All things Caribbean Princess

[airlinerob]

I'm a virgin cruiser to Princess (Platinum on Carnival and Diamond on Royal) but taking my first cruise (with a large group) on the Caribbean Princess in March.

 

I'm looking for all the secrets of this ship... Things that I must see or do... Hidden gems.... Anything!!!

 

I'd like tips from the frequent Princess cruisers out there... As well as people recently off the ship.

 

Thanks for your support & advice!

[deminggraham]

Check out the thread "Princess secrets they don't tell you 2013". There is a lot of great information about Princess ships. With some minor differences, the Caribbean Princess is similar to the Crown,Emerald, and Ruby Princess ships.

 

Have a great cruise.

[RunnerGirl26.2]

I am still fairly new to Princess, but sailed on CB last January. She has a slightly different deck plan than other similar type Princess ships. Things to note CB/Princess:

 

--Cabins are ready when you board.

--Cafe Caribe (attached to Horizon Court buffet) has a special theme menu each day at lunch.

--The main dining room is a bit awkward to get to. Look at the deck plans, you have to go aft on one deck, then down to the dining room

--Princess has self service laundry so you can pack lighter if you don't mind doing a bit of laundry one day.

--Promenade deck is narrow so no nice teak loungers, just chairs.

--Great pizza

[douglinc@msn.com]

We will be doing our 1st. Princess cruise on this ship 3-29.

 

Doug

[RunnerGirl26.2]

We will be doing our 1st. Princess cruise on this ship 3-29.

 

Doug

 

That is the one we are on too Doug.

[lw4484]

I haven't been on her since 2005 but... One of my favorite memories is going on top of the bridge. DO NOT MISS!!! It's fun trying to get there too... I joked that there was a deck 15 and a half one day and everyone thought I was crazy! 45 more days! :) enjoy!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

[jrzebird]

Ah the CB, my favorite (as you can see from my list of past cruises). A few things special about Princess - the Piazza on deck 5 is the hub of the ship, with street entertainers, classical music, jazz, dance music, to name a few. They also have goofy games, like airplane flying. The International Cafe is there and it has breakfast sandwiches and rolls, lunch salads, sandwiches and other goodies; and lots of pastries and warm cookies. All free (no gelato on the CB). They have coffee, specialty coffee and specialty teas, as well as hot chocolate. These carry a charge but not too high. They also have a coffee card but I don't feel like going into that so you can search for it. At around 4:00 every afternoon, they go around with milk and warm cookies. A real treat. Vines Wine bar is there and the library and internet cafe are right off the main area.

 

If you like to sing, join the Princess Pop Choir. After a few hours of rehearsals with one of the cruise staff, you and your fellow choir members will give a surprisingly good concert in the Piazza. You'll meet lots of fun people, get friendly with cruise staff members and have your 15 minutes of fame!

 

Be sure to attend the ultimate deck party; the balloon drop; and the Captain's Champagne Tower party.

 

if your cruise offers it, try to do the Ultimate Ship tour. It lasts over 4 hours and is amazing. You tour so much, from the medical facility, the laundry, the kitchen (with food served), anchor room, engineering, we climbed into the stacks, and ended up on the bridge with the Captain, champagne and yummy food and drink. We received personalized stationery, photos taken of us during the tour, an apron and a magnificent plush robe. The cost of the tour is $150.00 per person and it's limited to about 14 people. Sign up when you first board. In lieu of that, watch the Patters for the kitchen tour and the backstage tour.

 

There are so many things to do on this ship. Crooners, the piano bar, has a very big following. There are game shows, musical entertainment, karaoke, Princess Idol, production shows by the singers and dancers, magicians, a lot of entertainment. You can also play bridge, join a reading group or a knitting group. They often have scrapbookers.

 

Join your roll call for your cruise and see who has interests similar to yours and get some ideas.

 

Have a great cruise. Any questions, the folks on CC are more than happy to answer. for now, i need sleep.

 

Maureen

[lw4484]

 

if your cruise offers it, try to do the Ultimate Ship tour. It lasts over 4 hours and is amazing. You tour so much, from the medical facility, the laundry, the kitchen (with food served), anchor room, engineering, we climbed into the stacks, and ended up on the bridge with the Captain, champagne and yummy food and drink. We received personalized stationery, photos taken of us during the tour, an apron and a magnificent plush robe. The cost of the tour is $150.00 per person and it's limited to about 14 people. Sign up when you first board. In lieu of that, watch the Patters for the kitchen tour and the backstage tour.

 

 

Maureen,

Thanks for the tips! Where do you go to sign up? Are you able to do this prior to the cruise? How much walking and standing around is involved? Are you able to take your own pictures?

 

Do you pay for the other tours?

 

Thanks!

Laura:D

[sminfiddle]

If you can board by 1:15, and want a nice sit-down lunch, proceed to the Midship Elevators and go to Deck 6. The Coral Dining Room is usually open for lunch on embarkation day, but the crew directs new passengers to the Horizon Court Buffet because obviously there isn't enough room for everyone in the dining room. There are items on the menu that day that aren't available other days!

 

Nice hot tub which is often empty (because it's not by the two main pools): Deck 17 aft, on the starboard side.

 

After the sailaway raffle drawings, we usually go all the way forward on Lido Deck (15) and go thru the doors to the "Monkey Bridge," the roof of the real bridge. Great views but quite windy compared to the protected open decks. It's also open during the day if winds aren't too high. lw4484 called it "Deck 15 1/2" earlier.

[caribill]

Maureen,

Thanks for the tips! Where do you go to sign up? Are you able to do this prior to the cruise? How much walking and standing around is involved? Are you able to take your own pictures?

 

 

Sign up at the Purser's desk ASAP after boarding. Cannot do this before the cruise.

 

 

Standing and walking over 2/3rds of the time.

 

Sign up information says no pictures. We were able to take pictuires when on the bridge.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I did the Ultimate Ship Tour on the Caribbean Princess in 2009 and greatly enjoyed it. On subsequent cruises, I did similar tours on the Allure of the Seas and the Queen Elizabeth, but the tour on the Caribbean Princess was the best.

 

Chuck

[jrzebird]

Maureen,

Thanks for the tips! Where do you go to sign up? Are you able to do this prior to the cruise? How much walking and standing around is involved? Are you able to take your own pictures?

 

Do you pay for the other tours?

 

Thanks!

Laura:D

 

Laura - most of your questions were answered, I see. As for paying for the other tours (galley and backstage - often combined as one tour, and often not done at all), you do not pay for them. But as they say, you get what you pay for. It's nice but absolutely nothing compared to the UST. If you plan to do the UST be sure to bring a bag to pack the robe so you can carry it on to your plane, as the robes are really, really plush! I love mine. Or just unzip your bag to make it bigger! And they also sell very nice carry-on and duffle bags in the gift store. It's a nice keepsake and I use mine all of the time.

 

 

You should sign up at the customer service desk as soon as you board. However, that is not a guaranty that you'll get on the tour. First, sometimes they don't have it, depending on how many sign up. Also, if too many sign up, they use a lottery system and draw names. They will call your stateroom to let you know if you made it or not.

 

And for all others, I repeat my advice to join Princess Pop Choir, particularly if you're a solo sailor. It is an experience you will never forget!

 

Maureen