Caribbean Princess condition/for first time cruisers

[Jennwick]

After years of watching me go on cruises, I've finally convinced my folks to go on a cruise this year.  Can anybody who has been on the Caribbean Princess lately report on the condition of the ship?  It's been 5 years since I've been on it, and it was looking and feeling really shabby the last time I was on her.  But I understand she's been in drydock a couple of times in the last few years.  My parents are in their late 60's/70's - and I want them to have a great time on their first cruise.  I've also been looking at the Enchanted, but unfortunately the dates and itinerary are better for us on the Caribbean.

 

Thanks for any input from folks who have been on the ship lately!

 

Jenn   

[MISTER 67]

21 minutes ago, Jennwick said:

After years of watching me go on cruises, I've finally convinced my folks to go on a cruise this year.  Can anybody who has been on the Caribbean Princess lately report on the condition of the ship?  It's been 5 years since I've been on it, and it was looking and feeling really shabby the last time I was on her.  But I understand she's been in drydock a couple of times in the last few years.  My parents are in their late 60's/70's - and I want them to have a great time on their first cruise.  I've also been looking at the Enchanted, but unfortunately the dates and itinerary are better for us on the Caribbean.

 

Thanks for any input from folks who have been on the ship lately!

 

Jenn   

Not sure what she looks like now but afrer sailing on her 8 times we watched her deteriorate and after our last cruise on her a year and a half ago we vowed never to sail on her again. We had the worst food on that cruise and far from what we expected on a Princess ship, always had great food on Princess, we heard from another passenger who talked to one of the assistants Maitre d's and said that Princess was cutting the food budget, they certainly did on that cruise.

Besides the food the ship was really shabby and needed new carpeting and furniture and  just wasn't as spic and span as in the past. We knew about one of the engines not operating at full capacity and top speed was 17 or 18 knots cutting shore time in the ports.

I know the engine was repaired but not sure about all the others problems. Looking forward to sailing on the Regal in March which is a beautiful ship and our favorite of the Princess fleet.

Edited January 16, 2020 by MISTER 67

[Jennwick]

14 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

Not sure what she looks like now but afrer sailing on her 8 times we watched her deteriorate and after our last cruise on her a year and a half ago we vowed never to sail on her again. We had the worst food on that cruise and far from what we expected on a Princess ship, always had great food on Princess, we heard from another passenger who talked to one of the assistants Maitre d's and said that Princess was cutting the food budget, they certainly did on that cruise.

Besides the food the ship was really shabby and needed new carpeting and furniture and  just wasn't as spic and span as in the past. We knew about one of the engines not operating at full capacity and top speed was 17 or 18 knots cutting shore time in the ports.

I know the engine was repaired but not sure about all the others problems. Looking forward to sailing on the Regal in March which is a beautiful ship and our favorite of the Princess fleet.

Thanks for this feedback. It’s what I was afraid of. Enjoy the Regal - she is a wonderful ship. 

[AF-1]

I was on Caribbean Princess in Feb;  I totally disagree with everything Mister 67 said of this ship.  First off,  this ship has been to dry dock since Mister 67 sailed her.  She was the first ship that was totally retrofitted with Medallion Net.  All new tv's, bedding, carpets etc.  The crew was excellent.  CD was excellent.  Food everywhere  was fine.  I would sail this ship again with no problems.  

[skynight]

We were on the Caribbean for 10 days in August, which was after the April 2019 4 week wet dock. All new carpets, not shabby at all. Cabin was in good shape. Everything well kept. We felt the ship was very well run. No issues with the food. Enjoyed the lunch selections in the buffet, and the expanded selections at the Salty Dog grill and Slices pizza. One weakness we find on the Caribbean is the theater. There just are not enough seats and performances to handle the 3,100 passengers. You have to arrive around 45 minutes early for production shows, 1 hour early when the show is Bravo. Other entertainers around 30 minutes early. Bravo is a really great show. Great songs, some opera, live orchestra with strings and other instrumental additions. Explorer's Lounge gets crowded for Marriage Game and Yes/No game shows. Just a note, the Caribbean did not send out disembarkation questionnaires. We had to go to passenger services to request our early walk off. I have read that they still do this. So be aware if you require a special disembarkation time. By the way, fresh made omelettes and eggs available in the morning in the Steamers/Planks section of the buffet. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by skynight

[kywildcatfanone]

The ship is in good shape.  It's 15 years old, but they maintain it well.

[mosenga]

I was on the ship a few weeks ago. The Ocean Medallion system still has a lot of bugs to work out. I'm not sure it's really ready for use. The ship, on the other hand, is in absolutely fine condition. There were no issues at all with the ship and she looks great.

