Live from the Caribbean Princess, Oct 14 - Nov 5, 22-day Canadian and Atlantic Coast Land and Sea Adventure

[WisCruiser2]

Since you went through Customs in Maine, you wouldn't have to do it again! Our friends said they just collected their bags and went on their way 🙂

[CruzeQueen2]

@Ken the cruiser Thanks for this wonderful thread! Good observation on the listed inclusions for the PLUS and PREMIER packages. I look forward to hearing from you about the Casual Dining updates, if any! 

Also missing - listing of the OceanNow delivery and Room Service delivery...that was included with the recent changes. Still showing up on my future sailings as included. 

Waiting to hear from you...not holding my breath though! 

Thank you for sharing the information with us. I appreciate all the time that you spend to keep us "in the loop." 

Edited October 31, 2023 by CruzeQueen2

[Ken the cruiser]

We also received the elusive Suite Amenities letter that never appeared in our cabin on the first leg. Yay! 
 

 
Notice we get a complimentary specialty dining on embarkation day, even though our cruise is only 5 days long, which is under the 6 day minimum listed on the website. Your concierge said corporate made a recent change to exempt only cruises 4 days or less.
 

[LACruiser88]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We noticed there was no mention of the casual dining options. I’m sure the 2 Plus free ones and unlimited Premium ones are still a perk. It was just weird that they weren’t mentioned on the brochure. I wonder why? 🤔

It has been our experience that ships will frequently use outdated fliers/brochures.  The ships are slow to receive the newest versions of their fliers/brochures.  Not good marketing.  🤷‍♂️

[Ken the cruiser]

24 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said:

Since you went through Customs in Maine, you wouldn't have to do it again! Our friends said they just collected their bags and went on their way 🙂

That’s what we had figured too. However, the Princess security crew member that gave us the news when I mentioned that fact said in Portland we went through Immigration and not Customs, even though they sure looked like Customs agents when they checked our passports.
 

But from what your friends experienced this morning, it sure sounds like we did both in Portland. In any event, we didn’t have to get off the ship and hang out in the terminal for an indefinite time, and your friends didn’t have to stand in line to clear Customs again, so all is good! 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

44 minutes ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

@Ken the cruiser Thanks for this wonderful thread! Good observation on the listed inclusions for the PLUS and PREMIER packages. I look forward to hearing from you about the Casual Dining updates, if any! 

Also missing - listing of the OceanNow delivery and Room Service delivery...that was included with the recent changes. Still showing up on my future sailings as included. 

Waiting to hear from you...not holding my breath though! 

Thank you for sharing the information with us. I appreciate all the time that you spend to keep us "in the loop." 

Unfortunately, I had only refared the first leg of the cruise which got us all of the $60 Plus perks. On this leg we have the $50 Plus package that was in effect when we booked this second leg. So when I went to the App to order room service, this is what first appeared.

 

  
But I’m sure if you have the $60 Plus or $80 Premium package, the $14.99 one time charge will be waived.

 

Unfortunately, since we only have the $50 Plus package on this leg, we don’t get the 2 free Casual Dining meals. However, our daughters had the $60 Plus package on the last leg and they ate at both the Plank BBQ and Vines, and were successful in using their 2 Casual Dining perks. 

[Ken the cruiser]

And we’re off! Next stop is the Princess Cays in the Bahamas scheduled for a 9 am arrival! 😁

  

 

 

 

Ah, the memories that come rushing back as we leave Port Everglades. We did 1 Celebrity B3B and 3 B2Bs from Aug 2022 - Feb 2023 after cruising restarted that required taking a COVID test on each transition day where if you tested positive, you couldn’t continue on to the next leg! Ah, fun memories to finally be able to look back on! 😂

[GonzoWCS]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks, but we’re not Elite yet. Once this 5-day cruise is over, we’ll be Elite. It would be nice if we got the cruise credit when we first boarded the ship, like we did when we cruised with Oceania. But, I’ll have to hold off going to the “free” Grapevine Wine Tasting event for one more cruise until we go on the Sapphire in January. 😂

Ahh dag nab it there I was getting excited for ya.  Ok well enjoy this leg of your journey.  Will be following along!

 

Cheers

[caribill]

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

First, the In Transit guests that just wanted to stay on the ship today were supposed to meet in the theater and then be escorted off the ship, wait in the terminal until the ship was cleared, then come back onboard. As it turned out, Customs allowed us to stay on the ship, and we were allowed to go on our merry way without going through any type of security check. That was a first for us as that has never happened before.

 

That is because we went through immigration and customs in Portland, Maine (even without customs questions). Those of us leaving the ship for good just walked through the immigration/customs area without stopping.

