Review: R/T Houston - Western Caribbean - Caribbean Princess 3/13-3/20, 2016

northerndynasty · March 23, 2016

Western Caribbean Cruise Review – Caribbean Princess – R/T Houston March 13th – March 20th, 2016

All those days and hours waiting to embark (once again), and this time out of a new Port; the excitement leading up to departure; the WEEKS those bags sat out on the floor having the “don’t forgets” dropped in to them; and prepping my GF for her first cruise with her daughter……. And WHAMO! It’s all over already. * sigh *

I’ll try to be brief, yet informative, in my review. Enjoy… (Psssst, the countdown to the next one is on, and we’re trying to get maybe 1 or 2 more booked between! Elite status, here.we.come!)

Drive to the Port: Nothing exciting. We live in Houston. Took only about 20 minutes to get to 146/Port Rd. There’s NOTHING after you turn on to Port Rd, so get last-minute munchies and stuff BEFORE you turn towards the port.

Parking at the Port: Plenty of space, but they don’t let you start parking until 10am (at the earliest). There’s a dirt lot, and a couple half-openings you can park in along Port Rd until they open up the actual parking lot. Prepay the week online for $75, or pay $80 when you get there. The lot itself is not in great condition.

The Barn/Terminal: Pretty much a big open-space terminal. You can’t simply drop your bags off for them to be taken onboard for you; no, you have to use a porter to take your bags 3 feet over the line (and of course, costing you a buck-or-two).

Check-in/Embarkation: Relatively easy. We were fortunate to show up really early, and Check-in was quick and painless, and we were seated awaiting embarkation in just minutes. I believe it was 11:15-ish, and we were alerted to the readiness of the SeaWitch for us to come aboard! Princess Staff throughout the ENTIRE process were friendly, helpful, pleasant, and welcoming. Perfect!

Embarkation Day Delay: So, apparently the “weather” (it was perfectly sunny, mild, and just a lil windy) delayed a fueling barge from getting to the CP at the scheduled time, which caused us a 2-hour delayed departure. Truthfully, being onboard already, the delay didn’t do anything to delay our vacation from starting! The Bridge kept us aware, and all it meant was that the Sail Away Deck Party would happen about the same time most are heading to dinner (6pm). Again, truthfully…sailing away from Port Houston has NO worthy view or sail-away appreciation like those in Fort Lauderdale or LA, so it really didn’t matter. Who are we waving to, oil tankers and cargo ships? Who’s waving to us, seagulls and black water?! So…the delay was no issue.

Cabin: Between my GF and I and our daughters (9 and 13), we occupied cabins B324 and B336 (Baja deck, interiors, mid-forward). Our Steward, Romy, was pleasant and helpful, and took care of our rooms adequately. Our cabins seemed to be in good working order for most of the cruise. One of our cabins had a lightbulb go bad in the bathroom, and LESS than 5 minutes after calling the Purser’s desk for service, a technician arrived and immediately replaced the bulb. Nice! Interestingly enough, unlike previous cruises on various ships, the A/C in our cabins seemed to be working VERY nicely, throughout the trip, too!

Dining: We ate in the Coral dining room for every dinner. It is a Traditional until 7:30; Anytime after that, Dining Room. We were Anytime diners, and with a little bit of…”$encouragement$”…the Head Waiter ALWAYS accommodated our 6:45 dining. Our Waiters/Jr. Waiters were different at each dinner (since we never sat at the same table twice), and most were pleasant and attentive. We all love the personal service, napkin draping, chair pushing, and service-from-the-right at dinner, but I just wish the meals were shorter than the average 90 minutes. Hey, we got gamblin’ and shows to get back to!

The menu seemed to be varied enough to offer options for everyone’s tastes, and while temperatures of hot foods seemed to be a constant challenge, the yumminess factor never failed. The Norman Love chocolate offerings were of course a HUGE hit!

My major complaint about the Dining Rooms still has not been resolved: I will NEVER be willing to accept Guests wearing shorts and tshirts at ANY TIME during dinner, whether it is embarkation day, disembarkation-eve, or any day in-between. To me, it’s rude, it’s disrespectful, and it’s inappropriate – be it for kids, men or women. But Princess is hesitant about “enforcing” their own rules, at the risk of “upsetting” a passenger. HUMPH!!

