Caribbean Princess - a pleasant surprise

[Camelia-]

Hi everyone,

 

I've just returned from a two week Caribbean Circle cruise and wanted to share my thoughts before I forget!

 

Overall I had a very lovely cruise..I had read such mixed reviews of this ship before sailing and I finally decided that it would be best to see for myself! Of course these is MY experiences and others on the same cruise might think totally different - and we would both be right because impressions are always subjective.

 

There is no ignoring the fact that this is an older ship - I don't think that there was a day when I was walking on the Promenade deck where a crew member wasn't painting or varnishing or doing simple maintenance. That's to be expected but I have no problem with that at all. I was totally won over by the new beds and pillows - for me they were about the most comfortable that I've experienced so far!!  I've always loved the layout of the cabins and there was lots of storage space in our minisuite. It was nice to have the big screen televisions but I wish that they had been placed lower on the wall rather than where they were - a little too high and I always ended with a sore neck after a while. Great to have the on demand choices as well.

 

I had read very positive and very negative comments regarding the world fresh Marketplace buffet and I can honestly say that I thought it was great. I loved the new dishes which they had. I thought that the selections were very creative and not usually what was available before. There was a bit of repetition during the second week but I suppose that happens on all ships on the longer cruises. They did give out random surveys to be filled in each day and I was pleased to be able to provide feedback. It's obviously a work in progress and I'm happy that they are asking for reactions at this point - shows that they are flexible. Having said this I can sort of understand where the negative comments were coming from as well. One person I asked described the buffet as being too "exotic" and I suppose that's true - especially if you're used to the more traditional fare. I guess I really like exotic!!

 

There was something though that had me scratching my head. You can't go on any cruise these days without being told time and time again to keep washing your hands in order to prevent norovirus. The old Horizon Court had staff at the entrances ensuring that you used the hand sanitizer before entering. Now - because of the new physical layout - that is no longer the case. They have installed hand washing stations all along the areas outside of the buffet which would be great IF they were used. Sadly that is not the case. MOST people that I saw walked right past them and went straight into the buffet. One day I sat at one of the tables and just watched out of curiosity - out of ten people - only four actually stopped to wash their hands. Now - perhaps they had used one of the other stations - there is no way to know but the total lack of monitoring of hand sanitation is a bit unsettling. I found myself washing my hands even more - before AND after using the tongs..lol!! 

 

We had Anytime Dining and I went to the Dining Room the first night with a bit of trepidation. I love the idea of showing up at any time and being seated but on my last cruise it was such a horrible experience that I was almost ready to return to Traditional. Asking for a table for two resulted in sighs and frowns and the dreaded pager - followed by a long wait.  This time it was so much better! Every single night we were seated immediately whatever the time happened to be - even on formal night. There were never any long lines stretching into the atrium. I think part of this was because they were ready and willing to convert the bigger tables into tables for two rather than wait for them to become available. this made a huge difference and restored my faith in the whole experience and I look forward to repeating it again. 

 

I'd read many reviews in the past where people complained about the sewage smell - not only on this ship but on others as well. I'd never experienced it on past cruises. Well - I guess it was my turn. Fortunately it was only once in a while but there were a number of times when I caught a whiff and it wasn't very pleasant - mostly in the aft section of the ship.  Thankfully I forgot about it as soon as I moved away - which was a good thing! 

 

Debarkation was a breeze - as usual. Princess does such a great job with this that I wasn't surprised.  Overall it was a lovely experience and I would not hesitate to book another cruise on this ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Daniel A]

DW & I prefer the older, smaller Princess ships to the Royal Class ships.  We love the mini suites and we think they ruined the mini suites on the Royal class ships.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Camelia- said:

Hi everyone,

 

 

There was something though that had me scratching my head. You can't go on any cruise these days without being told time and time again to keep washing your hands in order to prevent norovirus. The old Horizon Court had staff at the entrances ensuring that you used the hand sanitizer before entering. Now - because of the new physical layout - that is no longer the case. They have installed hand washing stations all along the areas outside of the buffet which would be great IF they were used. Sadly that is not the case. MOST people that I saw walked right past them and went straight into the buffet. One day I sat at one of the tables and just watched out of curiosity - out of ten people - only four actually stopped to wash their hands. Now - perhaps they had used one of the other stations - there is no way to know but the total lack of monitoring of hand sanitation is a bit unsettling. I found myself washing my hands even more - before AND after using the tongs..lol!! 

Just imagine where those non hand washers were prior to entering the buffet?

I would say some left the toilet and walked right out of the bathroom and headed to the buffet. 

[Ep010835]

3 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Just imagine where those non hand washers were prior to entering the buffet?

I would say some left the toilet and walked right out of the bathroom and headed to the buffet. 

Or they could have been passing right through the WFM without stopping to eat or drink. 

