Caribbean Princess Review 09/17/05 (Long Post Ahead!)

[TBRay]

I warned you!

 

 

Caribbean Princess Review 09/17-24th, 2005

 

by TBRay

 

My goal is to document our family vacation (2 adults, 2 kids) aboard the Caribbean Princess during the 3rd week of September in 2005. I want to state up front that my review is purely my own opinion and does not reflect any views of Cruise lines or travel agents. I am not a travel agent but rather an informed consumer. I love to “tell it like it is” and do not pull any punches. This was our eighth cruise since 2001 but the first aboard Princess with all previous cruises aboard Royal Caribbean International. I hate to compare seven cruises against one of another cruise line, but it’s hard not to make comparisons back and forth. With three of my cruises previously aboard RCI’s Mariner of the Seas (which I consider one of the finest ships afloat) the Caribbean Princess certainly had some stiff competition in this area. It may be a stretch (not having been aboard other Princess ships) but the CP and MOS both appear to be the flagship of their respective cruise lines with many amenities and features aboard. I will use shorthand for ship names to save time and space (Explorer = EOS, Sovereign = SOS, etc.). At the end of this review I will even make a TBRay “Head to Head” comparison between the Caribbean Princess and Mariner (totally subjective). So let’s begin:

 

Embarkation: My very first visit to Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) and to sum it up in one word: NIGHTMARE! Customs did not clear the previous cruise until almost 11:00 AM so you basically had nearly 5000 passengers trying to leave and arrive all at the same time. They corralled us cattle style and sent us into a giant line ala Disney World “outside” of the main terminal until around 12:15 PM. At that time they proceeded to let the masses flow into the terminal and after about another 45 minutes we were finally able to get to the front desk and receive our cruise (cashless) cards and climb aboard. I do NOT in any way blame Princess for this snafu as it was clearly some sort of disembarkation problem with customs.

 

But I digress. We stayed overnight at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel on Friday which is situated directly on the causeway of the convention center/cruise port. I requested (and received) a room facing the port and for whatever reason woke up at 5:30 AM, rushed to open the curtain and witnessed a wonderful sight. In the dark of night the CP was fully lit up and returning into the port. It was one of my first ever views of a ship that size coming into a port. My camera is poor at night photography but the sight itself was just magnificent. My first adrenaline rush of the week!

 

All Aboard: Our cabins were immediately available for occupancy. My wife and I had a balcony cabin on the Caribe deck (Deck 10) while my kids were only three doors down sharing an indoor cabin. My kids are 19 and 15 so legally we had to assign an adult to each room but the room steward was aware of the switch and had no problems with it. One thing I didn’t realize is that my wife’s key card was coded to open the other room instead of ours. It wasn’t until the middle of the week when the steward told us to just ask the front desk for a second key so we could access both rooms when needed. It’s those little things you can learn from chat boards that make things easier. The cabins themselves were decent sized (160 sq ft.) with the balcony being one of the largest aboard due to the over hanging feature (half sun - half shade). I think the balcony was about 45 sq. feet with two loungers and two standard chairs in it along with a small table.

 

We then proceeded to the pre-cruise buffet which is always one of my favorite early activities. After all the hustle and bustle of getting aboard and dumping off the bags I just love to settle down to some chow.

 

Here is where one of my “opinions” comes in and it is a strong one. The food aboard the CP was clearly superior to anything I‘ve had aboard RCI ships. And I am not a food basher by any means. I love the food aboard any cruise ship. But the food aboard the CP was hands down better in selection, quantity, quality, presentation, and taste. I really ventured out and tried some new dishes aboard CP, but continually went back to my favorites (like the French toast every morning). I’ll broaden this out a little more as I get into the days of the week. We chose traditional dining at 8:15 PM and had two wonderful couples join us for the week: one couple from California completing a back to back cruise and another couple from Boca Raton (local cruisers). They got along well with the kids and we definitely made some new friends by the end of the week.

