Review of First Cruise: 7 Day Western Caribbean on Caribbean Princess

[twodudes]

Scurveydog, thanks for the next installment! A great read! Would you be in a position to share your wine list with us for the week?

 

Cheers, Ash

[sherry52]

My family and I just got back from our first ever cruise. We went on 7 day Western Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale 5/20/06 to 5/27/06. DW and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary and we brought our two adult children: DS = 23; DD = 21. I used these Cruise Critic boards extensively for planning and ideas of all types. You all were extremely helpful. Thank You.:)

 

Booking: Began researching cruises and comparing back in March 2005. Family had already decided where- Caribbean- and when- between kids’ Spring and Fall semesters 2006. Now which cruise line, ship and stateroom? I looked for large ships because we all like different things and wanted lots of choices onboard. I narrowed it down to the newest (2004), best rated large (3000+ passengers) ship I could find. Settled on Caribbean Princess sailing right after DS’s Spring Semester ended. Booked cruise online in June of 2005. Online TA was very helpful and knowledgeable- much better than the local travel agent I tried. Saved enough $ booking online to pay for Cruise insurance with some to spare. Used Consumer Reports to research travel insurance and they recommended very helpful website to compare companies, prices, etc. For stateroom I decided to afford a minisuite with balcony and to afford a separate minisuite for the kids. CB has tons of rooms with balconies, fewer minisuites with balconies and fewer still minisuites with covered balconies. However by using these boards I found what I needed. In fact, I found that there were two staterooms on the CB which not only had all of the above but which also had an oversized deck for no extra $. A huge find and one which paid great dividends on the trip. I requested stateroom E730 for DW and myself (this one had the big balcony) and E728 next door for the kids. They were the aft-most port facing rooms on Emerald Deck or Deck 8. I could look portside and turn to my left and look aft to watch the wake from our huge (almost twice the size) balcony. The other oversized, covered balcony with a minisuite on the CB was E731 on the starboard side. I had the TA lock the rooms down so that Princess could not “upgrade” me.

 

Ft Lauderdale: Decided to stay overnight in Ft. Lauderdale Friday night before the cruise so needed a hotel room. After researching, I booked 2 rooms at Amerisuites on 10th Street for $69 each through Value Trips and, because of mixed reviews of Amerisuites I also booked 2 rooms at Extended Stay America just in case- best I could get was $130 each. Read reviews of Amerisuites, called to confirm my reservation and asked about the renovation (haven’t started yet) 5 days before flying and decided it would do nicely so cancelled ESA. 4 flights with insurance were purchased online at a savings of $94 per ticket vs the quote from the cruise line for airfare. Plane landed early into Ft. Lauderdale. When luggage was in hand I called Amerisuites and their shuttle (included in the room rate) arrived in less than 15 min. Weather was breezy and 82- perfect! Amerisuites offered a clean, well-designed room in a great location and an even greater price for Ft. Lauderdale market. Everything worked as it should and our reservations were exactly as requested even though we arrived at 7:15 pm. After storing valuables in the hotel safe we walked across the street (literally) to Del Rio Tex Mex for great Mexican food at a great value. Del Rio was not crowded at all when we arrived at 8:00. Service was a bit slow but drinks and food were great. DW & I were tired so we hit the hay at 10:30 or so. Kids had their own room and stayed up half the night. Bed and pillows were OK and A/C worked great so the room was a cool, comfortable 12 degrees- just where I like it!;) Next morning at 7:45 we had an uncrowded breakfast in Amerisuites dining room (again, included in the room rate) of eggs, sausage, fruit, pastries, coffee, cereal & juice then DW and I walked the 2.5 blocks from hotel to Publix grocery and purchased, soda pop (DW & DD are very picky about having Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Mt Dew), disposable cameras, and various odds and ends. Rather than lug the stuff back to room, I asked customer service to store our purchased items behind the counter for pickup later. In the same shopping center as Publix is a great liquor store- Total Wine & Spirits- tremendous selection at best prices I have seen. 4 days prior, I had placed an online order for a selection of great wines to be boxed and picked up at this store. When we left the hotel at 11:15am, I had the taxi go by Publix & Total Wine- walked in and picked up orders before heading to the pier. No muss, no fuss and I had a case of 11 great Italian and French wines and one bottle of liqueur for which I had paid an average of $19 per bottle- one of the best ideas and values of the trip. Amerisuites was a great spot close to everything needed- location, location, location.

