Review of Caribbean Princess 4/23/05-Finally

[sealegs9]

Hi- I finally caught up on things at home and picked up DS from college. Now can write review. I will make several posting over 2 days and give you all the details. I will then post a Princess/Royal Caribbean comparison, from my point of view.

These are just my opinions or the opinions of identified others on our cruise. You may not agree- they are our points of view. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will answer, if I have the info. If not, I'm sure others will join in and answer. I appreciate all the help from everyone on the boards in preparing for our first Princess cruise and I like to "give back" and share information- both fact and opinion.

 

We wre on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises in the past 2 years. See signature. We decided to try Princess for a change of pace. I will say this was the best cruise we had - ever. We're not sure if it was Princess, the ports, the weather, the ship, fellow pax... Just that it was. OK- here are the details:

Hubby, me and 10 year old son, soon to be 11.

FLIGHT TO FLL:

Since 4/23 was busy travel date from NY to FLA (Passover and school vacations), we scored three reasonable flights on Spirit at 6:40AM from LGA. Major airlines charging 3-4x pp. Were bleary eyed arriving to airport at 5AM. Hubby got upset when we gave bags to sky cap who move them from curbside to inside terminal and took them off his cart. He said "spirit, right?" Well, no curbside checkin. Hubby had to drag 3 large suitcases to an area and wait until my son and I reached the front of the line to check in with an agent. It took about 15-20 minutes (at that hour!). Finally, we checked in and toted our checked luggage over to TSA for screening. We then only had our 3 carryons to deal with. We boarded at 6:15 AM and plane left on time. However, screaming infant behind us really bothered my son. I had earplanes on, so the sound was muffled. Then the infant barfed. We couldn't wait to deplane. We just prayed that family wasn't on our ship (they weren't). Things were great the restof the week! Arrived at 9:30AM, found a cab and were at pier by 10:15.

EMBARCATION

Were about 100 or so on line when we arrived. Were line up against wall. About 11AM, staff member handed out Norwalk forms to complete and mentioned boarding delayed until 12noon due to ship late in clearing immigration. Later learned that ship had a CDC inspection at 11AM. That was the delay. At about 12:10, the doors opened and persons with disabilities went inside. We went in about 5 minutes later. We cahtted with groups near us on line and ran into one couple a lot during the cruise- it was fun. Once inside. Waited in Disney-like queue's for a few minutes until the security checkpoints opened. Thenh, the floodgates opened. Went thru security and to Caribe deck line (one person ahead of us). Rep processed paperwork and we were on our way to pictures and gangpalnk -all before 12:30. Note: The impression of my cc the rep took didn't "take" and we received two letters from Princess later in the week to bring down my cc form imprint by 7PM. That was not possible, so I called and they said to bring it down when I get a chance -no problem.

 

CABIN- Caribe C-523. Midship starboard. We loved they way we were directed to our cabin. Cabin was nicely appointed (but no artwork like on Royal Caribbean);large balcony and large closet area. The next part is the only time I stressed on the trip. I opened the refrigerator to place our 2 water bottles in and found half eaten pineapple, melon and 1/2 Margarita. I then noticed tortilla chips ground into the carpet. Was the room ever cleaned??? I tried to page our cabin steward, Elena, but no response. I called the front desk, they noted the issues and said it will be taken care of shortly. Hubby suggested we leave and get lunch, so we did just that. I left a written message for Elena to attend to the dirty items, put the beds together as queens, add egg crate mattress,as requested, and 2 robes, as requested. We returned at 3PM and Elena met us and told us everything was taken care of. We "inspected" the room and it was spotless- thanks Elena! We tipped her $20 and said more will be at the end of the week... Elena said robes not available until Sunday because they were all being washed from the last cruise. We did get the on Sunday afternoon, but we noticed pax on Dolphin had robes on Sat nite (could see onto their balconies). We had 2 upper berths, so only one bed was put down at night. Elena did it. The ladder was placed at the foot of the bed. Not really intrusive. We found the beds with the egg crate comfortable. Elena always brought us whatever we needed- if she had it. On sea days, we got extra pool towels on Deck 15, port side.

I'll post about our first lunch next.

[sealegs9]

"Embarcation Lunch"-We noticed in the Patter that lunch was served in the Coral DR. Went there and were told it was closed for a private function and to use the Horizon Court. We trekked up to 15 and found it the typical embarcation lunch. I took a large plate opf salad and sm plate of fresh fruit- melons, pineapple, etc. Was in heaven. Tried the iced tea. Read on boards it's from a syrup, not fresh. Confirmed- from a syrup. I did not care for it, but my son loved it. That's what's great about this world- everyone likes different things. I took a nice tall glass of ice water- perfect. Son and hubby had carved turkey and loved it. Some of the hot seafood casseroles smelled funky, so did not try them. Both guys liked the desserts they had. We had to try the coffee- after reading about it on various threads. Another confirmation (from our asst waitress at nite). The coffee is reconstituted syrup, not fresh brewed. A step above instant. It depends in which venue you are served the coffee how it will taste. Some "mixers"(people) are better than others. (I wonder if there is a cruise ship position- coffee reconstitutor or coffee diluter). The first cup in Horizon Court was ok- tasted like "coffee milk" a drink from Rhode Island. I put milk in my coffee. Don't know what it was like black, though. On subsequent visits to Horizon and Caribe, the coffee was tasteless and I don't think it had caffeine, because I did not get my usual caffeine buzz.