Anyone who remains on the Lido deck while traveling from mid-ship to anywhere aft (think Terrace Pool), WILL have to walk through the WFM to get there. 

Conversely, if you use the aft elevators/stairs as we did from the Caribe deck, you WILL walk through the WFM if you get off the elevator on Lido and want to go to the Calypso Pool or Neptune Pool areas. Or you WILL walk through Steamers or Planks to get aft, say, to the Terrace Pool. 

We did this frequently but nevertheless did normally stop to wash our hands. Because.....well, just because. 

[RickEk]

1 hour ago, Camelia- said:

Hi everyone,

 

I've just returned from a two week Caribbean Circle cruise and wanted to share my thoughts before I forget!

 

Overall I had a very lovely cruise..I had read such mixed reviews of this ship before sailing and I finally decided that it would be best to see for myself! Of course these is MY experiences and others on the same cruise might think totally different - and we would both be right because impressions are always subjective.

 

There is no ignoring the fact that this is an older ship - I don't think that there was a day when I was walking on the Promenade deck where a crew member wasn't painting or varnishing or doing simple maintenance. That's to be expected but I have no problem with that at all. I was totally won over by the new beds and pillows - for me they were about the most comfortable that I've experienced so far!!  I've always loved the layout of the cabins and there was lots of storage space in our minisuite. It was nice to have the big screen televisions but I wish that they had been placed lower on the wall rather than where they were - a little too high and I always ended with a sore neck after a while. Great to have the on demand choices as well.

 

I had read very positive and very negative comments regarding the world fresh Marketplace buffet and I can honestly say that I thought it was great. I loved the new dishes which they had. I thought that the selections were very creative and not usually what was available before. There was a bit of repetition during the second week but I suppose that happens on all ships on the longer cruises. They did give out random surveys to be filled in each day and I was pleased to be able to provide feedback. It's obviously a work in progress and I'm happy that they are asking for reactions at this point - shows that they are flexible. Having said this I can sort of understand where the negative comments were coming from as well. One person I asked described the buffet as being too "exotic" and I suppose that's true - especially if you're used to the more traditional fare. I guess I really like exotic!!

 

There was something though that had me scratching my head. You can't go on any cruise these days without being told time and time again to keep washing your hands in order to prevent norovirus. The old Horizon Court had staff at the entrances ensuring that you used the hand sanitizer before entering. Now - because of the new physical layout - that is no longer the case. They have installed hand washing stations all along the areas outside of the buffet which would be great IF they were used. Sadly that is not the case. MOST people that I saw walked right past them and went straight into the buffet. One day I sat at one of the tables and just watched out of curiosity - out of ten people - only four actually stopped to wash their hands. Now - perhaps they had used one of the other stations - there is no way to know but the total lack of monitoring of hand sanitation is a bit unsettling. I found myself washing my hands even more - before AND after using the tongs..lol!! 

 

We had Anytime Dining and I went to the Dining Room the first night with a bit of trepidation. I love the idea of showing up at any time and being seated but on my last cruise it was such a horrible experience that I was almost ready to return to Traditional. Asking for a table for two resulted in sighs and frowns and the dreaded pager - followed by a long wait.  This time it was so much better! Every single night we were seated immediately whatever the time happened to be - even on formal night. There were never any long lines stretching into the atrium. I think part of this was because they were ready and willing to convert the bigger tables into tables for two rather than wait for them to become available. this made a huge difference and restored my faith in the whole experience and I look forward to repeating it again. 

 

I'd read many reviews in the past where people complained about the sewage smell - not only on this ship but on others as well. I'd never experienced it on past cruises. Well - I guess it was my turn. Fortunately it was only once in a while but there were a number of times when I caught a whiff and it wasn't very pleasant - mostly in the aft section of the ship.  Thankfully I forgot about it as soon as I moved away - which was a good thing! 

 

Debarkation was a breeze - as usual. Princess does such a great job with this that I wasn't surprised.  Overall it was a lovely experience and I would not hesitate to book another cruise on this ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How was your experience with the Ocean Medallion?

[Colo Cruiser]

8 minutes ago, Ep010835 said:

Or they could have been passing right through the WFM without stopping to eat or drink. 

Anyone who remains on the Lido deck while traveling from mid-ship to anywhere aft (think Terrace Pool), WILL have to walk through the WFM to get there. 

Conversely, if you use the aft elevators/stairs as we did from the Caribe deck, you WILL walk through the WFM if you get off the elevator on Lido and want to go to the Calypso Pool or Neptune Pool areas. Or you WILL walk through Steamers or Planks to get aft, say, to the Terrace Pool. 

We did this frequently but nevertheless did normally stop to wash our hands. Because.....well, just because. 

But the poster I was quoting said they walked right into the buffet.

 

[Ep010835]

2 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

But the poster I was quoting said they walked right into the buffet.

