Any recent Caribbean Princess cruises with positive review.

[Guest Cruisenewbie20181]

We will be taking our first Princess cruise in October on the Caribbean Princess. Recently a couple of reviews on cruise critic are giving us pause. One was regarding roaches and the other was under the review ship section from a couple who sailed in May 2023 rating the cruise as 1 star.

 

I understand that people who have a negative experience are more likely to take the time to write a review. If you have recently been on the Caribbean Princess and had a positive experience please respond.

Thank you.

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

We did a partial Panama Canal transit cruise in February with no issues.  That was our first sailing on the Caribbean P but we have another one booked for September, a Canada/New England cruise. You can generally *always* find something to complain about if you're looking.  Our attitude is "Any day on a ship is better than being at home and NOT on a ship!"

[Jadn13]

Spent 28 days on her April-May.

She is an older ship but we still had a nice relaxing time and great service. 
I’m sailing on her again in July up the coast from Ft Lauderdale to Quebec.

If you go in prepared to have fun and not nitpick you will have an enjoyable time. 

 

 

[KKB]

Been a year--sailed last July for 2 weeks & it was great. 

 

Reading the reviews...

--several complaints were about changes in Elite perks (not a Caribbean Princess issue).

--mildew in shower? not uncommon to see in hotel rooms 

--insult comedy? OH NO

--smallest room every--HUH? GURRRL, try NCL interior....

--poor ship layout? Other than going down a flight to one MDR, I don't have ANY idea what they are talking about.

--missed ports due to safety issues? HAPPENS ALL THE TIME

--but other ships docked? may be WHEN they docked, size of ship, etc.

--shows not to your taste? Yep, it happens

--not enough activities to your taste? Yep, has happened to me, too. Maybe Princess isn't the line for you, or maybe cruising isn't for you (one reason I'm over MSC)

 

Complainers are gonna complain. I read those & see little consistency to the complaints which says to me that it isn't a Caribbean Princess issue, but the complainers issue.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by KKB

[Jeter02]

Honestly I think you will be perfectly fine. My famous line of vacation is whatever you make it to be. If you're looking to have a good time you shall have a good time. I always find that most people who write up reviews are usually people who are dissatisfied versus people have an awesome time aren't typically the ones who write the views I feel like they are smaller percentage.. The negative people tend to look for attention and a lot of times it could be actual negative things but most of the times I feel like it's minor things that's not worth complaining about.

[LibrarianMonroe]

The roaches thing gives me pause, too, but we were on her in March and didn't have any problems, really.  We've sailed her 4 times over the years and never had the problems other people have had.  Is she older?  She is.  But we aren't sailing for how shiny and new she does or doesn't look.

[suekel]

My youngest step-son and Father-in-Law were on last month and had a fantastic time.  

[DavidsNana]

Was on the Caribbean Princess with my grandson and his wife 4/1-4/8 of this year.  Had 2 balcony cabins on Caribe deck (great extended balconies on that deck).  We had a fabulous time.  Like someone else posted, I have been on her 4 times over the years and she is my favorite ship for layout.  Crew were fantastic, food great with few exceptions and entertainment enjoyable.  Yes, we missed 2 of our 4 ports (Western Caribbean) due to high seas and winds but that is mother nature not the ship or crew/captain's fault.  Do I find the picture and report of roaches disturbing, yes.  However, I have been in some pretty nice restaurants as well as old favorites and have seen a roach on occasion.  I won't let this bother me or stop me from sailing the Caribbean Princess unless it becomes a widespread problem.

 

[philv]

I’ve been on the Caribbean Princess several times. The most unique thing is Skywalker’s lounge, the fish tail on rear of ship. No other Princess ship has it and it’s truly unique. Wonderful quite place during day to hang out and watch the wake stream away, especially if weather is bad. Love the platinum/elite happy hour there before dinner. That alone makes it my favorite Princess ship.

[texmanufan]

8 hours ago, Cruisenewbie20181 said:

We will be taking our first Princess cruise in October on the Caribbean Princess. Recently a couple of reviews on cruise critic are giving us pause. One was regarding roaches and the other was under the review ship section from a couple who sailed in May 2023 rating the cruise as 1 star.

