Rare geoherb Posted August 2, 2014 #1 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess from August 2 through August 9. The scheduled itinerary is Princess Cays on Sunday, a day at sea, St. Thomas on Tuesday, San Juan on Wednesday, Grand Turk on Thursday, then another day at sea before coming back to Fort Lauderdale. We’ll see if Tropical Storm Bertha changes this. Our flights down were uneventful. Before booking the our airline tickets, I was trying to decide between a direct flight that did not land until 2:30 and a flight that had a layover in Tampa that got to Fort Lauderdale a little after 1. I’m glad we took the earlier flight. We had time to eat a quick lunch at Chipotle after checking in at the Renaissance next door. The hotel is very nice. It is undergoing renovations, but the workers stopped in the late afternoon. We only heard a little bit of noise before then and there was one hallway leading to the pool that was closed off because of the renovation. After lunch we walked to Publix for a few last-minute items then to Total Wine to buy a few bottles to take on the cruise. We ended up with five bottles. That will give us two to enjoy on our balcony and three to take to dinner during the cruise. We had time to swim in the pool at the hotel. It’s very nice. Of the hotel swimming pools we’ve enjoyed in Fort Lauderdale, I’d rank it the second. The one at the Marriott Marina is nicer. We met a couple from our rollcall for drinks at 5. We walked next door to the Bimini Boatyard Bar and Grill. It’s a nice place, and we were lucky to get there for half-price drinks for happy hour. If we hadn’t made dinner plans, I think it would have been a good place to have eaten. They also had some appetizer specials that would have made a meal for us. But after enjoying our drinks, we walked across the street to the Chef’s Palette for dinner. It’s the restaurant of the culinary school at the Art Institute. DH’s community college has a similar restaurant with its culinary program. He was eager to compare the experience to what we’ve enjoyed at his school. Our dinner was very nice. I’d recommend it in spite of a few flaws. If you want to go, however, reservations are a must. The menu consists of a three courses—appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Drinks are not included. We enjoyed a reasonably priced bottle of wine with our dinners. I had an appetizer of shrimp, watermelon, cucumber, and feta that was very tasty. DH had seared pork belly on top of a spinach salad. He said it was delicious as well. My entrée was a grilled salmon on a bed of peas, fava beans, and artichoke hearts. His was a balsamic glazed chicken breast with spinach and a grilled tomato with mozzarella. He had the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert, while I had warm apple cobbler with ginger whipped cream. I liked mine better. The dinner also included an assortment of chocolates and macaroons. We had to try a few of them. As I am writing this, it’s 7 a.m. and raining pretty hard. Fortunately, the local TV station showed the weather radar and it’s just a scattered shower. We may get to walk to the top of the 17th Street bridge in about an hour. We always do this whenever we stay at one of the hotels close to the port. I'm planning on heading over to the port around 10:30. Even though I had salmon last night, I'll order it again for lunch in the dining room. It's one of my favorite dishes out of all the Princess menus. I think that's partially because it has become such a tradition for us to start our cruises with lunch in the dining room whenever possible. The salmon means we're back on a Princess ship. Edited August 2, 2014 by geoherb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan_Sea Posted August 2, 2014 #2 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I hope you have a wonderful cruise and I'm sure we will all look forward to your updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlot Posted August 2, 2014 #3 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I've been watching the Caribbean Princess deck cam off and on since about 4am this morning as she came back into port. Hearing your description reminds me so much of our cruise on the Ruby a few years ago. Have fun and keep us updated on the cruise if you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted August 2, 2014 #4 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks for the report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loucat Posted August 2, 2014 #5 Share Posted August 2, 2014 We will be joining you soon! We are driving over from the West Coast and looking forward to this cruise. I hope all works out weather wise. Will you be at the M & M? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjcanady Posted August 2, 2014 #6 Share Posted August 2, 2014 have a fantastic trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterMet Posted August 2, 2014 #7 Share Posted August 2, 2014 It's a wonderful ship and a great itinerary. Make sure you stop by Vines wine bar and see Ryan. He's the best. Tell him Pam and Trip from Naples say hello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 2, 2014 #8 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks for your live. We love the Renaissance, like to walk to the pier. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle.zhang.90 Posted August 2, 2014 #9 Share Posted August 2, 2014 How about the cabin? Is it nice? The ship is not new, renovated in 2009. That's my only concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 2, 2014 #10 Share Posted August 2, 2014 How about the cabin? Is it nice? The ship is not new, renovated in 2009. That's my only concern. Welcome to Cruise Critic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted August 2, 2014 #11 Share Posted August 2, 2014 We'll be looking forward to your "live" updates! Have a wonderful cruise! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentlym Posted August 2, 2014 #12 Share Posted August 2, 2014 How about the cabin? Is it nice? The ship is not new, renovated in 2009. That's my only concern. I wouldn't let the renovation date deter you. I've been on the CB 3 times since March of 12 (most recently this past April) and our cabin was very clean and comfortable. In fact, I'll be back onboard over Labor Day weekend for a short getaway. :) Although, it did show some minor use, it definitely didn't deter from our cruise experience. The public areas of the ship are in amazing shape considering the thousands of people that give it a good workout each week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDCROWx5 Posted August 2, 2014 #13 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Just got off this ship this morning! We had a great time, but have to say, she is in need of more renovations. She def has a lot of wear and tear... Service wasn't up to its usual quality in our opinion.. We def had the best bar service at crooners with Wilson and Ana ! We stopped in Nassau instead of Turks. Princess Cay was awesome! Entertainment was ok, nothing great. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaLee Posted August 2, 2014 #14 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Have a great time! Hope Bertha gives you no issues at all and that you have blue skies and calm seas. We board CB in a month, so I'll be anxiously awaiting your updates. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted August 2, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted August 2, 2014 How about the cabin? Is it nice? The ship is not new, renovated in 2009. That's my only concern. Yes our cabin is nice. I haven't noticed anything major wrong. We have a Caribe Deck balcony cabin toward the front of the ship. Jeffrey is our cabin steward. Someone recently posted a good review of him. He seems very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted August 2, 2014 Author #16 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks for all the well wishes. I am typing on my phone now, so please excuse any typos. We got to the pier a little after 11 this morning and were on board the ship shortly before noon. I put our names on the list for the Ultimate Ship's Tour, and we were seated in the dining room by quarter past. My lunch was delicious. I already knew what I was going to order: a salad, the appetizer portion of ravioli, and the salmon. I had the fruit plate for dessert. I called room service to set up our Ultimate Balcony Dinner. The woman I spoke to at least got us down for the date we wanted--Thursday night to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. She said she would have to have someone else call me about some of the specialization I want. While I had her on the line, I requested the items we wanted switched out in our mini bar. The guy just came to do that, much quicker than I anticipated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted August 2, 2014 Author #17 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) Some facts from the first Patter: captain is Tony Yeomans; CD is Lee Childers; chef is Antonio Cereda; and maitre d' is Mario Propato. Formal nights are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday. Production shows are Do You Wanna Dance, Born to Be Wild, and Caribbean Caliente. Other entertainers are magician Landon Swank, comedian Scott Wyler, and ventriloquist Jerry Goodspeed. Tonight the show times are 7 & 8:30. We have second seating, so I will make it. Edited August 2, 2014 by geoherb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlot Posted August 2, 2014 #18 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Yes our cabin is nice. I haven't noticed anything major wrong. We have a Caribe Deck balcony cabin toward the front of the ship. Jeffrey is our cabin steward. Someone recently posted a good review of him. He seems very nice. Ok....it's probably one chance in a million but I wonder if your cabin steward is the same Jeffrey we had on the Ruby in January of 2012? I can't remember if he was from Malaysia or the Philippines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted August 2, 2014 #19 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Some facts from the first Patter: captain is Tony Yeomans; CD is Lee Childers; chef is Antonio Cereda; and maitre d' is Mario Propato. Formal nights are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday. Production shows are Do You Wanna Dance, Born to Be Wild, and Caribbean Caliente. Other entertainers are magician Landon Swank, comedian Scott Wyler, and ventriloquist Jerry Goodspeed. Tonight the show times are 7 & 8:30. We have second seating, so I will make it. Capt Yeomans must be filling in, I thought he retired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelMagnolia9 Posted August 2, 2014 #20 Share Posted August 2, 2014 geoherb ~ Thanks for posting your impressions. I'm going in December on a very short 3 night cruise. It is only a day on the private island and a sea day. It will be my first time on Princess. I'll be looking forward to hearing about the private island and what there may be to do around the ship on a sea day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelMagnolia9 Posted August 2, 2014 #21 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Could you also tell me whether any of the specialty restaurants are open for lunch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolyn R Posted August 2, 2014 #22 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Yes, it sounds like Captain McCharming is only semiretired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pia1913 Posted August 2, 2014 #23 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Some facts from the first Patter: captain is Tony Yeomanst. Neil, Tony told me he was going fully retired in February. If you see him up close and personal, give him hugs from Pia. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted August 2, 2014 #24 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I go on the Caribbean Princess on the 9th when you leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaLee Posted August 2, 2014 #25 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Capt Yeomans must be filling in, I thought he retired. I thought Capt Giorgio Pomata was on CB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now