

Hope this helps

[6pack]

9 cruises under our belt: an old Carnival one, 7 Royal Caribbean, 1 Celebrity. Trying Caribbean Princess out of NYC in August because it fits our schedule best.

 

So, what can you tell me about the ship? Or, for that matter, about Princess? I've read a number of reviews on the CP, and have perused these boards, but being a lazy individual, I thought I'd let the comments come to me instead of searching for them:rolleyes:.

 

Any comments positive or negative are welcome. And, if it makes a difference, it'll be myself (57) and DW. Thanks in advance.

 

We sailed on her in the summer of 2008 out of New York. Although it was full it did not feel crowded at all. Overall a great ship.

 

http://sixpack.smugmug.com/Vacation/2008-New-York-and-Caribbean/DSC4570/341240948_4GAdB-XL-1.jpg

[BettyCruiser]

One thing I like about the newer Princess ships is the large open closet area, lots of storage space:)

[NJRonbo]

Sailed Caribbean Princess shortly after it came out of drydock two years ago. It is my favorite Princess ship thus far (though I am trying The Crown in 2 weeks and I hear that's a pretty awesome ship too).

 

You will not be disappointed in her.

[wilfros]

we sailed on her in the summer of 2008 out of new york. Although it was full it did not feel crowded at all. Overall a great ship.

 

http://sixpack.smugmug.com/vacation/2008-new-york-and-caribbean/dsc4570/341240948_4gadb-xl-1.jpg

beautiful photo

[Lancer1568]

9 cruises under our belt: an old Carnival one, 7 Royal Caribbean, 1 Celebrity. Trying Caribbean Princess out of NYC in August because it fits our schedule best.

 

So, what can you tell me about the ship? Or, for that matter, about Princess? I've read a number of reviews on the CP, and have perused these boards, but being a lazy individual, I thought I'd let the comments come to me instead of searching for them:rolleyes:.

 

Any comments positive or negative are welcome. And, if it makes a difference, it'll be myself (57) and DW. Thanks in advance.

My dad and I went on the cruise out of New York in October 2010 and had a wonderful time. He is 87 and I am 55. Loved the ship and the ports. Had read everything i could find on cruise critic about princess and the caribbean Princess specifically and found quite a few reviews that complained about the ship being overcrowded. We had ZERO problems with crowds. Always found seats in the buffet when we went there. We ate in the Main Dining Room the first night but the second night was a formal night and although we had brought our suits, we did not feel like dressing up, so we ate the buffet for dinner. The buffet was so good we never went back to the Dining room and ate the buffet every night. The International Cafe in the Plaza area is a great spot for a snack, they have those little fruit tarts that are addictive. Staff was great. Just can't say enough good things about ship. Have a great time.

[Sanz]

We were on the CB out of NY (9 days E.Carib) before it was refurbished and on the Crown out of NY (9 days E. Carib) which has the amenities added to the CB. We will be on the CB again this August (for 7 days New England/Canada- would have loved the 9 days but like you Kicker our schedule didn't permit it). We really enjoyed cruising on her. If you attend the Captain's cocktail party my subjective taste says skip the passed hors d'oeurvres and go to the International Cafe, located right by the Piazza on Deck 5, where the party takes place. Sample the cheeses and perhaps another offering or two. We like the one level MDR's. It feels less crowded than two levels.

[kicker]

I love Cruise Critic because of the hundreds of helpful cruisers on here - its the best Crusing Site I've found.

 

Thanks to everyone who's given comments (the few minor negative ones are appreciated as much as the positives).

 

And special thanks to Wilfros (see Post #12 if you haven't already). Great pics and commentary, and congratulations and continued prayers on beating the Big C.

 

PS: Looking at excursions on the Princess site, and all I get when I hit "Hide Excursions List" is a message that says "Updating Excursions. Please Wait", which has currently been going for 10 minutes. Yesterday I walked away from my computer - came back 2 hrs later and it was still updating. Anyone else try it lately?

[Fore on the Floor]

Would love to give your a detailed, deck by deck review of CB but I am just to lazy.

[Sailfish]

I am going on the Caribbean Princess next year with a group of divers; we have two very comprehensive bolgs with tons of port information and ship details that I recommend you check out. The first one is for the non-divers in the group. The other one is more dive related, but it too has a lot of really good information my non-divers find useful.

 

Both blogs are specific to the Caribbean Princess and non-group members frequent the website all the time, so feel free to stop by.

 

Good luck!

[wilfros]

I am going on the Caribbean Princess next year with a group of divers; we have two very comprehensive bolgs with tons of port information and ship details that I recommend you check out. The first one is for the non-divers in the group. The other one is more dive related, but it too has a lot of really good information my non-divers find useful.

 

Both blogs are specific to the Caribbean Princess and non-group members frequent the website all the time, so feel free to stop by.

 

Good luck!

I don't know how you found them but they are great sites! Thanks

[smoothdancer]

Hey 3D Cruiser!!!

 

I am sailing on the Caribbean Princess in just 2 weeks and went to your blog.... I just loved your blog and the picture you did of the dance girls was awesome!!! I loved the pictures as they were but I did not find instructions on how to view them in 3D... and I looked!! I would love to see them in 3D if I could....

 

Am I missing something on your blog???

Many thanks in any event for posting the link to your blog here... Great job!

[Sailfish]

I don't know how you found them but they are great sites! Thanks

 

Both websites are mine - intended for my group. I update them regularly - thanks for sharing your 3D website - appreciate the link at my non-diver blog! I am always looking for this sort of stuff!

 

Suzi

[hansolosmom]

I am going on the Caribbean Princess next year with a group of divers; we have two very comprehensive bolgs with tons of port information and ship details that I recommend you check out. The first one is for the non-divers in the group. The other one is more dive related, but it too has a lot of really good information my non-divers find useful.

 

Both blogs are specific to the Caribbean Princess and non-group members frequent the website all the time, so feel free to stop by.

 

Good luck!

thank you so much for sharing - the information is awesome for a first timer on the CB