Pros and Cons of the Caribbean Princess?

[Galleon1234]

Wondering if it would be a good ship to spend a TA on. So would be interested to know what you like and do not like about the ship.

 

Thanks!

[FlorenceItaly]

I just got off the CB. For some point of reference this was our fourth Princess cruise, and 30plus, overall. It was not my favorite ship. I would sail it again if I could get a really, really, good deal. Otherwise, I would not. For my taste it was too big. The layout in the Horizon Court is very poorly laid out. In the dining room the ceilings are very low, and a lot of the ship feels closed in. Overall, the crew seemed very unhappy, but, crews turn over, so that would not be a decision maker for me. The service seemed very OFF, but, again, this changes from cruise to cruise. We cruised with first time Princess cruisers, and they had many complaints, and doubt they will cruise Princess again. For point of reference they have sailed Carnival, RCI, Disney, and Norwegian. Overall, dh and I had a GOOD cruise. We loved the itinerary(10 day New England/Canada) and I got a very good deal on an inside room. We cruise in many insides, and we felt this was one of the best laid out rooms we have ever had on any cruise line.

[shredie]

I did a TA on the CB and had a great time.

[grouchomarx]

I did a repositioning cruise on the Caribbean Princess two years ago. I thought it was wonderful. It will have all the major Princess features like the specialty restaurants, Intenational Café, Vines, etc. I thought for its age it was holding up nicely. My favorite aspect of this ship is the aft pool. It is not very crowded, perhaps people don't know it's there till later in the cruise. Lovely views of the wake and very peaceful and quiet. It has it's own bar and just up a flight of stairs its own hot tub. We had a great time and I would sail her again. For reference I have sailed the Ruby, Crown, Coral, and Regal so that's my frame of reference. Happy sailing.

[Ofmyheart]

We are considering a TA on the Carib Princess likewise, my main concern is how big she is. We love smaller ships. All of the other points as you stated change.

 

We had a wonder Baltic cruise on NCL but were on a horrible ship. Thought (briefly) about not going on NCL again but did and had a great cruise.

 

One disappointing cruise does not a cruiseline make!

[Galleon1234]

If you were to try sailing on her again and choosing an inside cabin what deck and location would you choose?

[NavyCruiser]

What's TA?

 

We like the larger ships, so just wondering why many on here don't like these larger ships...?

 

We'll be on her in 2 months for Dec sailing. Got a great price for inside cabin, 12th deck.

[Ofmyheart]

TA can be one of two things... It can be trans Atlantic or depending on the context it could be travel agent.

 

We prefer the smaller ships because they are more personal. Some of the new ships like oasis and quantum with the crew and passengers have more people than our hometown! Sorry but no thanks.

 

I guess it's just a personal preference.

[fl.princess]

If you were to try sailing on her again and choosing an inside cabin what deck and location would you choose?

 

We were on the Caribe Deck - Cabin C511. This location was great for us - Mid-ship and close to the elevator/stairs.

Edited October 7, 2015 by fl.princess

[satxdiver]

We are on the CB right now and this is our third time on this ship. We have no problem with the ship or crew. They are replacing the carpet in the HC on this cruise. I was in the HC the last two nights after 10 PM to get my cookie supply for the night and saw them replacing the carpet late at night. The crew is friendly as usual and the programs on the ship are the usual type. The CD did the marriage game and he was a hoot making the whole show very funny. The food which is very personal has been great. I love seafood and have had a steady supply of seafood for the last 7 days. We are scheduled for several cruises next year on the CB without any qualms.

[FlorenceItaly]

If you were to try sailing on her again and choosing an inside cabin what deck and location would you choose?

 

We were on the Lido deck. I would not pick this location again because it was not as convenient as *I* imagined. I imagined just a run down the hall for coffee, but, that was not the case. I should have looked over the deck plan more carefully. Also, you need to go outside to access the Horizon Court. If it is cold and rainy, it is not that pleasant. If you do choose the Lido deck make sure you are not under the fitness center. Have a wonderful cruise!

[Mom33]

I have sailed the Caribbean Princess twice and had a nice cruise both times.

There is a review of our most recent cruise on her in my signature. :)

[sunlover5]

We did Canadian/NE cruise on her. We didn't think the ship was too big. We had an OV cabin and really liked it. At the time our crew was great.

Agree the layout in the Horizons is terrible, but would not keep me from sailing on her again.

[StLouisCruisers]

If you were to try sailing on her again and choosing an inside cabin what deck and location would you choose?

