Caribbean Princess? Good for first Princess Cruise?

[J0Y0US]

My initial question is will this ship show Princess in a positive light or is it a tired ship that a first timer should avoid? The oldest ships I have cruised on are Disney Wonder (loved it) and NCL Epic (liked it but was in Haven).

 

Next up is a couple questions about Princess:

• For dinner is there an upgraded menu on this ship for Suites? (site says it on general info about Suites)
• Is there a suite lounge on this ship?
• The kids club looks good for our 5 and 4 year old but if you have feedback happy to hear it.
• The pizza good? 🙂
• Is Titos included in the Plus drink package?

 

Anything else you want to throw my way happy to hear it. Interested in possibly giving Princess a try.

 

Want to add we are laid back, don't typically do the nightly entertainment when we take the kids with us, and a standard pool is fine still (not need to fancy slides or anything at the kids ages).

[nini]

We are booked on this ship in 2024. However, this ship is one of the "older" styles that we really like.

1. For suites, you can dine in Club Class in one of the main dining rooms which is supposed to have better service and a few more menu options. I also believe that suite passengers can dine in Sabatini's for breakfast each morning which is supposed to be wonderful.

2. I do not see an Alfredo's on this ship which is a bummer! The pizza is fantastic.

3. There is a Vines Wine Bar which offers very good wines and is a nice hang out place.

4. Many love hanging out t Crooners Bar and the Explorer's Lounge.

 

I am not sure about Tito's. If it is not included, then you can still get it and pay the difference of what the limit is on the package. Many people do that when they want a more expensive wine.

[talkorpi]

3 minutes ago, nini said:

We are booked on this ship in 2024. However, this ship is one of the "older" styles that we really like.

1. For suites, you can dine in Club Class in one of the main dining rooms which is supposed to have better service and a few more menu options. I also believe that suite passengers can dine in Sabatini's for breakfast each morning which is supposed to be wonderful.

2. I do not see an Alfredo's on this ship which is a bummer! The pizza is fantastic.

3. There is a Vines Wine Bar which offers very good wines and is a nice hang out place.

4. Many love hanging out t Crooners Bar and the Explorer's Lounge.

 

I am not sure about Tito's. If it is not included, then you can still get it and pay the difference of what the limit is on the package. Many people do that when they want a more expensive wine.

 

Off-toipic, but speaking of vines, is it true that there is free sushi included with a glass of wine?

[J0Y0US]

1 minute ago, talkorpi said:

 

Off-toipic, but speaking of vines, is it true that there is free sushi included with a glass of wine?

 

Wait free sushi?

 

I want to know about that if that is somewhat good I am all in on that offering.

[nini]

3 minutes ago, talkorpi said:

 

Off-toipic, but speaking of vines, is it true that there is free sushi included with a glass of wine?

 

Pre- covid, tapas were offered when wine was ordered. That has kind of gone downhill, but maybe they will return.

[Jadn13]

Titos was included in the plus pkg in December. 
I love the lido pizza! 
 

 

[nini]

3 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Titos was included in the plus pkg in December. 
I love the lido pizza! 
 

 

Thanks for the tip on the pizza!

[memoak]

22 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Pre- covid, tapas were offered when wine was ordered. That has kind of gone downhill, but maybe they will return.

Depends on ship when we were on the Royal they had no tapas or sushi but recently on the Ruby they had wonderful ones

[nini]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

Depends on ship when we were on the Royal they had no tapas or sushi but recently on the Ruby they had wonderful ones

 

We were on the Emerald last May and on the Grand in September. No tapas were available, but We did get crackers once in the Emerald.

[riffatsea]

Titos is included

There is a happy hour lounge with a changing array of apps

There is suite breakfast offered in either Sabatini or the Crown Grill depending

We often just eat breakfast in club class to keep,it simple

Club classmis a separate area,of the mdr for suites

You can have the same table and staff each night

No need for reservations just walk in

There is an extra main dish offered 

You will also be able to order apps delivered to your cabin

You will get the contents of the mini bar for free and can exchange things 

You also get a free first night dinner in a specialty restaurant

We love the Crown Grill

The pizza on the Lido is great!!

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by riffatsea

[Tak8]

I was on the Caribbean Princess for two weeks in May.  The ship is a little older, but is in good shape.  I would sail on her again.  

Club Class provided great service.  One extra item at lunch and dinner.  Some were very good.  Pasta option could be done as small or full dish portion.

Do go to Sabatini's for breakfast.  For me, the best perk of being in a suite.  

It's been a while since my son was in the kids club, but he really enjoyed the experience.

[KKB]

We sailed Caribbean Princess last summer.

We had not sailed Princess in 10 years (no particular reason...) & LOVED it!

We love Princess pizza!