 

Embarkation:

Arrived at pier in taxi (total cost = $20 including extra tip for making the extra stops) at 11:40, labeled suitcases, 12 packs of sodas and box of wines with Princess luggage tags (tipped porter $5) and walked to end of line with our carryons. Waited 25 minutes for line to start moving. We were in our stateroom before 1:00pm. Impressive.

 

Stateroom:

Wow! Minisuite was plenty roomy for two, impressively appointed and usefully laid out. Bathroom and shower were fine even for a big guy- I am 6’0” and 330. Plenty of 3 prong grounded outlets (2 at desk in center of room and 2 at storage/entertainment unit in center of room.- no extension cords or outlet strips needed. Hairdryer (same as in most hotels and plenty of power for short-haired DW) was mounted on wall at desk which, with the mirrors, doubled as a vanity. 1 two prong outlet in bathroom specified for an electric razor. Plenty of storage in the room- no hanging pocket devices needed. Desk storage = 3 9x14x6 drawers. Bed storage = 2 nightstands each with 2 14x14x6 drawers and 1 14x14x5 cubby. 6’ of clothes rod 20” deep with 6’ of 20x14 storage above the clothes rod. 20 wooden hangers- some with clips. Closet was 2’ wide x 1’ deep by 5.5’high and 6 shelves. The storage/entertainment unit in center of room offered equivalent of 8 linear feet of counter space as well as two shelves for storage. Bed was very comfortable with nice comforter. I requested the egg crate mattress pad and 2 feather pillows in addition to the 4 regular pillows which were promptly delivered. Kids room needed to have the beds separated which was also promptly taken care of. DW and I are used to a King size bed and the Queen size in the stateroom was such that we couldn’t tell the difference. A/C worked great in the room all week long keeping it nice and cool. We also purchased a small flat AC/DC fan in Ft. Lauderdale since we are used to a ceiling fan. It was great, easy to pack and very useful.

DS and my tuxedos and 2 shirts were hanging on the clothes rods in the staterooms when we arrived. There were also reminder cards in our staterooms for DW & DD pedicure appointments which were made online 1 week before (should have booked even earlier for better selection of times). The first Princess Patter was in our “mailbox” when we arrived- as well as a one page Cruise Planner of the major events for the entire week indicating the formal nights, the precise times planned in each port, etc. Both are useful for making reservations and initial planning of what to do when.

The balcony – holy mackerel it was great and much bigger than balconies on normal rooms, completely covered. Steward unlocked the doorway between our balcony and kids balcony so we could come and go. We had plenty of room when the kids came over to lounge around on loungers, chairs whatever. These portside extreme aft rooms are subject to some noise which may be a bother to some: 1) Constant low hum and vibration of the engines (actually rather soothing) and 2) audible bass sounds from music at Club Fusion one deck directly below- (not so soothing). All 4 of us reported hearing/feeling this every night when in the staterooms at bedtime but none of us had any trouble whatsoever going to sleep –and staying asleep- because of it. Those requiring perfect silence for good sleep may want to select a different location.