[reedprincess]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

That’s what we had figured too. However, the Princess security crew member that gave us the news when I mentioned that fact said in Portland we went through Immigration and not Customs, even though they sure looked like Customs agents when they checked our passports.
 

But from what your friends experienced this morning, it sure sounds like we did both in Portland. In any event, we didn’t have to get off the ship and hang out in the terminal for an indefinite time, and your friends didn’t have to stand in line to clear Customs again, so all is good! 😁

They're CBP agents, Customs and Border Patrol.

You went through Immigration and Customs in Maine. If you'd had any customs purchased to be declared, it would have been there. All the rest of your stops being US ports, you wouldn't have had any duty free shopping or anything that could have been purchased that would have to be declared, as it's all US based after that.

Thus, no immigration and customs formalities on arrival in Port Everglades, for either in transit guests or those departing the ship.. since you have t left the US in between the time you cleared in Maine and arrival in Port Everglades...  quirky, but great for in transit to not have to bother with it all...

 

 

[caribill]

Some of the Halloween decorations on the ship.

[cr8tiv1]

Thanks for all your photos.  Beats mine any day (I finally gave up).

 

Olesky (Assistant Manager) told me that JP, the real live one, was coming on board today.  Lunch was being prepared in Sabatini’s. 
 

Also, you have 3100 passengers and more than 2/3rd are brand new to Princess.  Have fun!

 

Spoke to the cast manager.  Someone had a medical issue and had to be taken off the ship (doing well).  And…Princess had a lot of guest entertainers hired.  I did not indulge in as many evening events as you.  Had seriously considered the Variety Show….really miss the crew talent show.  Same Cast Manager told me it would have bits and pieces of shows.  I was in bed by 9 pm….

 

Happy sailing. Sure do miss the group we had on board.  Met some wonderful passengers. And….the crew was terrific.  Did you notice that the new Captain never did the noon briefings!   Hmmmmmm.

[Ken the cruiser]

This evening we ate our complimentary specialty dinner in the Crown Grill, which is always tasty. My DW ordered the lobster and I ordered a steak and we then split them, so we both had Surf and Turf without having to pay the extra charge! 😁

 

Afterwards we went for a walk on the promenade and watched the sunset! Finally!! 

 

 
A little later we saw RC Freedom of the Seas off in the distance heading to Nassau.

 

 
Tonight’s evening show was with comedian Doug Funk, whose show had everyone laughing! 🤣

 

 

 
But it’s also Halloween and there were a lot of folks that boarded the ship dressed in their favorite costumes, to include our CD Sofie dressed up as a pirate! 

 

 

If you look closely, you can see Spider-Man and Superman in the lower left hand corner of this photo.

 

 
The passenger count given out by CD Sofie at the show was 2,873 guests with 84 children onboard, most of whom (2,170) are from the US. I know, who would have guessed! 😂

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 19 - Nov 1 - Princess Cays, Bahamas

 

 

 
Looks like it will be a pretty day at Princess Cays in the low 80s.

 

  
So far it doesn’t look like the “younger crowd” is putting too much of a strain on the internet.

 

 
But I did check the App to see what production shows are scheduled for this cruise, and sadly the only one scheduled right now is Bravo, with one lady singer tomorrow night and the same comedian the last two nights. I guess they weren’t able to fix the “technical” issue regarding the theater’s mechanical issues. 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Day 19 - Nov 1 - Princess Cays, Bahamas

 

 

 
Looks like it will be a pretty day at Princess Cays in the low 80s.

 

  
So far it doesn’t look like the “younger crowd” is putting too much of a strain on the internet.

 
I guess they weren’t able to fix the “technical” issue regarding the theater’s mechanical issues. 

 

Or Bravo was he only one scheduled for this 5-day cruise.

 

Since Bravo requires a guest soprano, that was already pre-scheduled. 

 

The question is whether the comedian for two nights in a row has one of those nights as a substitute for a 2nd production show.

[Ken the cruiser]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Or Bravo was he only one scheduled for this 5-day cruise.

 

Since Bravo requires a guest soprano, that was already pre-scheduled. 

 

The question is whether the comedian for two nights in a row has one of those nights as a substitute for a 2nd production show.

It doesn’t really matter. As they say “ it is what it is”. And since we’re really tired of Bravo and more specifically their guest Sopranos, we’re going to pass on going to it this time around. Now, if it was the Born to be Wild production show, we wouldn’t hesitate to finding a good seat. But then we’re Freddie and Elton and Phantom of the Opera era fans. 😁
 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Doesn’t the sunrise this morning look like an erupting volcano! 😁

 

[dickinson]

@Ken the cruiser Yes!  gorgeous picture!

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived at our Princess Cays anchor spot. This is the excursion we’re going on today.