 

Tour of Ship

Our family tradition is to tour the ship (on our own) after our embarcation lunch. There was an organized ship tour at 2:45 beginning in Skywalker's, but we did it on our own. We hit the kid's program first, which looked nice enough. About 6 Play Station computers and various spaces for Arts and Crafts and active games. This was the 8-12 age group area. I did not look at the 3-7 area nor the teen area. Next, we went outside, aft and looked at the aft pool and the many levels (3) above it. Beautiful view and area. Remembered to go back for a drink. Then we went to the famous MUTS /Calypso pool area and on to Neptune's reef. Couldn't resist trying the pizza. We shared a slice. The best ship's pizza we ever had -and they use real pizza ovens. Always regular cheese pizza and a special with toppings each day. There was also a grill for burgers, dogs, grilled chix, ff's. Did not try then- tried later in week. Very good. Never made it to forward of ship. Went downstairs to check on our room (see last post). We then continued to Promenade deck and below. By that time, almost muster, so went back to room for lifejackets.

Muster

Great- was indoors in Explorer's lounge. CD staff member warmed up crowd and briefed us on upcoming activities. Then spent a few minutes on safety and we tried on our lifejackets.

 

Will post again on sailaway and beyond.

[sealegs9]

Sail Away

Sail away delayed to wait for a few pax on Princess Air. Hubby & I went to Outrigger's Bar in aft. He purchased the soda card with souvenier cup for about $27 plus tip. Much less than on RCCL. Also bought our 1st drinks- mine a 24K Margarita in one of those tall plastic souvenier cups and hubby the drink of the day. We also got some seafood - lobster claws, king crab legs and shrimp (all cold) from the Horizon Court. Just had a few bites since dinner is at 6PM and it was after 5. Sat and watched the Century and Jewel pull out of port. By the time the ship left, we were on our way to the DR for dinner.

Dining Room

Early seating in Island Dining room. Excellent waitstaff- Karina from Mexico and Judy from Portugal. Both are the ultimate professionals and very friendly. They are a great team- if you need something, they will make sure you get it - even if it's not their assigned function. They told us later in the week that they enjoy teaming up. This was Karina's first day on the CB, and you would never know it. She was on the Island Princess and moved over to CB to be with her hubby- how romantic! I can't rave enough about both Karina and Judy. I'm on Weight Watchers (lost 1.8 lbs on cruise - and stopped counting the 2nd day) and told Karina up front. Told her I preferred lo-cal items and dressing on the side. Also told her about son's fresh fruit and veggie allergy and she always told us ingredients of each dish. Hubby eats everything - she and Judy gladly brought him mulitple entrees, appetizers, desserts, etc to try. They knew we decided to collect the pretty cordial glasses (set of 4- different colors)- so they flagged down the cordial waiter every night.

Food was very good to excellent, depending on the dish. A notch above RCCL- especially the shrimp cocktail. We had a table for 7 which was vacant the first 2 nights, except for us. Then 2 pleasant couples (retired) joined us for the remainder. We ate in the DR 5 of 7 nights- went to Sabbatini's and Sterling's the other nights. See separate section. The dessert I had on the 1st night was the best on the cruise- an angel food cake with a light fruity cream filling. Just right. Coffee was good. Judy informed us the coffee mixer (reconstitutor) in the Island DR is the best on the ship (see prior post). I always had 2 cups.

Entertainment

Went to 8:30 show- arrived at 8:05 and only a few seats left. Combo of a short production number from Princess entertainers and a comedian, Steve Morris. Production number was ok. IMHO, we enjoyed the production numbers on RCCL better. Steve Morris told a lot of toilet jokes that got laughs from the seniors in the audience. It was not our kind of humor. Not that he was bad- just not our preference. He had a show on another night and we did not go. Some of our CC group did go and said he was very funny and nothing like the first night. So- don't write him off- give it a try. BTW- it was Bert Stratton's vacation, and I heard we really missed out. Maybe next time. We then went up to MUTS to see it in the dark. Tina Turner concert was on. It's an experience! We were so tired from getting up at 3:30AM, that we went to the cabin and to sleep. Forgot to mention- we got our luggage at 3PM and unpacked by 3:30. Plenty of storage on the shelves in closet area and in the drawers in the rooms. Suitcases fit under the bed.

Stay tuned for 1st sea day.

[sealegs9]

Woke up at 8AM and went to Coral Dining Room for breakfast. Seated at a private table for 4 (3 of us). Great service. Roving bread trays with croissants, muffins, danish, donuts, sweet breads...Hubby took one of each. I passed- did not want to use up my WW points! I had stewed figs (delicious- remember from my childhood) and eggs benedict without the Hollandaise sauce. Gave hubby the 2nd one. Delicious. Coffe was ok. Waiter brought me skim milk for coffee. I also had some honeydew-very good. Son and hubby had oatmeal-great. Son had pancakes- great. Hubby had eggs and enjoyed.

 

Son & I went to the library to take out books for the week. Lisa, an asst CD was on duty. She is sooo friendly (rumor has it she's engaged to the CD, James Lay). She helped my son find a Star Wars book. I took out some Caribbean books to research river tubing excursions in Jamaica for our next cruise and to read about some other islands. Books are due back Friday afternoon. Later on during the cruise, Lisa kept remembering my son as the boy with the Star Wars book and asked how he likes it.

