Just back from the Caribbean Princess

[Aquarian]

We just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We had a wonderful cruise but were delayed in sailing because our ship was struck with lightning. The radar was damaged and we had to wait for repairs to sail. Then, when we had the repairs completed, a child took ill and we waited until the child received medical care. I believe it was after 8 PM when we finally left Fort Lauderdale. We had a good cruise and enjoyed our first stay in a mini suite. The Caribbean Princess is starting to show wear and tear but it was still a good cruise for the most part. My husband and I noticed that the Explorer's Lounge did not have the entertainment that we are used to. Many nights we walked past a dark and empty venue. Is Princess cutting back on entertainment? There seems to be more entertainment in the piazza or atrium but I wonder why when there isn't that much seating available and you pretty much have to stand to watch the entertainment? We used anytime dining and ate in the Island Dining Room 6 out of 7 nights. We did eat in the Caribe Cafe the last night and found it to be good dining as well. Staff was wonderful. What entertainment we had was enjoyable. We were informed later in the week that there was something wrong with one of the thrusters and that we would be arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 1:00 AM for repairs on Saturday morning. I think we will be trying to sail on newer ships in the future. I would be happy to answer questions if you have any.

[lovevacadays]

We just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We had a wonderful cruise but were delayed in sailing because our ship was struck with lightning. The radar was damaged and we had to wait for repairs to sail. Then, when we had the repairs completed, a child took ill and we waited until the child received medical care. I believe it was after 8 PM when we finally left Fort Lauderdale. We had a good cruise and enjoyed our first stay in a mini suite. The Caribbean Princess is starting to show wear and tear but it was still a good cruise for the most part. My husband and I noticed that the Explorer's Lounge did not have the entertainment that we are used to. Many nights we walked past a dark and empty venue. Is Princess cutting back on entertainment? There seems to be more entertainment in the piazza or atrium but I wonder why when there isn't that much seating available and you pretty much have to stand to watch the entertainment? We used anytime dining and ate in the Island Dining Room 6 out of 7 nights. We did eat in the Caribe Cafe the last night and found it to be good dining as well. Staff was wonderful. What entertainment we had was enjoyable. We were informed later in the week that there was something wrong with one of the thrusters and that we would be arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 1:00 AM for repairs on Saturday morning. I think we will be trying to sail on newer ships in the future. I would be happy to answer questions if you have any.

 

Thank you for posting. Sounds like you had a good cruise. Yes, Princess has cut back on entertainment. I wish it were not the case. I love going to the different music venues and listening to live music. It seems Princess cut one House Band a few years ago.:eek:

[Aquarian]

I think its sadder still when you have many memories of past cruises on Princess when all the venues were full of great entertainment and every seat taken with many standing. Because there wasn't much going on in other venues this cruise, the Princess Theater was pretty much standing room only and also people were sitting in the aisles. What a shame. Princess, are you listening?

[cdngrl]

is the lack of entertainment happening in the different venues a princess cutback or a cruise director not doing his/her job?

 

I agree, I would rather have a cruise where I couldn't decide what to do than to have a cruise where there was only one thing to go and see (that wasn't that interesting to me).

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Kayaktom]

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in November. It's been several years since we've sailed Princess. I hope I'm not disappointed. We've always enjoyed this cruise line but have sailed RC more recently.

[Videophile]

My wife and I were on the same sailing! Did you go to the meet-and-greet? We were there.

 

I was pretty disappointed in the live music. There was a duo playing in the Wheelhouse (is that the right name?) that was pretty mediocre at best. The (presumably) husband and wife both sang and played guitar, but the man was the one one who was any good. Between songs he would bend over his computer to start the drum track for the next song. I was really disappointed that there wasn't a live drummer.

 

I agree that most of the evening music venues were pretty empty, which was sad.

 

We ate in the Palm MDR and had great table mates. My wife and I were celebrating our 27 anniversary, there was a couple celebrating their 40th, and a couple on their honeymoon. The waitress brought special cake and sang "Happy Anniversary" to the table three times... in one evening. It was a lot of fun.

 

Had a great cruise, and delays didn't bother me at all.

[jrzebird]

One of the things I love about Princess is that there is always something to do in the evening. Either in the piazza, Club Fusion, the piano bar, the Wheelhouse Bar, Skywalkers, a deck party or the Princess Theater. When I was onboard in October, I did notice that the Wheelhouse didn't have a lot going on, but there were things going on in more than one venue every night. Often I had a hard time making a choice. I don't go to many of the production shows and I can't stand magicians and hypnotists, so I only went to Princess Theater a few times, but went to at least 2 other venues every night.

 

Maureen

[shredie]

I was on a TA on the CB last fall, and the venues were always hopping. I don't know--is this something new?