Horizon Buffet: Breakfasts and Lunches were usually feasted-upon in the Horizon Buffet, or the less-crowded (but fewer choices) Caribe Café. If you couldn’t find something that delighted you here, then you are just being WAY, WAY, WAY too picky! Always enjoyed the Buffet, and I always made an effort to try most things even if they appeared a little awkward, or sounded/looked strange. My tummy was never unsatisfied, and unlike any land-based Buffet, my tummy never got upset with me.

International Café: Salads to sandwiches, soup to desserts…are you kidding me?! The only 24-hour eatery onboard NEVER let us down! And you can tell by its popularity, it was the perfect place for the perfect snack, at any time of the day!

Vines: Missed it this trip; but on previous cruises, it didn’t disappoint, either.

Lido Deck Pizza and the Grill: BAR-NONE, the BEST Pizza on Land AND Sea! No question about it! REALLY thin, crispy, piping-hot, always cooked well-enough, and greasssssssy good! Love it! Burgers were also really tasty, and the fries are super-crispy and yummy, too! Didn’t have the hot-dogs or other offerings, but they seemed to be just as popular.

Scoops: The soft-serve, when working, was sweet and refreshing, just like always. It seemed to be “out of service” a fair bit, with it being “too” soft to serve. No worries, the old fashioned scooped ice-cream was made available as a result.

Bars: Never had an issue with any bar (outside of the casino!), especially with having the USM (Unlimited Sodas and More) sticker, pre-paid at $8.05/day for unlimited sodas, smoothies, milk-shakes, hot chocolate, juices and mocktails. That USM deal is just a great deal to be had!

Casino: Fantastic, fun time had by all! The Management is always available, and “most” Dealers were pleasant. I can’t say enough about staying AWAY from the slots, but if that is all you do, then good luck to ya with those terrible payouts! I played 3-card Poker for almost the entire time, and did very well. I did suffer a “bad beat” during a hand, and went off to a slot to cool down. Ironically, I hit a 10x-2bar-10x win on this quarter machine, and went right back to the table to get back on the horse! Anyway, for the first time in many cruises, I walked out WITH a profit! Bar service in the Casino is excruciatingly slow. Be prepared!

Shows: As usual, I didn’t see ANY of them, as I’m not interested. However, I did manage to catch the last few seconds where the Voice of the Ocean Winner was selected. Looked pretty neat. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed MUTS and the serenity of the top deck in-which to take in a theater-type of movie with yummy, hot popcorn.

Pools/Sun Deck: The pools and sun-decks were always popular and well-attended by Guests. The deck staff kept things clean and chairs de-hogged by the chair-hoggers. Plenty of towels were always available, and most pools seemed open as much as they could be – barring any closure due to rough seas.

Ports:

Cozumel: Did the Dolphin/Manatee Swim and SeaHorse Show. The Dolphin/Manatee Swim was awesome! What a rush of an experience. The SeaHorse Show never happened for us, as our Guide disappeared half-way through the Manatee Swim. Uhmmmm…?!?! Cozumel port area (outside of the actual Port) were ok, with lots of Touristy-type trinkets to be found. Press enough, and you can bargain these folks down. 7.5/10

Honduras: Self-toured with a hired taxi. $30/day, and he took us anywhere we wanted to go and stayed with us. Ate locally, and got trinkets around at the various stores. Lots of Security-types of personnel walking around or at stores, so it kind of felt a little uneasy. However, no incidents, and had a good time! 7.5/10

Belize City (Tender required): The most highly anticipated Port wound-up being the least of our favorites. Did one of the Mayan Ruins tours. Tender service was provided by the locals, which actually went smoothly and expeditiously. The tender ride, though, is quite long from the Ship to shore, just an FYI. The bus ride to the Ruins was ridiculously long at 1.5hrs. The Ruins were ok to climb and learn about, but the hawkers and beggers at the “stores” along the way out, were a downer. And to make matters worse, the area around the Port and entrance to the Port were disgusting, and the little shops within the Port were run by less-than-desirable folks. Took my daughter’s money for braiding which was very poorly and hap-hazzardly done. The whole Port stop was definitely not enjoyable, and we won’t get off the Ship again if we ever stop here on a future cruise. 3/10

Spring Break concerns: I had major concerns about our first “Spring Break”-time cruise. I feared a more “Carnival-like” atmosphere with kids running around the ship at all times of the day-and-night, loud, rude, boisterous and a ship feeling like we were all sardined-in. What materialized, was…a ship feeling very comfortable and easy to get around in, and while there were lots of kids, for the “most” part, I felt they behaved within reasonable dimensions. Never had any issues, and my fellow Cruisers seemed respectful.

