Fabulous 5 nights - Caribbean Princess (August 23 to 28)

[Retiringworkingstiff]

Just got back from a fabulous 5 nights on the Caribbean Princess (August 23 to 28). 2 port stops, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

I will try to keep things brief but bad habit never dies! “Making a short story long … my specialty!”.

 

This cruise was for me and our 21 year old only. Wife has to attend to business; I will do another Princess with her around December if she is not heading over to Hong Kong to visit her mom.

 

If you are looking for pictures, sorry ... we only took a handful, will try my best to post whatever I have. Still haven’t figure out how to upload pics over here, always ended up thumbnail size. So it’s mostly narratives here.

 

Embarkation

 

Smooth! Got to the terminal around 11:30 am, in our cabin by 12:15 pm. Actually, I dropped off our son at the terminal first with the luggage, that was around 10 am. I then had to return the rental car and the free shuttle back to the port was a bit of a wait. Apparently the shuttle bus had some mechanical problems earlier that morning.

 

Cabin and Suite Perks

 

• Windows Suite, no balcony, knew that beforehand.
  

 

• Everything worked good … plumbing, water pressure, air con etc.
  

 

• Loved the 2 separate work areas/desks.
  

 

• Got our choice of pillows from the Room Steward.
  

 

• Lots of marble all over.
  

 

• Coffee table very much usable size wise. Kiddo "forgot" to pack his jacket, we ended up having dinner in our cabin on formal night. I supposed they would let him into the MDR in a polo shirt and a nice pair of pants. He is learning!
  

 

• Can’t imagine anyone using all the drawers, I think there were about 17 full size drawers. There were 3 full size closets also.
  

 

• I used the Jacuzzi tub once, didn’t know how bath salt works, I just put 3 spoonful into the water, didn’t feel any smarter afterwards but overall quite refreshing.
  

 

• Fruit basket … nice variety, all fresh, couldn’t eat them all.
  

 

• No more full size flower arrangement as previously mentioned by some other posters. The orchid was nice enough (to me anyways).
  

 

• Only requested canapés for 3 afternoons, 6 pieces each time more than enough, too much food already.
  

 

• Mini fridge, first round complimentary, we drank them all.
  

 

• El Cheapo me ... gifted myself a 375 ml bottle of rum beforehand. Wasn’t there when we got to the cabin. Called Room Service and they delivered it right away.
  

 

• Room Steward brought over a couple of baby sparkling wine, nothing fancy but still drinkable.
  

 

• Got corsages (red roses) for formal night, didn’t use them. Still fresh when we disembark from the ship, hopefully our Room Steward can give them to someone.
  

 

• Location of our cabin: on the Fiesta Deck; less than a minute to walk over to Guest Services and the main theatre.
  

 

• There is a “private” corridor separating/in-between the row of Windows Suites from the public areas which makes the inside of our cabin extremely quiet. Directly above us is the casino on the Promenade Deck where some of the slot machines are, never heard a thing.
  

 

• Room Steward: Very attentive. Ice bucket always full. Cabin and bathroom kept extremely clean and tidy. Extra tip well deserved!
  

 

• Free laundry: even though it’s Next Day Service, not Same Day, we used that perk 3 times. Room Steward hanged them up neatly for us.The laundry bag is cloth, not paper, I liked that.
  

 

• Didn’t attend any of the daily “happy hour $5 drinks” sessions. I am sure that would have been a good opportunity to talk to other seasoned cruisers and pick up some pointers. I have this very bad habit of staying in touch with my staff when I am away from office. I never want any of them to suffer while I am having fun.
  

Muster Drill

 

• Very thorough, best I have experienced (granted we have only done a handful of cruises so far). They take it very seriously, as they should. After the ship personnel explained how to do put on and work with the life vest, each passenger has to actually put on the vest, the staff then inspected everyone individually with their life vest on to make sure all is done right. Absolutely wonderful!
  

Food

 

• Excellent throughout. Even at the buffet, they always have some fish and other seafood items. Yes, I’ve been told all seafood is frozen but they actually tasted pretty good.
  

 

• Did the Crown Grill twice. Second time around, I requested the same table, same waiter. No problem, got prime time 6:30 pm also. That second evening, I ordered the filet mignon (perfectly cooked) + a 4 oz lobster tail to make it a surf and turf. Son said they wouldn’t give me the tail. Well, they said no problem at all. Problem was the lobster came on a plate, he accidental ate it, not me!
  

 

• Crab Shack was OK, food was plentiful and again quite tasty. They automatically brought over the appetizers and soup without asking. I was more than surprised at the size of the deep fried shrimps (I believe there were 6 of them, I got my fair share of 2). I envisioned they would be popcorn sized but they were jumbo shrimps. Not too sure about the Hush Puppies but that’s really a personal thing. Like many posters here indicated, food is subjective.
  