[Aquarian]

No, I didn't go to the meet and greet. We stopped by the Wheelhouse a few times but kept going because the singer didn't sound that great. We've sailed Princess for 16 years and in the past we usually had a choice between venues in the evening. Often, we would catch a show in the Princess Theater and then hurry to the Explorer's Lounge to catch another act or stop by Crooner's to hear whoever was singing and playing the piano there. Crooner's did have a pretty good singer/piano player one night and they moved him to the Explorer's Lounge but unfortunately it coincided with the show in the Princess Theater and we missed him. Like I said in the original review, many nights the Explorer's Lounge was dark which was a first for us. We've never encountered that before. We weren't bored but we've been on many cruises and this was just a huge difference from past cruises and it was noticeable. I just wonder how a first time cruiser would react to the lack of entertainment?

[jrzebird]

No, I didn't go to the meet and greet. We stopped by the Wheelhouse a few times but kept going because the singer didn't sound that great. We've sailed Princess for 16 years and in the past we usually had a choice between venues in the evening. Often, we would catch a show in the Princess Theater and then hurry to the Explorer's Lounge to catch another act or stop by Crooner's to hear whoever was singing and playing the piano there. Crooner's did have a pretty good singer/piano player one night and they moved him to the Explorer's Lounge but unfortunately it coincided with the show in the Princess Theater and we missed him. Like I said in the original review, many nights the Explorer's Lounge was dark which was a first for us. We've never encountered that before. We weren't bored but we've been on many cruises and this was just a huge difference from past cruises and it was noticeable. I just wonder how a first time cruiser would react to the lack of entertainment?

 

Unless he was sick, the piano man in Crooners is there every night except the one night he (or she) goes to a larger venue (in your case, Explorers). My main complaint there is that there is always standing room only and the standees take up the entire area, up to and often including the elevators. Weren't there any events in the Club Fusion? When I've been on, there is a theme party or karaoke, talent show or something every night. I hope this isn't a bad trend starting. This is why I sail Princess.

Edited July 5, 2014 by jrzebird
change name of venue to Club Fusion

[Colo Cruiser]

We just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We had a wonderful cruise but were delayed in sailing because our ship was struck with lightning. The radar was damaged and we had to wait for repairs to sail. Then, when we had the repairs completed, a child took ill and we waited until the child received medical care. I believe it was after 8 PM when we finally left Fort Lauderdale. We had a good cruise and enjoyed our first stay in a mini suite. The Caribbean Princess is starting to show wear and tear but it was still a good cruise for the most part. My husband and I noticed that the Explorer's Lounge did not have the entertainment that we are used to. Many nights we walked past a dark and empty venue. Is Princess cutting back on entertainment? There seems to be more entertainment in the piazza or atrium but I wonder why when there isn't that much seating available and you pretty much have to stand to watch the entertainment? We used anytime dining and ate in the Island Dining Room 6 out of 7 nights. We did eat in the Caribe Cafe the last night and found it to be good dining as well. Staff was wonderful. What entertainment we had was enjoyable. We were informed later in the week that there was something wrong with one of the thrusters and that we would be arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 1:00 AM for repairs on Saturday morning. I think we will be trying to sail on newer ships in the future. I would be happy to answer questions if you have any.

 

 

Thanks for your comments.

[Keith1010]

Welcome home.

 

Keith

[FlynnRider78]

Thanks for your insights, we're booked on Caribbean next summer so it'll be interesting to see how it changes by then.

 

Do you know if the programming on the cabin televisions is still the same as most ships or if they has been upgraded to the 'on demand' style similar to Royal and Regal?

 

Thanks

[NoVa Mimi]

is the lack of entertainment happening in the different venues a princess cutback or a cruise director not doing his/her job?

 

I agree, I would rather have a cruise where I couldn't decide what to do than to have a cruise where there was only one thing to go and see (that wasn't that interesting to me).

 

We were on the CB in June and we thought that the cruise director's staff was terrible. The cruise director himself was fine, but his staff left much to be desired. They didn't engage with passengers and on the whole, seemed very aloof. When compared to the other crew members who always say hello, good morning, etc. they were a sorry lot. It seemed almost as if they were too sure of their job security, if that makes any sense. Perhaps they need a refresher course on hospitality.

[onefine89]

We just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We had a wonderful cruise but were delayed in sailing because our ship was struck with lightning. The radar was damaged and we had to wait for repairs to sail. Then, when we had the repairs completed, a child took ill and we waited until the child received medical care. I believe it was after 8 PM when we finally left Fort Lauderdale. We had a good cruise and enjoyed our first stay in a mini suite. The Caribbean Princess is starting to show wear and tear but it was still a good cruise for the most part. My husband and I noticed that the Explorer's Lounge did not have the entertainment that we are used to. Many nights we walked past a dark and empty venue. Is Princess cutting back on entertainment? There seems to be more entertainment in the piazza or atrium but I wonder why when there isn't that much seating available and you pretty much have to stand to watch the entertainment? We used anytime dining and ate in the Island Dining Room 6 out of 7 nights. We did eat in the Caribe Cafe the last night and found it to be good dining as well. Staff was wonderful. What entertainment we had was enjoyable. We were informed later in the week that there was something wrong with one of the thrusters and that we would be arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 1:00 AM for repairs on Saturday morning. I think we will be trying to sail on newer ships in the future. I would be happy to answer questions if you have any.