[treesah]

We did the Fort Lauderdale to Quebec on the Caribbean Princess.  No issues except the theater as mentioned above.  As a matter of fact we're booked on the 14 night Caribbean cruise next month.  

[PMGS247]

Agreed with everyone but mister 67;  I agree with his assessment pre-dry dock as I was on it in May 2018 and May 2019 so I saw before & after, but the dry dock definitely turned it around.  It's in great shape.  Would sail again in a heartbeat.

Edited January 17, 2020 by PMGS247

[Mud_Shark]

Sailed on her once again this past November and loved the ship.  Looked to be in great shape in every way.  The buffet food was the same as pretty much all non royal class ships, except that for lunch there was an alternating noodle bowl and stir fry area, and that was great.   The MDR food was very good - same as other Princess ships.

 

Would not hesitate to sail on her again.  Fine ship.

 

Don

[Tak8]

I was on the Caribbean Princess in May.  I enjoyed the cruise.  She doesn't have the Enclave like the newer Royal class ships, but she is in good condition.  The food was very good.  I did have CC dining, but 98% the same food. I would not worry.

[MISTER 67]

8 hours ago, AF-1 said:

I was on Caribbean Princess in Feb;  I totally disagree with everything Mister 67 said of this ship.  First off,  this ship has been to dry dock since Mister 67 sailed her.  She was the first ship that was totally retrofitted with Medallion Net.  All new tv's, bedding, carpets etc.  The crew was excellent.  CD was excellent.  Food everywhere  was fine.  I would sail this ship again with no problems.  

That's good to know, as I said I wasn't sure what kind of condition she was in now. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by MISTER 67

[Gopher1934]

Been on the Caribbean Princess 4 times ,last time was last year ship was in fine shape. We like the size of the ship. We did Alaska in May of this year on the Royal and prefer the Caribbean Princess. Booked a 14 on Caribbean for this February.

[imsailin]

Not to worry the ship is in beautiful shape. We were on her in September and we were very pleased. She is in much better shape than 2 years ago when we had sailed her last. Also the food is very good now as well. Enjoy her!

[blloydtbird]

We just returned from a 14 day winter holiday cruise with the Caribbean Princess.  This was our first cruise, thus can't really compare to others.  That said, we found the ship to have been in perfectly fine condition, perhaps with one exception.  Churchill Lounge, that place seamed a bit "filthy".  But, it is an interior cigar lounge, I imagine that is par for the course.  The ship was great, our cabin was very clean. No issues.  

Edited January 18, 2020 by blloydtbird

[CineGraphic]

The Caribbean is in better shape than some of it's passengers.

[CruiseVA]

We also did the FLL to Quebec City last July, ship was in great shape, theatre is too small now. Medallion & MedallionNet worked great. I'd sail her again in a second. We've been on here at least 5 times since 2008. According to the CD in July they try new things on her, which makes it fun.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We sailed on the Caribbean in October, my first time on her.  Very pleased and had absolutely no complaints. 

[pcsunlover]

I wasn’t a big fan of Caribbean Princess after 4 cruises on her over a 5-year period. The last one we had a flooded cabin in the middle of the night which wasn’t fun.  But, we went on her again for the 5th time last May after drydock and had a wonderful cruise with no problems.  The staff, food, and entertainment were great but I can’t comment on the Medallion experience because at that time all it would do is unlock our cabin door.

[Reina del Mar]

Had read some poor reports about Caribbean Princess and wondered whether we had made a mistake booking a B2B on her, but not too many ships sail to the Caribbean in July, so limited choice.

 

In actual fact, Caribbean Princess had recently come out of Dry/Wet Dock (April 2019) and we found everything to be just fine.

 

Would not hesitate to sail on her again.

[capriccio]

We have only one cruise on the Caribbean Princess and that was the British Isles in 2013.  We are looking forward to our second in June.  On that BI cruise (and never on any other of the 25+ Princess cruises we've been on), all the production shows were on a 3 times per night schedule (around 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30) that worked out perfectly both from a timing and crowd perspective.  I wonder why they don't do that anymore? 

[AF-1]

On 1/17/2020 at 5:43 PM, MISTER 67 said:

That's good to know, as I said I wasn't sure what kind of condition she was in now. 

No problems;  have fun out there.  

[ialex]

We cruised Caribbean Princess 1/3/20-1/13/2020. This was our first time on this ship. The carpet looked new, the mattress was comfortable, the theatre chairs were comfortable, and the ocean medallion was a nice feature (we did not get the WiFi). I did not notice anything worn or shabby. I will say the food was mediocre at times in the dining room. We loved grabbing a quick bite at the International Cafe. Enjoy your trip!

[Jennwick]

Thank you all!

[Pepper0074]

We will be on her in March for our third time in a year. We love her!