Some observations from the Caribbean Princess

[cr8tiv1]

I, now...recall your Tuscan Luncheon.  A person was approaching each dining table on Embarkation night in the Crown Grill.  "Opportunity of a lifetime.  Better than Chef's Table.  Only 2 places left."

 

@Australia08 Thanks for sharing the photos.  I declined since I am such a wine light weight.  

[capriccio]

7 hours ago, Australia08 said:

We’re now out on the comfortable covered balcony enjoying our drinks. Again, I’ll repeat I really like our room. The day that started out overcast is now warm with beautiful blue skies. 

The Emerald deck covered mini-suites are our favorites!  Our son, daughter in law and their daughter were in 'your cabin' E726 on our July 1st Caribbean Princess cruise; our daughter, son in law and their daughter were in E728; and my husband and I were in E730.  Those are our favorite cabins - we open the balcony doors and one sea day afternoon we all have afternoon tea on the balcony. E730 has an extended balcony; it fit all three balcony tables and some chairs and ottomans. 

[Sun Queen II]

On 8/6/2023 at 5:05 PM, Australia08 said:

I am currently on the Caribbean Princess on Day 3 of the Canada/New England cruise starting in Quebec City.  I’m not sure that I will actually call this a live thread since I may not post every day, but I thought it might be of interest to others who will be completing this cruise later this season.  My husband and I are elite on Princess and have sailed this line off and on since 1991.  We are avid travelers, and while we enjoy cruising, we also enjoy taking off on worldwide vacations that I book for us.  We love train travel throughout Europe and have visited most of the European countries.  Last January, we finally made it to our 7th continent, Antarctica, on an expedition cruise.  This is our first cruise on Princess since before the pandemic.  We were on a Princess 28 day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in February 2020.  Since the pandemic eased, we have taken several independent trips and 3 Viking Ocean cruises.  We even tried our first Rick Steves tour last September and have another booked for next month.  To be honest, we had sort of decided to stop taking Princess cruises since we prefer smaller ships.  Four of our previous Princess cruises were on the small ships that they sold back around 2020.  We loved those small ships.  Caribbean Princess is actually too big for us, but manageable.  So why are we back on Princess?  We discovered that we had several hundred dollars in FCC that had been extended throughout the pandemic.  Earlier in the spring, my husband got an email saying we had to use the credit before December 31 or it would be turned over to our state and we would have to recover the funds from them.  This sounded strange, but figured we might just pick up a close Drop and Go fare and use it up.  That’s why we booked this cruise.  I knew I wasn’t a fan of this ship since we traveled on her to Greenland in 2019. The ship always seemed crowded to me then.  But the itinerary Quebec to NYC meant that we could arrange flights using Delta miles, so we decided to give it a try.  We flew to Montreal from Cleveland, stayed in Montréal for 2 nights, then took the train to Quebec City for 1 night prior to boarding the Caribbean Princess.  We had an overnight in Quebec City and sailed out last evening.  We have visited Quebec City before - such a beautiful city!  We arranged a food tour on our own and also had a lovely 6 course tasting menu paired with wines on our first evening in town.  Last night, we had a lovely sail on the St. Lawrence and arrived in Saguenay this morning.  All the Princess tours here were booked when we bought our passage, so I arranged for a local bus tour of the area.  It was very nice.  We are about to sail out right now so I am going to close and enjoy it, but will start giving my observations on our impressions of the ship, crew, the new Princess protocols, etc. in my next post.  Please feel free to ask questions and I’ll try to find the answers.

Thanks so much for doing this review. We are on the Caribbean Princess Quebec to NY on September 9, so any advice/tips would be much appreciated!

[Australia08]

Yesterday, we missed Sydney.  The winds were high and it rained all day. We had been to Sydney several years ago so it didn’t impact us as much. We took advantage of the day to relax and eat (breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room). Last night was the Captain’s party.  Our usual server for the P/E Lounge saw us and brought us our usual Whispering Angel (so much better than the wine that is usually served at those parties)!  We both agreed that the P/E Lounge has much better snacks.  The canapés that Princess passes are awful! 

 

Today, our weather in Halifax was beautiful!  The last time we were in Halifax, we went to all the Titanic sites so we decided to leave the ship late morning, walk to the Citadel (spent about 2 hours there). We were there for the noon cannon firing.  The Army Museum there was very good, too.  After leaving the Citadel, we walked through the Public Garden.  It is a lovely place to meander. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning, before we left the ship, we decided to check out the juice bar located at the Calypso Bar.  It is the only place you can get one of the Premium Juices included with the Drinks Package.  The juice bar is only open in the morning, so we just hadn’t made it up there before, but we really liked the two drinks we selected.  I think I got the Immunity Booster - Mike got the Cleanser.  I’ll try to take pictures tomorrow.  We were impressed that they actually put the fruits and vegetables in a juicer, not just using already squeezed bottled juices.  We decided we’ll try another selection tomorrow.  