 

I understand that people who have a negative experience are more likely to take the time to write a review. If you have recently been on the Caribbean Princess and had a positive experience please respond.

Thank you.

 

I have noticed the recent reviews as well. Mostly concerned because I am paying/responsible for 15 passengers and recent reports of norovirus <300 (so not reported). I don't frequent the casino but still don't want to play roulette with my family. First cruise with Princess for all of us. Wonder if all dining options are open too for our June 17 cruise here in a couple of weeks.

Edited June 5, 2023 by texmanufan

[avonlady6390]

I was on her last week of April had an enjoyable time service was good a little long in the MDR but that's normal just schedule your dinner to make it to the shows and nightly entertainment.  We to enjoyed Skywalkers for platinum and elite cocktails.  There was plenty of on board daily activities such as trivia.  Cabin was clean no problems there.  Room service was timely.  Ship was full but now that covid restrictions are over it's back to normal.

[capriccio]

The last time we were on the Caribbean Princess was the first week in January 2022 when there were fewer than 900 passengers and more than 1000 crew.  It was our first post-Covid cruise and we smiled the entire time - not that anyone else could tell because we were masked up except for eating and drinking.

 

Our next CB cruise is in 27 days (but who's counting?) and i know it will be wonderful.  In the summer of 2019 we booked a family cruise for July 2020 on the CB (me and DH; DD, SIL and then 5 year old granddaughter; DS, DIL and then almost 1 year old granddaughter).  Obviously, that cruise was a no go as were the 2021 (which wasn't even sailing then IIRC) and the 2022 (there was no vaccine yet for the youngest) cruises.  So it has been a long, long wait.  This is the first time we will all be together at the same time since before Covid.  And as a bonus it is the only Princess ship that has a dedicated kid's area with a splash pool and regular pool.

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, texmanufan said:

I have noticed the recent reviews as well. Mostly concerned because I am paying/responsible for 15 passengers and recent reports of norovirus <300 (so not reported). I don't frequent the casino but still don't want to play roulette with my family. First cruise with Princess for all of us. Wonder if all dining options are open too for our June 17 cruise here in a couple of weeks.

 

It may be too late to book MDR reservations through Dine My Way for all of you to dine together.  It is an awful app option.  If you don't have a reservation, it is even worse for walk ins.  Check in with the Assistant Manager at embarkation lunch or your first dinner.  Good Luck.

 

The one thing the app is good with, is locating shipmates.  You need to request and accept passengers.  But it is pretty accurate in locating anyone in your party.  You type in their name....and then click on accept on the other device.  If you need help, take one person with you to either the Ocean Ready table near the photo department or to the Internet Cafe and practice with each other.

 

I hope all of you are at least on the same deck.  Is it a short cruise (7 days)?  It will be over before you know the ins and outs.  Have a great time.  You are with family...all stuck on the same ship.  

[Towlie]

I was one that posted roach pics.

Crown Grill and Sabatinis open and both were full by first night for week.

We did stop by a 5:00 on day four to see if anyone cancelled, waited for 30 min and did get in .

The steaks were exceptionally tough.

I don’t think they’ll reopen planks or steamers.

pizza was great, best thing we ate in mdr was chic Parmesan .

[gamja]

Was on the CB a couple weeks ago. The ship was at max capacity, but didn't feel too congested at all. It has a more relaxed vibe compared to the larger ships for sure. I didn't see any cockroaches or catch any virus. Overall the staff was great, my only bad experience was with the casino bar and tradewinds bar.

[nasa1974]

I've been on 17 cruises on various cruise lines, but mostly Princess. Was every cruise perfect? No! But it didn't stop us from booking another cruise. It's just like any vacation. You make the best of it and enjoy the time away from home and work. Have some fun with friends and make new ones.

[cr8tiv1]

At our last Meet and. Greet, the question about Planks and Steamers reopening was asked.  Officer said that they are working on it.  I forgot the reasoning behind answer.  

