AMA: 14-day Caribbean Princess ELITE

[jujuyu211]

I'm currently on the Caribbean Princess for 14 day Circle Caribbean round trip Ft Lauderdale. We have 2 sea days left before the end of our cruise so ask me anything (AMA) about the ship, the itinerary/ports, our experience, etc.. before we disembark. Some additional information:

• We have a balcony cabin on the port side Aloha deck (double occupancy). No, there is no bar soap or barrel chair in our cabin. However, the AC works very well and temperature was kept comfortably cool.
• Our ports were St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, Trinidad, Curacao, and Aruba. Other than St. Kitts, the ship has been docked on port side as expected and we saw our fair share of pier runners =P
• It's my first time being Elite on Princess (due to my Commodore travel agent status) so I was able to enjoy those perks. My favorite is laundry, minibar, and afternoon tea in our staterooms.
• It's also our first time spending both Christmas and New Years Eve on board. We thought the festivities and decorations were tastefully done.
• We have late dining which is at 7:15PM. We also paid for the following for-fee options: Steamers, Planks, and a Balcony Dinner.
• This might be obvious but we did get an internet package (upgraded from Elite free minutes). I believe it was $179.99 for 4 devices.
• We did not do any Princess excursions, only independent ones.. and most of the time just walked into town or taxi to a beach.
• We did watch most of the game shows and theater shows. Our favorite is Who's the Alpha and Fantastic Journey, respectively. The CD Duvaul Gamble was seen frequently around the ship.

 

Disclaimer: I don't claim to know everything or be an expert on anything. Just giving back CC karma to anyone who might have questions that I might be able to answer. 

AMA starts now. GO!

[snoozecrooze]

Hey @jujuyu211, thanks for doing this and hope you're enjoying the 14-day cruise over the holidays! I had a few questions:

• Which New Year's functions are you planning to attend on the ship and what are the other parties the staff are holding?
• Also, if you had a list/picture of the senior officers on the ship, that'd be great!
• Last, what did you think about how often the children's play area (the first waterpark-esque type of thing on any Princess ship) was used in the aft of the ship -- just any thoughts on maybe its use on this holiday cruise (of course weather holds the true authority over that haha).

ETA: And if anything you did in a port on this port-intensive cruise stands out to you, do let us know!

Thanks again and happy new year!

Edited December 31, 2019 by snoozecrooze

[donswife]

I'm glad you are well and enjoying your cruise. Where I work, AMA means "against medical advice" 😁.

[jujuyu211]

1 hour ago, snoozecrooze said:

Hey @jujuyu211, thanks for doing this and hope you're enjoying the 14-day cruise over the holidays! I had a few questions:

• Which New Year's functions are you planning to attend on the ship and what are the other parties the staff are holding? There's quite a few parties going around on the ship.. Open Deck Party w/ DJ Kevin White @ Neptune's Pool, Skywalkers w/ SJ Calvin, Black Tie Party w/ The Orchestra @ Explorers Lounge, Balloon Drop w/ Project 5 @ Piazza, and Wheelhouse Bar w/ BA Quartet. and Black Tie Party w/ The Orchestra @ Explorers Lounge. I think we will try to go to the open deck party, weather permitting.
• Also, if you had a list/picture of the senior officers on the ship, that'd be great! - I know where it's posted, I can take a picture tonight.
• Last, what did you think about how often the children's play area (the first waterpark-esque type of thing on any Princess ship) was used in the aft of the ship -- just any thoughts on maybe its use on this holiday cruise (of course weather holds the true authority over that haha). - Granted we don't have children and don't spend a lot of time in the children's area... we did not see it used quite that often. It could be because our itinerary is very port intensive. I also feel that we have more teens than children onboard this 14 day cruise and the hot tub was more popular. 

ETA: And if anything you did in a port on this port-intensive cruise stands out to you, do let us know!

Thanks again and happy new year!

 

St Thomas - we took a private day sail with Rumbaba Charters and that was a good decision because there were 5 cruise ships at port that day. On our way back to the ship, we heard that the ferry (to/from St John) sold out and that NEVER happens. Anyways, we snorkeled with sea turtles, sting rays, and spent some time on the most beautiful white powder sand beach. Yummy lunch included on-board too. It was a great day.

Antigua - we visited Valley Church beach and got massages by Pam's Wellness. It was crowded but it's a good beach and attendants everyone to sell you beach chairs and umbrellas. Just watch out for the drop off in the waters.

 

I want to also note that both Curacao and Aruba has been LIT with fireworks and firecrackers non-stop. Fireworks in Curacao yesterday 12/30 from 6pm-8pm. Non-stop firecrackers today 12/31 all over the city/port area of Aruba since 11am and going... They really celebrate here in the Caribbean and they mean it!! 

Edited December 31, 2019 by jujuyu211

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for checking in!

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[jujuyu211]

@snoozecrooze here's the picture of the officers

[danak13]

I don't think you are still on the ship but I was wondering about drink prices of scotches/bourbons/gins/etc.  What was available on the rocks and how much? 

[geoherb]

I was on the cruise before yours. I had a bar of soap for the bathroom sink. Laundry took two days to get done most of the time, although one time it took three for me. I enjoyed Duvaul and his staff on my cruise. I started with traditional dining the first night but switched over to anytime because some of the people at my table were not ones I wanted to eat with for the next nine nights. 

[MissP22]

Are they still serving portions of food in the Horizon buffet in those little cardboard containers?

[blloydtbird]

On 1/2/2020 at 2:56 PM, danak13 said:

I don't think you are still on the ship but I was wondering about drink prices of scotches/bourbons/gins/etc.  What was available on the rocks and how much? 

 

I was on the ship during the same time, had an absolute blast.  I also happen to be a bourbon guy.  They had Makers, Woodford and Buffalo Trace (on display at least).  In terms of pricing, if I recall correctly, in the neighborhood of $8 - $10, close to the price of their cocktails.  

[rgmacm]

What are the movies showing at MUTS?

[blloydtbird]

1 hour ago, rgmacm said:

What are the movies showing at MUTS?

This was a huge point of disappointment for me, it was football every single night. During the day,  they had Avengers Endgame, The Greatest Showman and Aladdin as well. But after dusk, always football. Big letdown for me. 

[toeloop]

It's surprising to hear they had a balloon drop.  I was on the Regal during the Christmas sailing and the assistant cruise directors told us that there was no longer a balloon drop on the ship because of a new law prohibiting the use of balloons at sea.