[Australia08]

I just realized I didn’t post any Quebec City photos. Sorry they are out of order 

 

Chateau Frontenac (we stayed here for our 10th Anniversary - 40 years ago!)
 

 

Paillard - we stopped here for the best croissants and cafe au lait 

 

 

The Basilica

 

Onboard Caribbean Princess almost ready to leave Quebec City 

 

 

On our way - Quebec City in the distance

Edited August 10, 2023 by Australia08

[mellon1]

Who is the Maitre 'D on the Caribbean Princess?  Also, do you know if they have the option to have luggage taken directly to the airport still (yes, a fee, but totally worth it).  Thanks.  Enjoy your cruise for sure!!

[cr8tiv1]

44 minutes ago, mellon1 said:

Who is the Maitre 'D on the Caribbean Princess?  Also, do you know if they have the option to have luggage taken directly to the airport still (yes, a fee, but totally worth it).  Thanks.  Enjoy your cruise for sure!!

 

Currently, Maitre d' is Neville Saldana.  He came on board a couple of weeks ago.  He said he would be onboard for about two months (leaving by the end of September).  

 

Which port are you looking for EZ Luggage?  I am hoping that FLL will have this service.  

[Colorado Coasty]

On 8/8/2023 at 2:17 PM, Australia08 said:

For anyone on a future Caribbean Princess cruise, here are shots from the Tuscan Luncheon served in the Crown Grill on the first sea day. The wine served with each course was super!

 

 Carpaccio d’Agnello served with Col d’Orcia BrunelloDi Montalcino

 

La Zuppa Bordarino served with Feudidi San Gregorio Greco di tufo

 

 

Spaghetti Ubriachi a fatti in casa served with Luce fella Vite, Frescobaldi

 

Branzini e pollo ala griglia served with Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino

 

 Bistecca allá Fiorentina served with Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia, Bolgheri Superiore

 

 

Torta Della Nonna served with Limoncello 

 

 

It was a fun lunch. The head waiters who introduced the wines were very entertaining!

 

Looks absolutely fantastic. We are in Crown Grill first night onboard in October, so we will inquire.

[Colorado Coasty]

59 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Currently, Maitre d' is Neville Saldana.  He came on board a couple of weeks ago.  He said he would be onboard for about two months (leaving by the end of September).  

 

 

We have sailed several times with Neville dating back to when he was a waiter. I'm sorry we will miss him in October.

[abbydancer2003]

13 hours ago, Sun Queen II said:

Thanks so much for doing this review. We are on the Caribbean Princess Quebec to NY on September 9, so any advice/tips would be much appreciated!

We are too, with 2 days in Quebec before the cruise.  I'd love to know any good food choices.  Thanks.

[Sun Queen II]

1 hour ago, abbydancer said:

We are too, with 2 days in Quebec before the cruise.  I'd love to know any good food choices.  Thanks.

We have been to Quebec City many times. Would suggest St-Malo for amazing French cuisine or Il Matto for amazing Italian food. Both are close to the port. We are definitely eating here while in Quebec. 

[pantherlady]

Any chance to use OBC for a future cruise? With nothing on board to buy, I would certainly use it for a future Cruise

[startedwithamouse]

12 minutes ago, pantherlady said:

Any chance to use OBC for a future cruise? With nothing on board to buy, I would certainly use it for a future Cruise

No

[mellon1]

On 8/10/2023 at 7:42 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Currently, Maitre d' is Neville Saldana.  He came on board a couple of weeks ago.  He said he would be onboard for about two months (leaving by the end of September).  

 

Which port are you looking for EZ Luggage?  I am hoping that FLL will have this service.  

Thanks for the info.  We are going out of Fort Lauderdale, either Delta or Southwest.  Did Neville say who would be coming after him?  We are going in January-February.  Thanks for the info.  Hope you are enjoying yourselves.  It's great reading along.

[cr8tiv1]

40 minutes ago, mellon1 said:

Thanks for the info.  We are going out of Fort Lauderdale, either Delta or Southwest.  Did Neville say who would be coming after him?  We are going in January-February.  Thanks for the info.  Hope you are enjoying yourselves.  It's great reading along.

 

I did not ask him that question.  He likes to talk.  I just listened.  He explained that he now does 2 months at a time, then goes to India to visit his mother or back to Poland where his family is.  I'm guessing all the Restaurant Managers know him...and boy, does the MDR perk up when he walks in!  We chatted about mutual crew that we both knew.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Have you run across Junella at all working at the bars?  I do believe she is on the ship.  If you do see her, please tell her that Carolyn says hello!  Enjoy the rest of your cruise. 