 

• Sabatini’s: only had breakfast there 3 mornings. I asked for some smoked salmon the first time we were there, the waiter brought over a small mountain of it. Too much but I did eat them all, they were good also, well not Norwegian kind but also not the ones that makes you really thirsty afterwards either. Cappuccino and fresh squeezed orange juice … nice extra touch.
  

 

• Son seems to have a liking to the International Café during the day. I only tried the Danish there once, tasted like they just came out of the oven.
  

 

• Pizza was not bad, other than they only offer anchovies on the first day. Trident Grill, had a cheese burger there for lunch by myself (son is nowhere to be found), once is enough. Bun and patty rather small. My fault I guess, I suppose I could have asked for 2 patties when I ordered.
  

 

• We ate at the buffet on one evening. Place mats; lighting good.
  

 

• Planned on trying out Vines (I think that's a wine bar), wanted some sushi, didn't get around to it.
  

 

Internet

I know a lot of people are of the opinion that we shouldn’t be doing any work while cruising. Well, flame away … I like to be on a cruise because I can do some work when I feel like it.

 

• We both signed up (pre-cruise) 460 minutes each. I believe that included some bonus minutes. Not sure why our son needs all those minutes but he managed to use them all somehow.
  

 

• Even based on our limited experience in cruising, I know what “slow” means! On this ship however, speed was more than OK. I know the bandwidth is shared by everyone on the ship but at no time did I experience any undue slowness during the “peak” times. Not “dial up” speed for sure. I am an early bird, 5 am I would be replying to my emails, I know people won’t believe me but at that hour it was pretty close to Hi-Speed at home. Absolutely no complaints! My wish is Princess would have unlimited usage similar to what some mass market cruise lines are beginning to offer.
  

 

The Sanctuary/Thermal Suite

 

• Signed up for the whole week for the both of us on the first day, 2 singles and in good location too. In hindsight, if I am on the same ship again, I might not do it. Nobody’s fault but my own again. There is a small pool right below the Sanctuary, I think it’s called Lotus Pool, adults only, looked quite nice and clean, not too many folks there (at least not on this cruise) and … hey, it’s free. Since we had a rather spacious cabin, I found myself in our cabin if I want to relax. I only used the Sanctuary about 2 hours total during the entire cruise, kiddo even less. I must say talking to our “neighbor” from Jacksonville, Florida, during the short duration when I used the Sanctuary, was quite enjoyable.
  

 

• Another perk that comes with suite accommodation is the free use of the Thermal Suite. I like a refreshing steam bath now and then but never gotten a chance to use the facilities. I passed by 4 heated loungers and they are not facing the ocean. Maybe there are more of them in the vicinity and I had missed them.
  

 

Fellow Passengers

 

• For lack of a better word ... some people can be Go Go Go 24 hours, just not my style. Princess suits me better!
  

 

• I am in my mid 50s’ (yesterday, my sister told me I am actually 59) … I consider myself rather young among the fellow passengers. I like to mingle with folks who had gone through the University of Life. I am rather old school. I conversed with a number of them during the cruise, many meaningful topics discussed.
  

Entertainment/Casin

 

• In a nutshell, just OK in an overall sense.
  

 

• A couple of song and dance type of shows in the theatre, I give that a 75 out of 100. I felt the performers gave it all. I mean … 3 shows in one night (granted it’s only ½ hour each), does take a bit out of anyone, not a cake walk for sure.
  

 

• Comedian and magician were OK.
  

 

• Bert Stratton, his act is certainly different. Problem is ... people were standing alongside the passage ways near the CroonersBar where he played, traffic became quite congested while the Explorers Lounge and the Club Fusion (both quite large lounges) further down along the Promenade were not that full and almost half empty really. I think they moved Bert’s show to one of those lounges during the latter part of the cruise.
  

 

• My son and I don’t gamble. My wife might not like the Casino on this ship (she is not much of a gambler either but do like to play the slots a bit). Rather small and the slots look a bit dated, slightly different clientele I guess.
  

 

• They do have “mini” performances at the Piazza on-going. believe it was the evening before disembarkation, the live band that was playing at the Explorers Lounge performed at the Piazza. Superb! My kind of music.
  

Services in General

• Not sure what others are talking about i.e. lack of service personnel/wait staff. Never experienced anything like that per se. Oh! One particular day, it took about 10 minutes to get my Drink of the Day, that was on the deck where all the pools are. The wait person apologized, not really required actually. I mean … cut the guy some slack and he wasn’t disrespectful or anything. I think that was the only time when we had to wait for anything.
  
  

 

• Now Room Service (just one occasion only) was a slightly different story, maybe the people there just had a bad day! One day, there was this sign/thing/flyer inside our cabins which says “get 5 beers for the price of 4”. I know I can just go to any bar and probably get the same deal but I was being lazy. So I’m in, called RS and chose Stella. NO! Can’t do that! Why not? I mean the picture on the sign/thing/flyer shows a bucket of Stella. NO! She checked with her Manager … can’t have Stella. Bud is OK! Well, I went and speak with Guest Services which is only 50 feet away, they straighten RS out pretty good. Got my 5 Stellas! As a matter of fact, son said RS actually called before I even returned to the cabin (1 minute walk) and told him … “they are on their way as we speak, sorry about the confusion!” No sure what happened there!
  