 

We just got off the Caribbean Princess Sept. 21 after a TA. We started out in inside cabin A404 but there was a terrible booming noise every 7 to 10 minutes. We noticed there was crew space above us and above that space was the Neptune pool and hot tubs. We deduced the booming noise we heard and felt, was pool equipment clearing debris from the filter way too much. Shouldn't need to do that except occasionally, not all day and night. Purser's desk personnel wouldn't let us discuss it with someone in the know, but finally had someone in charge contact us. They came to the cabin and heard the loud noise. They offered us an inside cabin on Baja, #412 but we went down there and heard it there, too, slightly muffled. Then they found B252 which is further forward and we didn't hear the noise there. So we moved. I would suggest you stay a few decks away from Aloha and Baja midship due to that problem. They obviously don't do regular maintenance on the pool equipment. We usually choose Caribe midship and have never had a problem with pool equipment noise there.

[StLouisCruisers]

What's TA?

 

We like the larger ships, so just wondering why many on here don't like these larger ships...?

 

We'll be on her in 2 months for Dec sailing. Got a great price for inside cabin, 12th deck.

 

 

Hope it's not midship. See my earlier post.

[Retiring cajun]

grouchomarx, was there smoking near the aft pool? thx

[caribill]

I just got off the CB. For some point of reference this was our fourth Princess cruise, and 30plus, overall. It was not my favorite ship. I would sail it again if I could get a really, really, good deal. Otherwise, I would not. For my taste it was too big. The layout in the Horizon Court is very poorly laid out. In the dining room the ceilings are very low, and a lot of the ship feels closed in.

 

I do not know which other Princess ships you were on, but the layout of the Horizon Court is the same as it originally was on all the Grand class ships although some have been remodeled recently.

 

Also, the dining rooms are the same design as on all the other Grand class ships.

 

So if you have sailed on the Grand, Golden, Star, Crown, Ruby or Emerald, they had the same dining room designs and, at the time they were built, the same Horizon Court layout.

[Grego]

I read that the OP was interested in whether or not the Caribbean Princess was a good ship for a TA. My answer would be that it would be because it has lots of little "hidey holes" that you can escape to during those long sea days that some of the smaller ships don't have. If you like to spend time in your cabin, then choose a balcony on either Caribe or Dolphin decks for plenty of space to sit and enjoy the sea.

 

It is a great ship, large in size but you never really feel like you are in a crowd unless it's during a busy time like meals or production shows - then any ship will seem crowded.

[cynbar]

I read that the OP was interested in whether or not the Caribbean Princess was a good ship for a TA. My answer would be that it would be because it has lots of little "hidey holes" that you can escape to during those long sea days that some of the smaller ships don't have. If you like to spend time in your cabin, then choose a balcony on either Caribe or Dolphin decks for plenty of space to sit and enjoy the sea.

 

It is a great ship, large in size but you never really feel like you are in a crowd unless it's during a busy time like meals or production shows - then any ship will seem crowded.

 

Can you be more specific about some of these "hidey holes"? We'll be on the CB for a British Isles cruise next May, and I'm a little concerned about inside spaces being crowded on this cool weather cruise.

[Woobstr112G]

I read that the OP was interested in whether or not the Caribbean Princess was a good ship for a TA. My answer would be that it would be because it has lots of little "hidey holes" that you can escape to during those long sea days that some of the smaller ships don't have. If you like to spend time in your cabin, then choose a balcony on either Caribe or Dolphin decks for plenty of space to sit and enjoy the sea.

 

It is a great ship, large in size but you never really feel like you are in a crowd unless it's during a busy time like meals or production shows - then any ship will seem crowded.

 

I agree. We recently completed the Iceland Norway T/A on the CB. Absolutely loved the ship. We are also booked on next year's itinerary as well.....:):):)

 

Bob

[geoherb]

We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess four times. When they first built it, I said I'd never want to go on a ship that large. It did not seem reasonable to add an extra deck of passenger cabins without additional public space. And in my opinion, Princess did improve upon the CB's design with the Ruby, Emerald, and Crown. But that said, we still had a great time on the CB. It has one of the things I like best--a Promenade Deck where I can walk all the way around the ship on the outside (with a couple of staircases going up and down at the bow of the ship).

[zoncom]

I did Ruby, its sister ship, TA several yrs. ago when Celebrity was sold out.No one has discussed this but on board lectures, activities were sadly lacking. Food soso. You can probably get on Celebrity for same pricing.

[Ofmyheart]

Can someone tell me if the Caribbean Princess has an enclosed pool similar to the lotus pool on the Island Princess?

[IECalCruiser]

Can someone tell me if the Caribbean Princess has an enclosed pool similar to the lotus pool on the Island Princess?

Unfortunately no and that can be a disadvantage on a northern TA. In the Spring the Caribbean sails from FLL to London and should be in warmer waters about half of the time. In the Fall she returns from London to NYC by way of Norway and Iceland and alters are much cooler most of the way. Edited October 8, 2015 by IECalCruiser

[shredie]

I did Ruby, its sister ship, TA several yrs. ago when Celebrity was sold out.No one has discussed this but on board lectures, activities were sadly lacking. Food soso. You can probably get on Celebrity for same pricing.

 

Maybe no one is discussing it becase the OP did not ask about the Ruby or Celebrity.