 

I then accompanied our son to the 8-12 year old kid's program. We registered him the previous night and chose the option that he can sign in and out on his own. Not a problem- he always found us or we found him in the cabin. He signed in and was there all morning, until noon. The 8-12 program runs 10-12, 2-5 and 7-10 on sea days and evenings on port days. They do have an option to watch kids ages 3-12 on port days- you have to sign up a few days in advance. They also offer kid's dinners on formal nights; you have to sign up a day or so in advance, too. My son chose not to go, so have no feedback. The patter says they go to the Horizon Court and get burgers, hot dogs, pizza...kid food. Our son enjoyed the program when he went (about 4 or 5 sessions) they did arts and crafts, played group games- Pictionary, Charades, Name Games and some sports activities. On Wed night, MUTS was reserved for the 8-12 group and they saw the Incredibles, complete with blankets, popcorn and soda. He really enjoyed that. He met kids from all over the country.

 

Hubby and I went to Ballroom Dancing lessons to learn the swing -in Club Fusion. James, the CD was the instructor, along with Tilly. We had so much fun. There were about 50 people there. Hubby has 2 left feet and James was patient and got him on track. What a workout!

 

I then did some power-walking on the jogging track- all the way aft- I think Deck 17 - by the sports court. First time in that part of the ship. Plugged in my i-pod shuffle and walked 1 1/2 miles. It was noon by then, hot, sunny and son waiting for me in cabin.

Ate lunch in Coral Dining room - again table for 4. Great service. Had a cobb salad made to order and dressing on the side - delicious. Took a tase of ice cream of the day - great - and had many glasses of water.

 

Off to our Meet N Mingle for our CC group. I arranged it at Skywalkers at 2PM with a no-host bar. We had a teriffic time- about 35-40 folks showed up . Great bar service. I took some pics -but then the 24K Margarita kicked in, so I put the camera away. Great to put names to faces- we talked to many during the week.

 

M&M ended about 3 and leisurely went to Afternoon Tea. Had to choose between horse racing and tea. Tea won out because we booked wine tastings on the other two sea days at tea time. Finger sandwiches, mini pastry and scones were served. Waiters kept circling with never-ending trays. Everything I tasted was great. I ate the whol mini-scone- it was so good! Only took a taste of the others. Hubby ate everything and had seconds on his favorites. Had 3 cups of tea- delicious. Nice background music playing. We enjoyed tea with fellow cc'rs.

Dinner was formal night- we dressed up and had a great meal. Since I was celebrating my 50th, Karina and Judy brought me a special dessert with a candle. Eduoardo, our Maitre'D joined in with a few others in serenading me. I ordered the Princess Dream for dessert (to share with son), since the chocolate b-day cake/mousse wasn't worth the calories. The Princess Dream was- heart shaped choc mousse- delicious- and I'm not a chocolate lover. I ate about 1/4 of it. We also ordered a bottleof wine- Frog's Leap Zinfandel -excellent. We are Calif wine freaks, and Princess' selection and prices hands down better than RCCL. We had 1/2 the bottle and Judy put it away for the following night. We also tried the cappucino ($1.75). It was freshly ground, so tasted more like coffee. Another great dinner. I had a seaffod dish and hubby had filet mignon. Son had the always dining sirloin -it was great.

[cindyscruise]

Enjoying your review. Can't wait till sea day

[sealegs9]

Cindy- notice you're on VOS in June- Bermuda or Western Caribbean? If Western, see my review on the reviews portion of this site from 8/04. We're on it again this August to Western- same itinerary. Way different experience than Princess, but enjoy it,too. If you're on Bermuda cruise, please post feedback when you get back. Thanx

[sealegs9]

After dinner, did formal nite photos - right after, Captain Romano appeared along with cruise staff - a real charming fellow as other posters mentioned. Went to 70's night trivia in Club Fusion - only about 15-20 pax there- still had fun guessing answers. We then danced with the CD staff to 70's music (we're really 60's music fans..) and then 10:30 Magic Show by Murray in Explorer's lounge. Entertaining. Then off to bed for 2nd sea day.

 

Second Sea Day- Monday

Breakfast in Coral DR again- table for 4 excellent service. This time bagel and lox- ended up having it every AM for remainer of cruise- delicious. Also shared oatmeal w/ hubby - delicious. Had melon to start -very good.

Son went to kid's program for AM - planned to meet at noon to go for a swim before lunch. I found a lounge by Neptune pool in near shade. Ended up chatting with acouple formerly from Long Island. They attended the Passover seder the night before- and boy did I get the scoop. I applaud Princess for having a Passover Service and seder. They actually had a rabbi on the cruise- Rabbi Otto Decker. I'm told the seder service was very good. The meal- oy vay- and that's from 4 different couples (in their 70's) who attended. Princess sent up the wrong soup- instead of matzoh ball, it was meatball- :) Just have to laugh -they tried. Also- the chicken was lousy- just like a bad jewish cook - lol. That's ok- those who didn't like the ffod walked over to the Caribe Cafe and indulged in the seafood buffet- lobster tails...For those who are not jewish, shellfish is not kosher and even if you are not kosher, very few jews serve shellfish at a seder- more like chicken, turkey, brisket....

12PM- son and I changed for pool (left my stuff on lounger for 15 min- guess I'm not a chair hog). He swam and I showered outside. Son and hubby went to lunch in DR and loved it. I got a slice of pizza and ate at my chair. The got some fruit and more water from horizon court and set for lunch.

3PM- First Wine Tasting :) - Elegant- in Island Dining Room. Had 6 glasses set for us and fruit, cheese and cracker assortment. The maitre'ds who conducted it were enjoyable. They told stories, etc. We are wine afficianados and still learned something (the winetastings on RCCL are a joke- the cheapest swill - we get for free since we're Platinum on RCCL, so we do it for fun). We actually found a New Zealand white we liked at the tasting- Nobilo Fume/Sauvignon Blanc. We bought a bottle when we got home! The tasting cost $9.50, but Platinum and Elite were free (were told that by elite members at our tasting table). Worth the $ for the wine, food and entertainment. To close the tasting, a Chinese waiter sang a lovely aria!

Dinner- Caribbean night. Finally met our tablemates. Two nice couples who are retired. I forgot what I ate- but had a great dinner. Went to 8:30 show of Let's Rock. Scored the last seats in the house. We did not care for the show (our opinions only), so we left after 15 min and freed up our seats for others. Went to the 50's dance nite in Club Fusion. Had a few more people than 70's nite- had fun dancing off all the food we ate. CD staff dressed up and did some corny stuff, including an Elvis contest. We left after that to spy our first cruise pics. TIP- each time you find your pix, ask the photo staff to hold them. Then on the last night, choose the ones you want. Went back to room to "pack up" for St. Thomas excursion. Ordered room service for next AM to get an early start.

[sealegs9]

St Thomas-

Booked Godfrey Tour for 10AM- see Ports of Call section for info. $20pp for transport to town to shop, 2 hour tour and 2 hour beach. Well worth it. Had coffee, fruit and croissants on balcony via room service. Hot food not listed and didn't try writing it in. Finished early, so we went up to Horizon court for more coffee and to fill up water bottles for the day. Ended up eating a bagel and lox. Hubby and son had more food, too. Good thing -we didn't eat lunch until we were back on board.

Were off ship by 9:15. Godfrey already left from his 9AM pickup, so we went across to Havensight mall for 1/2 hour. Browsed in a few clothing shops and headed for Godfrey's meeting place. Were met by one of his associates and proceeded to pick up others at RCCL Navigator before being dropped in town. We went to Royal Caribbean jewelry shop (not affiliated with cruiseline) and hubby bought me my 50th b-day gift- a gold plated movado w/ mother of pearl dial and diamonds. Got a better price than we shopped for in the states. We purchased another Movado in Montego Bay last summer at their sister shop, Royal Shop and got a very good deal there. We wanted to go to a shop that offered official Movado warranty. Excellent service. For your video kids: there is a store on Tvaer Gaade called "Mickey Mania" that sells video games. Since there was no arcade on the ship, w epromised our son a video game at a port, if we found one. He went on the internet before the trip and found the store! It was also listed in some literature we sent for from the USVI tourist bureau. My hubby had to "bargain" to get it for US retail. It was an Incredibles Game Boy advance game. We also ran up the hill to the Synagogue. We lucked out. The rabbi was there and just began his talk and tour. He is so eloquent and we learned so much about the Jewish settlers in the Caribbean. The synagogue building is beautiful. We had to run out just as he concluded to meet up with Godfrey for the tour. You should have seen us "running" down the hill to the meeting place. We were about 5 min late and the last ones on board. We apologized to all and boarded one of the 3 open air vechicls. Each held about 35 or so people. Godfrey wound his way up a high mountain and stopped several times to explain what we were looking at and history. We stopped at "Mountaintop" for pictures, a pit stop in a filthy restroom and hubby and I shared the famous Banana Daquiri. It was ok. We didn't finish it- too strong. Godfrey took us to Drake's seat and overlooking Magen's Bay- beautiful. We also learned that there is no public water supply and people have cisterns to store water. After the tour, we had a choice of beaches- Magen's Bay, Coki or Sapphire. We opted for Sapphire, since I work with someone from St.Thomas and she said Coki was kind of run down (the beach part, not the water). All the chairs were already rented at Sapphire by the time we arrived. Luckilly, people were leaving and offered us their chairs. Son and I went in the water and I gave him a snorkeling lesson. We saw a few sea creatures close to shore. I swam out by the reef and saw some interesting fish. We then relaxed in the chairs and made friends with the resident gecko. We took picture of him/her with our son. It was cool. We boarded Godfrey's vehicle and got back to the ship at 4:30. We were starved. Went to the pool area - I had my pizza fix and hubby & son a variety from the grill- burgers, chicken and hot dogs and fries. I had the Strawberry Daquiri drink of the day. It was weak, but that's how I like it. Ask for small size if you want it. I didn't and kep on getting large sizes. Too many WW points- only drank 1/3 and gave rest to hubby.

We all showered and dressed for 6:00 Sabbatini's. We were 10 min late and they called the room. We bolted down the stairs! Sabbatini's was wonderful. Come hungry. They serve you everything on the menu -except the entree- you get one choice. I had lobster tail and seafood on skewer. Delicious. Son had chicken with a light brown sauce and hubby the veal chop. Wonderful. Son left before dessert for kid's program and we enjoyed a leisurely dessert of coffee and choc cake (2 bites). We realy left stuffed. Went to Explorer's lounge for comedian Phil Tag- SRO and we stood! He was the best! So funny- cruise jokes we've never heard before! original material and great ad-libber. We met him after the show (passed by) and told him how great he is. I ended up seeing his 11PM show again, just to laugh. Son and hubby stayed in room. I ended up buying his CD and had it dedicated to our son. Got back and packed up for our next day's excursion.