Yes, Tito's is included--it is my vodka of choice.

 

[wcflats]

Excellent ship.   Daughter was married on one of the Caribbean princess ship cruises.  Going again on her in November for two weeks.

[malba2366]

20 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

My initial question is will this ship show Princess in a positive light or is it a tired ship that a first timer should avoid? The oldest ships I have cruised on are Disney Wonder (loved it) and NCL Epic (liked it but was in Haven).

 

Next up is a couple questions about Princess:

• For dinner is there an upgraded menu on this ship for Suites? (site says it on general info about Suites)
• Is there a suite lounge on this ship?
• The kids club looks good for our 5 and 4 year old but if you have feedback happy to hear it.
• The pizza good? 🙂
• Is Titos included in the Plus drink package?

 

Anything else you want to throw my way happy to hear it. Interested in possibly giving Princess a try.

 

Want to add we are laid back, don't typically do the nightly entertainment when we take the kids with us, and a standard pool is fine still (not need to fancy slides or anything at the kids ages).

 

The ships are in reasonable condition for older ships, but don't go into it expecting the ship is in the condition that you experienced on Disney Wonder.  No other cruise line I have been on (Princess, Royal, Norwegian, Carnival, Celebrity) maintains their older ships to the level that Disney does. 

 

Note that the Suites perks do not apply to mini-suites, that is a frequent confusion .  There is usually a different dining room for suites, and there is usually a couple offerings daily that are exclusively for suites.

 

The pizza in the Alfredos is quite good, the poolside pizza is not too good.

 

Titos, if they have it, should be included in the plus package.   I don't recall seeing it last time I was on princess, but Grey Goose was included in the package.

[Jadn13]

The CB doesn't have Alfredos  or Gigis 

so it’s just lido pizza, which I enjoy. 

[J0Y0US]

2 hours ago, malba2366 said:

Note that the Suites perks do not apply to mini-suites, that is a frequent confusion .  There is usually a different dining room for suites, and there is usually a couple offerings daily that are exclusively for suites

 

We would be in Vista Suite I believe its called. So not the mini-suite by any definition that I could find. Thank you for calling it out though because all these lines have a slight different way of separating things.

 

 

Also thank you to everyone for responding as its really helpful.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we thought Caribbean Princess was old and tired when we were sailing on her in 2016. I think she got refurbed later, but we still don't want to sail on her again.

That's just my opinion. We strongly prefer newer ships.

[Thrak]

23 hours ago, talkorpi said:

 

Off-toipic, but speaking of vines, is it true that there is free sushi included with a glass of wine?

 

22 hours ago, nini said:

 

Pre- covid, tapas were offered when wine was ordered. That has kind of gone downhill, but maybe they will return.

 

On Ruby in December my wife enjoyed complimentary Sushi in Vines. You must order a glass of wine to get the free nosh. Prior to the shutdown we had a choice of Sushi or something else I can't remember on one of our cruises.

[sttopmh]

We loved that Caribbean Princess has the full promenade to walk around. However, Crooner's is so small that there is hardly any seating space if there is a popular performer.

[memoak]

3 hours ago, malba2366 said:

 

The ships are in reasonable condition for older ships, but don't go into it expecting the ship is in the condition that you experienced on Disney Wonder.  No other cruise line I have been on (Princess, Royal, Norwegian, Carnival, Celebrity) maintains their older ships to the level that Disney does. 

 

Note that the Suites perks do not apply to mini-suites, that is a frequent confusion .  There is usually a different dining room for suites, and there is usually a couple offerings daily that are exclusively for suites.

 

The pizza in the Alfredos is quite good, the poolside pizza is not too good.

 

Titos, if they have it, should be included in the plus package.   I don't recall seeing it last time I was on princess, but Grey Goose was included in the package.

Club class or Reserve ding applies to full suites and club class mini suites 

[nini]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

 

On Ruby in December my wife enjoyed complimentary Sushi in Vines. You must order a glass of wine to get the free nosh. Prior to the shutdown we had a choice of Sushi or something else I can't remember on one of our cruises.

 

Believe me, we were ordering lots of wine! However, our cruises were last May and September. Maybe things are returning to sort of normal.

[jeromep]

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

For dinner is there an upgraded menu on this ship for Suites? (site says it on general info about Suites)

Kind of, but follow me here.  You do get complimentary specialty dining on embarkation night.  It is a nice way to start a cruise plus you don't have to deal with crowds that do occur on embarkation night at the MDRs.  Usually crowd management and dinner demand adjust as the cruise gets into its 2nd or 3rd day and MDR crowds change and vary.