 

Day One:

 

Although I like to consider myself a veteran cruiser I’ll have to admit that the layout and vastness of the CP caught me a little off guard. Having been aboard three different Voyager class vessels in the RCI fleet (VOS, EOS, MOS) their layouts were virtually identical and I could easily navigate across the entire ship. But it was about day three before I could say I had a decent handle on just how to get around the CP. It took the better part of the first day just to find the “Movie Under the Stars” screen (MUTS) but it would later become my favorite part of the ship. I will admit though the first few days were a little disorienting. Three consecutive nights we made it to the main dining room from three different directions. It was one of those up, over and around scenarios as not all decks progress through the ship.

 

The sailaway buffet that night had an all-you-can-eat crab legs extravaganza and we visited there to have some snacks prior to our late dining meal. I didn’t want to overeat and spoil the main course but the crab legs were very tasty (although cold, chilled on ice). The evening dining was excellent and we then proceeded to the initial show in the Princess Theater with James Lay as cruise director and comedian Jeff Burghart (VERY funny Ozzy Osbourne impersonation!). After that is was off to Casino land which was very kind to me during the week. I hit a $150 jackpot on the nickel machines within the first 10 minutes and left the ship at the end of the week $300 ahead. Except for a few donations one night, I broke even or won anywhere from $60 -100 per night. I consided them loose slots but not everyone agreed, as many people were losing their shirts.

 

Day Two:

 

Our first clue that our cruise would have its itinerary altered by tropical depressions came at the end of Day One. It was announced that the ship would be making a stop at Princess Cays on day two instead of proceeding directly towards St. Thomas / St. Martin. People generally did not mind the visit and the island itself is simply gorgeous with ample beach chairs and activities abounding. Our family chose to just rent some floating beach mats and to lazily drift out into the water. The lunch buffet was a Bar-B-Q style luncheon featuring ribs, burgers, hot dogs and various other side dishes. One nice feature was a separate buffet line with all sorts of fruits and some of the tastiest pineapple I’ve had in a while (Yellow Dole) Unfortunately, the remainder of the week I could only find the white pineapple in the buffet lines which did not have the same flavor.

 

My 15 year old daughter opted to by a coconut “monkey” drink (virgin of course) that she kept as a souvenir the rest of the week. It had a carved face which was cute and I laughed later that week at the pool when I overheard someone saying “I’ve lost my monkey!”. I knew exactly what she was taking about but it did sound funny.

 

My wife overdid the sunshine that day and was hurting for the next few days. Everyone else seemed to take the sunlight just fine.

 

After reboarding the tender and returning to the CP it was on the elevator that I heard the first “major” change to our cruise. Due to Hurricanes Rita and Philippe, our route was being changed from Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean with our next Port of Call being Cozumel, Mexico (after a full day at sea). Both storms were planned to affect most of the Eastern Caribbean and I consider it (the change) an excellent choice.

 

We had previously only booked one excursion (beach time on St. Thomas) and was given a full refund, so I booked a visit to Stingray City at Grand Cayman instead. The tickets arrived in our cabin the very next day in plenty of time for the visit.

 

I originally thought we were doing the Western route in reverse because RCI ships visit their private island first followed by Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and then Cozumel. But CP’s normal western route is just opposite; private island, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and then Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

 

One of our dining couples was “extremely” disappointed in the turn of events because they had just cruised the western route the previous week. So in realty they did the same trip two weeks in a row. They were going to write a formal letter to complain and I’m not sure what the outcome was. But I know one thing for sure. It was my 3rd consecutive season of cruising in September (hey, the price is right!) and 100% of the time the cruises were either modified slightly or entirely. Last year for example, aboard the MOS, Hurricane Jeanne struck while we out to sea causing out 7 day trip to turn into a 9 ½ day extravaganza along with a bus ride from Port of Miami back to Port Canaveral (that was one for the ages).