[sealegs9]

St. Maarten

Booked Lord Sheffield pirate ship sailing excursion on our own. See Ports of Call section. Wanted to shop in town before 10:45 excursion. Quick bite in Horizon court and off ship by 9AM. Very loonng walk off pier and to taxi stand. Taxis going to beach. Had to wait 10 min for one going in town. Got to town and made a beeline to the Yoda Guy's shop. Son is a Star Wars fan and wanted to meet Nick Malley and buy Star Wars prints. We arrived at the shop and were informed that Nick's mom passed away and he was in England for the funeral. Our son understood. We purchased a Yoda print and a collage of Star Wars script portion and other stuff. We filled out a post card for Nick to personalize and send to our son. Still waiting for it to arrive. We also purchased two of his pastel prints of the Caribbean for our dining room. Need to find the time to get them framed. Then went to some jewelry stores to look for Australian Opal jewelry and seashell gold jewelry (I collect that). Noticed the time- 10:30- had 15 min left- decided not to bargain w/ jewelers and grabbed a cab to Lord Sheffield. Got there at 10:45 sharp. It turns out this was the toddler excursion that day. Usually it's older kids, teens and adults. One group from the Navigator monopolized the boat and were not friendly. The others were fine. We even met a family from Queens we spoke to on the tour. What got me was that the large group was very late- they sent one woman ahead so the boat wouldn't leave and we had to wait for them to all arrive. Quite rude and did not apologize. It told the woman she saved hubby $1000- if I knew they were going to be late, may have bought a trinket or two at the jewelry store. The excursion was nice and so was the crew. Served us cold drinks as we boarded and Capt Rob made these great ribs. Also cheese and crackers and fresh fruit -melons/pineapple on the way back. We docked off a private beach on the French Side and jumped in to snorkel for about 1/2 hour. I did not see much, but the cool water felt good. We were back to shore by 3:45. Had to be back on ship at 4:30. Walked about 1/2 mile to pier and browsed in jewelry shops. At the last one hit paydirt- found a gold bracelet with a stingray with inlaid Australian opal. Bought matching earrings and got a good price- and free sodas. Made it back to the ship by 4:30 on the dot. Still waiting for pax at 4:55- heard pax paged by captain's staff then. Hubby and I went to the adult only pool by the spa. It has a reverse current and liked swimming against it and then being "pushed" by the current. We showered by the spa and dressed for dinner at 6:30 in Sterlings. Wonderful food at Sterlings- son and I had Filet Mignon- delicious- better quality than dining room (and that's not bad) not as good as Peter Lugers, but can match any other great steakhouse stateside. Hubby had porterhouse and loved it. Started with shrimp cocktail- the largest shrimp I've ever seen and delicious. Oh- forgot to mention wine we had in Sabbatinis- Cuvaison Chardonnay- excellent. We had it saved for Thurs is dining room. Had a simple,light Beringer white zin at Sterlings- we both did not want a heavy wine. Had caesar salad- great. Highly recommend Sterlings at $15pp.

Got our nights mixed up -Phil Tag was this night -see last posting . Last night (Tuesday)we went to the Explorer's lounge and listened to Robert Smith. We spoke to him- he's a fill in - I guess one of the replacements while Bert is on vacation. Anyway, he has a wonderful acapella voice. There were only 15-20 in the room, and he was taking requests- did a great Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Billy Ocean and others. Did a great slow version of the Electric Slide. He is the best "singer" on the ship! IMHO, we did not care for the show bands- and there were 3 or 4 of them. We listened and danced, but not great music like Mr. Smith! We found his CD in the gift shop/liquor store on the last night and bought it! After that we went up to the pool deck for the Caribbean party. Had fun dancing and loved the waiters bring around silver trays of finger food. Did not eat any, but it was nice to look at. Danced off dinner (or at least part of it). Hubby and son left for a while to watch "Hard Days Night" at MUTS, next door.

[cruzinchris]

Sealegs9,

I've enjoyed your review and look forward to reading more about your recent cruise. DH and I can't wait to go back on the Caribbean Princess next January, a year after our first voyage on this magnificent ship.

 

I especially like your wine commentary and can "taste" each of those fine wines you mentioned. Our favorite on Princess is the Kenwood Jack London Cabernet. I hope you enjoyed this one! We like it better than the Opus One that's offered at the second wine tasting - really!

Chris

[sealegs9]

Chris- Thanks for the feedback.

The Kenwood Jack London was great with food. Our favorite was the Luce della Vite Montalcino (at $69/bottle). We liked both better than the Mondavi Reserve Cab- 1998 -seemed to not be stored too well :rolleyes: was turning. I'm about to write about the last sea day, including the wine tasting.

[sealegs9]

Thursday- Last Sea Day

We ordered room service for 8:30 and slept in. Had fruit, cold cereal and pastries. Ate out on the balcony, enjoying the view. We usually spend a lot of time on the balcony. I like to read there in the early AM with a cup of coffee and relax with a glass of wine before dinner. We had a large balcony on the Caribe deck - twice as long as other balconies. Part covered, part open. If we sat in the covered part, others could not see in. If we were in the open part, others can look down and up at us. That didn't bother us. What did was the inordinate number of smokers surrounding our cabin. We never had that proble on Royal Caribbean ships. Voyager class balconies are carved out of the steel hull and hard for smoke to get around- also had an aft Junior suite- kind of private. On the Serenade, were on lowest balcony deck (7) and did not have somkers in the vicinity. The balconies on Princess are not solid- the dividers are in sections and you can actually look through the seams onto the balconies on either side. Also, smoke drifted from above and below. I always managed to be out there when there was heavy smoke. In fact, one afternoon, someone was smoking a cigar -ugh. All 3 of us have asthma, and the smoke irritates us, plus, cigarette/cigar/pipe smoke interferes with my enjoyment of wine -can not smell the aroma/bouquet.