[bob&france]

Hello and thanks for all the great info and pic’s. We’ll be on the Caribbean Princess Sept 9..can’t wait 👍

We have Princess plus which includes 2 Casual dinings free of charge at Planks and or Steamers, they both normally seem to have a $12 cover charge, might I ask if you have seen them both open ? Or,not open and just extension of the buffet?
Many thanks in advance if you find the time to post a reply.

Bob

[Cruise till you drop]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:04 AM, Australia08 said:

One thing we noticed is that anywhere there is something that doesn’t work (public area clocks) Princess puts a sticker on it that says “We’re on it.”  The stickers we’ve seen haven’t changed in 3 days. Wonder if they’ll remain there until the next dry dock. 
 

 

We were on this ship in Jan 2022 and the clocks didn’t work then as well

And almost every review we’ve seen has said the same thing.

I think it’s safe to say that even though they say they’re on it, they don’t intend to fix it anytime soon (maybe waiting for a dry dock)

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[Cruise till you drop]

On 8/7/2023 at 3:07 PM, Australia08 said:

The other really awful occurrence was yesterday at lunch.  I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from our nice server.  She returned with my wine in the plastic glass tumbler.  I asked about a wine glass and she said they did not stock them in the buffet anymore.  She would have to go to the dining room to get one for me, which she was happy to do.  I asked if she couldn’t get one from one of the bars on Deck 15 and she said they were not allowed to.  I didnt want this lovely Ukrainian girl to go down 9 floors to run this errant for me so I said thats ok.  But it wasn’t OK.  I mean really - how tacky!  So I found a supervisor and made him go get it.  He  got one from one of the bars.  It was plastic since that is what they use at Deck 15 bars.  I understand plastic glasses for the pool areas.  No problem.  But I was not near the pool.  I was inside the buffet.  Oh well, plastic was certainly better than the glass tumbler I don’t even like drinking water out of.  Chalk one up for Viking.  They use glass wine glasses and water glasses in the buffet, and plastic for service at the pool.  

 

 

Doesn’t it taste the same in a glass vs plastic glass?

[eclue]

4 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Doesn’t it taste the same in a glass vs plastic glass?

No, not at all. I cannot drink wine from a plastic glass.

 

[voljeep]

13 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Have you run across Junella at all working at the bars?  I do believe she is on the ship.  If you do see her, please tell her that Carolyn says hello!  Enjoy the rest of your cruise. 

I hope she is onboard when we take our Halloween cruise on CB  such a sweetheart and took good care of my wife when she wasn't feeling well in Crooners one night

[Australia08]

5 hours ago, bob&france said:

Hello and thanks for all the great info and pic’s. We’ll be on the Caribbean Princess Sept 9..can’t wait 👍

We have Princess plus which includes 2 Casual dinings free of charge at Planks and or Steamers, they both normally seem to have a $12 cover charge, might I ask if you have seen them both open ? Or,not open and just extension of the buffet?
Many thanks in advance if you find the time to post a reply.

Bob

 

I have to admit that I have not spent much time in the buffet, but the few times I have been there, there is only open seating in the area labeled Planks and Steamers - no food.  The other thing that we found strange is that there are no food services open at the rear of the buffet.  We were on this ship on a cruise to Greenland in August/Sept of 2019.  Those areas were always staffed with additional food offerings.  I know they served stir frys and Mongolian bbq on that end.  Every time (morning or evening) that we have walked in that area, the serving stations are completely draped - I have no idea why they stopped putting food items at that end of the buffet.  They are supposed to have a 3–course casual dining menu in Vines starting on the August 14th cruise.  I asked the bartender in Vines how that was going to work and he said he had no idea.  I asked if he would be getting additional staff to help serve.  Again, he said he had no idea.  That’s only a few days away now so I’ll be curious to hear how it works out.

[Australia08]

5 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Doesn’t it taste the same in a glass vs plastic glass?

 

Absolutely not!  I’m assuming you are not a wine drinker??  To be honest, even the nicer stemware that they use in Vines makes a distinct difference in taste.

[Senga]

I only drink Diet Coke and I LOVE a nice crystal glass.  It DOES make it taste better.

[Cruise till you drop]

23 minutes ago, Australia08 said:

 

Absolutely not!  I’m assuming you are not a wine drinker??  To be honest, even the nicer stemware that they use in Vines makes a distinct difference in taste.

Actually I am a wine drinker but honest enough to admit it would taste the same in whatever type of cup or glass was used.  Me thinks it’s all in your minds if it tastes different