 

Day Three:

 

With the change in schedule this was our first full day “at sea”. Getting to know the layout a little better I started off with coffee from the Horizon Café and a brief workout in the fitness room up on deck 16 (forward). You actually walk through the massage area to get to the fitness equipment but it was not much of a hassle. The gym layout was virtually identical as that found on the Mariner with all the treadmills and stairsteppers facing out towards the sea and the weight equipment all located towards the center (along with mats for Yoga, etc.) I’d love to tell you I visited a few times that week but with three successive ports of call over the next three days that ended up being my only visit. The rest of my exercise for the week consisted of “plenty” of walking during shore excursions.

 

After our evening dining we enjoyed a production show called “Pianoman” with songs from Billy Joel, Elton John, & Neil Sedaka. We then proceeded over to the MUTS screen where a live showing of Monday Night Football was airing. But for some unknown reason one of the color guns wasn’t working for the satellite feed and all of the players and coaches had blue faces. It looked like a couple of teams of smurfs playing each other on the gridiron. One guy that was doing a back to back cruise said the same thing had happened the previous week. The “really” odd part of the color glitch is when we returned to the cabin and saw the same game in glorious full color on the stateroom TV set. Hopefully that is a correctible problem because the concept of watching MNF at poolside is a really good one (with popcorn of course).

 

Day Four:

 

We arrived in Cozumel early Tuesday morning and were already securely docked when I awoke in the morning. With no scheduled excursion planned we ate breakfast in the buffet dining area and made plans to just walk ashore for some shopping time. I was a little surprised to look out my balcony though because we were docked at the downtown Cozumel pier as opposed to the one I had previously been to where it required a taxi ride downtown. Senior Frogs and Carlos & Charley’s were clearly visible down at the end of the pier.

 

Upon going ashore we quickly learned there were two shopping areas. The one right at the pier was a sort of shopping mall with new shops but the prices seemed high. We then proceeded to leave the mall/pier district and strolled downtown where the prices were much more in line with what was expected. We even found one tiny “dollar store” that was nothing more than a closet sized room with all items for a dollar. The same shot glass we paid $3.50 for at the pier mall was there for a buck! (live and learn I guess) We found the usual t-shirts and trinkets and my son even bartered for a hand-made hammock. It was listed at $90 and I think we finally got it for $55.

 

It was “extremely” hot (even for Floridians) so shortly after 12 Noon we started to head back to the ship. I think it was closer to 1:30 PM when we climbed back aboard, had an afternoon meal, and just enjoyed some time aboard CP before the masses came back. I am not a drinker but we got a few chuckles from the loud yelling coming out of Senior Frogs and also the “tanked” tourists staggering back to CP that afternoon. But unlike previous cruises I did not see any last minute stragglers running for the ship as she weighed anchor to get underway.

 

During the afternoon most of my family changed into bathing outfits and watched E.T. (the anniversary edition) at MUTS while hanging out in the pool area. The tropical island night deck party was that evening and also a special showing of “War of the Worlds” (the new version with Tom Cruise). Unfortunately, it was not shown on the MUTS screen but rather in the Explorer’s Lounge which was packed to the rafters with guests. If I had “one” suggestion to make for the week it would’ve been to show an excellent Sci-Fi flick like that on the big screen with the big speakers (IMHO).

 

After some evening casino action I called it an evening. Off to Grand Cayman.

 

Day Five:

 

We were not scheduled to arrive into Grand Cayman until Noon so we had a little extra time to sleep and get a late breakfast (the previous excursion I had booked for a beach break on St. Martin was exchanged for a powerboat ride out to Stingray City). People had always mentioned how much fun the stingrays were and I was eager to experience it first-hand.

