CARIBBEAN PRINCESS Jan 11 2014-Photo and video review

[PtownGirlz-NH]

Thank you so much for the idea of the ship mate app! We sail in April and I have just spent the last 15 minutes setting up my new app! AWESOME!!

[Bimmer09]

After our post-tea naps it was time to dress for Formal Night. Coursages and been delivered for this purpose but went unworn. I don't own a tuxedo (but love wearing them) so had packed a dark blue suit and a couple of favorite ties from my vast collection.

 

We had daily invites to the Elite etc cocktail hour up in Skywalkers and after a brief visit there took the night air underneath by the aft pool. (Smoking on Port side just outside the buffet)

 

 

Then off to the Piazza where from the upper deck (#7) we watched a few minutes of the Champagne Fountain pour whilst sipping bubbly from a passing waiter's tray (we sipped from a glass not the actual tray although I have been known to do that). Then Brett Siborne appeared to introduce the Officers and employee of the Month. I videotaped the Captain's speech. Interesting was the fact that other than the Captain and E. O.T Month the officers appeared down on deck 5 instead of up on 6 where Brett was. I know the Captain is a higher ranking officer so I guess he took that literally.

 

All around the Piazza decks were photographers and back-drops taking Formal Portraits so Carol convinced me to have one taken of us. We got in line on deck 7 and watched as the photographer painstakingly arranged the couples in Hallmark poses. Each gentleman's finger had to be just so as he laid his palm on the lady's waist. This way a "natural" pose could be achieved. Carol could sense my eyes rolling back in their sockets and my last mortal breath approaching so when it came our turn- maybe a month had passed in the meantime- she told the guy to simplify things, which he did.

 

As another suite amenity we had the daily MDR menus delivered by Miguel each morning so we could make sure that the MDR was the place for us that evening.

We decided it was and headed off to the Coral dining room (Anytime Dining at the times we eat) for our 8.15 repast...

[Bimmer09]

Thank you so much for the idea of the ship mate app! We sail in April and I have just spent the last 15 minutes setting up my new app! AWESOME!!

 

You might also want to try Cruisecam app which shows the cams on maybe 100 ships (not just Princess) and also has port cams all over the world. For instance at random I just checked on Crystal Serenity which is docked in Honolulu then took a look at the port cam in Nagasaki.

 

By the way the Cunard ships don't tell you where the ship is when you check the webcam.

 

Have I too much time on my hands?

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We had no wait for a table for two for dinner at 8.15 but the table wasn't served well by the overhead lighting. It was dark enough at the table that I had to use my iPhone Flashlight app to read the big menu.

 

I ordered a new bottle of wine as the first one had been drained in Sabs the night before. I stepped up to the next level. A bottle of Estancia for $38 and it did the job nicely.

 

Our waiter was a nice fellow called Marilou from the Philippines.

 

After we had ordered Cindy and Alice came in and sat at the table behind us through pure chance and so we were able to talk to them while we ordered and consumed dishes such as Shrimp Cocktail (always available but tiny shrimp), Fettucini Alfredo, Barramundi for Carol (Princess fish hasn't failed to please yet) and for me roast lamb with mint jelly. Carol had 3 different ice creams, all yummy as I got a sampling of each for dessert while I had a double espresso and Sambuca. I had a coffee card from the Diamond Princess 17 months previous and just paid $7 for the Sambuca. Fine dinner which game us the stamina to walk along the Promenade deck all the way aft to Club Fusion for our first Karaoke experience as we love to hear singing. Cindy along with Alice and Daniel joined us there. Daniel had eaten at the buffet as he didn't feel like dressing up.

 

Club Fusion

 



 

 

 

This was the room we did Muster Drill in

 



 

Art details

 



 



 

 

Often there aren't many participants in the Princess Pop Star Karaoke contest but there were ten sign-ups this first evening and they were all worthy of our applause and encouragement. The sound is clear with taped backing band but there is no reverb on the microphone which would help soften the voice.

 

Everyone at our table likes to sing (bar me as I have no range although I have a good ear-two of them actually which helps) and Alice was enthused enough to want to come back and sign up on another night. Some of the gentlemen sang to their wives which was very moving. I know one had been married to his lady for 50 years and there was a lot of emotion in his voice. So nice to see in the modern Kardashian era. This Giant Redwood of a man was called Randy and moving forward to Embarkation day in Bayport we were alarmed as we were in the snaking line for Customs to see Randy sitting on a chair with Fire Service medics giving him oxygen. We hope that all is well with him as he was a very sweet fellow.