 

Getting Settled: We put valuables in the room safe, convened a brief family meeting, gave kids some spending cash and then headed to the buffet for a late lunch. Variety of buffet menu was impressive, food was good and of course, plentiful. Just a few examples I can remember: Short Ribs, Shrimp salad, cheeses, corn salad, hot wings, fried sea scallops, fresh pineapple was outstanding. Vanilla horn pastries and apple turnovers with vanilla sauce were wonderful. After buffet lunch (2:45) I made reservations for the two extra-charge restaurants; Sabatini’s Trattoria and Sterling Steakhouse. By reserving first thing you have better odds of getting the times you want for these popular venues but the drawback is you must go in person. After 4:00 pm of embarkation day, you can simply call the concierge for reservations at the two premium restaurants. Exploring the ship was next to see where everything was. Then we had a 30 minute muster drill at 4:15 which required us to get our life vest and walk to an air conditioned lounge, sit down and listen to instructions- no problem. For Sailaway at 5:00, we found a great place- apparently a very well kept secret. The Skywalker Lounge is the highest inhabitable place on the ship. It is a large oval shaped room in the very aft of the vessel and spans the entire width of the ship with ceiling to floor windows 360 degrees around. The bar was not serving but the room was open and when we arrived, there were 6 people in it. What an incredible vantage point to watch this huge cruise ship pull away from port and begin its journey. (DW went to get me a Mojito at nearby pool bar) With the room virtually to ourselves, we simply walked around and watched from any and every angle that interested us while sipping our drinks. This “secret” was available during the day all week long and every time we pulled away from a port.- Incredible!! Upon returning to our stateroom, our luggage, wine and soda were waiting for us. We unpacked, got organized, spent time on the deck with some pleasant breezes and complimentary champagne- (I think its included with a minisuite). Then off to a Sailaway Seafood Buffet: Shrimp, King Crab Legs, Lobster Claws, Smoked Salmon all chilled and for any who don’t like seafood, Prime Rib, blackened chicken breast, Porcini mushroom soup (excellent) baked or mashed potatoes and incredible desserts which I don’t remember:p . More time on the deck watching the sunset, relaxing and visiting before going to bed. Kids stayed up till the wee hours and DS won $170 in the casino playing Wheel of Fortune Slots:D . We were all off to a great start.

 

My review is turning into a novel. I must stop for now with apologies for being so wordy:o . I will write more (and more succinctly) later.

 

Hi Scurveydog, I too was on the 5-20-06 to 5-27-06 CB Cruise. Our rollcall was really active. I wish you had joined us. We had several meet & mingles. We were call the Bar Sharks. I don't know if you remember seeing anyone walking around with Bar Sharks T-shirts on. This was a great cruise. My DH and I also tried Sabitinis as well as Sterlings. We had a Bar SHark dinner in Sterlings on May 21. I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise!

[jewelhux]

I've been enjoying reading your review. For those of us anticipating our own cruises, it has helped fill the time. I feel like we've all gotten to know you so well through your writing. How about a picture with the last installment?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Jewels

[Bobug]

Scurveydog....it has been a joy reading your review!!! You have become a cruise addict :) Your additude is one we should all strive to have when cruising....not to expect everything to be perfect( even though most times it usually is.) I hope you have many cruises to come.

Where are you from..if you don't mind me asking?

[Cathy p]

Scurveydog, gosh golly gee wiz am I impressed. Everytime I think you could not get any better you do. My phone rang and I just let it because I was reading and could not stop. Pray-tel a bit more for us mortals? I sure hope so. That is right you said you would sum it all up. OK, I think I am ready, no maybe not. Oh I don't want it to end.:(

[scurveydog]

Scurveydog, thanks for the next installment! A great read! Would you be in a position to share your wine list with us for the week?

 

Cheers, Ash

 

Of course! I pulled this directly off the website where I placed my order. The links are active in Preview mode so hopefully you can click and get the description on the website if interested. (Don't let Princess know that I snuck a half bottle of Benedictine in the case of wine.) Enjoy.