 

Princess has their shore excursions very well planned. Our procedure was to meet inside of the Princess Theater and line up by rows depending on the excursion. It only took about 15 minutes and we were ready to tender to shore for our trip. A short bus ride across the island brought us to the powerboat (two stories high) that would transport us to Stingray City. During the ride out the crew explained all the safety gear and snorkeling equipment. The ride out was 5.9 miles and took about 40 minutes.

 

We had nearly 100 passengers so it took a little time to get into the water but the stingrays were already circling the boat as we approached. They can sense a meal ticket and we were glad to oblige. The stingrays were much bigger than the ones I have seen in captivity (Sea World, etc.) with some 3-4 feet across. They looked like giant floor mats gliding through the water. My teenage daughter was scared initially when they brushed against her while getting into the water and let out a huge scream. But after that we really enjoyed the time there. I fed them at least 6-7 pieces of squid although one time they tried to suck in my finger and all. They don’t really have teeth but it feels like raw sandpaper in their mouth. Later during the demonstration one of the crew members explained that all the larger rays were females while the smaller ones were the male ones. That got a huge chuckle from the crowd (why?). The water was never over chest deep and you didn’t even need to use the snorkel gear to enjoy the day. The 45 minutes of water time passed by way to quickly and we then proceeded back onto the power boat for the return trip.

 

One of those little “gotcha” tricks during the excursion is to pose with a stingray in your hands. One of the handlers assists the cameraman and practically everyone aboard posed with a Stingray. Our whole family posed for one photo and my teenage daughter just “had” to pose separately so I ended up buying two photos. I forgot the actual price but it was about $25 each. They do not have the ability to print them aboard so they are mailed to the mainland after the trip (ours arrived in about 2 weeks). One bit of advice here is to get in line early to pay for the pictures. With virtually the entire ship buying at least one photo it took the entire return trip for some people to complete the paperwork. Thankfully we were near the front of the line so we could enjoy the trip back to shore.

 

With hindsight I would most certainly bring a waterproof camera to Stingray city for any return visit. Even if we didn’t pose with the rays I am certain some very nice photos could be taken of the event.

 

After our lunch meal aboard the ship we disbursed to various parts of the ship and explored the adult’s only pool near the very front of the ship. My son and I enjoyed a game of ping pong and then tried out the Paddle Tennis court. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a cross between ping pong and tennis with racquetball sized paddles and tennis balls. The entire court is outlined in netting to prevent stray shots from hitting anyone (or heading into the ocean). Lots of fun.

 

Later that day my daughter and wife made some pottery items at the craft station (near mid-ship). It was the final day to make items before they would be cured in the ovens. As a side note here my wife’s pottery ended up being a “freebee” when something exploded in the oven while curing and imbedded chunks of pottery “into” her plate. We actually brought it home as it is truly a “one-of-a-kind” collectible. Just some sharp edges to avoid. ;-)

 

Sahara was the evening movie in MUTS. The day’s activities wore out just about everyone so it was an early evening. Jamaica was our next stop.

 

 

 

Day Six:

 

Since my wife had no interest in Ocho Rios or the Falls I took my kids ashore by myself (she enjoyed the Spa for some Port day specials). Upon leaving the ship I saw a local holding a sign for Peat Taylor tours and asked if we could go with the tour for that day. I had previously booked Peat Taylor with a group from last year and enjoyed him very much. With the sudden change in schedule very few people had actually booked with him that day and we ended up with only five people aboard the bus. Very similar to last year, the tour started with Dunns River Falls and then toured the island for awhile before returning to the ship. My teenagers both enjoyed the waterfalls immensely and I’m glad to say none of us slipped or fell (I did see some others who were not so fortunate). Something new since last year is the ability to have your particular tour video taped and then purchase the DVD. It was $40 to purchase but had lots of footage of us hamming it up in front of the cameras while we made our climb. I didn’t think we would get the DVD before the bus left but the guide brought it right out to Peat Taylor’s bus before we resumed our tour.