Did not spend much time on the balcony - only between smokes :) . What also bothered me is that there were heavy smokers on either side of us and above. The rooms are not insulated well. On two mornings, I smelled cigarette smoke when looking out the balcony window (with the door closed). Next cruise, we booked on Aloha deck. This way, will only get side to side smoke, if any and not above and below.

Back to Thursday- I packed up and headed for the pool to score a chair- at 9:45AM. Hubby and son went to Horizon Court for more food. Found a lounge chair in the sun and moved it to empty spot in shade- the last one in the row. I didn't want to block anyone. Well, 10 minutes later, 4 people moved lounge chairs next to me and virtually blocked egress from the grill area to the pool. A half hour later, 4 women moved chairs from the outdoor tables in front of the four next to me. They blocked people coming down the stairs from the deck above. I'm surprised the pool attendants did not ask them to move. It was a safety hazard. A woman in a motorized scooter was sitting in front of them (she was there first) she had no way to leave. Others had to move their loungers so she could get out. I just snickered to myself. Wonder what would have happened if someone yelled fire... :rolleyes: I guess cruises bring out all types. Anyway, enjoyed relaxing and catching up on my reading -too active the last few days. Pool band started up at noon and then went to lunch in DR at 12:30. Great service and food again. Another table for 4. Went back to my lounge chair (only gone 25 min - the 4 next to me left at 11:30 and still weren't back until 1:30). Too noisy to read- had pool games- so sat and watched from a distance. Went back to room at 2:30 to change for Maitre "D wine tasting ($25pp). It's chilly in the DR during the day- so put on light slacks and a shirt. As we entered, handed a glass of Veuve Clicquot -delicious. We were seated with 2 other couples and tons of glasses. We also had a lovely tray of Canapes to pair with each wine. The various Maitre'Ds told us which wine is paired with each item. Tasted 5 additional wines. Loved the Cuvaison Chardonnay, which we had in Sabbatinis. Also loved an italian red- Luce della Vite Montalcino. The others were very good, but these were our favorites. Our asst waitress, Judy was working the tasting. She's the one who handed us the sparkling wine upon entry and kept checking on us throughout the tasting. We told her about the half bottle of Cuvaison left over from Sabbatinis- she said she'd locate it and have it for us at dinner. The Chinese waiter sang another aria at the end- beautiful voice. The canapes were delicious. Passed on the steak tartare, though (for health reasons). At the end, all waiters tried to sell us a 4 pack of fine wines for $199. Really a sell job. We declined since we flew down and didn't want to carry wine. We usually bring wine onboard RCCL since their selections is not as good and markup in the stratosphere. In fact, we bought some of the wines from the tasting the other day to bring on our August '05 Voyager cruise (driving to the port).

Second formal nite- dressed and ran down to DR at 6PM. Tablemates there and we chatted. Besides the Sabbatini's meal, this is the only meal I felt stuffed- Karina and Judy brought everyone an extra order of lobster tails- that's 24 lobster tails for the 6 adults at the table. Son ate chateaubriand or was it beef wellington- whatever. He loved it. Karina and Judy brought out more desserts than we ordered so we could taste more. She brought my son and I a Princess Dream- even though we were stuffed. I was really uncomfortably stuffed!!! I had already decided to write a special comment card to nominate both Judy and Karina for special employee (forgot the title- cards are at purser's desk). They explained that they get in trouble if not rated excellent because excellent means better than good. It's also explianed on the ship's video. They also mentioned that if they sell a lot of wine and get all excellent ratings that week they don't get more $, but time off. Time off to cruise ship employees is like gold. They work such long hours. Karina got good enough ratings to have mornings and afternoons off the next sailing and only work dinners. Judy was free during the day our week, except for the wine tasting. They really appreciate the comments (vs liking the service and not commenting)- that gets them the time off. We never knew that perk and don't know if it's unique to Princess. I'll ask the staff on RCCL this summer.

OK- after rolling out of the DR, went to Explorer's lounge for Comedian Troy Thirdgill. He was funny. He plays a lot of college campusus, so had some college humor. Since other son is a freshman in college, we thought the jokes quite on point -and funny. Then went to Club Fusion for the Marriage show. Boring- RCCL does it better- but we got to relax and finish digesting dinner. Gathered up more pictures on way out to have put aside for Friday. We went to Atrium Lobby since our favorite singer was in the Atrium lounge prior to Champagne Waterfall. He was not scheduled to sing, just play background piano music. He is still great! Watched Maitre'D's setting up champagne waterfall. We were excited- don't do it on RCCL. Hubby and son went upstairs as the first of the champagne was pured. All the ladies were then invited to "pour" champagne on the waterfall. It was a great photo-op for the videographer. We bought the DVD because my son said he saw me pouring the champagne on the preview video. CD staff was dancing in the atrium and so were waitstaff. I ran into Karina and a CC frien and we chatted and danced. Then went back to room and to sleep.