 

52 minutes ago, Towlie said:

I was one that posted roach pics.

Crown Grill and Sabatinis open and both were full by first night for week.

We did stop by a 5:00 on day four to see if anyone cancelled, waited for 30 min and did get in .

The steaks were exceptionally tough.

I don’t think they’ll reopen planks or steamers.

pizza was great, best thing we ate in mdr was chic Parmesan .

 

[Towlie]

I was told that they were originally closed for covid- both take up space in the buffet area and by closing them, it allowed more room for better social distancing .

Why haven’t they reopen? Who knows?

[CaptainPedantic]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess 6-20 May this year and had a fabulous time. No roaches or virus issues as far as we knew. Great staff, great service, food was good, entertainment was mixed but some good shows, overall we had a lovely cruise and would definitely cruise on Caribbean Princess again!

[PMGS247]

The CB has always been a piñata for bad reviews.  The Island as well now that I think about it.  I shared the same concerns back in 2018 when I was first slated to sail her on a Western Caribbean itinerary, which tells you how far back this tradition goes.  I had such a great time on that sailing that we came back to do the Eastern Caribbean the following year in literally the exact same cabin.  I'm slated to sail on her on Halloween this year.  Can't wait!  Take reviews with a massive grain of salt.

[cr8tiv1]

And you thought one roach was a problem.  Check out this news release from Honolulu International Airport (I know...not the official name).

 

https://www.kitv.com/news/top-stories/pest-company-ensures-travelers-should-feel-confident-in-dki-bed-bug-treatment/article_3d301666-01b6-11ee-8bb1-573e1f3057f3.html

[Meekos7]

We just came back from our sailing o the CB 5/27-6/3. Though we ended up having a good time I doubt I would ever sail on this ship again. 

-The biggest negative to me was the AC.Our original room had no AC.After 2 different serviceman came to try and fix it one of them leaked to us that it could only work at 14% capacity.Their original solution was to put a huge industrial noisy fan in the room. Luckily one of the supervisors finally found us a new room that night.We issed the show and had to repack and unpack again but it was worth moving to a cabin with AC.Other parts of the ship laced AC too.

2- The food was good in the main dining room, two nights we had extremely slow service and when they wanted to put us in the same section again we spoke up and were placed elsewhere with great service the rest of the week.

3- We ate in the Crown twice as we had the Premier package. The first time it was great both food and service(filet and lobster).The second time not so great, both of us ordered rib steak and it tasted frozen and service was not as good.

4-Entertainment-Jodi is a wonderful Cruise and Entertainment Director.She organized a lot of activites and she and her staff made it a lot of fun.The best CD I ever experienced on 20plus cruises of various lines. My negative is the nighttime shows in the big theater. One night it was just the band playing,another  a lackluster magician and the production shows were outdated especially compared to the Enchantment which we were on a few months ago.The exception was a female comedian who was wonderful.

5-Bar service was great especially in Good Spirits and Vines.We used the apps sometimes for drinks and that worked well.Food delivery was a hit or miss.We had piping hot pizza delivered into the Wheelhouse bar in 20 minutes and guac and chips 3 hours later.

6-Our cabin was tired but we had AC and our cabin attendant kept it spotless and was wonderful.I was pleasently surprised to have such a nice roomy updated balcony with new furniture but it did not make up for the really small shower. I am used to small showers but this one was tiny.

7-All in all it was a nice relaxing cruise after the first day even at full capacity but  but I think I will stick to newer ships where there are less problems with the AC and leaks which many people at customer service were experiencing.

 

 

[PMGS247]

17 minutes ago, Meekos7 said:

We just came back from our sailing o the CB 5/27-6/3. Though we ended up having a good time I doubt I would ever sail on this ship again. 

-The biggest negative to me was the AC.Our original room had no AC.After 2 different serviceman came to try and fix it one of them leaked to us that it could only work at 14% capacity.Their original solution was to put a huge industrial noisy fan in the room. Luckily one of the supervisors finally found us a new room that night.We issed the show and had to repack and unpack again but it was worth moving to a cabin with AC.Other parts of the ship laced AC too.