Weather: The weather throughout the cruise was amazing, EXCEPT, for the last full day. Wow, talk about being reminded about heading “home” and “northbound”. We sailed through a very strong cold-front, equipped with plenty of thunderstorms, rain, and huge waves! I’m going to estimate the waves were somewhere around 8-10 feet. This caused a lot of limited outside access, some cancelled Lido-deck events, and just outright nasty weather for a last day. I will say, with waves that high, it was somewhat eerie! But, at the same time, so long as you were mid-level, mid-ship, you really didn’t feel it all that dramatically. Surprising, when you looked out the windows and saw the huge waves, you wondered why you weren’t feeling it more. The SeaWitch and Captain Bommarco (and Crew) did a fantastic job! Thank you for ensuring we were safe!

Photography deal: Currently running a $149 takes’em all promo. $20 more for them on a DVD.

In-cabin water: Great water pressure, seemed clean, smelled fine, and the hot gets HOT!!

Public Restrooms: Seemed to be kept up with. Sometimes some facilities were Out of Service, but that’s to be understandable, with a Ship this age and that many passengers onboard.

Sewage Smell: Only found it when walking on Upper Decks outside.

Crabshack Offering: Was offered, but we didn’t take advantage of it.

Specialty Restaurants: We didn’t par-take in any. Have already done it; don’t do it anymore.

Crew: For the most part, full of pleasantries and ALWAYS willing to fill a drink, pick-up a finished plate, or get a door, press an elevator button, and more. Very rarely did I find a Crew Member NOT being friendly!

Disembarkation: Went rather smoothly (for the most part – keep reading!!). We enjoyed the additional time in the Platinum Disembarkation Lounge, while all those rushing to get flights went first. Immigration processing was rather quick, and the Officers were pleasant. Which brings me to one final comment on my review:

I am now, first-hand, aware and accepting of Princess’s (and Norwegian’s) pull-out from the Texas/Houston market. I am appalled and VICTIMIZED by the TABC and their literal stealing of our money when returning from our vacation. I have sailed out of several ports in this Country, and never have I faced having to pay a Tariff/Fee/Tax on provisions acquired abroad in Duty Free stores. Until now. Having bought just $24 worth of alcohol, and having to pay $10 on this Tariff/Fee/Tax, I applaud and support Princess’s decision to vacate the Port Houston area as an Embarkation option. The State should be utterly ashamed of themselves for treating Tourists like that, who might have come early or were considering staying later to enjoy the Houston area prior to returning to their home towns. I’ll be MORE than happy to take my entire Family’s tourist dollars to other States that show an appreciation, rather than a method of just slapping more taxes on you.

Our next cruise is already booked (was before we even embarked on this one), and we did our Future Cruise Credits while onboard to take advantage of the addition OBCs for the next cruise we book. To go until November is WAY too long to have to wait, so we’ll try to get something in in the mean-time. Can’t wait until we once again embark on another amazing Princess cruise!

Closing note:

While in the Horizon Buffet on disembarkation day, after being greeted by one of the Cooks behind the line, I mentioned to him how, “This is the saddest day of our cruises; disembarkation day. Can’t wait to come back, and the countdown to the next one has already started. We’re going to miss you all so much!” He looked back at me and with the biggest smile, he replied: “We’re going to miss you, too. We’ll be waiting for you to come back.” Tears….nothing.but.tears.

CruzinNoony · March 23, 2016

Did your daughters take part in any of the "kids zone" activities and if so, did they enjoy them? We are leaving in a week for the Caribbean Princess with our 7 year old grandson, so are interested.

northerndynasty · March 23, 2016

...so, my daughter is 13 (almost 14) and she has cruised 12 times already. She hasn't gone in to the Youth Zone for many years.

My GF's daughter just turned 9, and is a very, VERY sensitive and shy young lady. She was extremely resistant to going in the first place, but we finally coaxed her in to going for a few hours. Apparently, another girl took a piece of paper she had, and that was it - she broke down! Ugh!