 

Yup, me too. Got off the aft elevator and walked right into the buffet. Then straight out of the buffet to the Calypso pool! 

[Colo Cruiser]

14 minutes ago, Ep010835 said:

Yup, me too. Got off the aft elevator and walked right into the buffet. Then straight out of the buffet to the Calypso pool! 

Well as you say....it is "your" cruise.   

[Tak8]

Glad you had a positive experience.  I was on her in May and would sail her again.

[Ep010835]

18 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Well as you say....it is "your" cruise.   

 

I did??? 🤔

 

Wondered all the while about the design logic behind forcing "transients" traveling to or from aft through the buffet in order to get to other parts of Lido. Seems to me lots of unnecessary coughing and whatever else that really needn't be in the buffet.  Or Planks or Steamers. 

[woodyq]

We were also on that 14 day cruise and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We loved the new layout of the Fresh market, my wife enjoyed the noodle station almost daily and I took full advantage of the custom omelet station as well as cooked to order eggs (including great poached eggs).

 

Also have to echo OP's comments on dining for two, we had the same experience and like the OP it was totally different from the frustration of the last two cruises.

 

Bottom line, well done Princess!!!

[compozer]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Just imagine where those non hand washers were prior to entering the buffet?

I would say some left the toilet and walked right out of the bathroom and headed to the buffet. 

 

We do not use the wash stations.

We do not eat there very often but when we do, we are coming from our aft cabin, where we just washed our hands, walked down the hall, used our elbows to hit the elevator buttons and did not touch anything else.   Now, if by chance we do go to get a snack and are not coming from our cabin, we DO wash our hands.    And many times we walk through that area to get to the aft pool.   I don't like to do that but it is a long way around if you don't just walk through.

[jennybenny]

Just now, compozer said:

 

We do not use the wash stations.

We do not eat there very often but when we do, we are coming from our aft cabin, where we just washed our hands, walked down the hall, used our elbows to hit the elevator buttons and did not touch anything else.   Now, if by chance we do go to get a snack and are not coming from our cabin, we DO wash our hands.    And many times we walk through that area to get to the aft pool.   I don't like to do that but it is a long way around if you don't just walk through.

We do the same. I crack up at all the criticism. You have no idea if I was picking my nose or just washed my hands before I came in. 

I think public spaces are full of germs. I properly disinfect myself before eating ☺️ I say, To those that I scare, enjoy the story you make up, as it is far more exciting than the clean truth 😂

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your great review!

We've cruised on her 5 times including the 14 Circle last year.

Doing it again this coming January (2019) .   

[satxdiver]

Thanks for the review.  We were on the CB for the 14 day cruise earlier and we deboarded as you boarded.  We always have a cabin near the aft elevator bank so we always have to walk through the WFM to get to the Lido pool areas.  We try to use the side not serving at that time but when both are serving it cannot be avoided.  We wash our hands in the cabin before going to any meal whether in the WFM or MDR.  I use my knuckles to do the elevator buttons to keep from touching the buttons all the time.  

 

We frequented the noodle area in what was once the caribe and now steamers/planks as we loved being able to make our own dish and it was freshly prepared.  On sea days we always use the MDR for lunch as well as breakfast.  Port days we have room service which we ordered the night before from the cell phone using the app.  All so very easy.

 

Someone asked about the OM experience.  It was really wonderful and spoiled us for when we go on our next cruise and it is not OM ready.  We will have to remember the old way of using the cruise card to open the cabin.  It was so easy just walking up and opening the door.   Leaving the ship and reboarding was so very easy with just placing the OM on the reader which quickly recognized us and proceeding forward.  We had TD and waiting for the doors to open we liked to play the game (don't remember its name) on the wall mounted displays where it asks three questions and lists several answers.  

 

One night we were not enthralled with the menu in the MDR so we went to planks.  It actually was pretty good but not as good as we get here at home.  However building a BBQ pit that uses wood is not an option on a ship.  The price certainly was reasonable but suspect it was priced to attract pax.  We walked right in without reservations and had no problem as it was not heavily used. 

[caribill]

8 hours ago, jennybenny said:

 

I think public spaces are full of germs.

 

I suspect on the Medallion ships that the public screens for interacting with Medallion features will be some of the germiest places on the ship. At an airport, the check-in kiosk screens have been found to be the germiest places at the airport.

[Camelia-]

Thank you all for your comments. And..absolutely..many a time we were the transients just passing by the buffet....the setup makes it impossible to really monitor the situation as it could have been previously..so..at the end of the day..we can only worry about disinfecting ourselves and if that means extra washing..so be it! I really like being able to wash with soap and water anyway.

 

I must admit that the Medallion experience was a bit lost on me..other than enjoying the fact that the door would open as I approached I didn't participate in any of the other offerings..sorry about that. I actually forgot about it most of the time until I was at the International Cafe or in one of the stores and someone called me by my name!!!