 

There was a very stylish singer-a Texan lady called Barbara who sang Streisand songs with a lot of nuance and care.You could hear an anchor drop while she was caressing a song. There was Rowdy from Las Vegas who looked and sounded like a country singer with a rich voice. He sang a Blake Shelton song on the first night and did a fine job. There was a man who sang New York, New York with great Sinatra-style phrasing and held the last note strong and true to great applause. He had worked the room, making eye contact and was a standout performer. A great show put on by our fellow passengers sharing their talents. The room was packed and rightly so. The compere for the event was a male member of the Cruise Staff from S. America whose name I didn't catch, or caught it and then fumbled it and lost possession.

[Bimmer09]

After a great karaoke show and a brief walk on deck it was time to take the elevator up to Caribe deck.

 

 



 

 

 

I set the phone alarm for 5 a.m again, put the cat out for the night and my head on the pillow and then the lights went out.

[RRFPresident]

Balcony, sheltered from the wind

 



 

 

 

We loved this suite on CB after cruising on this ship through NE and Canada that we booked its mirror image on the other side for the British Isles trip. Love the balcony!

 

I also second the person who spotted their table in your Sabatinni's photos. From your pictures I just realized that like our cabins, we would choose our booth for the duration that were mirror images of each other in the restaurant. It was amazing what a difference we found in the level of service btwn the breakfast staff and the dinnertime staff.

 

Our next trip is on the Regal Princess this summer but it was nice to go back down memory lane with you. Thanks for such a great review!

[Bimmer09]

We loved this suite on CB after cruising on this ship through NE and Canada that we booked its mirror image on the other side for the British Isles trip. Love the balcony!

 

I also second the person who spotted their table in your Sabatinni's photos. From your pictures I just realized that like our cabins, we would choose our booth for the duration that were mirror images of each other in the restaurant. It was amazing what a difference we found in the level of service btwn the breakfast staff and the dinnertime staff.

 

Our next trip is on the Regal Princess this summer but it was nice to go back down memory lane with you. Thanks for such a great review!

 

I think the breakfast staff have a lot less pressure on them as they are only serving suite passengers who get up and eat at different times rather than serve people who book for say 8pm with a show to go to later. The breakfast ambiance is serene and unrushed and such a good way to EASE into another pleasurable day. My morning Sab staff migrated to Crown Grill in the evening and a different staff worked the dinners.

 

Yes the PH balcony is hard to beat. No beams as in the Vista Suites aft and much deeper than the side suites on Riviera Deck. No wind is another great benefit as the stern of the ship is a sheer wall unlike the stepped (and troubled) aft of the Royal Princess.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Norris

[RNGALNG]

If I may butt in about the tea service. . .

 

Suite passengers and elite can have tea brought to their rooms on a daily basis. But others can enjoy tea every day as well in one of the main dining rooms at around 3:30. The service is done with white gloves, almost always too large for the server wearing them. . .The scones with the clotted cream and jellies, small sandwiches, and the tasty desserts are well worth heading to have daily! You do not need to dress up and can even show up in your shorts! I have also seen folks put on cover ups over their swim suits and attend (Not my cup of tea - pun intended!)

 

The service lasts about 30 minutes. On some cruises, I have seen lines of people waiting for the doors to open and then a rush to find the seats they want to have, a small table for two up to the 8 toppers being used.

 

The tea is very hot and a good blend as well. We have found if we miss lunch, we can have tea and still find room for a late dinner. Just depends on how our day went!

 

Do try it out!

 

And now back to Bimmer. . .

[Bimmer09]

If I may butt in about the tea service. . .

 

Suite passengers and elite can have tea brought to their rooms on a daily basis. But others can enjoy tea every day as well in one of the main dining rooms at around 3:30. The service is done with white gloves, almost always too large for the server wearing them. . .The scones with the clotted cream and jellies, small sandwiches, and the tasty desserts are well worth heading to have daily! You do not need to dress up and can even show up in your shorts! I have also seen folks put on cover ups over their swim suits and attend (Not my cup of tea - pun intended!)

 

The service lasts about 30 minutes. On some cruises, I have seen lines of people waiting for the doors to open and then a rush to find the seats they want to have, a small table for two up to the 8 toppers being used.

 

The tea is very hot and a good blend as well. We have found if we miss lunch, we can have tea and still find room for a late dinner. Just depends on how our day went!

 

Do try it out!

 

And now back to Bimmer. . .

 

Thanks RNGALNG! Saved me a lot of typing and it is indeed as you say. it can be a late lunch as there is no limit to how many items you can eat and the tea just keeps coming. Very classy experience indeed. Served 3.30 to 4.30.