[sealegs9]

Friday- Princess Cays

We were up early, so went to Coral DR for Breakfast. Table for 4. Unfortunately, had the one waiter on the ship not up to par. We noticed him at lunch the day before- laughing and joking from across the room. He would not stop giggling and served us our food all out of order (bagel and lox first, then oatmeal before melon). Gave us cream instead of skim milk... Also service was slow. We ended up leaving DR after 9AM. Wanted to be out by 8:30 to get tender to PC at 9AM. Went back to cabin to gather beach stuff and then to Princess theater to wait for tender. This is so much more civilized than queueing up on the stairwells and sweating in the heat. Only waited 5-10 minutes in the theater then off to the tender. We got to PC about 10:15. We pre-booked a cabana back in Feb. By the time we got there, most were taken. We found one but had to wait 25 min for an attendant to cut the tie and set it up. PC is beautiful. Princess did a great job in rebuilding after the Hurricane(s) leveled it. Tried to rent a float, but all sold out. The couple in the next cabana heard our son grousing (he wanted the float). They offered us theirs since they were done for the day. We graciously accepted. Spent the next hour in the water with my son. Hubby took pictures. He was on the float and I swam. Water was cold, but refreshing. Temp. only in high 70's. We then went to the buffet. Burgers, ribs, chicken, salad (lettuce and tomato), coleslaw, beans and the best- freshly carved fresh fruit- melons and pineapple. Staff was carving right before your eyes- couldn't get any fresher. Had 2 bites of burger, 1 rib and dove into the fruit. We also got a drink of the day- some pink/orange thing- watered down but good. Again, did not know to ask for small, so got this huge glass. Hubby helped finish. I will say prices for drinks were reasonable- only $4.95 for the large one (3.95 for small) -much less than RCCL. So always ended up buying a large and sharing w/hubby instead of two small.

Went back to the cabana and read for a while. Had to get back to ship by 2:30 as I booked a spa treatment- coundn't resist the u pick 2 $89 special. After a sad goodbye to PC, left our cabana at 2PM and went over to the craft area ran by the locals. Son found a spiderman t-shirt for $4 (Spiderman in the Bahamas) and bought hubby a carved mahogany mortar and pestle for $8 (he's a pharmacist). I tried to bargain but they wouldn't. I still think we got a good deal. Headed over to the tender line- looked long, but got on the first tender to arrive and back to ship at 2:20. Ran up to the Lotus spa to relax. For thos of you who haven't read, Princess no longer runs the spa; it's run by Steiner. I had a mini massage and mini facial. Both great and relaxing. It would be more peaceful if the basketball court wasn't directly above the treatment room (I figured our what the thumping was when my mask was drying and I was relaxing). After the treatments, I used the thermal suite- heaven -relaxed there until 5:15, then showered in the spa and ran back to cabin to throw on pants and top for dinner. Tip nite- gave Karina and Judy xtra $ -they deserved it. I think I had turkey that night nd know I had baked alaska for dessert, after the Baked alaska parade. Judy carried one and got a great picture of Judy and Karina with the Baked Alaska. We said our "see you again soons" and ran back to cabin to pack. Princess recommends having all luggage out by 5PM. Hubby didn't read that. I assumed he was packing when I was in the spa.. so- had to throw everything into suitcases- Pronto. Our son and I left to see the farewell show- Troy Threadgill again and Kimika again ,which we did not see on a prior night. It was SRO, but 2 people left mid-show, so we sat down. Troy was good and so was Kimika- a husband and wife- part comedic, part music. Went to Jeopardy- in Club Fusion -pretty lame. Mew up w/ hubby (finished packing) in photo shop and we chose our pix, used our coupon and bought the DVD. Went to gift shops and bought our last round of clothing and souveniers. Hubby found 2 Nautica ties for $24.99ea. I bought a Princess T with margarita glasses on it and rinestones. Bought DS a hat and tee shirts. Also bought a pocketbook on sale a few days before. Bought SIL a Swavrosky butterfly. Also bought Channel perfume (Allure) about $5 cheaper than in the states and no tax.

Went up to MUTS to see Rocky Horror Picture Show at 11PM. Wanted one more slice of pizza, but they just closed. Went to caribe cafe for pizza and other snacks. Also got a peach daquiri. Had to eat the last treats before going back to counting points tomorrow. Ran into our table mates and chatted a while. Learned that her DIL works for same agency as I do. Small world. Went back to room, filled out Customs form (under limit :)

Finished packing up carry ons and hit the sack.

Woke up and went to Coral DR for breakfst at 8:15 AM - great service and food. Lingered over our last meal. Went to cabin, grabbed stuff, said bye to Elena and went up to MUTS pool. Nothing on the screen, but love waiting outside. Color called at 10:15, off sip in 5-10 min and found a porter. He got us a cab right away. Others w/o porters were on a long line for cabs. To airport and outside checkin (line) for Spirit. Only ones in front were CC friends on same flight. Flight was 1:30, but delayed due to mechanical problems. Finally left at 3:30 and arrived safely in NY. Best cruise ever.

[cdncruiser09]

Great review,was on the ship the same sailing and had a BLAST! would definately go again.... :D

[Smiles3usa]

Great well-rounded review. Again, thanks for sharing.

[Aquarian]

Great review. Brought back great memories. When you mentioned Robert Smith, I went back to my journal and discovered he sang poolside on our Caribbean Princess cruise. He was terrific. Ironically, we missed Bert Stratton on our cruise also as he was on vacation that week too! By the way, you mentioned research on Jungle River Tubing. http://www.chukkacaribbean.com is a good place to look. We booked that excursion through Princess for Montego Bay. We had lots of fun. Enjoyed your review.