 

Rather than walk through the tropical rain forest we only drove through it. I regret just passing through because the walk is very scenic and beautiful (it was our choice of walking or driving through). After returning to the port area we proceeded into Margaritaville which is a relatively new area next to the port. We shopped at the Del Sol store (color changing objects by sunlight) and wandered near the beach but it was $3 admission so we opted to just reboard the ship and hang by the pool instead.

 

Splash was the afternoon movie at MUTS followed by E.T. (again!). Evening dining was formal so we dressed to the hilt and enjoyed another excellent dinner (lobster). The evening comedian was Steve Moris who performed shadow art in front of a packed house in the Explorer’s Lounge. He performed three shows and I caught various parts of his act during the evening and thought it was very entertaining and original.

 

At 11:30 PM they setup the Champagne waterfall in the atrium and toasted at precisely midnight. The casino was in full swing and I enjoyed another fruitful night on the nickel slots.

 

Day Seven:

 

It was a quiet day at sea as we progressed back towards Ft. Lauderdale. Having escorted my family ashore for the past four days I designated Friday as “Dad’s Day” and enjoyed a casual day sunbathing and enjoying movies (plus some reading). The only major activity I had planned was to attempt the “Belly Flop” contest. I successfully registered at 1:45 PM for the 2:00 PM embarrassment. Unlike previous competitions aboard RCI this contest was actually a dance, and flop competition judged by three ladies. My dancing skills are woefully inadequate but thankfully I went first to get out of the way. Some of the guys were very creative (and braver than I was). I flopped (literally) and then the entire group did a pool-wide flop. My daughter attempted to capture some pictures but the camera locked up during my portion of the contest and we got nothing. Two of my dinner mates were at poolside and commented at how brave I was. I failed to mention my knees were shaking while I was dancing around the pool making a complete fool of myself. But in reality it was a great time and people enjoyed the competition.

 

I was in the sun from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM and really got a decent tan. I had held back during previous days from over exposure but the Caribbean sun was still pretty intense. Warm and sunny all day. Yeah!

 

At the final night’s dinner they served Baked Alaska after parading around the dining room to display the delicious dessert. I cannot remember even eating Baked Alaska before but I would describe is a sort of ice cream cake that was very, very rich.

 

Since it was the final evening my wife joined me in the casino for some quarter slot action and we managed to win over $200 that evening. I can honestly say I left the ship the next morning with $300 cash in my wallet (of which $120 immediately went to the parking garage).

 

All the sun from the day wore me down and as usual I have no memory of when we slipped into Port Everglades (6 AM Saturday I think). I have yet to see a ship re-enter her home port after a week long cruise. Maybe next time.

 

Day Eight:

 

As opposed to the giant mess we encountered upon our arrival at Port Everglades, the disembarkation procedure was “very” smooth. Although we were in the middle bracket of colors (luggage tags) called out we still left the ship before 9:30 AM and had no trouble heading out of port. Other than the three block hike back to the Marriott to get the car it went relatively quick.

 

Final Comments and Comparison:

 

The Caribbean Princess is simply one gorgeous ship. With lot’s of teak and marble she is truly the flagship of the Princess fleet. It’s very subjective but I will attempt to make some comparison with RCI’s Mariner of the Seas (and probably other Voyager class ships) to help future passengers. Please take these with a grain of salt:

 

 

 

Ship Size and Layout:

 

Although the CP is about 25K tons smaller than MOS it doesn’t “feel” any smaller while aboard. They are both two of the largest cruise ships in the world with plenty of room to wander. The CP get’s a thumbs up for stability (MOS has always seemed less stable than her sister ships VOS and EOS) while the MOS gets the nod for layout. The CP takes more time to get used to floor layouts (especially getting to the dining rooms) while the MOS is more linear (due to the Royal Promenade which virtually connects the entire ship.

 

The CP takes full advantage of all the lounges aboard while the MOS seems to focus more on the larger theater for their shows.