 

Thank you for the review and..........would you be able to post your Patters from this cruise?

[Videophile]

We were on the CB in June and we thought that the cruise director's staff was terrible. The cruise director himself was fine, but his staff left much to be desired. They didn't engage with passengers and on the whole, seemed very aloof. When compared to the other crew members who always say hello, good morning, etc. they were a sorry lot. It seemed almost as if they were too sure of their job security, if that makes any sense. Perhaps they need a refresher course on hospitality.

 

I had the exact opposite experience when I went a couple of weeks ago. The cruise director (Lee) was pretty bland. It could be that he was having an off week, but I heard a few people complaining about him.

 

The staff was excellent however. They were funny, open, and friendly. After trivia one night I had a ten-minute animated discussion with the lady who ran the game about binge-watching TV shows. (Turns out we had similar tastes.)

 

This was my first Princess cruise and I was never bored, and did have a really good time, though I would have preferred a bit more live music.

[shredie]

Lee Childers strikes again? :rolleyes:

Edited July 5, 2014 by shredie

[Barbara1973]

We took the Coral Princess to Alaska five years ago and the live performances were fabulous!! Two big stage shows with dancers, piano bar all the time, more to see than we could manage. We hope to take the Caribbean Princess to Norway in June 2015 and are worried that the 14 day trip (while the scenery will be spectacular) won't have much to do in the evening? Any more comments about recent Caribbean Princess trips? Thanks!!

[jrzebird]

We took the Coral Princess to Alaska five years ago and the live performances were fabulous!! Two big stage shows with dancers, piano bar all the time, more to see than we could manage. We hope to take the Caribbean Princess to Norway in June 2015 and are worried that the 14 day trip (while the scenery will be spectacular) won't have much to do in the evening? Any more comments about recent Caribbean Princess trips? Thanks!!

 

I've thought that the music has always been great on the CB. Their house band is usually wonderful - actually, always wonderful (the band members change all of the time). Not only are they talented but very personable. They can be found all over the ship -- in the piazza, for special on-deck parties like the ultimate deck party and sailaway, almost every evening the the Wheelhouse and at some point usually in the Club Fusion.

 

The piano bar has the resident (changes every few months) piano man/woman and he or she is there every night except the one night he or she is featured in a larger venue.

 

Anyway, I've already said most of this earlier in the post. As for the CD staff, I have never met anyone who is not friendly and outgoing. Of course, I also take part in things like the Princess Pop Choir so I meet several of them and we become 'cruise friends'.

 

Maureen

[SteelMagnolia9]

I have a question. I will be aboard this ship Dec. 27th for a 3 night cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. I am traveling solo. I have never been on a Princess ship, but have cruised before.

 

One of the days is at Princess Cays, and the other is at sea. What can you tell me about this private beach area? I am traveling solo and am considering renting one of the beach bungalows for the day there. What can you tell me about the bungalows as well as other options there for the day? What's included with a bungalow?

 

I have Anytime Dining. What can you tell me about the specialty restaurants on board? Any favorites?

 

Thank you!

[Thrak]

My husband and I noticed that the Explorer's Lounge did not have the entertainment that we are used to. Many nights we walked past a dark and empty venue. Is Princess cutting back on entertainment? There seems to be more entertainment in the piazza or atrium but I wonder why when there isn't that much seating available and you pretty much have to stand to watch the entertainment?

 

Who was the CD on this cruise? That might make a lot of difference. We had one CD that we thought was absolutely worthless. We were on a 15 day SF - Hawaii cruise and it could have been a cruise to the Baltic for all the Hawaiian flavor that was shown on the ship. The Wake Show was also totally pathetic and boring and the daily trivia that is normally associated with that show was not done. When I asked about it he had the forms removed so as to not cause confusion. We hope to never have that CD again.

 

(I'm not listing the person's name because I have had at least 2 posts removed in the past that listed the name of the CD in conjunction with being the worst of the worst.)

[shredie]

Who was the CD on this cruise? That might make a lot of difference. We had one CD that we thought was absolutely worthless. We were on a 15 day SF - Hawaii cruise and it could have been a cruise to the Baltic for all the Hawaiian flavor that was shown on the ship. The Wake Show was also totally pathetic and boring and the daily trivia that is normally associated with that show was not done. When I asked about it he had the forms removed so as to not cause confusion. We hope to never have that CD again.

 

(I'm not listing the person's name because I have had at least 2 posts removed in the past that listed the name of the CD in conjunction with being the worst of the worst.)

 

Yep. I think that was the guy. ;)

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Lee Childers is the CD. Honestly, they should make the Assistant CD, Duke, the CD. We saw Lee once (except the wake show) during the week we were onboard back in June. I hope they change him out before we go on the CB again in March.

[Thrak]

Lee Childers is the CD. Honestly, they should make the Assistant CD, Duke, the CD. We saw Lee once (except the wake show) during the week we were onboard back in June. I hope they change him out before we go on the CB again in March.

 

Well... That isn't the particular CD to whom I was referring. Sad to know there is more than one completed dud.