 

As a suite passenger you also are Club Class, so if you are dining in the MDR, you will not go to the MDR entrance, you will go to the Club Class entrance, which is connected to one of the MDRs on board.  There are never any lines or waits for Club Class MDR dining, plus they run a fresh sheet with a couple additional selections that aren't listed on the regular menu and a dish or two with tableside preparation, which is a nice show you don't see in many restaurants anymore.  I guess you could call Club Class dining (it is being rebranded, so it has a new name now which Princess is transitioning to) an upgraded menu for suite guests.

 

Suite guests also can get the daily MDR menus from their cabin steward and they can have room service deliver MDR meals to your cabin when the MDR is open, this is for breakfast lunch and dinner.

 

Speaking of breakfast, one of the specialty restaurants is open each morning for suite guests breakfast.  They offer free espresso drinks and mimosas in that venue for suite breakfast.

 

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

Is there a suite lounge on this ship?

No.  This is a feature of the Royal class ships.  The Caribbean Princess is a Grand class ship.  Nice ships, well laid out, lower passenger count, but older.  The Caribbean has Skywalkers, which is a rather large lounge and dance club that is in the shopping cart handle on the back of the ship.  During the day it is usually unused, so it is a great observation deck.  It is my favorite feature of the older Grand class ships.  The evening suite reception is often held in Skywalkers, but it can move to other venues depending on what is going on, on board.  If you book a suite, you'll get an invite to the suite and elite reception.  They have snacks and the open the bar and have some lower cost, but good beverages available.

 

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

The kids club looks good for our 5 and 4 year old but if you have feedback happy to hear it.

Yes, they are well organized, they have lots of activities going on, and the staff is excellent.  The programing on board is co-branded with the Discovery channel, so it leans toward something educational, not just mindless playing.

 

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

The pizza good? 🙂

Best pizza at sea.  That is a bit of a marketing thing that Princess uses, but I've never had a bad slice at any of the locations that serve pizza on board.  I've had more pizza up on the Lido than I have at Alfredos, but it is all excellent.

 

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

Is Titos included in the Plus drink package?

Depends on the price of the drink you are buying.  If the total drink cost if $15 or less, then yes. 

 

23 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

My initial question is will this ship show Princess in a positive light or is it a tired ship that a first timer should avoid? The oldest ships I have cruised on are Disney Wonder (loved it) and NCL Epic (liked it but was in Haven).

I wouldn't avoid this ship.  I like the Grand class ships, but they reflect the state of the cruise industry 15-25 years ago, before RCI started to super size ships.  I'm not sure when the Caribbean was last in for a dry dock, but there is a lot of refreshing of a ship's interior in dry dock.  Princess never let's a ship get too shelf worn before it needs some real attention.  As @malba2366 said, none of the main lines maintain older ships like Disney does.  The Caribbean Princess isn't necessarily going to wow you with top deck activities like a Disney ship or the Epic, but I wouldn't call her tired. It has some unique features which have not really made their way to other ships.  Notably, there is a splash pool, targeted toward kids, which no other Princess ship has.

 

On 2/8/2023 at 2:29 PM, J0Y0US said:

Want to add we are laid back, don't typically do the nightly entertainment when we take the kids with us, and a standard pool is fine still (not need to fancy slides or anything at the kids ages).

The kids clubs run late enough most evenings that you could take in the early show and then pick up the kids and get a late dinner.  No need to not have any evening entertainment.  Of course, having MDR dining available as room service, you can always eat in if your day has been long and you are tired and don't really want to have to "go out".

 

Having cruised with kids, there is honestly no better way to do it than in a suite.  You get some room to spread out, MDR room service, tender tickets that give you priority boarding (when you have a tender port), these things make it all just a bit easier to cruise with children.

[philv]

We sailed on this ship several times, last 2022. I love the Grand class ships. Continuous promenade for walking around the ship. Free steam rooms in fitness center. Skywalkers is great place for evening cocktails and watching wake flow away. You lucky suite sailors get Sabatinis for breakfast. I don’t know anything about kids programs but there are some neat venues on aft of ship that have kids areas nearby that look fun. I bet you will have a great time on this cruise! 😀🚢

[MJC]

4 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

 

We would be in Vista Suite I believe its called. 

We love the Vista suites with their big balconies, and always ask to mark them "no upgrade."  Sabatini's breakfast is an underutilized perq IME, but we really enjoy it. We sailed CB twice last year and would go back again in a heartbeat. We much prefer the layout to the newer larger ships.

[nini]

4 hours ago, MJC said:

We love the Vista suites with their big balconies, and always ask to mark them "no upgrade."  Sabatini's breakfast is an underutilized perq IME, but we really enjoy it. We sailed CB twice last year and would go back again in a heartbeat. We much prefer the layout to the newer larger ships.

This is great to know! I am surprising hubby with a Vista Suite on the Caribbean Princess in 2024 on a Transpacific!