 

Forgot to say that the internet was great..I think there were problems at the beginning of the cruise (judging by the long lines down at the internet cafe) but all seemed well later on. I honestly expected to have to pay the daily rate for it after I had used up the complimentary 250 minutes but to my delight I managed to make it last for the whole time. I think this was only because I had downloaded things beforehand in anticipation so I really only checked my email daily. Also there were so many options On Demand that I didn't even go through my downloaded movies!

[Daniel A]

14 hours ago, compozer said:

 

We do not use the wash stations.

We do not eat there very often but when we do, we are coming from our aft cabin, where we just washed our hands,

 

14 hours ago, jennybenny said:

You have no idea if I was picking my nose or just washed my hands before I came in. 

I think public spaces are full of germs. I properly disinfect myself before eating ☺️ I say, To those that I scare, enjoy the story you make up, as it is far more exciting than the clean truth 😂

The truth is that one properly cleans their hands before eating when they use the sanitary facilities as requested by the cruise line.  It's a sad day when grownups are making excuses for not washing their hands before eating.  Washing your hands in the cabin is not the same thing as cleaning your hands at the entrance to the buffet and I doubt that you do not touch ANYTHING between your cabin bathroom sink and where I am eating.  (ie: cabin doorknobs, hangers, bathroom doorknob, bathroom towels, your keycard etc...)

 

You are welcome to enjoy your Norovirus cruise, please don't take me along for the ride.  When I use the sanitary facilities at the buffet entrance I know I'm reducing my prospects of catching your illnesses.

[compozer]

18 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

 

The truth is that one properly cleans their hands before eating when they use the sanitary facilities as requested by the cruise line.  It's a sad day when grownups are making excuses for not washing their hands before eating.  Washing your hands in the cabin is not the same thing as cleaning your hands at the entrance to the buffet and I doubt that you do not touch ANYTHING between your cabin bathroom sink and where I am eating.  (ie: cabin doorknobs, hangers, bathroom doorknob, bathroom towels, your keycard etc...)

 

You are welcome to enjoy your Norovirus cruise, please don't take me along for the ride.  When I use the sanitary facilities at the buffet entrance I know I'm reducing my prospects of catching your illnesses.

To each their own.    We have never enjoyed Noro in the 33 cruises we have taken.   

[c-boy]

Camelia thank you for the info and positive atmosphere of your post.

[Camelia-]

 

19 minutes ago, c-boy said:

Camelia thank you for the info and positive atmosphere of your post.

 

You are very welcome! I learn so much from this forum every day and I wanted to share and possibly make a difference to anyone who might be hesitating about sailing on her. I can't guarantee that they will have as pleasant a cruise as I did (there are so many variables involved in our individual cruise experiences - including what expectations we bring with us) but I don't want this ship to be ruled out unnecessarily either!!

[Ep010835]

I LOVE the CB!!

Especially with the new fast, fast, superfast MedallionNet. And, of course, the rest of the OM package. 

[Colo Cruiser]

3 hours ago, Camelia- said:

 

 

You are very welcome! I learn so much from this forum every day and I wanted to share and possibly make a difference to anyone who might be hesitating about sailing on her. I can't guarantee that they will have as pleasant a cruise as I did (there are so many variables involved in our individual cruise experiences - including what expectations we bring with us) but I don't want this ship to be ruled out unnecessarily either!!

We were on in August and had a great time.

Thanks for your comments.  🙂

[jennybenny]

6 hours ago, Daniel A said:

 

The truth is that one properly cleans their hands before eating when they use the sanitary facilities as requested by the cruise line.  It's a sad day when grownups are making excuses for not washing their hands before eating.  Washing your hands in the cabin is not the same thing as cleaning your hands at the entrance to the buffet and I doubt that you do not touch ANYTHING between your cabin bathroom sink and where I am eating.  (ie: cabin doorknobs, hangers, bathroom doorknob, bathroom towels, your keycard etc...)

 

You are welcome to enjoy your Norovirus cruise, please don't take me along for the ride.  When I use the sanitary facilities at the buffet entrance I know I'm reducing my prospects of catching your illnesses.

When one washes their hands on a non automated faucet, they are touching germs before and after they sanitize to turn the water off and on. 

 

I take about bacterial with me. While it’s not “as good as soap and water” it’s better than touching the nasty germs on the faucets.

To each his own. Like I said, enjoy the fantasy you make up about me not washing my hands.  Buffets are nasty places. I don’t get Noro (knock on wood) because I properly sanitize. 

[Ep010835]

2 minutes ago, jennybenny said:

When one washes their hands on a non automated faucet, they are touching germs before and after they sanitize to turn the water off and on. 

 

All are touchless outside the WFM on the CB.