  

 

[GonzoWCS]

Great sunrise picture this morning and yes very volcanic!

 

Cheers

[Ken the cruiser]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We have arrived at our Princess Cays anchor spot. This is the excursion we’re going on today.

  

 

This was our first time visiting Princess Cays, and I believe it would be safe to say it didn’t go smoothly, especially with regards to making it on time to our 1-hour excursion scheduled to start at 9:30 am. However, to better explain what happened, I’ll post the phases of our experience using photos.

  
Just before checking in at the theater to get our tour number and then take a seat to wait for our turn to board the tender, I took this picture from the promenade. As you can see there was a tender boat out there. It was 8:41 am. 
 

 
However, for some reason we had to wait for over an hour in the theater for the CB to be cleared for folks to go finally be allowed to go ashore. We finally made it onto the tender over an hour later at 9:53 am.

 

 
Then we sat there on the tender until it was loaded to capacity with 275 passengers, which included all 12 excursion groups as well as a few (I’m guessing) Elite tender ticket holders. We finally left for the island about 25 minutes later at 10:20 am. Or maybe they were just waiting for this Tern to lead the way! 😂

 

 
It was a 4-minute ride to the pier.

  

 

 

 
But then came the liability waiver process, in which a signed document from each guest was required to be turned in to the onshore island excursion staff. In our case we were originally only given one sheet on the CB, so we had to fill out another one there. Then we waited a little while longer until that process had been completed for all applicable excursions. We finally made it onto our glass bottom boat tour about 20 minutes later at 10:47.

 

 
We cruised to 3 different coral reefs and this was the only photo I was able to take that had a fish, or any wildlife for that matter, in it. But we did briefly see a small stingray and some other small fish along with a bunch of coral at each of the stops.

 

 

 
But the ride was entertaining and that was the main thing. 😁 Then we went for a walk around the area looking for the elusive Princess Cay pigeon. But sadly none were to be found.

 

 

 

 
We then headed back to board the tender around Noon. That was a super easy process as there may have been a total of only 30-40 guests and ship officers heading back at that time.

 

 

 

 

As we approached the ship around 12:10 pm, we could see there were still people waiting to be tendered ashore, with a good 50+ people still queued up inside waiting to go on the next one. Finally, while we were eating lunch up in the buffet, we heard at 12:30 pm that you no longer needed a tender ticket to go ashore.

 
The all aboard time today is 3 pm. There are four large tender boats moving 2500+ guests to and from the island. I’m sure glad we chose to come back when we did, as those tenders are going to be super packed with long lines the closer it gets to 3 pm. 
 

[Ken the cruiser]

After we went to this very interesting enrichment lecture by Martin Graf about the Great White Shark,

 

 
we headed back to the cabin to chill until dinner. While sitting on the balcony, I started wondering just exactly where is Princess Cays, as the Bahamas is quite large. The island, Eleuthera, that it’s on is where the red dot is.

 

 
Princess Cays is pretty much at the southern tip of the island.

 

 

And at 4:40 pm, we’re off! Next stop is Grand Turk in the Turk and Caicos Islands day after tomorrow!

 

 

[GonzoWCS]

I luvs me some Princess Cays!  Great pictures!

 

Cheers

[Ken the cruiser]

We got lucky in the Reserve dining room tonight. We ordered the Reserve special entree which was supposed to be prime rib. However, I guess there was a mixup and prime rib was not supposed to be the special entree this evening. But the chef felt bad for the mixup, so they gave each of us fillet mignon, which is normally an additional $19.95 on the MDR menu. Yes!

 
After that extra tasty meal, we headed to the theater to watch Raquel Munn perform a tribute to Madonna.

 

 

 
However, afterwards we just headed back to the cabin as the game show in the Explorers Lounge didn’t sound all that great when compared to most of the game shows we’ve seen previously on our cruise so far.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 20 - Nov 2 - Sea Day

 

 

 

The internet still appears to be providing acceptable speeds for most applications.

 

 
Now, here comes some “fun” weather … maybe. Below I’ve posted two Windy “waves” snapshots. The first one reflects the current wave conditions which is at 3 feet. The second photo reflects 9 feet if we were in the exact same spot tomorrow morning at 7 am, which of course we won’t be. You might also notice at the bottom of each picture is where we are destined to be day after tomorrow, the Turks and Caicos Islands.

 

 

 
Now look at the direction we’re currently heading, northeast, probably to get into deeper water before the ship turns and starts heading south. So the question is, will the Captain be able to stay ahead of the “pink” wave action as it also continues in a southerly direction? Who knows, maybe we’ll run into some “motion on the ocean” by tomorrow morning. 😁

 

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Ken the cruiser