[sealegs9]

Thanks, Aquarian. In doing my research, came up with Chukka Cove tours. It seems as if the ships book through them as their tours are identical to the tubing offered by Princess and Royal Caribbean. You need at least 8 people to book a tour- so I'm biting the bullet and booking with Royal Caribbean on our Voyager cruise. I don't think I can get anything for less thru this agency (and our Meet N Mingle board is not active- only our family is registered for the RCCL M&M on the ship!). I'm glad you recommend it. Our tablemates on last year's Voyager cruise loved the ship's excursion (tubing) also- and it's the same one.

P.S. way OT- we're renting a jeep in Grand Cayman and driving to Rum Point- woo hoo.

 

Let's start a Robert Smith fan club - may become popular like Bert Stratton.

[cindyscruise]

Sealegs9

We were supposed to be on cruise to Bermuda but had to cancel. I just forgot to remove from signature. As time gets closer to June the sadness definitely kicks in. My dh and I spent our honeymoon in Bermuda. Oh well, maybe next summer. Love your review

[Lew's cruise]

Excellent review. I hope my family has as wonderful a time as you seemed to have had. We are sailing April 8, 2006 and we are already looking forward to it.

[sealegs9]

Excellent review. I hope my family has as wonderful a time as you seemed to have had. We are sailing April 8, 2006 and we are already looking forward to it.

Lew, thanks. You don't live in Merrick by any chance, do you? If so - we may know eachother. If you do- post and I'll post my e-mail.

Lonnie

[Lew's cruise]

Don't live in Merrick but do work at Coleman Country. Maybe we do Know each other.

Monarch Sun 8/75

Majesty of the Seas 8/94

Norwegian Dream 4/99

Century 4/00

Galaxy 12/00

Dawn Princess 12/01

Infinity 4/02

Horizon 4/03

Grand Princess 12/03

Constellation 2/05

[lynwar]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in Sept 2004-Hurricane Jeanne week! Anyway, you mentioned that Lisa is engaged to James Lay. Is she the one with the "big" hair? We had James Lay as our cruise director, too=he replaced Graham Seymour. Lisa,I think, had long "curly" hair. She did some trivia in Crooner's Lounge and other things. My husband couldn't get over how much energy James and his staff had during Island Night! They kept "dancing" in that boxing ring type stage over the Aft pool! Did you get a "take" on his age? You've brought back many good memories. Your entertainment was different than ours, however. We had Scott Wylie, Don Wade (who wrote for the Bill Cosby Show). Some fellow roll call gals and I were in the Family Feud game but didn't fare too well. I met a wonderful young couple at the 50's trivia game. He was really into it, but she wasn't old enough to remember the groups.He actually had a Buddy Holly tape CD in his car. He was 34 years old. We didn't get to enjoy Princess Cays due to the hurricane damage but remember it from other cruises. We were last on the Eastern Itinerary in 2001 on the Golden. We took the Ship's tour, and also were taken to the "scenic spots", souvenir shops, and photo ops places overlooking Megan's Bay, but didn't have a beach choice. Our guide was Andrew, and I have a picture of him and me. I fit under his armpits!

The Caribbean P was supposed to have gone East last Sept when we were on it, but a couple of says beforehand we learned that it was diverted West. We ended up delivering supplies to Grand Cayman.

You sound like you had a wonderful time. One of my favorite spots was the Caribe Cafe. We ate up there often, even for the first formal night-informally-and the Palm Dining Room twice-with roll call friends.The 9th day out,arrived in port-we met in the Coral DR but by then we, and the crew, were weary so nothing spectacular, including service. We almost booked her for this Sept. so we could sail with repeat roll call friends from last year, but booked her for Oct. 8 instead. FINALLY, we switched to the Star for Oct.23. Hubby wanted to try a different ship. We've never been on the same one twice.

Thanks again for your review. I felt as if I were back on the ship. One difference is-we can drive to the port, we're about 2 1/2 hours away, and don't have to go through the airport hassle!Also, my final "thrill" of my cruises has been to be up before 5AM to go up to the deck area overlooking the Captain's Bridge--to witness our ship going into port. It's fascinating! I see us cruising up the coast, then we sit waiting for the pilot boat. VERY QUIET! You think you see Ft. Lauderdale straight ahead. No, the ship swings and everything you think is straight ends up being to the right, then the left as you face the 17th St. Bridge. Next time, look for the tall building with the blue light. That is the Bank of America in downtown and it will be left!! When you enter the port, you'll know the cruise is just about over, because that's when the noise begins. Helicopters, airplanes, power plant, vehicles. When one sleeps in, one misses all this, even my DH!! That's when my sadness kicks in. Lynne

[sealegs9]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in Sept 2004-Hurricane Jeanne week! Anyway, you mentioned that Lisa is engaged to James Lay. Is she the one with the "big" hair? We had James Lay as our cruise director, too=he replaced Graham Seymour. Lisa,I think, had long "curly" hair. She did some trivia in Crooner's Lounge and other things.. Lynne

Hi Lynne- That's the same Lisa- the one with the "big hair". Their being engaged may be a rumor started by James himself. Don't know if he was kidding. Their energy level dancing at the evening parties, etc. was incredible. Everyone on the staff was so great. Tht's why we're booked on the Crown next August. Who knows, if we get a good deal, we may be back on the Caribbean Princess before then. BTW- Princess Cays was totally rebuilt- you have to see it! Beautiful.

[kendon]

We appreciate your thorough review and the time it took. We're on the Caribbean in August, can't wait!