 

And clearly, the CP wins the innovation award for the MUTS screen at poolside. Other than showing E.T. four times in the same week it was very enjoyable to sit poolside and watch various movies, MNF, and ship escapades (highlight reel). While the MOS has the ice skating aboard it is not something I would frequent (only tried the public skating once) while the MUTS is an entire week long activity.

 

For people who enjoy shopping aboard (my daughter and wife) the MOS was clearly superior due to the Royal Promenade concept (three-story high shopping mall). The Atrium was used for shopping on CP but seemed more cramped. I had gotten used to those “daily specials” aboard RCI and did not see that as prevalent aboard the CP.

 

But Princess seemed much more pesky from the bar service perspective. Since I don’t drink I consider it a negative but anyone who needed bar service would consider it a huge plus. The bar staff was constantly asking people for drinks or offering drink specials. MOS seemed a little more laid back.

 

And speaking of the bar service, my wife brought up a good point after the CP trip ended. All four of us purchased those “soda cards” which allowed us to get fountain drinks whenever we liked. But with the exception of a couple of friendly bartenders, most of them seemed like it was a huge “nuisance” to refill our mugs. The cruise line pushes really hard to sell the soda cards. Maybe they failed to relay that information to the crew.

 

The poolside security was “much” better aboard CP. The pool “police” were in full force and had no problems with picking up loose towels meant to save chairs. Warnings about saving chairs were clearly visible (along with regular announcements in the daily Patter) and I was glad to see it enforced. MOS may be doing a better job recently but that was not the case last year. I remember whole sections of chairs with towels and clutter on them without a single person around to use them. Pool Chair hogs beware aboard CP!

 

But other than the MUTS or other main pool area I saw no problems with ever finding a seat in any other pool area. There were plenty of chairs and ample opportunity to sit either near a pool or to have some quiet time alone (the back of the ship was best for this). But timing is also important. Poolside chairs “are” available for those that want them. Just not at peak times.

 

Activities are a virtual draw between the two cruise lines. They are so close to each other it is not even funny. Obviously the marketers know what the other cruise lines are doing (and not doing) successfully.

 

And it’s hard to rate, but the dancers seemed better on MOS than CP. That might draw some debate, but to give the CP staff credit they were performing relatively new songs and routines while the MOS aboard a more veteran group aboard. As a point of reference we were also on one of the MOS early cruises (#12) and they would’ve drawn a tie with the current CP performers.

 

My son really liked the Skywalker’s lounge in the upper back of the ship. He would hang there every night until the wee hours of the morning. I tended to prefer the Casino for my post-dinner entertainment and enjoyed the loose slots. But don’t blame me if you lose your shirt.

 

And as previously mentioned, the food is no comparison at all. Princess clearly is superior to RCI in all areas. Taste, presentation, quantity, and quality were all excellent. It might take multiple cruises aboard Princess to give a better picture of this dimension, but for now CP takes the gold medal. Any buffet line that has all- you-can-eat crab legs and lobster tails (separate nights) gets my vote. We never did any specialty dining (Sterling Steakhouse) but heard multiple favorable comments from other passengers. The traditional dining was so good we never felt the need to try the specialty dining (maybe next trip?).

 

Which brings me to the grand question? Which cruise line to choose next? Princess is clearly setting high standards in many areas. As much as I love the Mariner sailing out of Port Canaveral (45 minutes from my house) the CP is a wonderful alternative cruise. Once again it probably comes down to pricing and schedule. Both ships will provide a great vacation for families or friends. But as I overheard one passenger saying on the final day: “I don’t know if I could ever do another cruise without a movie screen aboard”.

 

That pretty well sums it up. The Caribbean Princess (and MUTS) is a winner!

[laurashelby]

Wow...what an awesome review....thanks so much. :D I especially enjoyed your comparison to the MOS as that was our last family cruise and the CB will be our next!

[CruiseFever]

Great review TB!