 

Joseph Drouhin Pouilly Fuisse15.99

 

Kafer Eiswein19.99

 

Maison Louis Jadot Meursault32.99

 

Rocca Felice Barolo19.99

 

2001 Chateau de Reignac Bordeaux Superieur19.99

 

2003 Peter Lehmann Wines Clancy's Gold Barossa Valley12.99

 

Benedictine D. O. M. Cordials 375ml13.99

 

Cook's Extra Dry Champagne5.47

 

Domaine Roger Luquet Pouilly Fuisse Seguin16.99

 

Domaine Sauvion Pouilly Fume18.99

 

Louis Latour Meursault22.99

 

S. Orsola Barolo DOCG15.99

[scurveydog]

Hi Scurveydog, I too was on the 5-20-06 to 5-27-06 CB Cruise. Our rollcall was really active. I wish you had joined us. We had several meet & mingles. We were call the Bar Sharks. I don't know if you remember seeing anyone walking around with Bar Sharks T-shirts on. This was a great cruise. My DH and I also tried Sabitinis as well as Sterlings. We had a Bar SHark dinner in Sterlings on May 21. I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise!

 

Sherry52, I don't recall seeing any of you guys. I did not know (and still do not know) how to do the rollcall thing although I see it referred to a lot on the boards. What is it?

[scurveydog]

Scurveydog....it has been a joy reading your review!!! You have become a cruise addict :) Your additude is one we should all strive to have when cruising....not to expect everything to be perfect( even though most times it usually is.) I hope you have many cruises to come.

Where are you from..if you don't mind me asking?

 

Bobug, Glad you've enjoyed the review. We are from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

[twodudes]

Of course! I pulled this directly off the website where I placed my order. The links are active in Preview mode so hopefully you can click and get the description on the website if interested. (Don't let Princess know that I snuck a half bottle of Benedictine in the case of wine.) Enjoy.

 

 

Thanks so much!

[jewelhux]

Scurvey Dog, we miss you! Are you still planning on doing a final installment? Thanks for the great review!

[Widespreadpanic]

Sherry52, I don't recall seeing any of you guys. I did not know (and still do not know) how to do the rollcall thing although I see it referred to a lot on the boards. What is it?

 

If you go to the Message Boards, below the cruise line section & discussion topics, there is an area called "Roll Calls". Find your cruise line, click on that, then find your boat, click on that, and look for your sailing date. If you do not find it, you can do a search for it, or start your own thread with the date in the title.

 

I, too, have enjoyed your postings. You have a great gift that I hope you will continue to use!

[Widespreadpanic]

One more thing - did you notice how many times your post has been looked at? There's a lot of interest in what you have to say!

[scurveydog]

Scurvey Dog, we miss you! Are you still planning on doing a final installment? Thanks for the great review!

 

Jewelhux, Yes I am still planning to do a final installment and I am sorry it has taken so long for me to complete what I started:o . I hope to finish our story this weekend.

[scurveydog]

One more thing - did you notice how many times your post has been looked at? There's a lot of interest in what you have to say!

 

Rose, Thanks for the info on Roll Call in your previous post. Next time I'll look BEFORE I go:o . I did notice the number of views. Cool! Hopefully folks are benefitting the way I did when I read these boards.

[lorriv20]

Rose, Thanks for the info on Roll Call in your previous post. Next time I'll look BEFORE I go:o . I did notice the number of views. Cool! Hopefully folks are benefitting the way I did when I read these boards.

 

Scurveydog,

 

My DH and I will be cruising for the first time on October 21 on the CB. As with any other decision I make, I studied and agonized over the details and decisions (just a tad obsessive, I guess..ha ha). After plopping down my $500 deposit for my Western cruise, I still wondered if I had, indeed made the correct decision. After reading your reviews, I am certain that I did. Your reviews have been both entertaining and informative. In the real world, I am in marketing and PR. I don't know what you do, but if you are not in some form of marketing, then you sure should be. Keep the info coming as I continue to obsess over every detail. I am a total novice; however, if anyone plans a trip to Europe anytime soon, then I am their new source. DH was in the Air Force for 20 years and our last duty station was a small NATO base on the borders of The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. We did extensive travel in Europe and loved every minute. Now that we are back in the states, I predict that cruising will become our new hobby...or at least I hope so.

