LIVE on the Caribbean Princess, Western Caribbean, December 5-12, 2021: Geoherb goes solo again

[bigeagle12]

Is this the first night they had escargot?  I am used to Royal having them every night.  Won’t ruin my cruise but I do love them and very rarely have them except when cruising. 🙂

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The app is still giving me the message that "Departure groups will be available closer to the start of your journey."

It's a solution in search of a problem or real need.

[cltnccruisers]

13 minutes ago, geoherb said:

The Grapevine Wine Tasting was nice. They served the same wines I've had on past cruises. I sat at a table with pleasant people, including a couple who live about an hour from me. The best thing was that the staff members talking about the wines kept it brief. I've been to some of the wine tastings when they'd talk on and on.

 

I tried my luck in the casino after the wine tasting. I played a slot machine that I don't understand. The machine I chose had a minimum of 18 cents per spin. That's my speed. It was fun for several spins and went into a bonus feature once. That got me back over my initial outlay by a little more than a dollar. I should have quit there, but I decided to play it down. I ended up $0.06 ahead when I cashed out. Big winner!

 

 

We lost enough last week to get a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.  😂

[MustangGT]

1 hour ago, geoherb said:

The Grapevine Wine Tasting was nice. They served the same wines I've had on past cruises. I sat at a table with pleasant people, including a couple who live about an hour from me. The best thing was that the staff members talking about the wines kept it brief. I've been to some of the wine tastings when they'd talk on and on.

 

I tried my luck in the casino after the wine tasting. I played a slot machine that I don't understand. The machine I chose had a minimum of 18 cents per spin. That's my speed. It was fun for several spins and went into a bonus feature once. That got me back over my initial outlay by a little more than a dollar. I should have quit there, but I decided to play it down. I ended up $0.06 ahead when I cashed out. Big winner!

 

 

Don’t spend it all in one place! 😁

[caribill]

6 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The app is still giving me the message that "Departure groups will be available closer to the start of your journey."

 

I have seen no post on any thread that said you could actually select a departure group with in app, either in advance or while on the ship.

[Id rather be diving]

Thank you!  Can’t wait until February!

[geoherb]

7 hours ago, bigeagle12 said:

Is this the first night they had escargot?  I am used to Royal having them every night.  Won’t ruin my cruise but I do love them and very rarely have them except when cruising. 🙂

 

Yes. Princess usually has them the second formal night. You could check with a head waiter to see if you could get them sooner. I remember we had them on a cruise by request when there was a shortage and did not appear on the menu.

[geoherb]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I have seen no post on any thread that said you could actually select a departure group with in app, either in advance or while on the ship.

 

The app suggests that passengers can select their own departure time. It just doesn't work. After trading in my luggage tags for a later time at guest services, I noticed that the cabin stewards had them on their carts. Unlike previous cruises, I did not get a personalized departure info sheet. It was just a generic one. I wonder if the cabin stewards were told to just pass them out with the luggage tags without any thought as to which time passengers got. Or perhaps they were given a list telling them which tags each cabin should get.

 

[geoherb]

This afternoon was busy with activities. A room service waiter delivered my canapes about 10 minutes early. They are a great improvement over the previous ones. I liked the cured salmon the best. The beef crostini didn't have enough horseradish. The tuna was a little over done. They had a similar tuna preparation at Skywalkers one night that was much better. I did not receive any utensils with the order.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by geoherb

[geoherb]

We finally had an easy trivia. My team tied with another with 19 out of 20 points. We guessed closer to the tie-breaker answer and won bags. I gave mine to the second place couple.

 

The Captain's Circle party was sparsely attended. I one point it looked like there were more bar waiters there than passengers. I did not have any problems getting a glass of wine or two.

 

The loyalty and events manager announced there were 341 Platinum passengers and 253 Elite. The 3rd most traveled passengers had 1,290 days; 2nd place had 1,596; and 1st place had 2,003. I asked her after the speeches about the other numbers. She said she had the info available in her office and invited me to drop by tomorrow. She said it took 434 days to get an invitation to the top 40 luncheon.

[AliceS]

On 12/9/2021 at 2:54 PM, chamima said:

Did the HW make Pasta Arrabiatta?

That's my favorite thing on Princess and I certainly hope it isn't another victim of the shutdown.

None on Enchanted Princess, but the Eggplant was good.   😢 to lose Arribiatta!

[geoherb]

Dinner was very nice. I was at a large table with four couples. Service was consequently a little bit slow. I ended up excusing myself after the main course so I could make the early production show: Bravo.

 

The show was very good, although I prefer Encore. I went back to the dining room for dessert. It was a lot less crowded then.

 

Here are some photos from dinner:

 

 

[geoherb]

And here is tomorrow's Patter. I'm planning on staying on the ship.

 

 

[Bgwest]

13 hours ago, geoherb said:

And here is tomorrow's Patter. I'm planning on staying on the ship.

 

 

Thanks for all of the great info!

we will be joining you tomorrow. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Bgwest

[c-boy]

I believe, I've seen you before 

 

 

 

 

[geoherb]

The final day has been lazy for me. The best news was that the dining room was open for lunch. The worse news for people planning to go into Nassau was that we docked an hour late. Someone said it was due to the pilot not being on time. It did not matter to me. I stayed on the ship.