However, I will say this: I have seen several of the Youth Zones on several of Princess's ships, and I can tell you from seeing them in action, the Staff are very kind, caring, warming, and friendly. They run them very securely (upper handles/locks on the younger-aged groups); pagers for parent contacts; strict sign-in/sign-out management; group activities throughout the ship; sleepovers, pajama parties, pizza parties, ice-cream parties, arts/crafts, for-kids-only pools, videos games, and so, so much more!

If you are in need of Adult time, you are in NEED of enforcing your kiddos in staying in the Youth Zone for at least part of the day. They'll watch'em until 10pm at night, and then with prior arrangements, you can have them watched an additional maximum 3 hours longer (until 1am) for $5/hr.

It has always appeared to be a very popular area for kids, and it is going to get you the necessary "down time"/"adult time" that you need!

Have a great trip!

Did your daughters take part in any of the "kids zone" activities and if so, did they enjoy them? We are leaving in a week for the Caribbean Princess with our 7 year old grandson, so are interested.

SnorkelFamily3 · March 24, 2016

Thanks for this great review!!

SnorkelFamily3 · March 24, 2016

"Photography deal: Currently running a $149 takes’em all promo. $20 more for them on a DVD." I love this!! Great idea!

KirkNC · March 24, 2016

Thanks for your report.

Luvmyrotti · March 24, 2016

Thanks for your review. We're considering doing the CB again next spring, so this is helpful.

mph045 · March 24, 2016

Thank You for the great report:D

Were there any specials on the sanctuary/wine btls/etc?

northerndynasty · March 24, 2016

...sadly, if you are thinking about doing this "next spring", Princess's existence in Texas will be nothing more than a memory - and history!

As of April 17th (I believe is the exact date), Princess will be gone from Port Houston, for good.

However, if you choose to embark in another Port, I do wish you an amazing cruise wherever the SeaWitch takes you!

:)

Thanks for your review. We're considering doing the CB again next spring, so this is helpful.

northerndynasty · March 24, 2016

...honestly, we didn't take advantage of the Sanctuary, or Wine events. However, there were always offerings going on.

I will check my Patters and see if I can identify something specific and report back. (I know, I'm a cruise "hoarder". I keep EVERYTHING put in my mailbox! :rolleyes:)

Thank You for the great report:D
Were there any specials on the sanctuary/wine btls/etc?

Luvmyrotti · March 24, 2016

...sadly, if you are thinking about doing this "next spring", Princess's existence in Texas will be nothing more than a memory - and history!

As of April 17th (I believe is the exact date), Princess will be gone from Port Houston, for good.

However, if you choose to embark in another Port, I do wish you an amazing cruise wherever the SeaWitch takes you!

:)

I should have been more clear. We've done the CB previously and will be looking to sail on her again, but out of FLL.

northerndynasty · March 24, 2016

...apparently we were a cruise-or-two shy of the previous deal: "too good to be true" Photo deal... $99 takes all!

But considering the $20-$35/per-picture charge as it is, $149 was truly a better way to go than individuals.

:)

"Photography deal: Currently running a $149 takes’em all promo. $20 more for them on a DVD." I love this!! Great idea!

northerndynasty · March 24, 2016

...makes sense. :)

I hope to move back to Florida within a year or so, so FLL will once-again be our true Home Port.

I see you're taking your first Mexican Riviera cruise in September. We're booked for that cruise in Thanksgiving on the Ruby. We did the MR waaaaaaaay back on the Sapphire. Have never been on the Ruby, but thoroughly LOVE cruising over Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

I should have been more clear. We've done the CB previously and will be looking to sail on her again, but out of FLL.

Clarea · March 24, 2016

Thank-you for the review.

Keith1010 · March 24, 2016

Thank you for your very detailed and thorough review.

Keith

northerndynasty · March 24, 2016

My pleasure...

Wish I could be onboard, still. :rolleyes: Who doesn't, right?

Anyone want foodie pics posted here?! :D

Star24K · March 24, 2016

Thanks for the review.

Working 2 Cruise · March 24, 2016

My pleasure...

Wish I could be onboard, still. :rolleyes: Who doesn't, right?

Anyone want foodie pics posted here?! :D

Yes, please! Great review! We're likely going to go to Alaska in May or June. Love the Mexican Riviera cruises, they're great. In fact, we're booked on a 10-day cruise to Mexico at the end of September on the Crown.