 

Thanks for all the detailed info.

 

Now go put your patio furniture in the garage!

[Host Caroline]

Thanks for the great review TBRay.. I keep thinking I will do one but alas, work has interfered:( (the price paid for cruising....). Pretty much agree with you... Did you go on the snorkeling with us in Cayman with Don Foster Dive? That was one awesome shore tour.. and I don't usually do ship tours.

We loved Cafe Caribe seafood buffets and ate there one night when the had a "rice table" buffett which was awesome..

Ate in dining room only twice, both times at table for 8 and service was excellent both times but have heard it can be spotty..

We were on Diamond in June and I can tell you I prefer that ship.. it's kind of a mini-version (if that size can be called "mini") and that was more the size ship I prefer..

We had cabin on Baja with balcony and love those new cushioned chairs and "real" size table! And the fact that balcony is covered.

Just hate to think what's happened to Cozumel.. the downtown pier is apparently half gone.. it's concrete so that's really a testament to the power of the storm... hopefully our friends there came thru okay..

[roe2ship]

TB, wow.......what a great detailed review! From someone who has sailed three voyager class ships and speaks so highly of the CB, says a lot, imo. Someone recently posted a question about the MOS vs. CB, your review here would be a great help for that particular person.

 

I believe the CB's normal western route is their private island, Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel.

 

FYI - If you sail Princess again with your family, you can book the children's cabin without the one adult assigned to the cabin. My daughter was 16 when we booked and starting at that age they can be booked in a cabin without the adult.

[cruzinchris]

TBRay,

Thanks for taking the time to post your balanced, creative, informative, well-written review of the Caribbean Princess (CB). DH and I haven't been on RCI for many years (two cruises on their smaller ships), but I enjoyed your comparison of the mega-vessels.

 

We sailed on the CB in January of this year and will do an encore sailing the week of January 28, 2006; this will be our fifth Princess voyage. This will be the first time that we've ever sailed twice on the same ship, and I plan to write a comparison review of the two cruises. I got some good ideas from your review format.

 

Thanks, again, for the fine review.

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[Crazsea]

Fantastic Review and comparisons!:D

 

I have seen it mentioned in a few posts that the ship did not begin disembarking passengers until approximately 11AM.

 

I was on the 9/10 sailing and disembarkation began at 8:40AM. This was my second time on the CB and even though my color was the second color to be called, we decided to stay onboard till the crowds disembarking dwindled. We were really in no rush since we were heading to a post cruise hotel stay in Ft. lauderdale. At 10:30AM we decided to get in the dwindling line to disembark. At 10:45 a Porter was guiding us to our cab and by 11:00AM I was checking into my hotel. I'm not sure why Princess told you that we had a late disembarkation since it was almost the same time in December that we began disembarkation with the same crowd condition. I sure wish that Princess would get this a bit better organized for the embarking passengers that arrive so early.:)

[jerseygirl3]

My husband and I were on the same sailing, and pretty much agree with your review of the ship. Totally agree with the nightmare embarkation. Didn't you feel just awful for those elderly people left to stand in the hot weather with no place to sit for such a long time.

 

The only thing is that we weren't as "blown away" by this particular ship as we have been on other Princess ships (Golden, Grand). Not quite sure why, but we just weren't. We did PC dining in The Palm Dining room, and although we never had to wait for a table, we found the Maitre De to be very snooty, and we found the service just adequate. Nobody went out of their way at all...put the food down in front of you and walked away. That was a bit disconcerting. One night I encountered an incident with a waiter that was downright rude...in hindsight, I wish I had reported him, but I let the incident slide.

 

Anyway, the one thing I wanted to bring up was your table mates who were doing the B2B. While I'm sure it was disappointing for them to be doing the same itinerary two weeks in a row, I'm not sure I understand the rationale of their statement that they planned on writing a formal letter of complaint. How could they complain about Captain Romano's very wise decision to switch itineraries? It afforded us beautiful weather and extremely calm seas the entire week. Going the other way would have put the ship and passengers in harms way. I'm just curious if you know why they felt a letter of complaint was necessary? Did anybody else at the table question their motive for writing a letter of complaint?