[Rookiecruisers06]

This is the most enjoyable review I have read of any cruise. I had to print out each page and show to DW, and we are more excited than ever now!

[celebrate20]

Im W A I Ting............... : )

[mississauga]

Scurveydog,

Great review....more to come, I hope. My question goes back to part 1 of your review. How far was Amerisuites from the pier? Did you have to take a taxi because of the distance or because you had so many supplies? Also, did all 4 of you plus luggage and supplies from Publix and case of wine all fit into one cab?

[scurveydog]

Im W A I Ting............... : )

 

celebrate20, Here's the last installment of my review... of THIS cruise!;)

 

Disembarkation Day:

 

The disembarkation process started during the “At Sea Day” yesterday with instructions pack as much as possible and set it outside our staterooms before going to dinner. We did so and, due to all the extra things we had acquired, it was great for DS and I not to have to pack a suit back home- we just left our Tuxes hanging where they were when we arrived. We set another piece or two of luggage out to be picked up after we got ready for bed. We left ourselves with one small duffle or backpack for each of us to carry. We were told that disembarkation would commence at 8:45am today and would be by color groups which groups would be departing from the Grand Plaza- Passenger services area on deck five, midship. No room service available on D-day so, at 8:00am we gathered our carry on bags, trusting that we would be reunited with our luggage and went to the Coral dining room on Fiesta deck 6 where we had enjoyed two great breakfasts and a couple of afternoon teas during the cruise. The Coral is very close to the Grand Plaza and my plan was to wait comfortably in the dining room sipping coffee until our group was called, then we would be very near where we needed to be. So much for my clever plan. By 8:45 we had finished breakfast and the dining staff were frantically working to clear the dining room in order to prepare for the next group of cruisers who amazingly would be boarding in three hours!!! By 9:15 we were among a handful of folks left in the dining room and I probably would have stubbornly stayed until our group was called but DS who has worked as a restaurant server implored me to leave so the poor servers could get their work done. We departed the Coral and went out and set on the steps of the Grand Plaza staircase and eventually some comfy chairs in the lobby were abandoned by departing cruisers. We waited and relaxed in comfort. Just last night this area was filled with tables and tables of watches, jewelry and other baubles from the surrounding gift shops at the inventory clearance price of 30% off. We were the last of seven groups to be called with about 15 minutes or less between each group. Amazingly, 15 to 20 minutes is all the time it took for us to que up in the lobby when our color was called, walk off the ship one last time, inserting our cruise card in the beeping box, walk through Immigration to have our passports viewed, walk through Customs and hand the customs officer our pre-filled-out card, and finally, retrieve our luggage. All of this was done in an air-conditioned facility. It was 10:30am as we walked outside to hail a taxi to the airport for $7 per person. In 90 minutes another 2000+ people would be boarding just like we had done, wide-eyed and eager one week ago. Incredible! Disembarkation was smooth as silk. We had tons of time before our 2:00pm flight:cool: .

 

The Ft. Lauderdale airport was a zoo. I’m sure the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend didn’t help. But we eventually got through the scanners, security, etc. and sat down to a lunch at the airport restaurant- not exactly the Palm Dining room- and so it was for us, back to reality. Somewhere on the first leg of our flight I had my first thought of work:eek: . “GASP!- How were the preparations for 22c-2 compliance coming? I had to report on this to the Board of Directors!” Yes, back to reality.