 

Norris

[wineforhealth]

Norris

 

Still loving the review, you have really covered the ship, it shows how much you enjoy the experience of cruising and travel. Thank you

 

one question looks like a ghost sailing where are all the people?

[Bimmer09]

Norris

 

Still loving the review, you have really covered the ship, it shows how much you enjoy the experience of cruising and travel. Thank you

 

one question looks like a ghost sailing where are all the people?

 

Well, when I photograph rooms it is usually very early in the day so that I just get the room with nobody in the shot. Later there will be Princess Theater shots filled with people.

 

Deck shots of sunbathers were taken by the Neptune Pool in the afternoon when many would have been at lunch or afternoon tea. Each time I walked through the Casino it was jamming and of course the Patter had many indoor activities.

 

I had heard the ship was sailing full before we sailed. It's a big ship though and can absorb 3,000 people easily with 4 main pools, huge spa and all the public rooms and bars not to mention the 700 + private balconies. Lots of places for people to hide once they heard I was onboard with a bag of cameras.

 

I am also sensitive to respecting people's privacy as I know some of the passengers told their wives "I'm just popping out for a carton of milk" and were gone for a week and had to explain the tan and expanded waistline and how they had forgotten the milk when they got home.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Usual routine-up at 5 a.m, showered and dressed and I went to the IC (International Cafe) on deck 5 for fresh brewed coffee. I was told that there was a charge but I flashed my Diamond Princess card (which doesn't qualify me for fresh brewed as only a CB card for this voyage does) but it was accepted without question.

 

The photos of the IC that follow were taken at a later time on another day...

and are used here to introduce it to those not familiar.

 

All these yummy delights including the Granola Parfait but I wasn't in the mood for sweet things and just had the coffee.

 

 



 



 

 

Up on deck I found the coffee to be rather weak and replaced it with a cup from the buffet where Vishnu was waiting for me. Nice guy, always with a big smile and a "have a great day, Sir!"

 

Tradewinds, cameras at the ready, anticipating a sunrise....

[Bimmer09]

 



 



 



 

The sun immediately set about the business of warming up the decks

[Bimmer09]

As the narrative is getting closer to a point where I am dying to show you some great video my I.T boffins (Carol) are uploading to a thumb drive called Passport which has a Terrabyte of headroom and from there we hope to import to iMovie.

 

Fingers crossed...Apple recently upgraded my OS and this is the first video I have tried to upload to iMovie since and have met a number of stumbling blocks. We will keep trying. The HD files are enormous.

 

More later,

Norris

[PtownGirlz-NH]

Sorry to interrupt your flow (you sir, are a very talented writer. You are keeping your readers checking hour by hour for your latest installments!) Is the aft pool "adults only" the way it is on the Grand and Crown? Also did you ever check the fitness center to see if there were any free classes? Please, carry on!!

[Bimmer09]

Sorry to interrupt your flow (you sir, are a very talented writer. You are keeping your readers checking hour by hour for your latest installments!) Is the aft pool "adults only" the way it is on the Grand and Crown? Also did you ever check the fitness center to see if there were any free classes? Please, carry on!!

 

Aft pool is Adults Only. There is a kids pool on a deck above which I never saw kids in.

 

I didn't check the fitness center for free classes. I have never used the fitness center on any Princess Ship to date as I walk an awful lot on the ship and my legs really get a work-out and I work on my biceps by lifting beers and forks full of potatoes. Maybe someone else can chime in here?

 

I used to "work out" when I worked for RCCL on the Song of Norway many years ago. One of the female dancers and I used to work out to Jane Fonda tapes and the phrase "make it burn" still rings in my ears. Burn it did! The gym then was the size of a person's home gym. In NJ when I came off the ship we had an apartment in a complex with a pool and a gym with Nautilus equipment which I enjoyed using but I am not passionate about fitness. I could run a Marathon but for the fact that it is hard to light a cigarette when running that fast.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

A wonderful sunrise and later a wonderful breakfast in Sabatinis' and then I was ready to go deck roaming again

 

Brioche French Toast

 



 

I spent some time at the stern underneath Skywalkers, just watching the wake

 



 

The Skywalkers structure

 

[Bimmer09]

While I was at the stern taking photos of Skywalkers I saw way behind us some sea birds and went on with my business.

 

 

Soon, however, some of them were right over the ship so I took some photos while I had the chance. There will be a lot of photos of them but parts of the ship will be included too. Bird-haters can scroll quickly past them of course.

 

Frigate birds....