2- The food was good in the main dining room, two nights we had extremely slow service and when they wanted to put us in the same section again we spoke up and were placed elsewhere with great service the rest of the week.

3- We ate in the Crown twice as we had the Premier package. The first time it was great both food and service(filet and lobster).The second time not so great, both of us ordered rib steak and it tasted frozen and service was not as good.

4-Entertainment-Jodi is a wonderful Cruise and Entertainment Director.She organized a lot of activites and she and her staff made it a lot of fun.The best CD I ever experienced on 20plus cruises of various lines. My negative is the nighttime shows in the big theater. One night it was just the band playing,another  a lackluster magician and the production shows were outdated especially compared to the Enchantment which we were on a few months ago.The exception was a female comedian who was wonderful.

5-Bar service was great especially in Good Spirits and Vines.We used the apps sometimes for drinks and that worked well.Food delivery was a hit or miss.We had piping hot pizza delivered into the Wheelhouse bar in 20 minutes and guac and chips 3 hours later.

6-Our cabin was tired but we had AC and our cabin attendant kept it spotless and was wonderful.I was pleasently surprised to have such a nice roomy updated balcony with new furniture but it did not make up for the really small shower. I am used to small showers but this one was tiny.

7-All in all it was a nice relaxing cruise after the first day even at full capacity but  but I think I will stick to newer ships where there are less problems with the AC and leaks which many people at customer service were experiencing.

 

 

 

The AC is definitely a common thread complaint on the CB, even dating back to pre-covid. Personally I've managed to dodge rooms with AC issues but I know you're far from alone on that.

 

Entertainment's a roll of the dice.  Surprised at the comment about the production shows being dated.  I'm wondering which ones were running.

 

Your experience on Crown grill, especially being two completely different ones, falls in line with a lot of comments about Crown grill in recent days...not CB specific.

 

As for the small showers, I think that's pretty standard for princess balcony cabins.  I've only ever stayed in mini-suites on Princess so I find the showers to be extremely roomy compared to other cruise lines where I've not had the tub combo.  Still, while a fair complaint, not a CB issue but Princess in general.

[SKCruiser007]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess the last week of March 2023. Everything was fine. Skywalkers is a nice place for a pre-dinner drink in the Suite/Platinum/Elite lounge. This is a great venue for just hanging out during the day, too.

 

Entertainment was fine. Food in the MDR was fine. Chef's table and Winemaker's lunch were great.

 

There was nothing I can find to complain about.

[Jersey42]

We were on the 5/27-6/3 and we had an enjoyable cruise.  Was everything perfect - No.  Would we sail on her again - Yes.  Would we prefer a Royal class ship if the itinerary suited us - Probably. We did not experience most of the negatives posted on the recent "Caribbean Princess Review" thread.  See the link below for my comments on that thread.

 

I agree with most of the comments in @Meekos7's  post above. We experienced all of the positives and thankfully for us we did not experience all of the negatives.  Some comments:

 

Air Conditioning - Our room AC was excellent and we needed to use the comforter at night.  But - we were in an oceanview, which can help.  Balconies can sometimes be a lot worse especially when nearby cabins leave the balcony door open.  Location on the ship can also make a big difference as a defective AC unit can affect insides and oceanviews as well.  I can only speak for our cabin.

 

Crown Grill - We ate there once.  Service was excellent, food was OK.  But it is not like it use to be.  I have no proof, but I don't believe they use the same grade of beef as they did a few years ago.  We used to love the desert samples which has been gone for a while.  They used to ask if you would like a lobster tail with your steak.  That is all extra now.  This is fleet wide, not just on the Caribbean.

 

The steaks certainly did not compare to our excellent local steakhouse, but the price was not comparable either.  A home it is $66 for a 12oz NY strip with potato and house salad. Everything else at home is a la carte.

 

MDR - We had a table for two or four all nights but one.  We easily made the 7:30 show with a 6:00 reservation all all nights except when we had a table for 8.  We never had the same waiter twice. 

 

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