 

The morning trivia had a few hard questions. My team got 15 right. The winning team had 19. They admitted that it was a verbatim repeat of a trivia from last week. They said the Disney trivia was also a repeat as well as the Hollywood Hiccups that I mentioned from a few nights ago.

 

I competed in the champagne golf putting in the Vista Lounge. I placed second out of two. Neither of us wanted the bottle of champagne, so she gave us both more drawstring bags. I went for a final swim in the Terrace Pool. I was going to try out the Oasis Pool but found out it was empty and netted over. I don't know if it has been like that the whole cruise. It was my first time seeing it on this cruise.

 

The famous faces trivia was difficult. He showed photos of famous people but with a mask obscurring part of their faces. There were a few of us playing, so he offered us all water bottles. I turned it down. My haul from this cruise has been four bottles of champagne, three drawstring bags, a medal, two water bottles, and two coasters with two activities left to go. I gave most of it away.

 

 

 

Here are the menus from today's lunch and tonight's dinner.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by geoherb

[geoherb]

4 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Thanks for all of the great info!

we will be joining you tomorrow. 

 

You will be joining a lot of back-to-back passengers but not me. I had breakfast with a couple who are staying. They said the Covid test yesterday was quick and easy. The big difference on the next cruise is the introduction of children under 12. They weren't eligible to sail on my cruise since they couldn't be fully vaccinated in time. Next week is the first cruise that they can sail on. One of the assistant cruise directors said there were 280 children scheduled to board tomorrow. I don't know if she was counting all of the under 18-year-olds. 

[ONT-CA]

Please describe the meaning of "Club Class"    Thanks

[capriccio]

10 minutes ago, ONT-CA said:

Please describe the meaning of "Club Class"    Thanks

From the description on the website Stateroom Selection page:

 

Club Class Mini-Suite

A premium stateroom category featuring our best located Mini-Suite staterooms, as well as the great amenities found in all Mini-Suites — plus premier dining benefits and luxurious perks. Each night, enjoy Club Class Dining, an exclusive dining area featuring expedited seating with no wait, expanded menu options, dedicated wait staff and tableside preparations. Other amenities include priority embarkation and disembarkation, a complimentary one-time wine set-up and so much more^{^}

 

^{^}Includes ½ bottle of red wine and ½ bottle of white wine on embarkation day.

 

[geoherb]

The people in suites can also eat in the Club Class dining area at lunch (when it's open) and dinner. They get to eat at Sabatini's for breakfast.

[chamima]

Again , thank you so so much for posting so much information for us future cruisers! 
 

You mentioned that the Oasis pool was covered. I’ve searched the deck plants and can’t find an Oasis pool. Where is it?

 

Also, since we haven’t been on a ship for almost two years I can’t remember if there’s a small area leading to any of the pools that has about an inch or two of water where one could sit and cool off?

 

Thanks!

[CruzDayz]

20 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

The app suggests that passengers can select their own departure time. It just doesn't work. After trading in my luggage tags for a later time at guest services, I noticed that the cabin stewards had them on their carts. Unlike previous cruises, I did not get a personalized departure info sheet. It was just a generic one. I wonder if the cabin stewards were told to just pass them out with the luggage tags without any thought as to which time passengers got. Or perhaps they were given a list telling them which tags each cabin should get.

 

You should have had a form left in your cabin halfway through where you filled out your choice of departure  and then gave back to the steward. The next day or the day after he leaves the proper tags. The app is never involved. 

[milogurd]

Just remember, every time you give someone else your "champagne" that you won, you have created blinding headaches for hours for some unfortunate passenger(s). ⚠️ 

 

Don't get me started with the coasters! 🙂 

[geoherb]

4 hours ago, chamima said:

You mentioned that the Oasis pool was covered. I’ve searched the deck plants and can’t find an Oasis pool. Where is it?

 

Also, since we haven’t been on a ship for almost two years I can’t remember if there’s a small area leading to any of the pools that has about an inch or two of water where one could sit and cool off?

 

The Oasis Pool is an old name for the Lotus Pool. I don't remember which ship. It is the free pool for adults that you can either get to going down the stairs from the Sanctuary level (Sports Deck) or through the spa. 

 

Both of the main pools (Neptune's and Calypso) have shallow areas like that where you can sit on the side and let your feet rest in a few inches of water. The Terrace Pool has nice steps leading into it where you could do the same.

 

 

[geoherb]

2 hours ago, CruzDayz said:

You should have had a form left in your cabin halfway through where you filled out your choice of departure  and then gave back to the steward. The next day or the day after he leaves the proper tags. The app is never involved. 

 

I did not receive a form, and no one I spoke with had received one either. There is an option on the app to choose "Arrival & Departure Groups." When trying to select a departure group, it gives this error message: "Sorry! Departure groups will be available closer to the start of your journey." It's apparently a future feature of the app that has not been implemented yet. I received the error message both before the cruise began and during the cruise. 

 

Embarkation groups did not seem to matter either. No one asked what group I was in when I arrived at the terminal. Perhaps when the ships are closer to full capacity they will.