Caribbean Princess- Did I make a mistake?

[Knickearth]

we are elite passengers and to be perfectly honest, although we love Princess, we hated the caribbean princess ship. We were on a full ship and found the atrium area with the cafe, the vines and the shows were always crowded with no seats available. We enjoy the vines for a bottle of wine before dinner and couldn't go there as people were sitting there ordering nothing but using their laptops. The ship is way tooooo small for the amount of passengers.

[gcvt]

we are elite passengers and to be perfectly honest, although we love Princess, we hated the caribbean princess ship. We were on a full ship and found the atrium area with the cafe, the vines and the shows were always crowded with no seats available. We enjoy the vines for a bottle of wine before dinner and couldn't go there as people were sitting there ordering nothing but using their laptops. The ship is way tooooo small for the amount of passengers.

 

Oddly enough, we had the exact opposite experience on her a couple of weeks ago. It was the least crowded voyage we've ever done. Never waited for anything anywhere on the ship. Not even the tender in Belize.

[MissP22]

We've sailed the Caribbean P. a number of times - even before the Royal and Regal were introduced and while it's a nice ship we can't help comparing it to the newer more modern conveniences of the newer design. Our last trip everything was still in OK condition as was the food but unless they offer a really good deal we'll be drawn to the Royal where everything was so much better. :)

[Jeremiah1212]

We booked Regal for next winter largely because it was the latest/greatest, but now I'm starting to have the opposite thoughts. The CB itinerary is much more appealing with Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao versus the Amber Cove, St. Thomas and St. Kitts. And it's an 8 day rather than 7. CB offers 4 sea days which we enjoy and gives a lot of time in port. I think the perks of the itinerary may overcome the potential shortcomings of the ship itself.

 

When you say Regal is so much better, why is that? While CB is older, as I look at pictures and videos there is actually a lot that appeals to me. We're pretty easy to please and don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles of a brand new ship. Things like a quirky layout, lots of walking, etc. don't bother us. But, I've never cruised on Princess yet so I don't have any basis for comparison.

[kimlovesfl]

We booked Regal for next winter largely because it was the latest/greatest, but now I'm starting to have the opposite thoughts. The CB itinerary is much more appealing with Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao versus the Amber Cove, St. Thomas and St. Kitts. And it's an 8 day rather than 7. CB offers 4 sea days which we enjoy and gives a lot of time in port. I think the perks of the itinerary may overcome the potential shortcomings of the ship itself.

 

When you say Regal is so much better, why is that? While CB is older, as I look at pictures and videos there is actually a lot that appeals to me. We're pretty easy to please and don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles of a brand new ship. Things like a quirky layout, lots of walking, etc. don't bother us. But, I've never cruised on Princess yet so I don't have any basis for comparison.

 

I almost booked that ABC island cruise because I loved the itinerary, but ended up on the same 7 day you have booked, on the Regal, only because the lower cost balcony cabins were sold out on the CB. It would have cost me about $600 more. I was on the CB last year, loved her, loved the large amount of outdoor space, but the buffet always seemed packed. Sailed the Royal last month, ALSO loved her, absolutely gorgeous ship. Either way, I'm happy, I'll be cruising.

 

I would never let other people's opinions of a certain ship sway my decision to sail her. Some people hate the Royal class, we loved it and had a grand time. Just like food, those opinions are subjective.

[PKVacation]

We cruised about 2 weeks ago and will probably never sail Princess again. You can check out my review of our experience. The food was not what I would expect (I have sailed on Princess before) except in the specialty restaurants. The ship needs some TLC and our cabin and water was filthy. I will say that the ship did not feel crowded and the pools/public area decks were in good condition.

Edited March 14, 2016 by PKVacation

[Times Prince]

We just spent the last 14 days on Caribbean Princess (2/18-3/13)

 

Caribbean Princess is the one and only "Caribbean" Class ship Princess had built. It bridges the "Grand Class" and "Crown" Class - Crown, Emerald and Ruby".

 

I found this on Wikipedia. "The design for the Caribbean Princess derives directly from the original Grand class ships, with none of the Gem class innovations being used. The Caribbean Princess uses the original Grand class design, but with an additional deck. This additional deck ('Riviera') increases the ship's passenger capacity from 2,600 to 3,100. Caribbean Princess has also added 'Cafe Caribe', a buffet-style restaurant aft of Horizon Court which offers Caribbean themed food, in a slightly more upscale environment."

The places that really differ are the Wheelhouse Bar and Sabatini's (like Grand/Star Princess), and Club Fusion (Vista Lounge on Grand, but has poles and TV;s all over, like Emerald Princess). Sport Court is inconveniently located with no elevator access. Golf is a putting green, again inconveniently located. Café Caribe is identical to Emerald/Crown Princess, and offers a daily continental breakfast and themed lunch. Normal dinners, however, use Horizon Court. Bavarian themed dinner was outstanding!

 

Crab Shack was open one night out of 7.

 

We cruised about 2 weeks ago and will probably never sail Princess again. You can check out my review of our experience. The food was not what I would expect (I have sailed on Princess before) except in the specialty restaurants. The ship needs some TLC and our cabin and water was filthy. I will say that the ship did not feel crowded and the pools/public area decks were in good condition.

OK, here's what WE found during the last two weeks: Food was good in MDR and Bavarian Buffet, but we had a few service issues. Buffet often had the usual buffet problem of lukewarm food by the time one gets to a table. Our Aloha deck balcony cabin was spotless, and our steward, David, was the best we've ever had, with faultless service! We didn't encounter any problem with water. Entertainment was OUTSTANDING! If you have an opportunity to see the show: "Bravo!" don't miss it. Good enough we saw it twice. The ship's passenger areas were clean (except for some damage caused by some Spring Break youth). There was a generator problem which prevented the ship from attaining top speed. We missed one port due to weather and had one port substituted on the Eastern leg of the cruise as a result of the speed issue, but Princess compensated us with an OBC and a Future Cruise credit, very kind of them. The 7 day cruise to Cozumel/Roatan/Belize had no issues with the ship.

 

As Pam mentioned, attitude matters most, and we rolled with the flow on minor issues, and rejoiced in the great cabin service and entertainment. All in all, a great, refreshing cruise on Caribbean Princess!

Edited March 14, 2016 by Times Prince