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review. We had originally booked the Caribbean Princess for next September, but have since decided to cancel. I was going to give the ship a second chance, but there are too many other ships left to try, we figured we'd pass on a second go-round with the Caribbean Princess. But I wouldn't rule it out completely that we'd sail her again.

[TBRay]

Thank you for all the kind comments. I expect a couple of dissenting ones too but it comes with the territory. I really didn't go into much detail on the cabins but the Caribe deck was centrally located (Deck 10) and we were right near the forward elevators. The half sun/half shade balcony was nice but it takes a little getting used to seeing your neighbors (below) at first. One guy would sleep constantly below us and my daughter wanted to drop a grape into his mouth while he snored (but cooler heads prevailed);) .

 

CRAZSEA: Thanks for the update about the 09/10 cruise. I guess that confirms my initial assumption that Port Everglades does not have it's act together. Port Canaveral used to be mess a couple of years ago but has really reacted quite well to Mega-Ships like Mariner. Between the three ports I have been to (Miami the other) PC get's the thumbs up for passenger efficiency.

 

CRUISINCHRIS: We were also scheduled on the 01/28/06 cruise until I was suddenly downsized from my job late this summer. I failed to mention that I made the final payment two weeks before losing my job and we made the decision as a family to go regardless (or else get back 50%). No regrets as it was beneficial to get some rest from job searching.

 

ROE2SHIP: Good information. I will use that next time.

 

CAROLINE: No, the stingrays was our only excursion. Snorkeling takes skill which many (DW) of my family members do NOT have.

 

JERSEYGIRL3: No, the couple really didn't make a big issue of it and I included it just as a point of reference. They were not the typical "goldiggers" you might expect and were actually very friendly (especially to my family). If someone wants to write a letter it might just be for piece of mind. I've written a formal complaint letter before from a previous cruise and it

was answered. No compensation was expected (or given) but I felt it cleared the air on an issue at hand.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Minimal damage here. Except for an occasional flicker we have kept our power on (for now). My brother lost power in Cocoa at 9 AM and his been in the dark since. Some trucks have passed by so I see repairs already happening.

 

One rescue to report: At peak flooding (9-12") in my back yard, an outdoor car had brought a baby kitten to our back fence. We made the rescue and dried and fed the shivering girl. Of course her name will be WILMA but for now she is just adorable (eyes open already). :p

[Crazsea]

Very cool rescue TBRay!

HELLOOOO WILMA!

Glad to hear you're OK!

[imsulin2]

Great review, TBRay! I think I was on the same cruise, too, and I agree with you about the things you pointed out! I thought we had great weather the entire time, and didn't mind the change to Western at all. I agree with you about the awful embarkation and the poor design of the ship as well. (Took me three days to figure out how to avoid going down, walking up and over, and going down again!) I also thought the food was great, and pretty much overdid it on three nights of crab legs and lobster. What?? You didn't get up after a nice evening nap to see the "Rocky Horror Picture Show"?? One of the highlights! Glad you had a great time....I sure did!

 

P.S. - Great job on the kitty rescue!! Sounds like she will have a wonderful home!

[crusinpeg]

Thank you for a great review...we will be sailing the Caribbean Princess this Saturday and can hardly wait. We were alaso on a mega RoyalCaribbean ship(THE VOYAGER) so it will be interesting to compare. The Voyager was a great ship but my only complaint was that half the time when I was in the main street area...I didn't really feel like I was on a ship but rather in a big shopping mall. I still feel that the only bad cruise is no cruise and they're all great in there own way.

[laurashelby]

Did you happen to get a picture of the inside cabin? Was curious how it was.