 

Concluding Thoughts:

 

There are many, many things I didn’t write about that were great. Like the servers and stewards who went above and beyond to make the cruise delightful. Like the people we met: A great couple from Canada that were a riot and who we kept bumping into; a couple sharing our van to the airport from the Twin Cities where DW grew up; A history buff that DS would banter with in one of the lounges; a delightful older couple who had taken many cruises, making suggestions to DW as to what cruises me might consider next. Then there was the woman I sat next to at Tea. I told her I was cruising with my wife, son and daughter and that we were from Oklahoma. “That’s funny”, she said, “Just yesterday at Princess Cays, I met this brother and sister from Oklahoma when they asked me if they could bum a cigare…” Her guilty face and sudden silence loudly declared, “Oops, I think I just ratted those kids out”, which of course she had. “What are the odds of this happening”, she and I laughed and wondered? What fun I would have with this little tidbit at dinner that night as used it to bolster my claim that I have informants everywhere.

 

I was simply amazed at the choices cruising offered. All the choices of views, activities, movies, menus, entertainment, venues, lounges, music, and on, and on and all on the ship! If that weren’t enough, almost every day, a new country was brought to your doorstep so you could experience whatever it had to offer. And there was one more choice you could make. You could choose to quite simply do…nothing. What a profound freedom. No wonder this was the best vacation I’d ever taken:D .

 

Footnote: I should advise that I have contacted the folks at Come to Cozumel and have requested a partial refund of the price we paid for their ATV tour which was not as promised. I have had a response from them but it was just to make some more inquiries of the specifics. Can’t tell if they will make this right or not and I’m not holding my breath but with the goal of informing the readers of these boards, I will report the outcome. Thank you for your patience with the cruise review that ate Manhattan and for the piecemeal process in which it was delivered. It would be a delight to meet some of you on a future cruise. I am already starting to look at the possibility of a cruise to Alaska in a couple of years;) .

[scurveydog]

Scurveydog,

 

My DH and I will be cruising for the first time on October 21 on the CB. As with any other decision I make, I studied and agonized over the details and decisions (just a tad obsessive, I guess..ha ha). After plopping down my $500 deposit for my Western cruise, I still wondered if I had, indeed made the correct decision. After reading your reviews, I am certain that I did. Your reviews have been both entertaining and informative. In the real world, I am in marketing and PR. I don't know what you do, but if you are not in some form of marketing, then you sure should be. Keep the info coming as I continue to obsess over every detail. I am a total novice; however, if anyone plans a trip to Europe anytime soon, then I am their new source. DH was in the Air Force for 20 years and our last duty station was a small NATO base on the borders of The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. We did extensive travel in Europe and loved every minute. Now that we are back in the states, I predict that cruising will become our new hobby...or at least I hope so.

 

Lorriv20, Glad to hear the review confirmed your decision to cruise on the CB. You will have the time of your life. My career is indeed (at least part of what I do) involved with sales and marketing. This is good- I'd hate to have to change now;) . I will keep you in mind when I get ready to plan my European vacation.

[shoredreamer]

Thank you so much for your totally awesome review, best one ever!!

[scurveydog]

Scurveydog,

Great review....more to come, I hope. My question goes back to part 1 of your review. How far was Amerisuites from the pier? Did you have to take a taxi because of the distance or because you had so many supplies? Also, did all 4 of you plus luggage and supplies from Publix and case of wine all fit into one cab?

 

Mississauga, The distance requires a taxi or shuttle but it is a 5-7 minute cab ride tops. Yes, all of that fit into a cab but it was tight-- The wine, for instance, was in my lap. We were hoping for one of those mini-van taxi's- it would have been more comfortable. But in 5 minutes we were there!

[scurveydog]

This is the most enjoyable review I have read of any cruise. I had to print out each page and show to DW, and we are more excited than ever now!

 

Rookiecruisers06, I'm delighted to hear of your excitement. You should be. You will have a blast!

[scurveydog]

Thank you so much for your totally awesome review, best one ever!!

 

Shoredreamer, You are welcome. Have a great time on your July cruise.

[Lynda90]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us. I enjoyed every minute of your review and am truly sorry to see it end. You must go on another cruise soon so we can read about it again.:D :o