 



 

 

These two were focused on remaining above the funnel in the hot updraft

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

More birds came along

 



 



 



 



 

Seven total and they stayed with the ship for about two hours.

[Bimmer09]

The ship was passing within 8 miles of Cancun at this point and there were fishing boats off shore.

 

This photo shows loungers behind the tiered seating used to watch the MUTS screen (Movies Under The Stars) and look forward towards the Neptune Pool and Tradewinds bar.

 

 

 

It was a hot day so I occasionally dipped into some shade

 

 

 

After a quick lunch from the Trident Grill later in the morning (Knackwurst in a roll topped with sauerkraut, served with crispy French fries) I sat at Tradewinds and was there when the Sexy Legs contest began by the Neptune Pool below. I didn't know Princess ships had such entertainments. It was hosted by the bubbly Simone from the Cruise Staff. She's from Australia and her accent confirms that loud and clear. It entertained the crowd.

 

 



 

[Cozumel Parrot]

Thank you! I know you didn't have the best of weather.

 

That's an understatement, as I was on the 1/4 cruise and it rained non-stop 6 of 7 days. Am very jealous of all the pics you've posted of sunny days on the deck and the like, as we had but one of those. Also, look forward to any pics from Roatan as we missed that port entirely. Feeling very bad about our bad fortune, feel like we were robbed of much of what makes a cruise so much fun for most. :(

 

That said, absolutely love your review and thanks so much for taking the time to do this so comprehensively. Glad you guys had a wonderful time! :)

[Going Coastal]

Bimmer,

Have really enjoyed this since we were also aboard. By the time we went to breakfast, Florian was usually manning the espresso machine full time and he was a master at it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Bimmer09]

That's an understatement, as I was on the 1/4 cruise and it rained non-stop 6 of 7 days. Am very jealous of all the pics you've posted of sunny days on the deck and the like, as we had but one of those. Also, look forward to any pics from Roatan as we missed that port entirely. Feeling very bad about our bad fortune, feel like we were robbed of much of what makes a cruise so much fun for most. :(

 

That said, absolutely love your review and thanks so much for taking the time to do this so comprehensively. Glad you guys had a wonderful time! :)

 

I wondered why the folks getting off while I was waiting to get on were lacking tans. Yes indeed my cruise was lucky-only rain that would stem the fun was in Belize and I didn't get wet, except when I was racing along on the jet boat (camcorder got a good splashing as the video will show).

 

I can imagine how you feel. Maybe like me you looked forward to it for 9 months

and when November came thought you might suffer fog or wind delays but we tend to think the Caribb weather will be nice and sunny, maybe a quick rain shower. Even though I had a suite I would have hated being stuck indoors because of constant rain. I had 5 days of rain (drizzle) on my first PCL cruise on the Coral but that was Alaska and it didn't seem to matter as I was dressed for the outdoors.

 

I have a lot of Roatan video waiting in the wings. Overcast but warm. Warm enough for me to go swimming in the sea. I have the next two days off so should be very active on the board. I would do this itinerary on the CB again, Bayport uncertainties or not.

 

Do you have another cruise booked? Always great to have something to look forward to.

 

Thanks for the kind words!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Bimmer,

Have really enjoyed this since we were also aboard. By the time we went to breakfast, Florian was usually manning the espresso machine full time and he was a master at it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

So you were in a Suite? We usually arrived in Sabatini's at 9 a.m sharp and I always had a Canon bag with me and was photographing food. Always started with two double cappuccinos from the Amazing Machine.

 

Maybe we were there at the same time?

 

Norris

[txgood]

Thanks for the info re the Drill Ship. So it anchored to keep over the well?

Any idea how deep it has to be to exclude the use of a rig? I am familiar with rigs as they build them in Belfast (Harland and Wolff Shipyard). In the photo it looks like there is already a supply ship alongside and then one waiting some distance away. I guess they have lifeboats to escape disasters just like a ship.

 

Norris

 

I'm no offshore drilling expert, but I have spent some time offshore in Africa supervising work and have done design work for offshore operations around the world. I have designed work on some deep water wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of those wells have a water depth greater than 7,000' to the seabed. I don't know exactly where that drill ship was but it could have been working in very deep water.

 

I have not worked on a drill ship, but have been on ships that have flexible pipe/hoses connecting to completion/production platforms during operations. In those situations the captain used the DP (dynamic position) system to keep the ship on station. I think it is basically a GPS system that is tied into the thrusters/navigation system.

 

I'm sure there are others who could give a better and more technically correct explanation, but that is what I can add about the subject. :) It was always interesting working on the ships, but not near as fun as a pleasure cruise.