  

Condition of the ship

• Again, not sure why certain people on here are complaining about rusts here and there; smelly ship; carpet worn; elevators not working etc. etc. Never experienced any of that.
  

 

• Now I do want to rant a bit … doors in public areas, most of them are not “auto open”, have to either push or pull them, very heavy indeed, I hope Princess does something about that, not good for the elderly.
  

Overall Comment

[*]Value for Money: Absolutely no complaint! I booked when Princess when they had the “second passenger in the cabin for ½ price sale”. I was checking out the prices for the mini suite and lucked out … noticed this Windows Suite category with full suite perks. Googled and got some info … grab it right away. Now the complimentary mini bar is probably worth about $70; free laundry probably around $50; much bigger cabin etc. etc. , well worth the extra couple of hundred dollars. I also checked my “profile” on Princess website this morning, as expected, I received 2 cruise credits instead of one because we were in a suite. Also, some $100 + $15 credits on there, maybe for future cruises? No idea. I know 2 credits don’t mean a hack of a lot, needs to do a lot more cruises and get those credits built up first before we get any “extras”. Maybe if the finances are OK, the wife and I can do more suites down the road, got to keep my better half happy for my own welfare, Confucius says!

 

• The day prior to disembarkation, I put down $100 towards my (our) next Princess cruise, I think it’s called Future Cruise Credits, someone may correct me here. I believe if I exercise that option, I will get $50 OBC on my next Princess cruise? Kiddo not 100% sure (he like the Princess experience very much also), I think he has his eye on Quantum, on his own dime I hope.
  

 

• So Princess, I (and my wife) and possibly kiddo … we will be back.
  

Happy cruising everyone and cheers!

Edited August 30, 2014 by Retiringworkingstiff

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review!

[maz48]

Thank you for your excellent well written review. Looking forward to our cruise also in a window suite in October.

[jelenedra]

Thank you for the review! I really liked the way you organized it...easy to read. Can't wait to go in 3 weeks!

[Marknga]

Very nice reveiw.

Thanks!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review ..

[Vacationdreamer<><]

So glad to read your review. I'm hobbling up all the info I can. :)

 

 

 

 

<><

[shredie]

Thanks for the pics! We have a WS booked next year, and I'm happy to see how nice it is.

[kendon]

Wonderful review!!! Very easy to read. We were on the CB in July and loved it too. You sound like the kind of person I would enjoy meeting on a cruise....:)

[Nan_Sea]

The$100 and $15 credit is because you bought the FCC. The amount of OBC you will get on your next cruise depends on how many days you travel and it starts at $15. That number will be adjust when you book.

We will be boarding on Fri. So it was nice to see a good review. Thank you.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. We sailed on the CB earlier this month. Our friends were in a window suite and told us about the great perks that came with it.

[ggprincess2004]

Thanks for doing a review - so nice to know we aren't the only laid back cruisers out there! (Now please don't tell anyone else how great the window suites are!)

[61920]

Thanks for the review.

[lovevacadays]

What a great review! Very easy to read. It sounds like you had a great time.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Sounds like you had a great cruise.....:):):)

 

Bob

[jenseib]

Thanks for the review

[Luvmyrotti]

Thanks or your review! We'll be on the CB in 3 weeks.

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for a nice crisply written review! CB is a fine ship.

 

Norris

[minniem]

Loved your review, very positive and answered a lot of questions I had about the CB. We will be on the Feb 21 sailing. Can't wait.

[jb456]

Retiringworkingstiff,

 

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Would you happen to have any of the sheets that list what takes place during the day? Or a brief summary of the activities?

 

How did your 21 year old son like it? Did he meet people his age?

 

Thank you!

[Colo Cruiser]

Retiringworkingstiff,

 

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Would you happen to have any of the sheets that list what takes place during the day? Or a brief summary of the activities?

 

How did your 21 year old son like it? Did he meet people his age?

 

Thank you!

 

 

Ships Patters can be found here....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2066581&highlight=patters

[jb456]

Ships Patters can be found here....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2066581&highlight=patters

 

Thanks again - All set for that.

 

OP - How did your son like the cruise?

[Momelkc]

Thank you for sharing your experiences!

 

Been on the CB twice now....she is a great ship!

 

Mel

[MJSailors]

Interesting review. Glad that you and your son enjoyed the cruise.

I have a question about the location of the window suite. Was it a far distance to get to an outside deck?

We usually book a balcony cabin or mini suite so that fresh air is accessible.

We would like to try a WS, but need to know that we could get to outside area easily.

Any info would be appreciated. Thank you!

[greenie082756]

Nicely written review. :)

 

Thank you for taking the time to do such in in-depth report.

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise!